By Mukundan Sivaraj · AIM Media House
Sauder Woodworking has cut its average production changeover time by 93% after deploying Redzone’s ChampionAI alongside its connected workforce platform, according to Redzone. The manufacturer also reported a 40% productivity increase during its first year using the platform.
The Ohio-based company, North America’s leading producer of ready-to-assemble furniture, began deploying Redzone in May 2025 at a production area focused on its IKEA business. A value-stream map measured average changeover time at 19 minutes.
During a recent plant tour, Sauder recorded a full changeover in one minute and 24 seconds, according to Redzone’s August 18 announcement. Redzone announcement Sauder’s deployment reflects a wider effort among manufacturers to turn production data into information that can be acted on while a shift is underway.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified industrial data management, integration across different manufacturing systems and reliable AI operation as key challenges in its 2026 roadmap for artificial intelligence and machine learning in smart manufacturing.
That data layer is becoming important as manufacturers move AI closer to the production line. Factories are teaching old machines to talk , using sensors and connected systems to make equipment activity visible in real time, is another example of the infrastructure needed before AI can act on factory operations.
From Delayed Reports To Real-Time Decisions Before Redzone, Sauder’s supervisors often relied on production information from the previous day or week.
The company said the new system gives operators and managers visibility into performance during the shift, while ChampionAI allows users to query production information directly.
Dan Sauder, EVP and Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Sauder Woodworking, said the AI agent can answer questions about what is happening on the line and identify the biggest issues when they are not immediately visible to a manager.
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