Digital Transformation at PolyMold Industries — A Plastics Manufacturer’s Shift to Cloud ERP & IoT in Gujarat
Company Name: PolyMold Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Industry: Injection Moulded Plastics (Automotive, Consumer Durables, Electronics)
Location: Vadodara, Gujarat
Employees: ~450
Annual Turnover: ₹220 crore
Product Types: Automotive dashboards, air vents, washing machine panels, packaging trays
Key Clients: Maruti Suzuki, Havells, LG India, Bosch
Founded in 1995, PolyMold had grown into a reliable second-tier vendor for OEMs. While their core manufacturing operations were robust, their internal
systems especially around data, communication, inventory, and order fulfillment—were fragmented, outdated, and largely manual. To stay competitive and meet rising demand from OEMs, they committed to a full-scale digital transformation in 2023–24
Pre-Digital Transformation Challenges
- Disparate Systems & Silos
● Procurement, production, inventory, and finance were managed through separate desktop-based software or spreadsheets.
● No single source of truth for BOM, stock levels, or work orders. - Delayed Order Fulfillment
● Difficulty in predicting raw material shortages.
● High rate of last-minute procurement, causing delays or expedited shipping costs. - Inefficient Shop Floor Monitoring
● Manual logbooks are used for shift performance and downtime tracking.
● No real-time insight into machine performance or utilization. - No Remote Access
● Top management had no access to operational reports unless physically present at the plant. - Compliance Complexity
● Struggled with GST returns, QC traceability, and client audits due to unstructured record keeping.
Digital Transformation Goals
- Move from legacy systems to a cloud-based ERP with mobile access.
- Integrate real-time production monitoring using IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things).
- Enable predictive insights into raw material planning and downtime.
- Improve client servicing with auto-generated dashboards and traceability reports.
- Create a digitally unified organization from top floor to shop floor.
Solution Strategy
The digital transformation was executed in 3 parallel workstreams:
- Cloud ERP Deployment (SAP Business One on AWS)
● Modules Implemented:
Inventory
Production Planning
Sales & Dispatch
Finance & Taxation
Quality Control
● Customized workflows for:
BOM versioning
Multi-warehouse tracking
E-invoicing + GST return filing
Barcode-enabled packing lists
● Mobile app for the sales team to track dispatch, invoicing, and customer
orders. - IIoT-Based Production Monitoring
● 35 injection moulding machines connected to an IIoT gateway via PLCs.
● Real-time capture of:
Run time/idle time/breakdown time
Cycle time variation
Material usage per batch
Operator shifts and performance
● Dashboard created using Power BI integrated with ERP for unified visibility. - Employee Training & Process Redesign
● 4-week hands-on workshops for 90+ staff across production, stores, and finance.
● Appointed department-wise digital champions to drive usage and adoption.
● Redesigned SOPs around new digital workflows.
Implementation Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Description |
| Phase 1 | 1 month | ERP design, hardware audit, IIoT device selection |
| Phase 2 | 2 months | ERP setup, migration of 5 years of data |
| Phase 3 | 2 months | IIoT integration, dashboard configuration |
| Phase 4 | 1 month | Staff training, UAT, go-live |
| Phase 5 | ongoing | Feedback loops, upgrades, and scale to other lines |
Outcomes 6 Months Post-Go Live
| KPI | Before | After | Improvement |
| Order Fulfillment Accuracy | 84% | 97% | ↑ 13% |
| Procurement Lead Time | Avg 9. days | 4.5 days | ↓ 50% |
| Machine Utilization Rate | 62% | 78% | ↑ 16% |
| Production Downtime | 9.3 hrs/week | 3.4 hrs/week | ↓ 63% |
| Inventory Errors | 6-8 per week | 1–2 per week | ↓ ~75% |
| GST Filing Delays | 3–4 times/year | 0 | 100% timely compliance |
| Customer Escalations | Avg 6/month | 1-2/month | ↓ 70% |
Digital Gains Beyond Metrics
- Operational Transparency
Plant heads and the CEO could now monitor production and dispatch from their
phones, 24/7. - Client Delight
Customers received a live link showing the current production and dispatch status
of their PO. - Faster Decision-Making
● Inventory and production reports now took minutes vs. 2–3 days before.
● Auto-generated analytics helped avoid overproduction and understocking. - Improved Employee Satisfaction
● Operators no longer had to maintain manual logbooks.
● Store teams found barcode scanning to be faster and more accurate.
Lessons Learned
● Data Cleanup Is Critical:
Historical inconsistencies in BOM and vendor databases had to be fixed before ERP rollout.
● Buy-In from the Top Accelerates Change:
The owner personally led weekly digital review meetings to remove resistance.
● Digital Champions Work:
Mid-level managers who were empowered became trainers and adoption leaders.
● Don’t Over-Automate:
The team avoided automating every small task, focusing instead on 20% actions delivering 80% impact.
Next Steps
● Integrate customer portals for PO, invoice, and payment tracking
● Add AI-driven demand forecasting based on seasonal trends and past orders
● Introduce RFID-based raw material tracking across vendors
● Plan rollout of similar systems at their Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) plant in FY 2025–26
Conclusion
PolyMold Industries journey is a perfect example of how digital transformation can modernize even a traditional, medium-sized Indian manufacturer. Instead of just automating tasks, they built a connected enterprise—where data flows freely, decisions are data-driven, and technology augments every function. With rising global pressure on compliance, quality, and lead times, such digital maturity will help PolyMold stand out, not just in India, but in global supply chains.