Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / Feb. 1, 1974, edition 1 / Page 1
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1974 GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA l^tre$fone Textiles Company BENNETTSVILLE • SOUTH CAROLINA BOWLING GREEN • KENTUCKY ☆ ☆ ☆ Employees Paid $235,226 For Ideas Firestone employees earned an extra $235,226 during fiscal 1973 for ideas adopted in the company’s worldwide suggestion program. FEBRUARY • He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. Psalm 147:16 Radials: Leading By 1975 By 1975 more than 75 per cent of all new cars will be equipped with radial tires, most of them steel-belted. The Firestone company predicted this as industry-wide con sumption of steelcord for tires approached 59 million pounds at the 1973 year-end. producing steel fabric for ex perimental truck tires. Each steel-belted passenger tire uses an average of two and one-half pounds of steelcord. "This level may triple by 1975," said James B. Call, presi dent of Firestone Textiles Com pany. The division doubled its ca pacity for weaving steelcord fabric for tires at its Bowling Green, Ky., plant recently. Six new looms, each capable of turn ing out 6,000 pounds fabric per day, have been in operation since late 1973. Besides the Bowling Green production, six steelcord looms are operating at the company's Gastonia plant, where the divi sion is headquartered. Mr. Call notes that in addition to expanding production of steelcord fabric for use in pass- enger-tire construction, the new Bowling Green looms also are EG UGF Near Goal The 1973-74 United Givers Fund of Bowling Green and Warren County, Ky., had almost reached its goal of $170,000 at the beginning of the new year. A report at the end of 1973 listed $166,400 in pledges and gifts to UGF, and additional money has come in since then. One of the major gifts in the campaign which began last Oc tober, came from people of Fire stone Textiles Company. That contribution was nearly $18,000. Several Firestone pro duction shifts had 100 percent participation, as did Quality Control, Storeroom and Salaried Employees. The Bowling Green-Warren County UGF supports 11 com munity services. Ralph King, Firestone plant manager, was 1973 UGF president. A record 31,717 suggestions shared for consideration during the year was an increase of more than 45 per cent from the 21,765 turned in during 1972. “Of ideas submitted, 23 per cent (or 6,855 and also a record), were adopted,” said John T. Ca- hoon, company vice president of personnel and planning. LARGEST award of the year went to H. W. Collett at Fire stone’s Brentford, England, tire plant. He was paid $6,250 for an idea on improving methods of tire repair. H. L. Ogden at the company’s Decatur, 111., plant won $5,685 for his suggestion involving depth control of white sidewall grinding; and R. L. Kimmell at Oklahoma City was awarded $5,676 for suggesting a modifi cation of tread tuber equipment. Akron’s Plant 1 tire plant employees were the leading sug gestion - makers — 3,013 sugges tions resulting in 579 adoptions. Others at the top in tire plants ‘Wrapped-Up’ Careers gasionw Edgar S. Foy of the Shop retired with the most service time of anyone who has “wrapped it up” at the Gastonia Firestone plant in recent months. He ended his career with the company as of February 1, with 37 years and 3 months “to his credit.” Also, there were three others who retired February 1. Guinn Briggs of TC Twisting, had 33 years service; and Willis B. Wells of the same department, 28 years and 4 months. Bessie G. Foster of Preparation had 25 years and 3 months. were: Pottstown, Pa. 1,743 ideas and 400 adoptions; Decatur, 111., 1,647 and 266 adoptions; Dayton, Ohio, 1,594, and 405 adoptions; and Memphis, Tenn., 1,474 sug gestions and 286 adoptions. The synthetic fibers plant at Hopewell, Va., was leader in submitted suggestions from diversified products facilities. Employees there turned in 1,293 ideas, 300 of which were adopt ed. THE GASTONIA, N. C. Fire stone Textiles Company plant was at the top in suggestions turned in among other diversi fied products operations. Gas tonia had 861 suggestions and 183 adoptions. Others in this grouping were Electric Wheel Company, Quin cy, 111., 815 suggestions and 80 adoptions; Industrial Products, Noblesville, Ind., 693 and 158 adoptions; and steel products, Wyandotte, Mich., 631, and 223 adoptions. Of participation among diver sified products plants with more than 100 employees, Bennetts- ville, S.C., topped the list with 2,047 suggestions per 1,000 em ployees. Leading international tire plant was Brentford, England, with 1,588 suggestions and 532 adoptions. Benefits of many of the What’s She Doing? • * Susie Leitzsey Bradley. (See Page 2). adopted suggestions cannot be measured tangibly,” C a h o o n said. “For example, hundreds in volved ways to improve safety, possibly preventing costly ac cidents.” CAHOON pointed out that many adopted ideas involved improvement in product or process quality and better serv ice to customers. “An important aspect of the suggestion system is that it pro vides a direct channel of com munication between employees and management,” Cahoon said. “The program gives employees a voice in the company’s opera tions and provides deserving recognition for their ideas and efforts, “Total company savings from adopted suggestions during 1973 amounted to a record $1.39 mil lion,” Cahoon noted. • See "Largest," Page 2 90 FRANCIS Good Plans For His Retirement A tour of Florida in January was the first of a travel schedule in upcoming months for Mr. and Mrs. Francis B. Galligan of Lowell. • • Mr. and Mrs. Francis B. Galligan and (right) James B. Call, president of Firestone Textiles Company. At a retirement luncheon in Gaston Country Club. Mr. Galligan was presented a check representing gifts from his associates, and a "memories" scrapbook. Mr. Galligan retired recently at Gastonia, after 30 years with Firestone. His last job assign ment was general factories man ager of the three plants of Fire stone Textiles Company. The Galligans have planned for an extended trip to the West Coast in April, hoping to go by camper trailer. Then later on, it will be a trip to Europe, where he hopes to retrace some of the itinerary of a former visit he made when on business for the company. When Galligan retired from Firestone he had more than 40 years in a distinguished career of textile management. He spent 10 years with other companies before joining Firestone at Gas tonia in 1943. A GRADUATE of New Bed ford Textile Institute (now Southern Massachusetts Uni versity), Galligan worked with textile firms in New Hampshire, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama and Georgia before his associa tion with Firestone. After coming to Firestone as assistant superintendent of the Gastonia plant, he was next assigned as manager of the Ben- nettsville, S. C., plant. Nearly five years later he returned to Gastonia as superintendent of cotton operations. In 1958 he was advanced to general super intendent of production. In 1965 he was promoted to opera tions manager of Firestone Tex tiles plants as they were then More, Page 3 •
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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Feb. 1, 1974, edition 1
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