CORONADO, CALIF. — The first completed OrientMe employee-retention programs are reaching users this month. The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. will promote the CD-ROM software in a demonstration kiosk at the June 19-23 NPE show in Chicago. "All 140 segments are finished, and all artwork is complete," said Maureen Steinwall, who played a key role on the program for SPI.
Steinwall is president of injection molder Steinwall Inc. of Coon Rapids, Minn. She said more than 3,500 pieces of artwork were needed for the project.
"Two years ago, we only had an intellectual property theory, no funding, and I was the only one using" the idea, she said. Up to 80 companies are participating as beta sites at the introductory rate of $4,000. The rate goes up to $5,000 for members and $10,000 for non-SPI members after NPE.
Steinwall has noticed increased interest in employee retention from the human resource marketplace and special-interest trade journals.
"I've shown it to professors at the University of Minnesota who are involved with technology implementation, and they are blown away by it," she said. "They say, `Finally, theory is being applied to a real-world situation.'"
Steinwall began the development effort in 1994, and SPI joined her in May 1998, providing up to $400,000 in seed capital.
"Hardware has changed immensely from the start," she said. "It impacted our product to incorporate new technology."
Use of still art allows a user to localize a digital image rather than an entire tape. "We chose a slide-show approach to aid in customization," she said. "That allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility."
Steinwall demonstrated OrientMe on May 12 at the SPI Western Region meeting in Coronado.
