Material process improvements; how Web Industries benefits from Entropy

Massachusetts-based Web Industries helps companies bring their products to market by providing converting services for flexible materials. With over 350 employees operating in seven locations in the US and Europe, the company converts materials ranging from advanced composites for aerospace parts to super-absorbent non-wovens for babycare products.

The company adheres to best practices, as demonstrated by its multiple certifications to management system standards, including company-wide certifications to ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). Pulling everything together requires a feature-rich core quality management system (QMS) offering the consistency and flexibility to meet a wide range of demands, including document control. Robert Waggoner, Web Industries’ Quality Systems Manager, explains that the original QMS document control was antiquated, built on a Microsoft Access database. “To meet client requirements, we needed a system that could provide better information and advanced functionality,” he says. Waggoner looked for an automated QMS solution and chose Entropy.

Web Industries implemented Entropy across all its locations, centralizing and streamlining its processes. Waggoner continues, “Entropy’s document control functionality provides us with ready access to a body of knowledge that we have already created. We can copy, download, convert, and move documents from location to location. That is a big plus for us.” As well as document control, the system has brought other benefits. Web Industries serves a number of growing and dynamic industries, each with detailed requirements, so Entropy’s ability to increase visibility and transparency of information at all the company’s locations helps satisfy client needs.

As each site has replaced the original database with Entropy’s enhanced functionality, employees have become more familiar with the solution. “This consistency makes it easier to train people to use Entropy,” says Waggoner. “People using the system also gain increased knowledge of the QMS’s configuration as they use it for more functions.” For instance, Entropy’s  Management Review capability enables managers to discover non-conformities and drill down into the database to determine the best corrective and preventive action (CAPA). Managers can implement an effective CAPA procedure by creating action plans, appointing responsibility, assigning tasks, and tracking completion.

“Entropy really has provided Web Industries with the real-time visibility needed for operational efficiency,” says Waggoner. “And for me, it’s not just a piece of software. A big part of its value is the assistance and training that BSI provides – relationships with people such as client support and product managers, as well as other users, too.”