Shaw Industries Upgrades Their Operations With Smartsheet
Shaw Industries needed a work execution platform that could help the 50-plus-year-old company standardize its portfolio management for all divisions. Smartsheet was the solution that put everyone on the same page.
Industry
- Manufacturing
Organization Size
- Enterprise (10,000+)
Region
- North America
Platform Capabilities
"At Shaw, we want to build a company that will be here in 100 years. As a global flooring provider, complexity that comes from having hundreds and hundreds of systems in place is a barrier to our business objectives. With Smartsheet, we’ve eliminated many of these one-off project management systems and simplified our process. We have less to maintain and we're more flexible and more efficient, creating a more long-term business model."
Director, Supply Chain Business Solutions
Founded in 1967, Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is the world’s largest carpet manufacturer and a leading floorcovering provider. Showing no signs of slowing down, the company was on a mission to be innovative and sustainable. It needed an work execution platform that would support its goals and help it move into the future.
The solution needed to provide visibility into project status for internal teams and external contractors. It also needed to allow vendors to collaborate directly and update project status in real time. And it had to be accessible to a seasoned workforce and functional enough for onboarding and rollout with minimal training and ramp time.
Smartsheet provided everything Shaw Industries needed and more.
A Consistent Process
Consistency was an important feature. “If we are consistent in technology, communication, and process at our different locations, it’s to our benefit as a company.” says Torrance L. Ford, Director of Supply Chain Business Solutions for Shaw Industries.
Smartsheet’s master project templates allow teams to make adjustments to meet specific needs at different locations. These templates roll up into a master report seamlessly.
Project Status Visibility
Shaw Industries also wanted the ability to share project plans. The company needed a way for everyone in the department to have visibility to the status of what we're working on.
“Being able to share sheets or get feedback on roles, from people inside and outside of Shaw, has definitely saved a lot of emails, phone calls, and paperwork to track all that information,” says Ford.
In addition, Shaw Industries wanted mobile access to data.
“If you're standing in the middle of one of our facilities and you need to update something, you have easy access to Smartsheet with the mobile app. It’s very convenient,” says Ford.
Usable System
Finally, Shaw Industries wanted to find a tool that had an easy interface that was easy to learn.
“Since Smartsheet looks like a spreadsheet, it’s easy for anyone to learn how to use it right away,” says Marten Hutchison, Lead Innovation Manager for Shaw Industries.
“High functionality almost eliminates the need to have training. It’s so intuitive. Plus, it’s easy to search the Web, watch a video, and figure it out yourself. We spend time adding value in more important ways,” adds Ford.
“Smartsheet streamlined my team's process, without adding effort for them,” says Hutchison. “I got better quality information and was able to access and build off of their project information and data to my heart’s content.”
