Then one of the engineers assigned to produce these charts read about Origin, a data analysis and technical graphics software package, that allows for the creation of multiple axis charts. This program also offers a programming language that automates repetitive tasks such as the creation of similar graphs with different data sets.

The Ford engineer discovered another significant advantage of Origin relative to Excel. With Excel the engineers were limited to several thousand points per dataset, which sometimes became a problem on longer tests. Origin's only limitation is the memory of the hardware on which it is run. The engineer felt that this might be an opportunity to give the design engineers more accurate and easier-to-read graphs while also saving time. The engineer downloaded a demonstration copy of the program, Origin, from the website of its developer, OriginLab Corporation, Northampton, Massachusetts.

The engineer discovered that he could easily create the desired multi-axis graph using this software package. The design engineers were ecstatic when he showed them the graph. They said that this type of multi-axis graph would give them a much clearer and more accurate understanding of the test results and also save time. They also felt that the perfect axis alignment of the new graph would eliminate the risk of misreading graphs that were overlaid by hand and would help them detect subtle interdependencies that were invisible using the old method. They asked that all transmission test results be presented in multi-axis form as soon as possible.