1. Microsoft Office System
Customer Solution Case Study
Injection-Molding Innovator Saves Time,
Cuts Costs with Conferencing Solution
Overview “With Live Meeting, we can bring together text, video
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Manufacturing―Plastics
and other images, and the voices and faces of fellow
conference goers in a way that can really help an
Customer Profile
Medway Plastics/Plastics Fabrication
audience to understand what we’re talking about.”
Technologies (MEDWAY/PFT) is a Jay Magness, IT Consultant, Plastics Fabrication Technologies, MEDWAY/PFT
California-based custom-injection-molding
company with an affiliated research arm in Medway Plastics/Plastics Fabrication Technologies (MEDWAY/PFT),
the United Kingdom. Combined, the
companies have 200 employees. a world leader in custom injection molding and tooling, needed a
better way to communicate with affiliates, suppliers, and
Business Situation
MEDWAY/PFT needed a conferencing customers. The company tried a third-party video conferencing
solution to demonstrate parts and solution, but had problems related to software compatibility,
processes to its affiliates, suppliers, and
customers, but third-party video and Web firewalls, and Internet-connection speed. The company then tried a
conferencing solutions were costly, third-party Web conferencing solution, but it proved impractical and
cumbersome, and unreliable.
costly. So MEDWAY/PFT deployed a conferencing solution based on
Solution Microsoft® Office Live Meeting and the Microsoft RoundTable™
The company deployed Microsoft® Office
Live Meeting and the Microsoft conferencing and collaboration device. As a result, the company
RoundTable™ conferencing and has reduced costs for traveling and for shipping parts for
collaboration device to its affiliates and
selected suppliers and customers. demonstrations by 50 percent, time-to-market by up to 60 percent,
and time to close sales by 30 percent, and is saving U.S.$3,000 per
Benefits
 Travel costs down by 50 percent
user in annual software licensing and maintenance costs.
 Demonstration shipping costs down by
50 percent
 Time-to-market faster by up to 60
percent
 Sales closing faster by 30 percent
 Sales-closing time down by 30 percent

2. “New hires for positions Situation the company provided suppliers and
Founded in 1974 and based in Long Beach, customers with portable computers that were
ranging from machine California, Medway Plastics/Plastics enabled with Sprint EV-DO and that could be
operators to managers Fabrication Technologies (MEDWAY/PFT) is connected to a projector for viewing slides.
part of an affiliated group of companies that
have received Live also includes Advanced Plastics This approach was problematic, however, in
Meeting very well, with Technologies, which is based in the United that it required the consistent support of
Kingdom. In the world of custom injection suppliers’ and customers’ IT departments.
lots of ‘oohs’ and molding and tooling, MEDWAY/PFT is These departments were responsible for
‘ahhs.’” primarily a research operation, whose ensuring the compatibility of proprietary
scientists and engineers work with software on which the system depended; for
Jay Magness, IT Consultant, Plastics manufacturers to generate new processes. opening ports when needed; and for ensuring
Fabrication Technologies, MEDWAY/PFT One such process involves the innovation of a secure, high-speed Internet connection.
packaging in a market that constitutes 30 Even then, communications were difficult,
percent of all beverage bottles produced in because the software needed greater
the world. upstream bandwidth than what was
available, even with EV-DO.
Typical of its industry, MEDWAY/PFT faces
the ongoing challenge of how to maintain In an attempt to remedy these problems,
efficient communication with suppliers and MEDWAY/PFT deployed a third-party Web
customers around the world. The company conferencing solution. But it, too, proved
feels this challenge most keenly when impractical because of cost and reliability
communications involve demonstrations of issues.
objects that must be viewed in great detail.
MEDWAY/PFT needed a way to share highly
Consider, for example, a critical conference visual information without shipping parts,
involving a problem or question related to a sending employees across the globe, or
mold design. Prototype frames must be having to rely on complex and unreliable
shipped between MEDWAY/PFT and software solutions.
manufacturers in China, engineers must
travel between the company’s various Solution
affiliates or to manufacturer or customer When Jay Magness, IT Consultant for Medway
sites, and so on. This process often involves Plastics, and his colleagues learned about
development and manufacturing delays while the full video support that was available in
parts are in transit, and always involves out- the upcoming 2007 version of the Microsoft®
of-pocket expenses and lowered productivity Office Live Meeting Web conferencing
while employees are traveling. service, they evaluated that product as a
potential replacement for the earlier
MEDWAY/PFT tried to overcome these solutions. They were satisfied with the
challenges by incorporating slides of service’s video capabilities and its integration
photographs or drawings into videos and with Microsoft Office Live Communications
displaying them through an online Server 2005 and other Microsoft software
conferencing system. As part of this system, products. They were also happy with the

3. “Thanks to the quality of the Microsoft RoundTable™ slide, and anyone who is connected through
integration of Live conferencing and collaboration device.
Magness and his colleagues decided to
Live Meeting can see details at 100 times the
magnification.”
Meeting with other deploy Office Live Meeting into their
Microsoft products, we companies. As of late 2007, about 50 employees are
regular users of the Office Live Meeting
no longer need the third- After installing HP TouchSmart computers at solution. Magness expects this number to
party Web conferencing offices of its affiliates and selected suppliers
and customers, Magness’s team deployed
double early in 2008.
software and, Office Live Meeting in a single day. The team Benefits
consequently, are saving subsequently incorporated the service into a
comprehensive video and online
The combination of the Office Live Meeting
service and the RoundTable device provides
$3,000 per user in conferencing solution that includes the MEDWAY/PFT with a “one-stop shop” Web-
annual licensing and RoundTable device, a Sony UX handheld
computer, and a Sprint EV-DO network. The
conferencing solution, according to Magness.
“With this solution, we can bring together
maintenance costs.” solution also includes Sprint EV-DO cellular text, video and other images, and the voices
cards for users in locations not served by and faces of fellow conference goers in a way
Jay Magness, IT Consultant, Plastics
wireless so as to reconcile transmission and that can really help an audience to
Fabrication Technologies, MEDWAY/PFT
receipt speed differences and avoid potential understand what we’re talking about,” he
problems with ports and firewalls. says. “For the first time ever, we can do video
conferencing from anywhere and realize
According to Magness, the team encountered benefits in cost, productivity, usability, and
no significant challenges during deployment. time-to-market.”
“Our rapid deployment of this service
demonstrated a central benefit of using a Lower Costs, Higher Productivity
hosted service: the simplicity of getting the As Magness explains, with the Office Live
solution up and running,” he says. Meeting solution, MEDWAY/PFT is more
visible and available to its affiliates,
Today, MEDWAY/PFT employees use Office suppliers, and customers while spending far
Live Meeting frequently for conferencing with less time and money on transporting parts
affiliates, suppliers, and customers. No and people.
longer limited to locations that have a
functioning PVX connection, anyone at “With Live Meeting, we’ve reduced the need
MEDWAY/PFT can hold a conference from for shipping parts overseas for the sole
practically anywhere, with any affiliate, purpose of in-conference demonstrations,
supplier, or customer to which the solution saving 50 percent of such costs over what we
has been deployed. spent the prior year,” Magness points out.
“Similarly, we’ve reduced the need for people
“In the lab, for example, a digital microscope to attend many such conferences in person,
is connected to a computer for Live Meeting saving 50 percent of travel costs and cutting
conferences that require observation of the productivity losses that are inevitable
minute detail of a given part,” Magness when individuals must travel long distances.”
explains. “We just pop it to the screen on a

4. “We’ve reduced the To cite just one example, Magness tells of a
Live Meeting conference during which a team Whether Office Live Meeting is used for a
need for people to of engineers discussed a highly detailed conference call, training, or other event,
attend many such manufacturing process. “In the past, such a users especially like the RoundTable
conference would have required us to fly in component of the solution, Magness adds.
conferences in person, 10 people from all over the world,” he says. “The RoundTable unit functions well right out
saving 50 percent of “With the Live Meeting solution, all 10 of of the box; the voice-detection technology is
them attended, but only one had to do so in excellent, and so are the sound quality and
travel costs and cutting person.” integration with Live Meeting,” he says.
the productivity losses “Consequently, we see RoundTable as key in
Additional cost savings come on the IT side, encouraging our customers to adopt Live
that are inevitable when as a result of the comprehensive integration Meeting.”
individuals must travel of Office Live Meeting with the Microsoft
Office Outlook® messaging and collaboration Faster Decisions, Time-to-Market
long distances.” client and other Microsoft technologies. With Office Live Meeting, MEDWAY/PFT is
Jay Magness, IT Consultant, Plastics “Thanks to the integration of Live Meeting saving not just money, but also time. In
Fabrication Technologies, MEDWAY/PFT with other Microsoft products, we no longer product development, for example, a model
need the third-party Web conferencing or part for a conference review can be
software and, consequently, are saving “delivered” in the time that is required for
$3,000 per user in annual licensing and setting up and spotlighting the part for the
maintenance costs.” live video that will stream across the Office
Live Meeting connection—about 20 minutes.
Versatile, User-Friendly Solution
Still more savings come from the versatility of “In the past, when that part had to be
the Office Live Meeting solution. Magness shipped, usually overseas, the delay could be
himself has taken advantage of that up to four days,” Magness notes. “That’s four
versatility by conducting conferences from his days saved on just one decision—thanks to
motor home and even while on a visit to the Live Meeting—of maybe dozens that need to
beach. “The solution is so easy to access that be made over the course of development,
a participant’s location or setting is accelerating time-to-market by up to 60
irrelevant,” he points out. “As a result, we are percent.”
using the solution at least once each week
for international video conference calls.” The Office Live Meeting solution can expedite
matters similarly on the sales side. “By using
The Office Live Meeting solution is equally Live Meeting for conferencing with customers
useful for internal training. “New hires for who are considering a purchase, MEDWAY/
positions ranging from machine operators to PFT will close sales up to 30 percent faster,”
managers have received Live Meeting very Magness says. “And whether we are using
well, with lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs,’” Magness the solution in a development or sales
reports. “As a result, we expect to replace a capacity, with or without audio and video,
significant amount of in-person training, communications are rapid and clear, with no
reducing yearly travel costs and lost issues whatsoever surrounding bandwidth.”
productivity by half.”

5. For More Information Continued Tradition of Innovation Microsoft Office System
For more information about Microsoft As far as Magness is concerned, having both The Microsoft Office system is the business
products and services, call the Microsoft Office Live Meeting and RoundTable deployed world’s chosen environment for information
Sales Information Center at (800) in such a successful solution represents “just work, providing the programs, servers, and
426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft the start” of what he and his colleagues will services that help you succeed by
Canada Information Centre at (877) do with real-time unified-communications transforming information into impact.
568-2495. Customers who are deaf or technology at MEDWAY/PFT. For example,
hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text they are incorporating RoundTable into a For more information about the Microsoft
telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) manufacturing-support solution. They also Office system, go to:
892-5234 in the United States or (905) are planning to use Office Live Meeting in a www.microsoft.com/office
568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 unified-messaging system with EV-DO for
United States and Canada, please contact wireless connectivity.
your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access
information using the World Wide Web, go Such work fits in smoothly with an ongoing
to: www.microsoft.com tradition of innovation at MEDWAY/PFT. “Our
biggest asset outside of our employees is our
For more information about MEDWAY/PFT technology,” Magness says. “With the
products and services, call (562) deployment of Live Meeting and the
685-8160 or visit the Web site at: RoundTable device, and active plans for the
www.medwayplastics.com or deployment of unified messaging, we’ll
www.pftllc.com remain on the forefront of using that
technology to the benefit of our affiliates, our
suppliers, and our customers.”
Software and Services Hardware
 Microsoft Office  Microsoft RoundTable
− Microsoft Office Communications
Server 2007
− Microsoft Office Live Meeting
− Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published October 2007