A routine order, a click
A firm order for three mechanically welded assemblies requiring screw assembly. Specific requirement: 30 screws.
Nothing could be more commonplace in industry. And yet, this small detail triggered a real change.
The reflex: economic common sense… or illusion?
The historical logic was simple: order a box of 200 screws for €16, or €0.08 per screw.
Because “it will come in handy,” because “it’s cheaper,” because “we’ve always done it this way.”
But what is the reality behind this choice? 170 useless screws, which will be stored, managed, moved, counted… and then thrown away.
When you really do the math
We looked at what this meant for a single order:
ERP entry: 5 min = $3
Receipt, labeling, storage: 10 min = $6
Inventory (6 rounds over 3 years): 30 min = $18
Handling and revalidation: 10 min = €6
Silent waste: $2
Actual management cost: approximately $40, for a unit “gain” of $1.20.
And that’s not to mention the carbon footprint or the poor quality generated by excess.
A kaizen driven by the field
We owe this change to Mathieu and Jeanne, who initiated a kaizen with our supplier Somefi.
They asked a simple question: “What if we stopped storing by default?”
Somefi agreed to play along: to deliver exactly 30 screws, unpackaged. No more. No less.
Concrete result
A higher unit price (€0.12)
But 0 extra screws
No hidden costs
And in terms of quality: a natural deterrent → 30 screws received = 30 screws installed
A phrase that sums it all up
This case reminded the team of a quote from Shigeo Shingo:
“Inventory serves to hide trouble. Problems with machines, with workers, with processes. High inventory levels disguise them all.” — A Study of the Toyota Production System, 1981
What it revealed
At Hexalean, we have around 2,000 references in this family, stored out of habit, not strategy.
Extrapolating from what we learned from this screw, we estimate:
$24,760 in avoidable tied-up cash per year
3.4 tons of unnecessary steel
11.9 tons of avoidable CO₂
And more than 1,000 hours of management time saved
A much broader transformation
This screw has become a symbol of what we want to transform:
Reducing invisible carbon inefficiency
Creating value through simplicity
Aligning purchasing, flow, quality, and the customer
Moving from automatism to intention
Less, but better
At Hexalean, we no longer buy based on unit price. We buy based on flow, need, time, carbon, and consistency.
And sometimes, it all starts with a simple screw… and two people who dare to ask the right question.
Thank you Mathieu, Jeanne, and Somefi for this exemplary kaizen.
By Damien Vuillod – Hexalean CEO
