Argon & Co partners with QAD | Redzone to transform manufacturing performance globally

SYDNEY, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Argon & Co^[1] has announced a global partnership with QAD^[2] | Redzone^[3], bringing together transformation-led consulting and market-leading connected workforce technology to help manufacturers improve frontline execution and productivity across factory operations.

Redzone is deployed across more than 2,000 factories, and the collaboration with Argon & Co marks the company's first strategic global partnership focused on transformation-led operational consulting.

The partnership comes at a time when productivity improvement is becoming critical to manufacturing competitiveness due to labour shortages, rising costs and growing operational complexity. And while many businesses have invested heavily in automation and continuous improvement initiatives, translating those investments into sustained frontline performance remains a persistent industry challenge.  

"Manufacturers have more operational data and technology than ever before, but many still struggle to turn that into consistent performance on the shopfloor," said Paul Eastwood, Managing Partner APAC at Argon & Co. "Too often, improvements fail to stick, and digital investments struggle to deliver measurable results at scale. As AI and connected operations continue to evolve, the real opportunity lies in combining operational insight with the execution disciplines and behaviours needed to sustain performance over time." 

By combining Argon & Co's proprietary Manufacturing Optimisation and Daily Execution system, (MODE) with Redzone's AI-powered connected workforce platform, manufacturers can move beyond fragmented improvement initiatives and establish a more scalable, system-wide approach to operational performance.

Redzone provides real-time visibility, AI-guided insights and a connected platform that enables frontline teams to take immediate action on performance. When combined with MODE, this creates a system where performance is visible at every level, approaches are standardised and capability is embedded within the workforce. Together, Redzone and MODE deliver the kind of operational performance many manufacturers do not think is achievable, at a speed traditional transformational programs often struggle to match.

"Redzone's mission is to transform manufacturing by empowering the frontline to win every day and that mission demands more than great technology. It requires world-class coaching by people who have actually worked inside a factory. Argon & Co's consultants are proven manufacturing experts who understand the realities of the shop floor. That depth of expertise, combined with their truly global reach, is exactly what it takes to help manufacturers achieve what once seemed impossible: five days of production in four," said Ken Fisher, President at Redzone.

Through the partnership, manufacturers will be able to combine connected worker technology with embedded operational disciplines including daily management systems, standard work, structured problem solving, leadership routines and capability transfer programs. 

"Redzone has already built a significant client base in the US, and there's a reason for that, it delivers results. What excites me is the opportunity to take that even further. By combining Redzone with Argon & Co's MODE operating system, we can help existing Redzone clients unlock even greater factory performance, while enabling manufacturers implementing Redzone for the first time to embed stronger operational disciplines and productivity improvements from day one. This has the potential to fundamentally reshape how factories perform," said Eastwood.

The Argon & Co and Redzone offering combines connected workforce technology with a proven manufacturing operating system and deep transformation and behavioural change expertise, an approach that remains rare in manufacturing transformation programs.

The partnership will initially focus on supporting manufacturers across food and beverage, consumer goods, industrial manufacturing and process industries, with rollout capability spanning Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

About Argon & Co

Argon & Co is a global management consultancy that specialises in operations strategy and transformation. Its expertise spans supply chain planning, manufacturing, logistics, procurement, finance, and shared services, working together with clients to transform their businesses and generate real change. Its people are engaging to work with and trusted by clients to get the job done. Argon & Co has 17 offices across Europe, Australasia, America, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.argonandco.com^[4]

About QAD | Redzone

QAD^[5] | Redzone^[6] is redefining manufacturing and supply chains through its intelligent, adaptive platform that connects people, processes, and technology into a single System of Action. With three core pillars — Redzone (frontline empowerment), Adaptive Applications (the intelligent backbone), and ChampionAI (Agentic AI for manufacturing) — QAD | Redzone helps manufacturers operate with Champion Pace^[7], achieving measurable productivity, resilience, and growth in as little as 90 days. To learn more, visit www.qad.com^[8] or call +1 805-566-6100. Find us on LinkedIn^[9], X, Facebook^[10] and Instagram^[11].

References

1. ^{^} Argon & Co (www.argonandco.com)
2. ^{^} QAD (www.qad.com)
3. ^{^} Redzone (www.rzsoftware.com)
4. ^{^} www.argonandco.com (www.argonandco.com)
5. ^{^} QAD (www.qad.com)
6. ^{^} Redzone (rzsoftware.com)
7. ^{^} Champion Pace (www.qad.com)
8. ^{^} www.qad.com (www.qad.com)
9. ^{^} LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
10. ^{^} Facebook (www.facebook.com)
11. ^{^} Instagram (www.instagram.com)