Data collection - waste or value?

Every company I visit as the Lean Six Sigma specialist, I see process and product data being collected. Operators on the plant floor check several process and product parameters. This data is recorded in the inspection reports that the operators are supposed to fill out. So much data is collected every day but very little is done with it.

Process and product data provide useful information that can be used for quality improvements. Many times no one even looks at this data. Sometimes the operators who are doing the checks also don't pay attention. So what's the use of the activity of data collection if no is going to take any action on it.

Data is collected for the sake of record keeping. However, in the Lean Manufacturing world, an activity that consumes resources and does not add value is waste.
Data collection causes..
1) waste of time
2) waste of paper if data is collected on paper
3) consumes unnecessary hardware storage space if data is collected electronically.

Unfortunately, very few companies act on the data that is collected. That is why processes rarely improve and few companies have succeeded at implementing Lean.
Sad but true that manufacturers collect Lots of data, but take little action on it!