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Vol. 10, No. 5
E.l. Du Pont De Nemours & Company, Inc., Brevard, N. C.
OCTOBER, 1977
WE WELCOME YOU TO OUR OPEN HOUSE
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jav Hemphill
Coating
Tommy Miles
Finishing
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Dana Mason
Maintenance
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OPEN HOUSE IS
TO CELEBRATE 20th YEAR
Our plant is holding an open house
visitation to celebrate our 20th anniversary
and the Du Pont Company's 175th
anniversary. It begins on October 4th and
continues through the 8th. On Tuesday,
state and local officials, community
leaders and Company management will be
our guests. Mr. Irving Shapiro, Chairman
of the Board, will give an address to
employees and guests. A press conference
will be held afterwards. Employees, their
families, and guests are invited from 5 to
9 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday. On Saturday the public is
invited to visit from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Activities at the open house will include
lunch and a guided tour. Tour guides will
be stationed at areas being toured to
answer questions. Each employee group
will have a souvenir photo taken and
receive commemorative items. Door
prizes will be awarded each evening. An
information packet will be available at the
gatehouse. The tour route is shown below.
We are proud of the growth our plant
has made and we welcome everyone to
help us celebrate our twentieth anniversary.
IN THIS ISSUE
Corporate Management
To Attend 2
Blankenship Reviews Hiring 3
Ranger Paxton Tells
About Property 3
Employees Review Part
In Progress 4
Production History 5
Employee Recreation
Advancements 6
PLANT MANAGER COMMENTS ON OPEN HOUSE
The planning and organizing required for an Open House is substantial. Various committees
have functioned for many months attending to the hundreds of details that are necessary
for a successful event. We are all proud of our plant and welcome this opportunity to show it
to our families, friends, state and local leaders, and residents from the surrounding
communities. Our 20th anniversary celebration involves more than viewing exhibits and
touring the plant. It is time to reflect on our past and future.
Twenty years ago this plant site was developed by the Du Pont Pigments Department to
manufacture hyperpure silicon for an emerging electronic industry. Prospects for a bright
future soon faded when world-wide overcapacity, miniaturization, and foreign competition
forced a collapse of the market for Brevard products and the plant faced total shutdown. At
this critical point in our history, several important developments occurred. The Photo
Products Department was planning to construct x-ray manufacturing facilities at another Du
Pont plant site. A management decision was made to switch sites and put the plant here. This
change in plans was costly but demonstrated the concern of those involved for a fine group of
employees who were facing layoff at Brevard. For us, this was a momentous decision which
affects every employee at this site today. Two hundred and fifty jobs were preserved, and an
additional 1043 new jobs have been created to bring our present employment to 1293.
The success of Photo Products operations at our plant can be attributed to a number of
factors which involve past and present employees at every level in the organization. Our
strength has been in our willingness to work together. Teamwork has successfully combined
the efforts of a dedicated manufacturing organization, skilled engineering support, innovative
research, and aggressive marketing.
Our plant has experienced phenomenal growth since 1962. It would be unrealistic to
believe our past growth rates can be sustained. However, we view our future with optimism.
Prospects for a continued strong demand for our products are excellent.
As we did in the silicon venture, we face strong competition from domestic x-ray film
producers and increasing pressure from foreign suppliers. To stay competitive we must
capitalize on our past experience and know-how. This means increased productivity and
containment of escalating costs while supplying our customers with high quality products.
This can be accomplished best in an atmosphere of good employee relations and mutual trust.
Thank you for your part in making our Open House and 20th Anniversary a gratifying
experience.
Sincerely,
John H. Golden
Plant Manager