Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / March 1, 1962, edition 1 / Page 2
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Waste is a natural and inseparable part of any manufacturing process. But cooperative effort of all employees can reduce the tremendous cost of controllable waste — bringing greater savings and profit to all concerned. 1 MACHINES COST MONEY Wise Use Of Equipment Helps Job Security “Equipment”—it can mean just about anything you want it to mean. In short, anything with which we are “equipped” is equipment. But when you talk of certain kinds of equipment—such as the type that costs up to $350,000 per unit, or varieties used so often and in such large numbers that the total bill runs even higher—we need something besides a “catch-all” definition. Talking about the kinds of it takes dollars out of profits by equipment Firestone uses to produce its quality products, you get involved in big expense and big potential loss. After all, the purpose of in vesting millions of dollars in capital goods such as machines, tools, gloves, barrels, beams, bobbins, oilcans — even brooms, brushes and nails, is to let these goods work to manufacture STRETCHING THE LOAD— A sure way to put it out of production and require expen sive repairs is to heavily over load this chain hoist of 1.000- pound capacity. more goods to sell to people. In the market-place, these goods create profits which are neces sary to keep the business run ning. Waste Swallows Profits If equipment is used unwisely or abusively, the would - be profits are gobbled up by waste. And everybody loses. Production manager F. B. Gal- ligan says “The cost of equip ment and spare parts over the past ten years in many cases has doubled—even more than dou bled”. The average person on the job doesn’t realize this, and he may find it hard to believe that it costs Firestone as much as $32 to buy replacement fuses for a 40-horsepower electric motor; or that while one ma chine bolt costs less than $1, an other one of similar appearance costs $16. Warehouse manager F. W. Davis observes; “It’s easy for a truck or fork-lift operator to swipe into a piece of expensive machinery, damaging it; rough- handle other equipment to the point of harm; or bend a bump er. But every time a big or little piece of equipment is damaged. increasing operating expenses”. Idle Machines: Lost Money As for production machinery, the whole manufacturing proc ess slows down and can stop if we fail to keep major equipment running,” adds Mr. Galligan. What does it cost Firestone to provide necessary machinery to do the job? And how important is it that each person at work know the value of equipment he’s operating or using, and that he take interest in proper main tenance and use of it? Think in terms of cost, and the example of a metals-turning lathe that sold for around $13,- 000 some 20 years ago and to day has a price tag near $60,000, Or, there’s the cable twister that costs $16,000 today; and the loom with creel, $6,500. Add to these representative costs the bills for unnecessary maintenance and lost-produc- tion time from breakdown caus ed by neglect or lack of job “kiiuw-liO w”. Tiltii eacii elii- ployee can begin to see how vital it is for him to do his part in reducing all losses resulting from controllable waste of this kind. What does waste control through equipment use mean to the individual on the job? It re duces expenses for the company, helps set marketable prices for Jj Or CHOOSING RIGHT ONE — Here are two bolts with identi cal threads and diameters. The one on the left costs $15.70 and the other, $1.47. Which one would you use for an ordinary job? our products and encourages sales volume. This means more profits out of which come job security, more opportunities for the individual, and more money in the worker’s paycheck. DOWN IN THE BARREL — Defective tools are a rarity these days. But wrenches aren't ham mers. handles aren't crowbars, hacksaws aren't wedges and pliers. Using right tool for right job is the answer to much of this kind of waste problem. Small Savings Add Up But big pieces of equipment, such as twisters and looms, are not the only things that involve waste when improperly used. Small savings are vital, because they add up to big proportions after a while. “Some people don’t realize that seemingly minor waste per individual amounts to a stagger ing total when multiplied by the number of people on the job,” notes plant comptroller E. J. Mechem. Maybe it’s the case of the per son who takes a whole handful of bolts to do a job requiring just two; the operator who takes more travelers than he needs and feeds the trash can with GOOD AMONG THE BAD—This appears to be a collection oi trash, and most of it is. But the filling quills don't belong. Each one costs around 18 cents apiece, and when carelessly misappropriated/ they add up to many dollars over a few months' time. The sweeper salvages a certain amount of such usable equipment, but thought' fulness on the part of the person who "mixes good with bad" would eliminate the problem. And how about usable wire, nails, small bolts, washers and similar small items? what's left over; or the person who carelessly breaks a filling quill. After all, it’s a matter of conscientious attitude toward one’s work. Consider the worker representative of the “wrong- attitude” group. He owns a good car, a home and modern appli ances. He can tell you all about his car—the cost, function, how to care for it. He’s careful with nihSl DEPOSIT SPARE tRAVILERS HERE'. EACH TRAVELER WASTED IS 5^ LOST. LITTLE BUT IMPORTANT— Nylon travelers are examples of small items that are used in such numbers as to cost many dollars over a period of months. Depending on the style, travel ers cost 3 to 5 cents each. This conservation box with its mes sage is in Twisting (synthetics). it. And around the house, he’s a good “fixit” man, taking care of his prized possessions because he knows what they’re worth and what it would cost to repair or replace them. Taking Care Of Our Own But he doesn’t apply the same principle when he goes on the job. Not realizing the value of the equipment with which he is concerned, he takes the attitude that the finer operating points of his equipment is “the main tenance department’s responsi' biity”. Why does he feel this way’ Just another of those human tendencies to take better care of “our own”—or what we think is our o\vn. But this employ doesn’t understand that the equipment he works with af Firestone belongs to him, too-^ in a sense. He’s paying for Firestone's waste of equipment just as sure' ly—if not directly—as though he had to reach into his savings aC' count to make up the losses. It all comes down to confiriH'i ing another natural law of truth^ about our jobs: Increased waste^ ends up as decreased sales. LesS^ waste means mare production less cost, more sales, more jobSi, more pay for the person wh® helps to produce the goods market. 1 The Master Weaver Leaving Last Car Won’t Help The other day, somebody was telling me the story of the overly-cautious woman about to go on a train trip. She asked the conductor: “Which car on this train is considered the most dangerous?” “The last car,” he replied. “Then, why don’t you just leave that car off?” she wanted to know. Well, life surely would be much simpler—and safer—if we could get rid of all the hazards by “leaving off the last car.” But we must keep on doing the necessary things as safe ly as we can, while trying our best to do away with un safe conditions. Most acci dents are really not accidents at all. They are mishaps caused by human careless ness and resulting in injury to people. No one ever becomes so skillful that he can afford to be careless. Synthetic Fibers Production Sets All-Time Record Production of man-made fit*') ers in the United States durin^j 1961 reached an all-time high of 1,984,600,000 pounds, a gai^ of 5 per cent over 1960 produC' tion. World man-made fiber pro; duction in 1961 also set a record) with a total of 7,780,000,000 pounds. This was 6 per ce^^ higher than the world produC' tion for 1960. March, 1962 Volume XI Page 2 Number 4 ☆ ☆ ☆ Published by The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. Firestone Textiles Division, Gastonia. North Carolina. Claude C. Callaway, Editor 9 Soulh Atlanlic Council of Indus trial Editors PLANT REPORTERS Carding—Payton Lewis Cloth Room—Margie Waldrep Industrial Relations—Flora Pence Main Office—Bea McCarter Mechanical Department—Rosie Fran- cum Quality Control — Sallie Crawford, Louella Queen, Leila Rape Twisting (cotton)—Elmina Bradshaw Twisting (synthetics)—Vera Carswell, Elease Cole, Annie Cosey, Katie Elkins, Catherine Fletcher Warehouse—Nancy Cloninger, Harold Robinson, Israel Good, Rosevelt Rainey Weaving (cotton)—Ruth Veitch Weaving (synthetics)—Mary E. John son, Irene O'Dell, Mayzelle Lewis, Ophelia Wallace Winding—Nell Bolick, Ruth Cloninger In the manufacturing sales world, there's a lot of corU' petition for the consumer's do^’ lar. The most aggressive most consistent competitor ge*’' erally gets the biggest share business—if his product is goo^ and his advertising and sal®^ programs are sound. —Raymond C. FirestoU^
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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March 1, 1962, edition 1
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