GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
BENNETTSVILLE
SOUTH CAROLINA
Ttre$fone
BOWLING GREEN
KENTUCKY
Production Steelcord Looms
beginning at Bowling Green in October
Six steelcord looms are scheduled to be in operation
by October at the Bowling Green Firestone Textiles Com
pany plant. Jim Griffin, appointed this summer project
manager of the BG wireweaving operation, said that con
ventional l-'oms were bein» mc^^ified to weave the steel.
He said the BG steelcord
weaving area will be sealed and
airconditioned to provide low
humidity against oxidation of
the steel material.
ALL UNPACKING of steel
cord, weaving, handling, and
wrapping of the fabric will be
done inside the wire-weave
area. This conditioning is re
quired because high humidity
contaminates the brass coating
on steelcord and adversely af
fects adhesion of cord fabric to
rubber in the tiremaking proc
ess.
$2.5 Million
FOR
SUGGESTIONS
Extra money amounting to nearly $2.5 million has been
earned by Firestone employees who have received awards
during the history of the company’s suggestion program.
Thousands of employee “good
ideas” have been adopted by the
company over the years. An
average of 25 per cent of sub
mitted suggestions are accepted
and ‘put to work’.
Largest single award paid
since the program began was
$10,000 earned last year by
Grace Fagan of Akron, Ohio. A
Firestone International employ
ee, Miss Fagan devised a new
method for shipping tire molds
to overseas plants.
SUGGESTION topics center
primarily in areas of tangible
cost savings, quality of produc
tion and products, and on-the-
job safety, says H. Bruce Pal
mer, coordinator of the sugges
tion program.
As of August, 1973, the com
pany had received more than
18,000 suggestions from em
ployees in Firestone facilities
around the world.
Largest award to date this
year—$5,676—was presented to
Robert Kimmel, a foreman at
the company’s Oklahoma City
plant. His idea involved modifi
cation and positioning of manu
facturing equipment.
Firestone Textiles Company
has participated in the sugges
tion program throughout the
Home
From
The
Dip
Another summer season of
fun at Firestone playground in
front of the Gastonia plant end
ed in August. The playground,
with wading pool and other
recreational facilities, is owned
by the company and is each
summer operated as a part of
the City Recreation Depart
ment’s system of parks and
playgrounds. Firestone play
ground activities are a part of
the overall city recreation pro
gram.
Besides play for youngsters
at the Firestone location, the
program includes crafts instruc
tion, nature hikes and outings
to points of interest around Gas
tonia.
Griffin noted that creels on
the Bowling Green looms will
differ from those in operation at
the Gastonia plant in that pin-
rack trucks will take the place
of overhead creels. He said;
“These trucks will be slightly
larger than those we use in poly
ester and nylon tirecord fabric
production here at Bowling
Green. Also two spools of wire
will be placed on each creel pin,
instead of the conventional one
spool per pin. Griffin added:
"WE ARE PROUD of this op
portunity to produce steelcord
fabric at Bowling Green, and
look forward to seeing the first
roll of wire come from our
looms.” He noted that steelbelt-
ed radials are becoming in
creasingly popular as original
equipment and replacement
tires; that people who have
driven cars with steelbelt radials
can vouch for the added stabili
ty, good riding qualities, han
dling and extra mileage they
afford.
years. The division’s Bennetts-
ville, S.C. plant in recent years
was first place in rate of ideas
turned in and adopted. It is still
among those plants out front in
suggestion participation.
FALL QUARTER
NC Vocational
Textile School
The fall quarter of North
Carolina Vocational Textile
School begins Sept. 17 with a
revised curriculum and classes
offered in diploma and associ
ate degree programs.
The Dyeing and Finishing pro
gram has been added to the
curriculum in the two-year
diploma area. Other instruction
is in Yarn Manufacturing, Weav
ing & Designing, Knitting & De
signing, Mill Maintenance, and
Tailoring.
Apparel Manufacturing has
been added to the two-year as
sociate degree program. Apparel
Manufacturing, Yam Manufac
turing, Weaving & Designing,
Knitting & Designing, and Dye
ing & Finishing are in the Tex
tile Manufacturing Technology
program.
At NCVTS, students buy text
books and other materials, but
do not pay tuition. All programs
are approved for veterans of
military service. Convenient
class schedules make it possible
for students to go to school at
NCVTS while holding a regular
job on any of the three shifts
in industry and business.
The school is located on Wil
kinson Boulevard near Belmont.
Telephone: 825-3737.
onfieulrdlii SEPTEMBER • 1973
Ihe wind shall whistle chill."—George Arnold—'SEPTEMBER'
Two Assignments
GASTONIA
AND BOWLING GREEN
SMITH
Thomas L. Yelton, since 1970 the manager of technical
services for Firestone Textiles Company with headquarters
at Gastonia, last month began duties as production manager
of the division’s Bowling Green, Ky., plant.
Claude W. Smith. Bowling
Green production manager
since 1968. replaced Yelton as
manager of technical services
and began his work at Gastonia
last month.
Yelton, from Rutherford ton,
N. C., is a graduate of Clemson
University, with a degree in
textile manufacturing. He was
a superintendent at Stonecutter
Mills in Forest City when he
joined the Firestone company
in January of 1960, as a pro
duction trainee.
IN APRIL. 1960 he became
manager of Firestone’s textile
plant at Buenos Aires, Argen
tina, remaining until in 1962
when he transferred to the com
pany’s Sao Paulo, Brazil textile
plant as assistant manager. He
later became manager and re
mained in that assignment until
1966 when he returned to Gas
tonia to become coordinator of
a Zero Defects program.
Yelton was appointed techni
cal services engineer in May of
1968 and made manager in 1970.
Smith, new manager of tech
nical services for the division,
is a native of Union, S. C. A
graduate of Clemson University
YELTON
with a BS degree in textile man
agement, he came from a
Gainesville, Ga., plant of Deer-
ing-Milliken to join Firestone at
Gastonia in July, 1965.
HIS FIRST appointment was
as assistant plant manager of
the company’s Buenos Aires
operation. He was on the Argen
tine assignment from October,
1965 to July, 1967. He then re
turned to the Gastonia plant and
stayed a few months in training
before being assigned as produc
tion manager of the Bowling
Green plant when it began oper
ating in early 1968.
In the division job. Smith
maintains a liaison between the
company’s three textile units—
Gastonia, Bowling Green and
Bennettsville, S. C., and with
Firestone tire plants and custo-
Bennettsville Scouts Had Campout
Members of Troop 631, Boy
Scouts, sponsored by Firestone
Textiles at Bennettsville, had a
swim session and overnight
campout at Myrtle Beach Air
Force Base in late summer, A
tour of the air facility as a
highlight of their base visit.
The scouts were accompanied
by troop committeeman J. W.
Mudd, scoutmaster Benny Hen
drix; and chefs Jimmy McCas-
kill and Clyde Poison.
Also during summer, the Fire
stone-sponsored Cub Scouts had
a swimming day and campout at
Camp Coker, Society Hill, S. C.
Charles Sweatt Jr. accompanied
the Cubs.
Personality Traits & Accidents
Some years ago the Executive Analysis Corporation con
cluded that persons with a tendency to be involved in acci
dents have some definite personality traits. The EAC, basing
findings on extensive studies and testing, learned:
• Among traits belonging to the accident-prone are a
superabundance of (false) self-confidence (cockiness): an
aggressiveness leading to the attitude that teamwork is nol
necessary; the tendency to be easily distracted; and little dis
position to conform to social customs.