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Whirlpool implements SAS to enhance customer early-warning system

By SAS Institute
Johannesburg, 01 Jul 2005

Whirlpool Corp, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, has implemented SAS Warranty Analysis and SAS Text Miner solutions to further develop its already robust customer early-warning system.

The global manufacturer anticipates that these SAS business intelligence tools will significantly reduce annual warranty expenses and help the company continue to build brand value and customer loyalty.

"SAS brings to the table in-depth analysis, text mining and other capabilities we need now," said John Kerr, general manager of quality and OPEX with Whirlpool Appliances, North America.

"Our use of SAS business intelligence tools helps Whirlpool bring new innovations to customers more quickly and in ways that create real brand value. Our application of these tools is another example of Whirlpool's continuing efforts to differentiate itself in a competitive global industry."

SAS Warranty Analysis and SAS Text Miner integrate warranty data with key customer, product, manufacturing and geographic information, which allows Whirlpool to make decisions that can lead to cost savings.

SAS Warranty Analysis allows Whirlpool to:

* Automatically detect emerging issues more quickly than before.
* Determine root cause quickly to focus its resources on the right issues in the right place at the right time for a shorter "detection to correction" cycle.
* Glean intelligence out of its SAP R/3 operational system.
* Gain value from its customer and technician comments to accelerate problem-solving.

"SAS Warranty Analysis and the business intelligence platform that supports it allow customers to gain faster access to company data and text, apply proven analytics to help pinpoint real issues more quickly and present the information in a manner that allows users to act in a timely fashion," said Thomas Roehm, senior director of SAS Supply Chain Intelligence solutions.

"Rather than the typical online analytical processing (OLAP) or text analysis offered by most other solutions, SAS offers customers a comprehensive business intelligence platform for system-driven, in-depth analysis. That helps customers like Whirlpool make sense of their operational ERP data, improve product quality through faster response and ultimately reduce warranty expenditures for a healthier bottom line," he concludes.

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Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corp is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $13 billion, 68 000 employees and nearly 50 manufacturing and technology research centres around the globe. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Brastemp, Bauknecht, Consul and other major brand names to consumers in more than 170 countries.

SAS

SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. SAS solutions are used at more than 40 000 sites - including 96 of the top 100 of the 2003 Fortune Global 500 - to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; to enable better, more accurate and informed decisions; and to drive organisations forward. SAS is the only vendor that completely integrates leading data warehousing, analytics and traditional BI applications to create intelligence from massive amounts of data. For nearly three decades, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know.

Editorial contacts

Michelle Chettoa
Citigate
(011) 713 3400
Kerry Webb
SAS Institute
(011) 804 4900