Digitalisation, agility, and continuous improvement are more necessary than ever. Jorge Varela, Senior Manager of the Production Industrialisation and Manufacturing Engineering Area at Indra, shares how the company has built a robust improvement system across its plants—with visible results in autonomy, decision-making, and sustainable operations—through the support of SGS PRODUCTIVITY.
When improvement becomes a matter of vision and scale
Indra is one of the largest companies in Spain’s IBEX 35 and the second leading European company in information technologies and defence. With over 52,000 employees and global operations, it plays a strategic role in sectors such as defence, mobility, air traffic and digitalisation.
In a context shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, rapid change and supply shortages, the challenge was significant. As Jorge Varela explains, new generations also demand new ways of leading and organising work. This led Indra to pursue real transformation in its operations—and Lean was the answer.
The start of a structural shift
Lean implementation began in 2017 with a six-month pilot project. It marked a turning point: for the first time, such an initiative had direct exposure to the CEO, which broke down internal barriers and opened stronger communication between senior leadership, middle management and operators.
That first project was the beginning of a journey that kept expanding. Since then, Indra has rolled out multiple initiatives: Lean Logistics, Lean Office, Agile project management, and even the development of a new radar manufacturing facility—the largest in Europe—designed from the ground up as a “Lean pla
Systems, autonomy, and digitalisation
In this new plant and others, Indra has implemented autonomous teams, TOP meeting routines (5, 15, 30, and 60-minute formats), idea management systems, tools like A3 and 8D, and value stream mapping (VSM) by product. These efforts have helped identify areas for improvement, reinforce strengths, and lay the groundwork for further progress.
The Focus Smart Productivity platform has played a key role in digitalising the meeting structure, eliminating paper and improving agility. This digitalisation has also contributed to a more sustainable and responsive operation.
Training and culture to sustain progress
This transformation goes beyond processes. Developing people has been a central pillar. Indra has chosen to train its team internally through White Belt, Green Belt and, soon, Black Belt programmes—gradually extending the Lean culture across the entire organisation. The goal is clear: improvement should not depend on a few, but be part of everyone’s daily work.
Choosing SGS PRODUCTIVITY as a strategic partner
Jorge Varela highlights that they chose SGS PRODUCTIVITY for its prior knowledge of the electronics sector, proven experience, and valuable client network. “We knew they could help us because they understood our business model—and we could also learn from their work with other companies,” he explains.
This relationship, built on mutual trust and shared learning, has been key to advancing with a long-term vision.
Want to build a solid and sustainable continuous improvement system in your organisation?