Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / Aug. 1, 1980, edition 1 / Page 2
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VERNON CARVER • Gaslonia Manager, Production Planning and Control That word is SALES Exchanging what we produce for money. That transaction is represented by one basic word, and it allows Firestone Textiles to exist as a company. That word is Sales. We are in business to satisfy the needs and desires of our customers. The right product at the right time, place and price will be the only way we remain in operation as a business. Those same “rights” will promote future business as well as secure our relationships now with present cus tomers. We are all aware of the adjustments in our fabric pro duction levels here of late. These adjustments had to be made to reduce our inventory and conform to a lower level of tire production in The Firestone Tire & Rubber Com pany. GENERAL economic conditions helped trigger the cutback in tire sales, and that impacted the Textiles Company. Dur ing this adjustment period, our “outside” sales business becomes even more important than before. We must main tain as high a level of this kind of production as possible. During May, for example, roughly 30 percent of the Tex tiles division fabric output was for some customer other than Firestone-U. S. A. In June, this “outside” rate had climbed to 40 percent. At the time this was written the July production levels contained 35 percent for “outside” customers. It is our hope that in the future, as Firestone-U. S. A. tire production recovers, our other customer sales will remain at a high level. But we are here now! It takes little imagina tion to see how important the business from outside cus tomers is to all of us. Your contribution to the right product at the right time, place and price is essential. We will keep up our sales if we meet those “rights.” Who are these magical outside customers? There are two basic groups: EXPORT. This is our greatest area of customer sales. Some of the plants we sell to are in Brazil, Italy, France, Chile, Ghana, Kenya, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Venezuela. To give some idea of their importance to us, we have shipped close to 5.7 million pounds tire fabric to them during uct the first seven months of our fiscal year, or in excess of 800,000 pounds per month. These customers are extremely nice and quality-conscious. OTHER TEXTILE companies located in the U. S. and overseas are continually competing for this type of business. We must meet the “rights” to keep these customers. Keep ing export customers is good, of course, but getting new ones is even better. Firestone Textiles Company is trying to develop markets in the Far East for bicycle tire fabric, also passenger and truck-tire fabrics. China could loom as a potential customer, if we are “right,” DOMESTIC. Our second basic area of outside sales is to our U. S. customers other than Firestone. These may range from supplying tire fabric to other prominent domestic tire producers to packaged yarn for industrial customers. Our customers’ final product may be passenger, truck or bicycle tires; industrial hoses, conveyor belts, garden hoses, filtering devices, diaphrams for airbrakes as well as numerous other applications. These customers also need the same “rights.” This area also is very much price and quality-sensitive. The next time we are tempted to be wasteful of time or materials, or lack a quality-oriented attitude, we must re member that sales to our Company is like blood to the body. It is needful for life. Remember the “rights.” And don’t forget that we can make or break them. ‘Hotline’ help o® Tri-County Mental Health Center in South Carolina has extended 'hotline' help, emer gency & crisis-intervention serv ice to Marlboro, Chesterfield and Dillon counties. 'Hotline' is a message-for warding service which relays calls from the Mental Health of fice to a counselor's home, af fording 24-hour service daily. Until the new telephone equipment is installed at the Marlboro Mental Health center, calls may be made to Chester field (623-2229) and Cheraw (537-9479.) ☆ ☆ ☆ Died • Dautha L. Lane, 58, July 9. He was last a frame changer at Firestone-Gastonia, retired with 28 years service. Ray Shields Manuel Walker W. H. Massey Weaving. Before his last as signment, he was a shift supervisor and later general foreman in Wire Weaving up to the time that that op eration was discontinued. Manuel Walker, cleaner in TC Twisting, retired with 9 years and 15 days work at Firestone. tions of labor and materials from area volunteers. ' The park, behind Blenheim High School, has a concession stand, restrooms, and a press- box. Accomplished with about $3,000 in funds, the park is valued at $10,000. The Honey Festival at Jack son is one of the many special events in Kentucky, late August. Some others: Heritage Week end, Louisville, 30-Sept. 1; Ad miral’s Day, Boonesboro, Aug. 31. In early Sept.: Autumn Gos pel Song Festival, Elkhorn City, 2; 50’s Celebration, Pikeville, 3- 6; Bluegrass Festival, Clay City, 4-7; Main Strasse (Street) Fes tival, Covington, 6-7. Some South Carolina Events • August: Hunter’s Festival, Ehrhardt—folkdancing, clog- A suggestion review RETIRED • William H. Massey Jr., put in 38 years, 8 months and 19 days at Firestone Textiles- Gastonia, and ended his ‘long stretch’ of service July 31. He had been foreman-special duties in TC Twisting since June 1977. Starting as a sweeper, Mas sey went on to be a doffer in ply-twisting; shift supervisor and shift foreman, all in TC Twisting. Also joining the retired peoples group at the end of July were Ray Shields and Manuel Walker. Shields was last supervisor-control main tenance. ‘Back yonder’ he was a loomcleaner, loom- fixer and clothdoffer in All Right! • Blenheim, S. C., a Firestone Textiles (Bennetts- ville) hometown, last month completed its new ballpark in time for the district Dixie Youth playoffs. The facility was made possible through dona- Tiir^^tone Knsws Volume XXVI August, 1980 Number 8 Page 2 • GASTONIA Claude C. Callaway, Editor Plant Offices REPORTERS Warehouses Industrial Relalloni—Bobbie Baldwin Main Office—Freida Piice Mechanical Dept.—Carol Payne Tire Cord Twisling—Eleaie Cole, Kalie Peeler William L. Bradshaw of Process & Product Develop ment (Gastonia) received $875 for two suggestions in recent months. The idea to switch from plywood to fi- berboard end discs on ex- port-fabric rolls paid $780. For his suggestion to add se curity lighting in the new Warehouse, Bradshaw got $95. In the January-June period, Philip R. Goble and Robert ging, German foods, etc., 22-23; S. C. Apple Festival, West minster and Long Creek, 30- Sept. 7. Early Sept.: Southern 500 Stockcar Race and Festival, Darlington, 1; Labor Day Cele bration, Charles Towne Land ing, Charleston, 1; Atalaya Fes tival, Huntington Beach State Park, 12-14; Scottish Games/ Festival, Charleston, 13; Old- Fashioned Days, Kingstree, 12- 14. Warp Preparation— Nell Bolick Warehouse—Harold Robinson BENNETTSVILLE PLANT Frances Fletcher, Redona David, Margaret McCaskill, Jimmy McCaslcUl BOWLING GREEN Sal Costanza Wentz, Shop, shared equally in the $880.40 paid for their meth od allowing for reclaiming pol- lution-control 'smoghog' cells in #8 Treating. Horace Hughes, Shop, had the most approvals—his eight ideas paying a total $288.82 for better ways in heating, plumbing and electric wiring. A $90 payment went to C. K. Cauthen, Warehouse, for sug gesting saving through reducing the size of stencil lettering on export fabric. A. D. McCarter, Shop, re ceived $75 for his method or protecting loom motors when replacing worn pins in them. Scott McCarter, Shop, had an idea to change from fuseboxes to circuit breakers in Weaving and that paid $50. T. M. Black, Shop, suggested using welding rods of castiron— an idea worth $30. D. B. Thomas and R. Lovelace, Treating, sug gested adding a drain pan in #8 unit. It paid $37.50. For the January-June period, there were 10 approved ideas that paid above the minimum; and 116 for the $20 minimum. Ideas had to do generally with improvements in procedures and equipment, added convenience in methods and operations, re finements, added efficiency,’ and savings in materials, equipment and energy-use. Monthly publicalion of the Gastonia, N. C., plant of Firestone Textiles Company, a division of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio. Division Headquarters, Gaslonia, N. C. 28052. James B. Call, president. Mem ber Carolinas Association of Business Communicators.
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1980, edition 1
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