Akebono

Akebono Brake Industry is one of the world’s leading brake manufacturers, operating factories across Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia. When the company launched a group-wide digital transformation programme, it needed a common baseline across sites with very different levels of digitalisation.

The Challenge

Without an objective assessment framework, digital transformation programmes typically default to technology-led approaches — deploying the same technologies across all sites regardless of readiness. This creates waste and uneven results.

Akebono needed a framework that could assess all sites on a common scale, reveal the specific dimensions where each site had gaps, and prioritise investment accordingly.

The SIRI Assessment

Working with INCIT’s certified assessors, Akebono conducted SIRI assessments across its primary manufacturing sites. The assessment covered all 16 SIRI dimensions — from process and technology readiness to organisational and workforce capability.

The assessment revealed a consistent pattern: Akebono’s technology infrastructure was more advanced than its process and data architecture. Sensors and connectivity were deployed, but the processes to act on the data they generated were underdeveloped.

The Roadmap

Based on the SIRI findings, Akebono’s first 12-month roadmap focused on process redesign and data governance rather than additional technology deployment. The roadmap identified three priority dimensions and specified targeted interventions for each site.

The Result

Twelve months after implementing the roadmap, Akebono’s average LEAD score had improved by 28 points. More importantly, the improvement was driven by targeted interventions rather than broad technology deployment, resulting in a more efficient use of transformation capital.