How MRC Global Transformed IT Operations with Kanban Zone
IT organizations often face three persistent challenges: limited resources, competing priorities, and the constant pressure to balance short-term execution with long-term innovation. As demands for IT services grow faster than capacity, teams become overwhelmed, reactive, and unable to maintain both operational excellence and strategic delivery.
At MRC Global, Hellmut Ometzberger, Senior Director of IT Service Delivery, and his team tackled these challenges head-on. Using Kanban Zone, they increased visibility, stabilized operations, improved delivery, and built a scalable, adaptive IT service model that supports both day-to-day operations and long-term business growth.
Quick Wins After Using Kanban Zone:
2x increase in throughput
87%+ flow efficiency
83% fewer service disruptions
Near-zero rework
About MRC Global
MRC Global is the world’s leading distributor of pipe, valves, and fittings (PVF), supporting industries through a combination of product expertise, digital solutions, and a robust global supply chain. With over 8,300+ customers and 197 locations worldwide, MRC Global operates a digital-first model to deliver over 200,000 SKUs from 7,100+ suppliers across a variety of industries.
The Challenge
MRC Global’s ongoing digital transformation — including the adoption of Oracle Fusion, the optimization of Salesforce, and the modernization of IT infrastructure — significantly increased the demand for IT services across the organization. As a result, the IT Service Delivery team faced rising workloads, competing priorities, and a growing number of complex project dependencies, all of which placed added strain on their capacity, responsiveness, and overall performance.
Key issues included:
Scattered Requests: Work requests arrived through ServiceNow, email, and phone calls, creating disorganization and confusion.
Constant Reprioritization: Frequent escalations forced the team into a reactive mode, leading to task switching, delays, and quality issues.
Limited Visibility: Lack of transparency into priorities, workloads, and dependencies made it difficult to manage performance and progress.
Poor Decision-Making: Without timely and accurate data, decision-making became guesswork, and communication with stakeholders turned defensive.
To regain control, the team needed a system that could support continuous improvement, improve visibility, and foster accountability — all while remaining within their control.
Why Kanban Zone
The team chose Kanban Zone as their solution due to its:
Customizable Boards that are mapped to real workflows and work types
Intuitive Interface that encouraged adoption and daily use
Powerful Metrics that supported data-driven decisions
Collaborative Support from the Kanban Zone team to implement fast and iterate quickly
The Implementation
Using a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach, the team introduced a visual workflow consisting of:
Backlog → Prioritized Intake → Work in Progress → Delivery
Work types organized into Expedite, Manage & Operate, Projects, and Continuous Improvement
Card categories like Incident, Escalated, Planned, Rework, Continuous Improvement
This setup allowed them to:
- Gain visibility into all inbound work and requests
- Prioritize and track project dependencies
- Understand existing resource capacity and constraints
- Allocate and manage resources more effectively across teams
As adoption grew, the team added:
- Committed delivery dates and estimated cycle times
- WIP limits and visual indicators for blockers
- Service tower-specific boards that feed into a main IT Delivery board
- Alignment with a top-level IT Strategy board for cross-team visibility
Working with the Kanban Zone Team
Partnering with the Kanban Zone team accelerated the implementation. From the proof-of-value phase to the configuration of the first board, the collaboration ensured a fast rollout and empowered the team to become self-sufficient. The team continues to adapt their boards and processes using Kanban Zone’s flexibility and continuous improvement approach.
Key Benefits:
Purpose-Driven Work: Team actions are clearly connected to IT and business outcomes.
Better Collaboration: Shared visibility improves alignment, communication, and trust across teams.
Clear Priorities: Everyone starts the day knowing exactly what matters most and how to contribute.
Smarter Decisions: Real-time data allows the team to focus on disruptions before they escalate.
The Results
Since adopting Kanban Zone, the IT Service Delivery team at MRC Global has seen remarkable improvements:
Throughput has more than doubled
Flow efficiency remains above 87%
Cycle times continue to drop
Rework has been largely eliminated
Service disruptions have decreased by 83%
The team is more engaged, empowered, and proactive. Individual contributions are clearly tied to measurable outcomes. And best of all, the shift from reactive chaos to a proactive, sustainable model has created space for innovation and long-term improvements.
Final Conclusion
Implementing Kanban Zone did more than provide visibility—it empowered a complete cultural and operational transformation. By embracing a system that supports scalable, predictable, and value-driven delivery, MRC Global’s IT Service Delivery team not only improved performance but also reduced service disruptions and elevated their role as a strategic partner to the business.
