Fast AND Right: How GemaTEG Built Operational Excellence on Two Tracks
In the early days of any startup, speed feels like everything. The goal is to get the prototype to work, test it, and get it out the door. At GemaTEG, that same drive for momentum was essential to our early success. But as we grew, we realized that speed alone wasn’t enough. Scaling required something deeper: structure, consistency, and a shared discipline that could sustain progress long after the first breakthroughs.
That evolution from “ship and hope” to “prove and improve” became the foundation of GemaTEG’s culture of operational excellence: a way of working that now guides how we build, communicate, and innovate.
Why it matters
For startups,speed is celebrated, but speed without systems is fragile. When growth accelerates, ad-hoc methods break under pressure. Embedding operational excellence early gives teams a framework to move fast with confidence.
Operational excellence, at its core, is about solving problems systematically so that every fix makes the next step easier, faster, and more reliable.
From “Ship and Hope” to “Prove and Improve”
In GemaTEG’s earliest phase, urgency ruled. The team moved fast. That worked, until complexity grew. With multiple systems interacting and more demanding performance targets, improvisation no longer scaled.
The turning point came with a simple realization: speed without discipline creates rework.The company adopted a new mantra: prove and improve. Every new solution wouldbe validated before being scaled. Every iteration would add to a growing base of knowledge.
This was more than a process change; it was a cultural one. “Prove and improve” turned quality assurance into a shared mindset, not a department. Everyone was responsible for precision and learning.
Building a culture means building instruments
As Luca Tomassetti, Head of Operations, puts it:
“When you create a culture, you also build up instruments: tools to work differently, to work actually better.”
Culture doesn’t appear by decree; it’s built through specific tools that make better habits second nature. At GemaTEG, we’re process-driven, not people-dependent. Our quality system ensures that standardized, well-designed processes are interconnected across the organization.
These tools operate on two distinct tracks:
Efficiency focuses on cost and time: working faster and more economically. Lean tools that eliminate waste, standardize processes, and accelerate delivery.
Efficacy focuses on product excellence: we ensure what we build meets the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance. Quality and Six Sigma tools that make our products genuinely excellent.
We believe that true operational excellence requires mastery of both.
1 - The efficiency track: Working faster
Our efficiency tools eliminate redundancy, accelerate communication, and standardize execution:
- OBEYA Room: A visual management space inspired by Toyota Lean methodology. Workflows, milestones, and obstacles are displayed for everyone to see, reducing redundant communication and keeping teams aligned.[MM1]
- Quality Management System: Standardized procedures for every main process—managerial, operational, and technical. This ensures consistency and efficiency regardless of who executes the work.
2 -The efficacy track: Building right
Our efficacy tools ensure product excellence, safety, and compliance:
- 8D Problem-Solving: Eight Disciplines methodology for systematically troubleshooting complex technical issues, identifying root causes, and implementing permanent corrective actions.
- FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis): Proactive risk identification in both design (DFMEA) and process (PFMEA) phases. We catch potential failures before they occur, not after.
- Compliance & Safety Assessment: Rigorous evaluation frameworks ensuring products meet regulatory requirements and safety standards across all target markets. Without compliance, we can’t sell; without safety, we shouldn’t.
The connective tissue: BOM as a multi-purpose foundation
Our Bill of Materials (BOM) system is a lot more than a trivial a parts list. We consider it the foundational data layer that powers both tracks. The same BOM supports procurement efficiency, FMEA analysis, risk assessment, compliance verification, and safety evaluation. A single source that enables both speed and quality.
Together, these tools work as a system. Efficiency tools accelerate delivery. Efficacy tools ensure excellence. And BOM connects them all. Every team member understands not just their task, but how it contributes to both speed and quality.
When tools become habits
Change takes time. At first, not everyone saw the benefits of new processes and documentation. As Luca Tomassetti recalls:
“Nobody understands at the beginning that everything is created for their benefit for future and better work.”
Gradually,these tools became part of the daily routine. Teams began using efficiency tools like OBEYA and efficacy tools like FMEA naturally,without reminders or explanations. That was the signal that the culture had shifted: people were no longer following procedures—they were embodying them.
When systems work, they no longer feel like systems. They become habits.
The power of small, consistent changes
Operational excellence didn’t appear overnight. It was built drop by drop, through persistence and daily practice. Saverio Baldini, Head of Quality & Methods often quotes an old Latin phrase:
“Gutta cavat lapidem”—the drop hollows out the stone.
At GemaTEG,it’s not force but consistency that drives change. Daily visual check-ins,standard work reviews, and continuous experimentation all contribute to steady progress.
That same rhythm extends beyond operations. It shapes how we approach strategy,communication, and innovation. Each small win compounds into long-term capability.
Empowering teams to solve problems
For a culture of excellence to last, ownership must be shared. GemaTEG’s leaders gave teams the autonomy to identify inefficiencies and solve them using a scientific,data-driven approach. This empowerment replaced control with confidence. Ultimately, people didn’t wait for permission. They took initiative.
Over time, that autonomy built trust and accountability. Teams began improving their own work and also the systems around them. The result is a culture that continuously learns and evolves on its own.
The takeaways
· Master both tracks: Efficiency tools (Lean) for speed and cost. Efficacy tools(Quality) for excellence and compliance.
· Build process-driven systems: Standardized, interconnected procedures ensure consistency regardless of who executes.
· Move steadily, not forcefully. The drop hollows the stone; consistency creates impact.
· Empower ownership. Operational excellence grows stronger when everyone participates.
The bottom line
At GemaTEG, operational excellence runs on two tracks: efficiency for speed, efficacy for quality. We’re process-driven, not people-dependent. Through tools like OBEYA, FMEA, 8D, and our quality management system, we’ve built a culture where discipline accelerates innovation.
