Controlled Z"/.
• Jack W. Faile “looks after his part” in
the process quality of synthetic yarn, chang
ing ply-twist into cable-twisted cord for
weaving into tire fabric.
The human factor is involved in just
about every job and step of turning out a
product, so with some kind of control over
quality in the materials processed. Some
times the control is of great degree. And the
seeming “little control” can be vital to
the finished material.
As in the example here, Faile is a twister
bobbin changer in TC Twisting. He operates
and doffs cable-twisting machines, thus con
trols quality in many ways. Some are:
Watching out for stray oil on yarn, slack
yarn, wrong number of plies, mixed yarn,
high bobbins and “builds” (bad winding on
bobbins), wrong travelers on twister rings,
and incorrect identification discs on bob
bins.
Proposed merger
Extension on negotiatons
Preliminary work and negotiations to prepare a
definitive agreement on the proposed merger of Fire
stone and Borg-Warner were extended in early March.
The delay will not be lengthy, but no new decision
date was set at that time.
April or early May was
originally set to present the
plan at a special stockholders
meeting. First, boards of di
rectors of both companies
must approve.
Firestone and Borg-Warner
last November mutually agreed
to consider a merger. If ap
proved, both companies will
continue business as separate
entities under a holding com
pany formed in Chicago. A hold
ing company is established and
operated to control one or more
companies through stock owner
ship.
If the merger is realized, Fire
stone would keep its head
quarters in Akron; Borg-Warner
in Chicago. The companies com
bined would gain strength fi
nancially and competitively.
Under a merger, no change is
expected for the vast majority
of Firestone and Borg-Warner
employees.
Radial 23° tire
The new Firestone Radial 23°
tractor tire features polyester
body in radial construction and
4 rayon belts. It is being pro
duced in 4 popular sizes at the
company’s Des Moines, la.,
plant. The tire resulted from
an intensive development pro
gram for a radial (rear) tractor
tire with outstanding perform
ance and wear.
Skid depth on the Radial 23°
IN 1977 Firestone and Borg-
Warner combined sales were al
most $6.5 billion and earnings
were beyond $215 million. To
gether, that volume of sales
would place the companies—if
merged—among the 25 largest
of U. S. industrial enterprises.
As a company, Borg-Warner
dates to 1928. Today, the firm’s
products are principally com
ponents used in items manufac
tured by other companies. Few
Borg-Warner products are sold
directly to consumers.
Borg-Warner areas of prod
uct service include chemicals
and plastics, air conditioning, fi
nancial services, industrial pro
ducts and transportation equip
ment.
The company’s 50,000 em
ployees work in 50 main di
visions in about 125 facilities in
18 states of the U. S.; Canada
and 20 other countries.
COMPANY PRODUCTS
is 15 percent more than on Fire
stone’s original-equipment-level,
bias-ply tractor tire, the AU
Traction Field & Road. The new
radial has Firestone’s unique
23° bar angle.
• March rides in on a rush
ing wind. It usually departs
more quietly, leaving behind a
world renewed. Spring. "After
the snow, the emerald leaves,"
wrote George Cooper.
SAFETY
It’s a 7-day job
• • The Woodstock (Canada) plants of Firestone
Textiles Company are helping to promote safety
awareness with a ‘slogan’ T-shirt. SAFETY—A 6-
LETTER WORD BUT A 7-DAY JOB is in white-on-
red design. Ross Colpitter of the maintenance de
partment wrote the winning slogan in a contest late
last year. George Hacock is Woodstock’s safety co
ordinator.
U. S. plants of Firestone Textiles Company also
have T-shirts with safety-promoting slogans written
by employees in contests last year. They are: Ben-
nettsville—AT HOME, WORK OR PLAY—PRAC
TICE SAFETY EVERY DAY. Bowling Green—
SAFETY TODAY MEANS ANOTHER TOMOR
ROW. Gastonia—SAFETY IS A HABIT.
I^tre^fone
Firestone M S W
Textiles CofHpdfiy Gastonia, North Carolina
Bennettsville, South Carolina Bowling Green, Ketitucky
March
1979
‘Cut it
shorter’
Do you think that the
more complex an idea, the
better chance it has of bring
ing a big money award in the
company’s Suggestion Pro
gram?
Not in this case. Richard Lee
McGinnis' suggestion, approved
last month, was a way of sim
ply saving fabric yardage. Cut
the samples shorter, he said.
His improved procedure is sav
ing the company nearly $60,000
a year.
The idea: Reduce length of
fabric samples from beams for
Quality Control specification
testing—from 15 yards to 2
yards per sample. The shorter
would do just as well, he rea
soned, and the 13-yard saving
per sample would be sold to
the customer instead of becom
ing waste.
BG bowHng
The 1978-79 Firestone Bowl
ing Green bowling league will
close at the end of March. The
league has been underway since
last September. After the 4th
month of play, those composing
the Ist-place team were Joe
Millea, Stan Tomlin, Leroy
Johnson and Tom Payne.
☆ ☆ ☆
In An Old Graveyard
Jonesboro, Tenn. • Epitaph
on tomb of a teenage boy (1855-
G9): I AM TIRED. LET ME
REST.
McGinnis’ pay: $5,860
($3,684.18 after taxes).
The 45-foot length had been
an established custom from the
days when rubber splicing on I
rolls was in use. The shorter
sample was possible with the
newer sewn splice, but no
body—until McGinnis—had pro
posed cutting back the length.
Samples are for testing for such
specifications as adhesion, stiff
ness, tensile, elongation, and
shrinkage.
McGinnis, a shift supervisor
in Fabric Treating at Gastonia,
put his idea into the suggestion
“hopper” 11 months ago. It took
time to research its merits and
test out its promised savings
of $58,281 a year.
Pay for McGinnis’ suggestion
is 1 of 3 “good size” awards to
Firestone Textiles people in re
cent months. Jean Hayes, main
tenance lubricator at Bowling
Green, had a $2,284.62 sugges-
• • Richard L. McGinnis
(left) and James B. Call, presi
dent of Firestone Textiles Com
pany: A check for a good idea.
tion to increase the spindle oil
ing cycle on Utex twisters. At
Gastonia, Robert A. Wentz, air-
pollution technician, had an
idea approved for a better way
for a cleaning/mix operation in
#8 treating unit. The $4,465
paid for it was the largest ever
for a suggestion at the Gastonia
plant to that time.
Coordinator
Larry E. Jones, employment
interviewer & counselor at
Bowling Green, began ad
ditional duties as Suggestion
Program coordinator, February
1. Also, he is Bowling Green re
porter to Firestone News.