StatSoft continuously analyzes feedback from users and develops quality products in direct response to consumer need. It is largely due to this two-way communication with the customer that STATISTICA has enjoyed a remarkable and unmatched record of reviews and awards since its first release in 1993. The following page is a summary of recently published comments by SEWSS users.    Click here to view a complete listing of reviews of STATISTICA.    Click here for user comments from registration cards.

StatSoft Case Study Featured in Quality Digest: STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) Integrates with Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) For Quick Analysis (September 2002, p. 58)

StatSoft's STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) was recently featured as a "Quality Application" in the September 2002 issue of Quality Digest. The Case Study describes the successful SEWSS implementation in the basic division at Steelcase Inc., a company that produces interior architectural products worldwide.

The case study describes how Steelcase was able to improve process control for automatic die presses and manual press brakes and quickly identify that measurement error was a key source of variation using the Interactive QC Charts module of SEWSS. After switching from caliper measurment to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), a team at Steelcase worked with StatSoft technical support so that the data collected by the CMM would be directly output into the SEWSS database and the latest data is always available for quick analysis with any of the SEWSS modules. Now, machine operators using the shop-floor CMM for inspection receive immediate feedback on the quality of key part features, and engineers have real-time access to the CMM inspection data for solving problems, making continuous improvements and verifying ongoing capability.

According to Mike Linde, quality engineer at Steelcase, "The enterprise-wide nature of the software makes it easy to share data for collaborative problem solving. Current data is available for review almost anywhere. Real-time charts and reports can be reviewed on the shop floor, at an engineers's desk or at a team meeting."

A case study in the April 2002 issue of Quality magazine describes how Steelcase, a leading office furniture manufacturer, recently achieved unprecedented quality gains using StatSoft's popular enterprise-wide SPC software, SEWSS. According to Steelcase, the decision to purchase SEWSS was part of an enterprise-wide initiative to standardize statistical software as a process improvement tool.

One of Steelcase's objectives in this initiative was to lower the average millage (paint thickness) needed to meet customer requirements, and reduce the variation in the application of paint. A project team used SEWSS to evaluate the state of three existing paint lines, two powder coat operations and a liquid line at the Office Systems plant. When the data from film thickness gages showed significant variation in paint millage, various SEWSS tools were used to identify the sources of the variation and help develop process improvements.

The project was deemed "a tremendous success," said Paul Dzwonek, quality engineer for Steelcase's Office Systems plant in Grand Rapids. Average paint millage on one powder coat line was reduced by 15%, and the variation was reduced dramatically by 40%. In just one year, material savings amounted to more than 3 times the total investment in all of the SEWSS software, training, and implementation services purchased.

According to Steelcase, four out of fifteen Steelcase North American plants use SEWSS and expanded use is planned.

Click here to read the complete article.

In the February 2002 issue of DM Review, John Deere Quality Engineer Navaid Ahmed gave STATISTICA rave reviews for its performance, ability to integrate, data visualization capabilities, and much more.

In the article, Ahmed discussed the variety of reasons why at John Deere "the decision to select STATISTICA was unanimous." According to Ahmed, "The versatility and flexibility of the product were the main reasons for selecting STATISTICA. It can be used for a variety of different forms of statistical analysis. Excellent service support and broad-based statistical analysis capability were the major advantages that this product had over others we considered."

Ahmed also applauded StatSoft for its excellent and prompt technical support saying, "Quick email responses and solutions to problems I've faced have been the best part of working with the vendor."

A recent article in COMPUTERWORLD (Polish version) described how ALSTOM Power Elblag Sp. z o.o., a top manufacturer of turbine castings, uses STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) to optimize its production processes and ensure quality.

Jerzy Slawinski, ALSTOM Power's quality manager, speaks highly of SEWSS in the article, "The SEWSS system is not just a package that runs on the computer on the desk of an analyst. It is an integrated solution which links production, data acquisition, database and analytical parts."

"About 30 operators and engineers" and "a wide group of managers use the system" for data collection, data management, and statistical analysis. The entire process was described in the article:
"SEWSS continuously retrieves data: first, components and raw materials characteristics are measured (this additionally controls reliability of the suppliers), then characteristics of moulding sand (tensile strength and permeability), furnace charge, fire-clay moulders, melted metal composition and pouring process are monitored, parameters of heat treatment recorded, casting quality is measured (repair welding factor), dimensional compatibility checked. Each cast generates several hundred records of data. The factory produces over 400 tons of casts each month. Measurement data are retrieved by the system automatically or sent to the system by operators with measurement devices or keyboard data entry. SEWSS stores measurement data in an external database (in this case it is an Oracle database) and runs on a network server."

Slawinski says, "The global market in our sector is very competitive. Turbine castings dropped in prices by 50% in the last 5 years. In this situation, quality is not a negotiable option, we talk only about costs and time to delivery. Producers who will not manage to change in time will not stay in this market." The comprehensive analytical tools, flexible alarm notification, interactive query facilities, and many other innovative features in SEWSS help ALSTOM Power meet these essential quality standards.

Click here to view other STATISTICA awards, comments from users, and a complete summary of STATISTICA's unmatched record of reviews.

Photronics Compliments the Scalability and Flexibility of SEWSS in DM Review (February 2001, p. 91)

In the February 2001 issue of DM Review magazine, STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) received a glowing review from Photronics, a leading worldwide supplier of photomasks, high precision quartz plates used in the manufacture of semiconductors. In 2000, after a team from Photronics conducted a thorough investigation of several SPC packages, they chose the unique scalability and versatility of STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) in order to guarantee the quality of its products shipped to consumers. Photronics recently implemented SEWSS at six sites internationally and plans to have six more sites on-line by March 2001. SEWSS was selected because of its ease of integration with Photronics' existing manufacturing execution system and because it provided flexibility beyond the existing system. According to Barbara Manville, Photronics director of corporate software development, StatSoft representatives worked diligently to resolve issues specific to their organization. Manville stated, "The best part of working with StatSoft has been the expertise of the technical support staff who are well versed in both statistics and the inner workings of the package." Click here to read the complete review.

User Comments of the Enterprise Versions of STATISTICA (SEDAS, SEWSS, and WebSEWSS) Summarized in a Scientific Computing World Review (August/September 2000, pps. 29-31)

In a recent comprehensive review of the latest version of STATISTICA (Scientific Computing World, August/September 2000), software reviewer Felix Grant summarized comments collected from "existing users [who] allowed detailed examination of (and some experimenting with) one SEDAS installation, two of SEWSS, and one of WebSEWSS." The reviewer concluded that "these products display the familiar modularity and contain all the elements necessary for a potential dispersed data web of any kind. A SEWSS/WebSEWSS set up takes (SPC) data from a database, analyses it using what is essentially STATISTICA, then outputs results in web form instead of on paper."

Grant is extremely complimentary of the SEWSS system, touting its "proven capability at an automated industrial scale" and applauds StatSoft products in general: "No other company, however, has so successfully managed the particular trick of making a range of standalone products appear to be aspects of the analytical package - an extension of the inherent modularity." Click here to view other STATISTICA awards, comments from users, and a complete summary of STATISTICA's unmatched record of reviews.

STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) Receives Top-Notch Real-world Review from VISTEON Automotive in the Popular French Magazine QUALITE REFERENCES (July 2000, p. 45)

VISTEON, one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive components and systems, gave rave reviews to STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System in a recent issue of the popular French magazine, QUALITE REFERENCES (July 2000). VISTEON representatives claimed "SEWSS is actually only limited by our imagination." In the process of redesigning their SPC system and preparing for QS 9000 certification, they chose the STATISTICA/SEWSS system for a variety of reasons discussed in the article: "SEWSS is really flexible, and we could perfectly match the software to our current system, in a very easy and quick way: each entry is customizable (operator's name, lot number) which allows for very detailed analyses of the process variations. The extensive tools that are offered in SEWSS (DOE, multivariate analyses) was also an important aspect of our choice." VISTEON is clearly more than pleased with their choice, saying "As of today, our system grows very quickly, and is not limited by our software." Click here to view other STATISTICA awards, comments from users, and a complete summary of STATISTICA's unmatched record of reviews.

 Pacific
Suite 1, 46-48 Howard Street
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Australia
Phone: +61 3 9348 9422
Fax: +61 3 9348 9420
e-mail: info@statsoft.com.au

©Copyright StatSoft, Inc., 1984-2004.
StatSoft, StatSoft logo, STATISTICA, Enterprise/QC, Enterprise, Data Miner, SEPATH and GTrees are trademarks of StatSoft, Inc.