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Packaging Digest, Strategic Testing Stops Leaky Litter Cartons In Their Tracks "Relative newcomers to the carton-sealing process, Oil-Dri found that while end-of-the-line tests indicated that filled cartons were sufficiently sealed before they were shipped to distributors nationwide, consumers' experiences told another tale. 'We had consumers picking the cartons up off the store shelf and putting them down on the conveyor belt at the checkout counter, and having the litter leak all over the conveyor,' relates Kelly McGrail, vice president of corporate communications for Oil-Dri..." "After exhaustive testing and tweaking of equipment and materials at Oil-Dri's production facilities failed to remedy the sealing issue, the company turned to QualPro, Inc., a consulting firm from Knoxville, TN. QualPro brought to the table a rigorous method of evaluation known as multivariable testing (MVT), which explains Tom Cofsky, vice president of manufacturing and logistics for Oil-Dri, 'involves letting statistical thinking drive the decision-making process.' Using this methodology, QualPro not only discovered how to solve the sealing dilemma, but it also allowed Oil-Dri to increase its line speed by 35 percent and save up to $125,000/year in glue costs..." "In addition to meeting the three main tasks set forth by Oil-Dri...QualPro also initiated some less-tangible benefits, as well. Says Cofsky, 'The impact of the process on employees was huge. Upon testing their ideas, we found that certain ones were very important. They saw their ideas implemented, and they saw us make positive progress. The impact on their morale was tremendous.'" Request a reprint of the entire article. |
Since 1982, QualPro has used Multivariable Testing (MVT®) with 1000+ companies to test 100,000+ improvement ideas. MVT® tests between 20 and 40 ideas simultaneously, accurately predicting the bottom-line impact of potential process changes in as short as 12 weeks. Take existing process initiatives, like Six Sigma, to a whole new level. All process improvement tools and approaches (TQM, DOE, Six Sigma, Re-Engineering, SPC) can be enhanced through the use of Multivariable Testing® by QualPro.
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QualPro, Inc. • P.O. Box 51984, Knoxville, Tennessee 37950 • 800.500.1722 • 865.927.0491 • 865.927.0495 fax © 2006, All Rights Reserved, QualPro, Inc. |