How ARaymond Scaled Digital Visual Management Globally with Baserow

“There was a strong expectation to make communication easier, and to quickly and efficiently share relevant information.”

— Cathy Tondu, Digital Rituals Project Lead, ARaymond

ARaymond replaced scattered spreadsheets and legacy tools with a centralized Baserow database to power real-time production KPI tracking. Now, they deliver total transparency across 28 factories, automate workflows, and scale operations without limits.

Industry

Manufacturing

Organization Size

Enterprise (Global Multi-Site)

Region

Global

Platform Capabilities

• Database & Shared Views
• API-First Architecture
• Automations (n8n)
• Visual Management (Pingflow)

About ARaymond

ARaymond is a global leader in fastening, assembly, and fluid handling solutions for the automotive industry. With a diversified portfolio spanning solar energy, pharmaceuticals, and construction, the company employs more than 8,000 people across 28 factories worldwide. Founded in 1865, ARaymond has a long tradition of innovation, and its recent move toward digital visual management is the latest chapter in that legacy.

Challenge: Optimizing Shop Floor Rituals

Short Interval Management (SIM) is a cornerstone practice in ARaymond’s operations. However, the “Team Animation Rituals” (AIC) used to manage these daily cycles faced a hurdle. Information was often trapped in scattered spreadsheets or static formats, making it difficult to align teams on daily targets.

Both at the management level and on the shop floor, the lack of a unified system created inefficiencies. As Cathy Tondu, who was appointed to lead the digitization of these rituals, explains, the organization needed a way to “quickly and efficiently share relevant information” to keep production moving smoothly.

Solution: A Central Nervous System for Production

ARaymond selected Baserow to serve as the central hub for its operational data. Unlike rigid proprietary software, Baserow’s open-source, API-first nature allowed ARaymond’s partner, Pingflow, to build a system tailored to their exact needs for managing daily operational KPIs.

• Unified Data Display: Baserow acts as the backend source for these displays.

“Anywhere there is data to be seen, we use Pingflow’s digital wallboards to display it,” says Tondu.

• Centralized Collaboration: Baserow serves as the single source of truth for capturing and collaborating on operational data, effectively removing the need for disconnected spreadsheets.
• Seamless Integration: Using Baserow’s robust API, ARaymond connected its database to a suite of powerful tools. They utilize n8n for workflow automation and PowerBI for business intelligence, ensuring data flows automatically from intake to the shop floor screens.

Results: Transparency, Speed, and Productivity

1. Total Transparency

The most immediate impact has been on KPI transparency. By sharing live data from Baserow directly to the shop floor, employees are fully engaged and know exactly how their production line is performing against daily targets. This visibility eliminates back-and-forth communication updates and builds trust by proving that parts are moving on schedule.

2. Rapid Deployment

The implementation has been swift and scalable. ARaymond has already deployed more than 50 visual wallboards supported by 100 users in the Baserow database. The simplicity and flexibility of the no-code tools ensured a much faster development time than custom coding would have allowed.

3. Operational Productivity

Automation has replaced manual data entry. With integrations into PowerBI, data flows automatically, significantly reducing the administrative burden. The IT team reports significant hours saved by eliminating the need to maintain and synchronize disparate spreadsheets and paper records.

Future Outlook: Innovating in Logistics and Production

Digital visual management is gaining momentum at ARaymond. The group is now moving towards new use cases that focus on activity management:

• Logistics (France): A project aimed at monitoring activity and workloads in real-time to quickly adjust resources where needed.
• Production Monitoring (USA): Expanding the system to track detailed production activity.

“It’s on this type of new uses that we will be working in parallel with the deployment of AICs,” anticipates Tondu. “It’s very interesting, but like any digitalization project, it requires having thought about the organization and skills – typically here training logistics employees to be versatile.”