Press Release

State College, PA — July 14, 2026 — Automotive manufacturers operate in highly complex production environments. They must grow revenue, protect margins, improve quality, accelerate innovation, and manage global operations. Despite collecting more data than ever, many still struggle to make timely, confident decisions.

A recent Bain & Company report found that data analytics and AI could help the automotive industry achieve efficiency gains of over 10% within three years and up to 30% by 2030. However, poor data quality, fragmented systems, and organizational silos still prevent many manufacturers from realizing the full value of their data.

Minitab, a global leader in data collection, analytics, predictive modeling, and process improvement, helps automotive and industrial manufacturers move from reactive problem-solving to data-driven operational excellence. By integrating statistical analysis, predictive insights, Design of Experiments, and continuous improvement tools, Minitab enables teams to identify key process factors, reduce variation, and achieve measurable business outcomes.

For automotive executives, the challenge is no longer data availability but identifying meaningful data, key performance drivers, and operational changes that deliver measurable improvements in quality, throughput, and cost.

“In automotive manufacturing, data creates the most value when it contributes to decision making on the shop floor, in R&D activities, in quality management and across the enterprise,” said Josh Goodman. “Manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to improve efficiency and quality simultaneously. The organizations that experience the most success are those that can not only effectively analyze data but can connect those analytics directly to product and process improvement, operational discipline and financial performance.”  

Minitab solutions help automotive and industrial manufacturers move beyond trial-and-error troubleshooting by enabling decisions based on statistical evidence.

For example, a multinational automobile manufacturer used Minitab® Statistical Software in a Six Sigma initiative to eliminate cosmetic defects in vehicle carpeting before a major launch. Using Minitab’s Design of Experiments and Response Optimizer, the team evaluated six machine settings across 34 experimental runs. The analysis identified optimal settings that eliminated visible defects, maintained performance, and improved carpet softness. The project progressed from problem definition to implementation in 12 days, supporting a successful, high-quality launch. 

A global automotive wheel manufacturer used Minitab Engage® to centralize management of continuous improvement and operational excellence projects. Previously, the company relied on spreadsheets, inconsistent templates, and manual reporting, which slowed decision-making and limited project visibility. 

With Minitab Engage, the company implemented a single platform for project tracking, standardized templates, real-time dashboards, and cross-functional collaboration. The manufacturer now manages approximately 1,600 projects with 1,500 users and 237 administrators. After adopting Minitab Engage, annual savings increased from 6.8% to 8.1%, representing an improvement of over 19%.

These examples illustrate a broader shift in automotive and vehicle manufacturing: operational performance now depends on how effectively companies convert data into repeatable process improvements. As manufacturers modernize plants, expand automation, and adopt AI-driven capabilities, the quality and usability of operational data will be critical to return on investment.

For automotive leaders, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Manufacturers using disconnected systems, inconsistent reporting, and manual analysis may struggle to realize the benefits of digital transformation. Those who build a disciplined, data-driven improvement culture can reduce waste, improve quality, increase throughput, and strengthen long-term competitiveness.

To learn more about how Minitab helps manufacturers use data-driven insights to improve operational performance, visit Minitab.com.

About Minitab, LLC 

Minitab is a global leader in data analytics solutions with more than 50 years of experience helping organizations harness their data to deliver high-quality products and services. By integrating statistical process analysis, predictive modeling, real-time monitoring, and continuous improvement solutions, Minitab helps organizations uncover insights, accelerate decision-making, and achieve measurable results. Minitab serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit Minitab.com.

Media Contact

Albe Zakes
Communications Director
Email: azakes@minitab.com
Phone: +1.267.221.4800