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For Foam Design, Synergy 1000 Paid for Itself in a Matter of Weeks

Executive Summary: Foam Design, Inc. is a world leader in foam fabrication and cushion packaging, specializing in precise tolerance cutting. As experts in foam packaging design, they are able to analyze their customer needs and create unique, innovative cushion packaging designs suited to the function, fragility, and aesthetics of the products’ application. Whether military packaging, automotive packaging, electronics packaging or other cushioning foam applications, Foam Design helps its customers to create a fabricated foam solution to satisfy each unique cushion packaging application.

September 29, 2011 | Case Study | Case Studies, Engineer, Outcome, Resources, ROI, Role, Software, Synergy 2000

Foam D

The Challenge


  • Customer requirement

The Solution

The Results


  • Satisfied largest customer

  • Reduced a process that normally takes a day to 1 hour and ½

  •  Software paid for itself in a matter of weeks

The Details

Foam Design, Inc. is a world leader in foam fabrication and cushion packaging, specializing in precise tolerance cutting. As experts in foam packaging design, they are able to analyze their customer needs and create unique, innovative cushion packaging designs suited to the function, fragility, and aesthetics of the products’ application. Whether military packaging, automotive packaging, electronics packaging or other cushioning foam applications, Foam Design helps its customers to create a fabricated foam solution to satisfy each unique cushion packaging application. “We create the foam packaging for everything from a 2.75” missile, packaging for a shifter for Toyota, to an engine wrap for GE Aircraft,” said Bob Hayes, VP of Engineering Services for Foam Design.

“Prior to purchasing Synergy, we were using another Statistical Process Control (SPC) software package that was difficult to use. At the same time, our largest customer was insisting on tight tolerances for the foam packaging we were producing,” said Hayes. “I realized it was time to find SPC software that was easy to use and cost-effective.” Foam Design was looking for a solution that was easy to use, easy to setup, expandable, cost-effective, could be put on the network, and software where you could set-up multiple stations at any time during the day.

Foam Design looked at a number of packages, but eventually selected Synergy 1000. “When we looked at the Synergy demonstration online the difference was like night and day to what we were using previously,” said Stuart Ray, Quality Manager for Foam Design.

“Once we implemented Synergy, we immediately saw results. For us, a process that used to take a day was reduced to an hour and ½. Synergy easily paid for itself in a couple of weeks”.

Bob Hayes, VP of Engineering Services for Foam Design

“One of the things I really liked once we implemented Synergy was the amount of time it freed up for me to focus on other parts of my job,” Hayes commented. “Now we are saving everyone in the whole chain of operations a lot of time.”

Implementing Synergy has improved relations with Foam Design’s largest customer as well. “We had a good relationship with our largest customer, but using Synergy has really improved that relationship,” Ray said. “He has been very pleased with the data we are able to give to him. Using Synergy 1000 we have really eliminated the possibility of human error in the information we are providing him.”

“One of the things I really liked once we implemented Synergy was the amount of time it freed-up for me to focus on other parts of my job. Now we are saving everyone in the whole chain of operations a lot of time.”

— – Bob Hayes

VP of Engineering Services for Foam Design