Creative Foam Corporation, a MAC-PAC user since 1995, has expanded implementation of MAC-PAC XE to the company's plants in Athens, Tennessee and Grand Blanc, Michigan. Creative Foam is now using MAC-PAC XE v10.2 at all five of the company's primary facilities located in Michigan, Indiana, and Tennessee.

In addition, Creative Foam is now in the process of implementing a number of recommendations made as a result of a recent TDCI MAC-PAC XE Usage Assessment.

One focus of the assessment was to identify how Creative Foam could better utilize MAC-PAC XE master production scheduling, manufacturing, and purchasing capabilities to support the company's pull-based manufacturing process. Creative Foam has transformed much of its manufacturing process from a traditional 'push-based' approach to a demand-driven 'pull-based' approach in recent years. Management recognized that there were probably better ways to use MAC-PAC XE for planning and scheduling in the new environment and the assessment proved that to be true. TDCI is now providing training and assistance related to some of the changes that were recommended.

"We have a lot of different people and a very different manufacturing environment from when we first implemented MAC-PAC," says Mark Lozen, Creative Foam Corporate Manager of Info rmation Technology. "TDCI's assessment was a good way for us to step back and take a fresh look at how we use various aspects of the system. Now we're taking advantage of TDCI's in-depth MAC-PAC knowledge to help us make some of the changes, and to get key users fully up to speed with the system."

With headquarters in Fenton, Michigan, Creative Foam designs, fabricates, and forms cellular and non-cellular plastics for the automotive industry and other applications.