Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

Alain Christian Houle

John Gerard Hein

Andrew J Norman

Michael Earl Pennings

Glen Everett Lashbrook

Apparatus and methods controlling a process producing segments of product wherein a destabilizing event of a particular type periodically destabilizes the process, resulting in product or process deviation from a target parameter associated with a number of segments of the product, from segment number to segment number n. The method associates, with respective ones of the n units of product, deviation amounts corresponding to historical deviation amounts for the respective so-numbered units of product in past occurrences of the particular type destabilizing event, and applying to selected ones of the n segments of product correction factors derived from respective associated historical deviation amounts for the respective units of product, thereby making pro-active adjustments to respective ones of the n units of product, upon occurrence of the destabilizing event. Preferred methods include applying the correction factors to each of the n units of product. Preferred correction factors are registration factors. In preferred sets of adjustment instructions, at least some of the adjustment instructions include elements derived from vertical analysis and from horizontal analysis, of deviation data. The method is preferably applied to manufacturing processes producing discrete units of absorbent article product for personal care use in absorbing body exudates. The invention contemplates combining and/or modifying up to 10, in some cases up to 20 or more deviation profiles, and thereby obtaining a representative composite correction profile up-date element, before updating the correction profile.

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Greenville, WI, United States of America

Alain Christian Houle