InfinityQS Launches eSPC™

Contact: 
Elizabeth Goldman
InfinityQS International
703-961-0200
egoldman@infinityqs.com

Industry Leading Statistical Process Control (SPC) Software Delivered Via the Web For Enterprise-Wide Visibility and Supply Chain Quality Management

Chantilly, VA - March 20, 2006 - InfinityQS® International, the leading provider of statistical process control (SPC) software, today announced the launch of eSPC™. eSPC is the first industry solution of its kind that delivers hosted SPC applications using a shared, secure database, to enable enterprise-wide and supply chain quality control. Operating on a Web-based platform, eSPC allows manufacturers of any size to implement a real-time SPC solution for process improvement, scrap reduction, and overall cost savings.

InfinityQS developed eSPC in response to customer demand for an enterprise-wide quality control solution. Large manufacturers needed the ability to share and analyze data across facilities in real-time to recognize efficiencies and mange quality at the enterprise level. Employing proven SPC tools and methodologies, eSPC provides instant analysis of real-time attribute data, allowing both on-site quality managers and C-level executives to make timely process improvement decisions.

"I can say with certainty that eSPC will foster a healthier supplier, producer, customer relationship," said a statistical systems manager of O-I (formerly known as Owens Illinois). O-I is a leading manufacturer of healthcare packaging materials and a long-time InfinityQS customer who helped test the product prior to its release. "My colleagues and I agree—if there were a piece of software that could show our clients how their product was moving through the manufacturing process at the same time as they were browsing other Web sites, there would be a line trying to get into that software provider's door. eSPC does just that."

Traditionally, medium and large-sized companies with the IT budgets and resources to manage a fully automated quality control system have been the primary beneficiaries of SPC software solutions. eSPC empowers smaller manufacturers to take advantage of real-time SPC as it is hosted and managed externally, saving these companies the time and expense of implementing an in-house solution.

As the only automated SPC solution with a centralized implementation that does not require significant IT expertise at each manufacturing facility, eSPC offers unparalleled visibility and ease of use. Through its hosted delivery model, one eSPC implementation works for all manufacturing locations, regardless of geography, and can also extend into the supply chain. eSPC captures and analyzes supplier quality data, allowing supply chain managers to evaluate incoming materials prior to delivery.

"Companies can now collect and analyze data across the enterprise—not only at separate locations," said Ralph Rio, Research Director, ARC Advisory Group. "When supply chain elements are analyzed and the results shared in real time, business performance increases with a positive impact on the balance sheet, P&L statement and shareholder value." Ralph continued, "Many company's continuous improvement programs, like Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, are stalled. They need software solutions, like hosted SPC, to take their program to the next level."

eSPC is fully customizable for even the most complex manufacturing environments, similar to InfinityQS' other products. Its extensive reporting capabilities allow for hundreds of customized charts and graphs, both at the plant level and the enterprise level. Its Web-based platform is "always-on", allowing users to re-configure the system as often as required without interrupting performance. eSPC allows for robust system performance levels—large graphic components are downloaded to each on-site desktop client, eliminating the need for data to reload each time the displays are updated.

Managers at the plant site communicate with the server through standard HTTP protocol and are able to configure access privileges to all factory floor resources. eSPC guarantees system security and stability from a fully redundant data center with 128-bit data encryption.

"The market increasingly demands a sharper focus on supply chain quality and its impact on the entire manufacturing process. Manufacturers need to continually tighten margins while meeting the escalating demands of international quality standards," said Michael Lyle, president and CEO of InfinityQS. "We have responded to these demands by providing a Web-based centralized quality control solution that address total quality management across the entire enterprise."