Canterbury Manufacturer Gains Real-Time Visibility
A Canterbury-based manufacturing company was flying blind. Production data lived in spreadsheets, reports took days to compile, and decisions were based on outdated information. pipehq built automated data pipelines and real-time dashboards that transformed how the business operates.
About the Client
A well-established Canterbury manufacturer producing specialised components for the agricultural and construction industries. With multiple production lines and a complex supply chain, data management had become a significant challenge.
Industry
Manufacturing
Location
Canterbury, New Zealand
Services Used
The Challenge
The company's data infrastructure was holding back growth:
Spreadsheet Chaos
Production data, inventory, quality metrics, and financials all lived in disconnected Excel files. Version control was a nightmare, and errors were common.
Reporting Delays
Monthly production reports took 3-5 days to compile. By the time leadership had the data, it was already old news.
No Real-Time Visibility
Managers couldn't see current production status, inventory levels, or quality issues without walking the floor or making calls.
Data Silos
The ERP, quality system, and inventory management didn't talk to each other. Getting a complete picture required manual data consolidation.
The Solution
pipehq designed a comprehensive data automation solution that unified all data sources and delivered real-time insights across the organisation.
Automated Data Pipelines
Built using n8n to automatically collect data from the ERP, quality systems, and IoT sensors. All data flows into a central PostgreSQL database.
Real-Time Dashboards
Interactive dashboards in Metabase showing production status, inventory levels, quality metrics, and financial performance—updated in real-time.
Automated Reporting
Daily, weekly, and monthly reports generated and distributed automatically. No more manual compilation.
Alert System
Intelligent alerts for quality issues, inventory shortages, and production bottlenecks. Problems are flagged immediately, not discovered days later.
Dashboards Delivered
Production Overview
Real-time output, efficiency, and quality metrics
Inventory Management
Stock levels, reorder alerts, and supplier performance
Quality Control
Quality trends, inspection results, and compliance
Financial Performance
Cost analysis, margins, and profitability by product
Tools & Technologies
The Results
The transformation was immediate and measurable. Real-time visibility enabled faster, better decisions.
Reports that took days now take minutes
Live visibility across all operations
Data-driven decision making
Reduced waste and downtime
"For the first time, we can see exactly what's happening across the entire operation. We've caught quality issues before they became expensive problems and reduced waste significantly. The dashboards have become essential to how we run the business."
Ready for real-time visibility?
Manufacturers across New Zealand are gaining competitive advantage through data automation. Let's discuss how it could work for your operation.