CDC Factory

Press Releases

CDC Factory expected to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness at Anderson Packaging, Inc.

CDC Factory expected to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness at Anderson Packaging, Inc.

ATLANTA, May 1, 2007—CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and business services, announced today that Anderson Packaging, a leading contract packager of pharmaceutical and consumer products, will implement the CDC Software real-time performance management (RPM) suite of applications at the company's North American plants to increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness and reduce raw material and packaging waste.

Based on the results measured in initial prototypes, Anderson Packaging expects to significantly optimize labor and material utilization over the next three years after implementing CDC Software RPM applications at its six plants. Anderson Packaging has experienced significant growth over the last five years and its markets are expected to continue to expand in the coming years. After evaluating traditional MES products over the last 24 months, Anderson Packaging chose the CDC Software RPM applications in an evaluation that required less than a month. The company liked CDC Software's out-of-the-box functionality that allows Anderson Packaging to merge automated shop floor data, quality process control and manufacturing performance dashboards for improved visibility and Lean Six Sigma campaigns. Using its CDC Software applications, Anderson Packaging expects to improve its average production efficiency, units per man hour, plant breakdowns and material waste. The roll-out of CDC Software applications at Anderson Packaging's six plants will occur over the next 12 months.

"The executive overview from CDC Software really opened my eyes to our real enablers of success using RPM software," said Tim Brown, director, Production, Process and Systems Engineering, Anderson Packaging. "CDC Software has designed, built and packaged the right applications and services to ensure that our operations teams will be empowered to make critical operating decisions in real-time, resulting in higher efficiencies. During the past two years, we evaluated and piloted different applications, but each failed to deliver the desired benefits. The CDC Software solution is the most advanced and efficient software system we've experienced and we expect CDC Software to be a major part in the success of our Lean Six Sigma initiatives."

"Our shop floor screens for operators and supervisors are a major differentiator for CDC Software," said Mark Sutcliffe, senior vice president, CDC Software RPM, CDC Software. "The screens are natural and simple for production operators in an increasingly multi-language workforce. The entire application has been designed around the needs of each role in the plant. By unlocking the truly important key performance indicators in real-time and in a manner that is actionable in today's shop floor, our customers are reporting significant improvements in efficiency and cost reduction, while supervisors and other decision makers throughout the management chain are free to focus on strategic initiatives such as customer service, Continuous Improvement Programs and business growth."

Founded in 1967, Anderson Packaging is a dedicated contract packager to the Pharmaceutical and Health Care industries. Currently, it has seven pharmaceutical and specialty packaging facilities, employing more than 1,400 associates. Anderson Packaging offers world-class form/fill/seal packaging including primary packaging in blisters, bottles, pouches and vials. Supporting these primary packaging areas is a comprehensive array of secondary and tertiary packaging such as cartoning, blister carding, shrink-wrapping and automated assembly of the Mead-Westvaco Dosepak™. Additionally, Anderson's full-service capabilities enable fulfillment of specialized requests, such as custom blending and compounding.

In October 2006, CDC Software announced the acquisition of CDC Software, developer of the first RPM solution specifically designed for the Food and Beverage, Life Sciences and Consumer Products industries. Using CDC Software, manufacturers are measuring significant increases in production capacity and responsiveness to customers, as well as reductions in overhead and waste. The CDC Software applications directly complement CDC Software's Ross Enterprise ERP (enterprise resource planning), SCM (supply chain management), and EPM (enterprise performance management) solutions. CDC Software applications are also ERP-agnostic, deployed alongside many of the industry's other leading ERP systems, addressing real-time operations management challenges in a wide variety of environment. Currently, CDC Software is used in conjunction with most of the top-ten ERP systems worldwide.