Newspapers / Fotofax (Brevard, N.C.) / March 1, 1978, edition 1 / Page 1
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BREVARD PLANT oUPONt- cno(n(4 fOTOFAX ONEX Vol. 11, No. 3 E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company, Inc., Brevard, N. C. MARCH, 1978 Hourly Employees Play Big Role In Quality Control When a doctor orders an X-ray to verify a suspected bone fracture, or to assist in the diagnosis of an illness, he or she depends on the X-ray film to show clearly the information needed. The quality of the X-ray film is not questioned; it has already been given the stamp of approval. Testing to insure a high quality X-ray film, justifying this stamp of approval, is a major part of our manufacturing process. One of every five production employees spends full time with quality control measurements. Raw materials coming to the plant must pass stringent testing. Thorough product testing is done at every step — from polymerization through base casting, emulsion making, coating operation and finishing operation — and a set of standards must be met at each step. Ferrell Driskell, X-ray performance specialist, says that most people view quality as a nebulous term. "But quality is a tangible thing," he said. "We are measuring quality. We can apply a quantitative value at each phase of the process. "The need for quality control takes on added importance because the product is used in life or death situations. A patient's welfare is based on what the radiologist sees in the finished radiograph," he said. Medical X-ray film is a perishable product. It is sensitive to light, heat, pressure, humidity and other environmental conditions. These conditions are controlled during the manufacturing process. Du Pont marketing representatives are trained to understand the proper conditions for storage and shipping. Employees whose work is connected with testing get special training to help them better understand the imoortance of high quality. IN THIS ISSUE new EMPLOYEES 2 R & D NEW PRODUCTS 3 SOLAR HEATING 3 DERA DISCOUNTS 4 employees in government .... 4 Bim AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/F rJ.L Mike Southerland watches x-ray of arm at Transylvania Community Hospital taken by Marilyn Mack, Chief Technologist using Du Pon t film. NOTE: Sandra Groves, Physical Therapist, is "Patient". Mike Southerland, a "B" shift slitter operator, took a two-week training course, along with others, that included a tour of the X-ray department at a local hospital. At the time of the course, he was an operator on a chopper, which involved taking samples of film to send to the quality control lab to be read. He learned that mishandling the film could result in its appearing to be defective. He also learned to identify defects and how they happen. He watched the X-ray technician take X-rays and then saw the developed film. "I believe that a person should keep up on the latest so he can do his job," Mike said. "The training helped me understand how important it is for the control lab to check the quality of the film." Bill Hunt, "A" shift employee who works on a chopper and also took the training said, "It helps me in the handling of the film." At the hospital, he watched a doctor thread a catheter through an artery, a process that uses X-ray film. He did not realize that the film was used in that kind of process, he said. Joe Gilbert, an "A" shift quality control checker whose job is to test film samples, said the most interesting part of the hospital visit was the automatic changer, used in making a series of films. It was (Continued on page 2) FOCUS; At this writing one-sixth of the year is already past and by month end the first quarter will be history. The plant faces a challenge during the remainder of 1978 due to an uncertain order demand for medical x-ray film and continued pressure to control manufacturing costs. The X-Ray Marketing organization is working hard to counter the efforts of competitors and develop new marketing opportunities for our products. R & D is making major cost reduction contributions and product improvements. However; in the end, the success of these efforts is determined by how well the plant manufacturing and support organizations perform. While overall plant performance has shown modest improvements in the first two months of 1978, progress is not sufficient to insure meeting year-end objectives. In the near future, a series of reviews will be scheduled covering the details of 1977 performance and plant objectives for 1978. If we are to achieve our goals, significant improvement is needed in casting, coating and finishing yields and in machine utilization. This means closer attention to operating procedures, rapid follow-up on product quality and expeditious resolution of problems affecting machine operability. We have the ability to meet this challenge, and I am confident that by continuing to work together we will succeed. k i t a. John H. Golden
Fotofax (Brevard, N.C.)
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March 1, 1978, edition 1
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