Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / Dec. 1, 1973, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Exhaustive Testing For Passenger Tires Very few consumer products get the kind of exhaustive testing that today’s passenger tires receive. Before the passenger tire ever goes into production, a prototype tire is run thousands of miles on all kinds of road surface. Tires intended for high-speed operation are tested at rates up to 130 miles per hour. The tire is subjected to count less turns, starts, stops, and skids. It is overloaded, jabbed with plungers. X-rayed, ex amined by sophisticated instru ments and tested in hundreds of other ways. “A tire design that can’t take the abuse or one that doesn’t perform properly is rejected,” says Thomas A. Robertson, Fire stone’s director of tire develop ment. “It’s ‘survival of the fittest’.” Firestone and other major tire producers each pour mil lions of dollars into their test ing programs. Firestone—which rolls up more than 350 million tire-test miles annually—oper ates two giant outdoor test centers, at Ft. Stockton, Texas and Columbiana, Ohio, and maintains indoor test facilities at all 13 of its domestic passen- ger-tire plants. “Our test program is designed to go beyond the minimum standards set by the Department of Transportation,” Robertson points out. “Firestone tries to duplicate as closely as possible the conditions that motorists encounter most often on the highway. We emphasize dura bility, wear and traction but al so pay close attention to factors such as ride, handling and noise control. The director of tire de velopment talks more of tire testing: • For Firestone tires, testing begins at the developmental stage. A prototype tire is first non on indoor equipment in an effort to discover defects either in the individual components or in the overall tire design. If the tire passes these first tests, a limited number is pro duced and shipped to Ft. Stock ton or Columbiana where they How does the fabric ‘stand up Years 16,000 POUNDS # This steel plunger is one of many instruments TORTURE used in testing modern passenyci iires. The plung- ger here is capable of up to 16.000 pounds pressure. Device is forced into tread of a Firestone Radial V-1 steel-belted tire to measure strength of tire's cords as well as its overall construction. BENNEnSVILLE Gifts To 18 UF Agencies Firestone employees at Bennettsville made pledges and donations to the United Fund Drive of Marlboro County, Inc., in November. M. D. Coleman and Frances Fletcher were leaders of the in-plant campaign. They reported that employees were 100 percent in participation with donations. Fair-Share contributions were 63 percent of the employment. Marlboro County’s United Fund Campaign goal this year is $50,000. Money collected aids 18 charitable agencies the United Way. In a “fair-sharers’ drawing, winners were Betty L. Chavis, Prentiss White, Moses Covington and Jessie Simmons. Prizes were a TV set, tape player, rocking chair, coffee- maker and radio-traveling clock. Birch Has Plenty ‘Going’ Birch Lewis wears a feather in his hat. For good luck, es pecially when he goes fishing and hunting. Lewis, a production inspec tor, has worked at the Ben nettsville plant since late 1943. Away from the job, Birch is involved in several special in terests, chief among them being singing gospel songs with the family, fishing and hunting. He's quite a deer hunter, with 27 years at it. Each season he bags his limit. He has saved three deerhead trophies. Back before Thanksgiving, Birch killed a 250-lb mule deer. It's traditional *hat each Thanks giving he barbecues a deer for the family gathering. And for Christmas it's roast wild turkey. On deer drives Birch usually goes with a party of four. They take along Walker hounds. are driven on test vehicles. If the tire continues to perform well, it is tried in volume lots on commercial fleets and private vehicles. • Once decision is made to put a new tire into production, it still must pass a series of quality-assurance tests before it can be sold. A new tire may be tested for months or even years before it is ready to be introduced to the motoring public. And even after the tire goes into production, tests are made continually to in sure the quality of each produc tion run. Firestone at its U.S. tire plants each day makes a total of 65,- 000 in-process quality-control checks of components and ma terials—an average of 5,000 checks per plant. In addition, every tire produced receives a final inspection. A percentage of tires also is selected at random for continual monitoring of compliance with government safety standards. These include tests for endur ance, high speed and strength. • Barefoot, Cutshin, Dwarf, Goody, Greasy, Julip, Music, Number One, O.K., Pinchem, Ruin, Sam Clay, Sip, Tin Jan, Windy and Yamacraw. They're all place names in Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis live on Route 2, Bennettsville. He and Ola Mae have three married children; five grandchildren. At Christmastime, North Pole is seasonally publicized as the home of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and all their helpers. North Pole is in Alaska. And did you know that it's modern to the extent of boasting a radio station? It's KJNP. which broad casts on 1170 KHz. Memorable... — From page 1 much in want. One family lived in a place that had a dirt floor. We trudged along, wading in mud over our shoetops. That ex perience taught me appreciation for my own blessings. Now, many Christmases later, I think of sharing with others through out the year. • Maude Peeler Inspector-Burler, Cloth Room My memorable Christmas was when I was 13 and my sister, Tommie McLeymore, was 9. Our parents had gotten the idea that Tommie no longer believed in the magic of Santa Claus. But Tommie still believed. Came Christmas morning and her dis appointment at not finding Santa gifts under the tree. Fath er left the house and came back with a nice big teddybear for Tommie. It was beautiful. And the sentiment was precious. We all rejoiced together. Tommie is now a student at Appalachian State University. That special Christmas is a warm memory. • Barbara Richter Reclaimer, Preparation When I was 6 years old we lived in lean years. Even I un derstood that the holiday wouldn’t bring much in the way of “store-bought” gifts to us children. So, this was the Christmas of the wonderful bi-plane which my Father built for me. I watched him construct it of scrap lumber and other odds- and-ends. I was so proud and thankful. It was a gift from the heart. Though of little value money- wise, he had invested of him self. It was all he had but it turned out to be the most preci ous thing. I am convinced that the real things in life are the little things made big by love. • James Burr Engineer, Methods & Standards Around 50 guests came to the ‘going-out’ party honoring Irene Burroughs who retired last month. Mrs. Burroughs closed a Firestone career of more than 28 years at the Gastonia plant. Her associates in TC Weaving honored her at the party held in Firestone Wesleyan Church scout hut. Hostesses were Mrs. Lois Whitfield, Mildred Smith, AT GASTONIA • • James C. Barker, Shop carpenter, headed the service list at Gastonia for Novem ber. Barker, who marked 35 years with the company, joined ten others at Gas tonia with long work records of from 5 to 30 years. In the 30-year group were John V. Darwin, administrative assistant to President James B. Call; F. B. Galligan, division factories manager; and Louise A. Tate of TC Weaving produc tion. Others on the November service roster; Twenty- Five Years • Mary E. Robinson, TC Twisting; Odess S. Killian, Shop. Fifteen Years • Clifford E. Tomberlin, TC Twisting. Ten Years • Hazel K. Hayes, Prepa- tion; Christine F. Cooper, TC Weaving. Five Years • James E. Terry, TC Twisting; Marshall R. Wellman, Shop. Winter Tires Sales of new winter tires will reach an all-time record 19.5 million tires this year. Market ing people of the Firestone com pany make this prediction, and further estimate that motorists will buy some 35.2 million snow tires, of which approximately 15.8 million will be retreads. Last year’s winter-tire sales totaled 34.2 million. Firestone expects an even higher demand for winter tires this year, although there has been no substantial industry in crease in production. Lawrence J. Lombardo, vice president of trade sales at Fire stone, this fall had urged motor ists to buy winter tires early, in view of a shortage of radial win ter tires. Firestone forecasters estimate that some 42 per cent of the nation’s automobiles — that’s 37.6 million—will be equipped with snow/mud tires this win ter. On C of C Board The Bowling Green Firestone plant manager was elected a member of the board of direc tors of the BG-Warren County (Ky.) Chamber of Commerce in November. Ralph King is one of five new members named to the C of C board for three-year terms. The new board members will take office at the Chamber’s annual dinner meeting January 4. Hazel Davis, Mildred Hinson, Bill Ammons and Miss Bertha Ellis. Volume XX December, 1973 Number 12 Page 2 • GASTONIA Claude C. Callaway, Editor Plant Offices REPORTERS Warehouses Induslrial Relations—Betty Summill Main Office—Bea McCarler Mechanical Depl.—Rosie Fletcher Quality Control—Louella Queen, Leila Rape Twisting (synthetics) — Elease Cole, Katie Elkins Warp Preparation—Elmina Bradshaw, Nell Bolick Warehouse—Harold Robinson, Israel Good Weaving (cotton)—Ruth Veetch BENNETTETTSVILLE PLANT Frances Fletcher, Redona Davi*^, Mfir- garet McCaskill. Jimmy McCaskill, BOWLING GREEN Fred De Hoag • Traveling toward Bowling Green, Ky., through backcoun- try of Cumberland Mountains NW of Knoxville—these road signs: STUPIDVILLE, TENN. Population 180, As Of Now; and NOSEY VALLEY, TENN. Our Population Varies. Also LITTLE LEAF Baptist Church. Monthly publication of the Gastonia, N. C., plant of Firestone Textiles Company, a division of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio. Division headquarters, Gastonia, N. C. 28052. James B. Call, president, Mem- i»er South Atlantic Council of Industrial Editors and International Association of Business Communicators.
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 1, 1973, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75