SAS® early warning system helps BGF Industries douse the flame of foreign competition

SMB manufacturer stays ‘three clicks away’ from critical data with SAS

The Premier Business Leadership Series, LAS VEGAS (  (Oct. 29, 2008)  –  Quality and customer satisfaction are standard practice at BGF Industries. So when foreign competition turned up the heat on quality standards, BGF turned to SAS, the leader in business analytics. Using SAS^®, BGF’s early-warning system keeps product quality high and customers happy.   

BGF, with sales in excess of $200 million, manufactures specialty woven and non-woven materials made from glass, carbon and other strong, heat-resistant fibers. The company’s products help build things as varied as hot gas filtration systems, aircraft and automotive parts, ballistic vehicle armor, bullet-proof vests, movie theater screens and surfboards. 

“The early-warning system we built with SAS allowed us to go from nothing to everything,” said Bobby Hull, a BGF systems analyst. “SAS allows us to focus away from clerical tasks to focus on the quality and process side of the job. Because of SAS, we’re never more than three clicks away from finding an answer.”   

BGF has used SAS since 1982. In 2007, through a relationship with value-added reseller Lucid Analytics, BGF invested in SAS Enterprise BI for Midsize Business to shrink the time required to uncover needed information from hours to minutes. The time savings has greatly improved BGF’s ability to respond to quality and production issues that matter to customers.

Hull added that SAS gives BGF a common language. “Without common data, everybody speculates,” he said. “Now we are sure that the information we have in front of us is correct. SAS helps us have a shared language and a means of asking common questions that help us get to the root of a problem quickly.” 

Today’s announcement came at The Premier Business Leadership Series event in Las Vegas, a business conference presented by SAS that brings together more than 500 attendees from the public and private sectors to share ideas on critical business issues. 

SAS® for Small and Medium Sized Businesses

By opening its product portfolio to VARs like Lucid Analytics, SAS provides small- and medium-sized customers access to the sophisticated, feature-rich SAS software used by larger companies. It also enables them to benefit from one point of contact. This growing SAS global reseller network means SMBs like BGF are taking advantage of SAS software’s high-impact analytics to remain competitive. Many SAS products and solutions target the SMB space, enabling resellers to better cultivate relationships with companies that have annual revenues of less than $500 million. 

About BGF Industries

BGF is a global leader in the manufacture of technical fabrics. The company produces woven and nonwoven fabrics from high performance glass, carbon and aramid fibers. BGF’s fabrics provide reinforcement and strength in a variety of applications such as aerospace composites, hot air filtration, protective vehicle and body armor, industrial and automotive insulation, electronics, construction, and marine/sports equipment and tooling. BGF employs 900 people in six US locations and is represented worldwide by their parent company, Porcher Industries of Badinieres ,   France. Web site: www.bgf.com

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