CHARLES PARIS, Purchasing
Supe''visor (seated), surrounded by
his Stenographers, HELEN McMAHAN
(left) and ANN KITTS (right), and
Buyers, AL COWAN (left) and STEVE
TALMADGE.
The Plant “Tightwads”
Our Purchasing Department is
a thrift-conscious group which spends
only about $2.2 million a year. Of
course, $2.2 million isn’t pocket
change, but since they spend the
money for maintenance and supplies,
they could be paying a lot more. (The
$2.2 million figure does not include
purchases of raw materials or new
equipment for the plant.)
Purchasing Departments at Du
Pont plants work constantly to hold
down expenditures for supplies and
services and to make certain the com
pany gets the best value for its money.
Charles Paris, Purchasing Supervisor,
explains why at the Brevard plant,
spending money isn’t an easy task:
“We place some 900 to a
thousand purchase orders a month,”
he says, “and more than half of these
purchases are made on a competitive
basis. Most of the remaining orders
are for proprietary items, such as
spare parts, where the number of sup
pliers is very limited.”
The job of finding the best
prices is made tougher by the nature
of our major product —x-ray film.
For example, packaging materials
must be free of all contamination to
avoid inducing defects into the film,
and much of the process equipment
must have a special finish.
Despite the restrictions, Paris
and his buyers, Al Cowan and recent
addition Steve Talmadge, find ways
and means of holding down expendi
tures. For example, they keep a sharp
eye on vendors’ cash discounts and
shipping rates; even a slight difference
in these items can amount to substan-
tail savings . because of the plants
large-volume orders. At times, they
have gone looking for suppliers close
to the plant, rather than letting the
salesmen come to them.
“We like to keep our business
in North Carolina, whenever we can,”
Charlie explains, “and vendors close
to the plant may often give us a better
price and much better service.”
The Purchasing Department
maintains a library of catalogues for
supplies and materials. Whenever a
new item is ordered, they search the
catalogues, call vendors, and compare
prices. Often, substantial savings re
sult.
Lower prices are obtained by
buying in bulk and ordering by full
standard packages. These savings are
often as much as five to ten per cent.
Our Purchasing Department takes ad
vantage of the lower prices that occur
at certain times of the year. Much of
the fuel oil for the power plant, for
instance, is purchased in the summer.
Sometimes, their vantage point allows
them to spot cost-cutting methods
that involve manufacturing operations.
These and other methods used
by Du Pont’s Purchasing Departments
help keep the lid on the company’s
total procurement costs. Such cost-
consciousness, of course, is a virtue
any time, and it is the responsibility
of all employees, but the men who buy
for the plants play a unique role in help
ing improve the company’s financial
outlook.
ADVANCED TRAINING for Fire Brigade
Members of the Brevard Du
Pont plant Fire Brigade attended a four
evening practical training course at
the Brevard Fire Department training
grounds. This course was presented
by the Asheville-Buncombe Technical
Institute for the Western North Car
olina Fireman’s Association. The Bri
gade members joined with firemen
from many locations in learning and
practicing fire-fighting techniques.
^5#
,3^
Firemen battling the scorching heat of the gasoline-fed “flange-fire" at the
Brevard Fire Department Training Grounds.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
FOTOFAX
— a publication of
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO
BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA 28712
editor, Oscar Harbin
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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