Read some examples of how CEF influenced positive, real-world change through Creative Problem Solving:
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Martin-Marietta saves $104 million for taxpayers. Using CPS, the firm created a plant-wide Value Analysis program resulting in $104 million dollars in cost savings over a four-year period. |
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Monsanto uses CPS to structure $1 billion Nutrasweet program. Starting with a team of 150 people from different disciplines, and in the midst of a major corporate restructuring, Monsanto used CPS to redefine how food is sweetened and beat its competition to market, resulting in a potential payout of $1 billion. |
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Mead Fine Paper establishes new standard for paper brightness. Using CPS, a team from Mead was challenged with the task of increasing paper brightness from a 94 grade (reflecting 94% of the light shone on it) to 96 grade. Using CPS, the team achieved an unheard of 99% achieving a new world standard. |
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Kodak saves $3 million. A team of CEF colleagues as charged with helping a Kodak division improve productivity. They created a training and development program to transform the group into a high-functioning team, train them to use CPS, take responsibility for the quality of their relationships in the group. Management credited the program with helping the group save $3 million annually. |
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Electrohome makes steel breathe. Using a multi-functional team and the CPS process, electronics manufacturer Electrohome transformed a manufacturing process from one in which 18 people produced 2000 units on a shift with a 12-15% rejection rate, to one in which 2 people could produce the same number of units with less than a 0.1% rejection rate. |
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Xerox improves product quality and cost-effectiveness. CEF is credited with a key role in Xerox’s revitalization program and the establishment of its internal creative culture. |
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Frito-Lay saves $600 million. Over a seven-year period, from 1982-1989, the company flattened costs using the Osborn Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, which was taught to multi-functional teams working internally as well with vendors. |
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TRW reduces costs by 20%. A five-person multi-disciplinary team was taken off the job for two years to find ways to reduce costs ina major division. Working with CEF colleagues and using the CPS process, their goal of 20% cost reduction was achieved. |
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Texaco off target by $300 million. Alerted to a rumored $300 million discrepancy against budget, senior executives of Texaco visited the company’s off-shore engineering unit to discuss the situation. Upon arrival, they were told by the unit’s management that the rumors were only partially true. The discrepancy was on the plus side of the ledger, a result of savings created by engineers recently trained in CPS thinking strategies. |
