Leggett & Platt, Inc. is the industry leading manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products for customers worldwide. While Leggett & Platt may not be a household name, a household would not be the same without them. Whether a customer is relaxing in a recliner that has a Leggett & Platt motion mechanism powering it or barbequing on a grill made up of Leggett cast aluminum, Leggett & Platt products are all around us, making the products consumers use every day more comfortable, durable and life-enhancing.

Challenge:
Leggett & Platt needed to decrease the amount of time spent on measuring items as they are produced, eliminate missed reporting, and transform their data into a completely paper-less system. Their objective was to standardize on a single analytics solution to become more efficient—improving quality during production and preventing defects. “Our plant needed a real-time solution that would decrease the amount of time that we spent measuring on the shop floor,” said Shawn Stauffer, quality manager at Leggett & Platt.

Solution
Leggett & Platt conducted a comparative analysis between InfinityQS and another SPC software provider. InfinityQS' open platform allowed for a smooth integration with Leggett & Platt’s established machinery and the real-time data analysis drastically transformed the companies two-day, monthly finalization process by providing the data instantaneously. InfinityQS’ SPC software also enables the company to monitor, control and improve the processes of its manufacturing operations in real-time.

• Specification checks in real-time
• Automatic recording and emailing of unusual events
• Automated WEB Publishing for internal and external customer needs

Results
With InfinityQS software, Leggett & Platt significantly reduced production time and made their manufacturing process completely paperless:

• Two-day end-of-month finalization process now done in real-time
• Product lots have become traceable
• System has become completely paperless

Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.

Challenge:
“At Nike we have a very high standard of quality and excellence and we needed a solution to match the quality we give to our consumer,” said Bob Brooke, quality manager for Nike. Due to the level of consumer demands, as well as the level of competition they receive from their competitors, Nike could not sacrifice quality at any point in their manufacturing process.

Solution:
Nike selected InfinityQS as its quality management solution. InfinityQS’ ability report physical attribute data with precise specifications made the software a perfect match for Nike’s manufacturing plant. The company must have their Air™ sole specifications perfect or else it can effect the quality of the entire shoe. “Nike provides consumer products billions of people all over the world,” said Michael A. Lyle, President of InfinityQS International. “Our SPC software, solid customer support, and technical services will continue to assist Nike in targeting key areas for process improvement, resulting in high quality products and continued success.”

Results:
“We were very pleased to know that InfinityQS has the same regard for quality and standards as we do at Nike; it made the decision to select this solution an easy one,” said Scott Marks, quality engineer for Nike.

• Improved overall quality
• Reduced scrap
• Reduced overall material usage