Executive Summary As a manufacturer, you know that success can sometimes allow inefficiencies to creep unnoticed into your business processes. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company faced this challenging situation when it saw that inefficiencies in its tire-molding operation were seriously compromising the company’s ability to deliver product on time. “We wanted to look at all the steps involved in designing and manufacturing a new tire and attempt to shorten the overall process,” said Ronald Sawyer, Cooper Tire’s manager for manufacturing IT. The company knew it need to streamline the inter- and intra-plant movement of molds to better meet customer needs. On This PageInfoPath Helps Keep Production on Track
 | The Microsoft InfoPath-based solution provides visibility into molds in transit so we can anticipate when to schedule production, allowing us to shorten delivery times by entire days in some cases. |  | | Ronald Sawyer
Manufacturing IT Manager
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company | |
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Cooper Tire implemented easy-to-use Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 to help gather and maintain tire-mold information. The system was designed to work simultaneously between the company’s four plants and the main office where all production scheduling is conducted. After implementing the InfoPath solution, the company discovered these keys benefits: | • | Reduced employee training as InfoPath uses the familiar Microsoft Office desktop interface. | | • | Offered a quick way to design and deploy a basic solution with the flexibility to add more features in the future. | | • | Provided simple integration with existing systems through Web services. |
Microsoft Technology Cuts Cooper’s Delivery TimeThe Microsoft InfoPath-based system helped Cooper Tire cut the time between scheduling and production by showing the configuration of current tire molds and their SKU numbers throughout their production. “The Microsoft InfoPath-based solution provides visibility into molds in transit so we can anticipate when to schedule production, allowing us to shorten delivery times by entire days in some cases,” says Sawyer. Read the Complete Case Study
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