Commander Packaging is a corrugated box manufacturer. The company has two plants in the Chicagoland area that employ 126 production employees who are members of the Graphic Communications Union. The company manufactures about a thousand custom orders each month. Their customers continue to demand more measurement and control of the manufacturing process. These demands result in more complex machinery, as well as a need for higher skill levels from all. The company is in the beginning stages of implementing Statistical Process Control in a plant-wide improvement process.

ITT McDonnell & Miller manufactures boiler feeders, water cutoffs, steam vents and pressure regulators. The company has a workforce of 300 employees with 170 in production; the majority of whom are members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. In an effort to increase productivity, ITT has developed "production centers" and "focused factories." The next phase will be formalized SPC training for all employees.

John Crane, Inc. is a manufacturer of mechanical cells. Major customers include pump companies, the automotive industry, and other petroleum-related businesses. The company has a total workforce of 1,455 with approximately 841 involved in production. The company, in order to become more productive and increase its competitiveness, is employing the use of employee involvement and Statistical Process Control efforts, in order to increase employee effectiveness. In addition to the Total Quality Management, innovative work flow is being affected by the introduction of work cells.

Land O'Frost manufactures shelf stable food products and MRE (Meals Ready To Eat) for the military and was one of the primary food providers for Operation Desert Storm. The company has a total workforce of 275 which includes 225 production employees who are members of the United Food Commercial Workers.

Parco Foods, Inc. is a leading baker of specialty cookies in the United States. The company supplies baked and frozen dough to a wide variety of wholesale and institutional distributors, as well as retailers of cookies such as MacDonald's. Approximately 211 members of the General Service Employees Union are employed on a full-time basis with up to 100 additional individuals employed seasonally.

Phoenix Closures, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets closures, fitments and container sealing systems used in packaging a wide range of consumer, industrial and institutional products. Since 1982 the company has manufactured thermoplastic caps exclusively. The employment at Phoenix Closures has stabilized as their market matured so that nearly 300 individuals are employed today. Of that total, 208 are members of the Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union. In an effort to remain competitive, the company modernized processes and developed new products, as well as initiated a Total Quality Management program.

Tricon Inductries, Inc. is manufacturer of custom inserted molded components for the automotive industry and switches for the appliance industry. Since the company was started in 1944, it has expanded to 340 employees in four locations. Over the past two years Tricon has experienced significant growth in direct labor positions and support personnel.

Videojet Systems International is a subsidiary of A. B. Dick Company. The company manufactures continuous stream ink jet processing printers and specialty inks. The production force totals about 270. The company has plans to implement SPC and an overall employee involvement initiative.