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BREVARD PLANT
PHOTO PRODUCTS DEPARTMENT
(gffPU) Vol. 12, No. 1 January, 1979
Focus:
A Job Well Done;
A Job To Do
,
[‘-•v
Harry Wilson, left, Heinz McCall at work
Base Products Are Big Business
Ask someone what Du Pont does at
Brevard and the chances are you will be
told about medical X-ray film. But
there are several people who can tell
you that polyester base products are
a big item, too.
Base made at Brevard is sold to
Du Pont sites in Parlin, Rochester and
Neu Isenburg, Germany. Brevard base
is also sold to other manufacturers of
photographic film. Polaroid's demand
for base products grew by one-third in
1978 and is anticipated to continue
increasing in 1979.
A constant flow of material is
handled by the people of the base
products warehouse. Shipments to
one customer are presently in excess of
one truck per day. With all the product
lines and incoming freight, something
in excess of 100 tons of material pass
across the base products warehouse
dock each day, an average of eight
trucks each 24-hour period.
Growth has made its share of pro
blems. Lack of warehouse space has
resulted in a need for fancy footwork
to keep the river of materials flowing.
Available space is so limited that base
produced doesn't usually linger in the
warehouse. The base packers on shift
load rolls onto a waiting trailer after
packaging. But newly made base rolls
are only part of the freight. There is a
continuing press of products and other
things which must be moved.
Four people, Mai Jeter, Heinz McCall,
Moses Norman and Harry Wilson unload,
load, and move it out. And they really
have to keep it moving. Although they
are day workers, they have had very
few two-day weekends for a long time.
They know that if the material doesn't
stay on the move, the casting lines are
going to shut down sometime Sunday
night. So they voluntarily come in on
overtime every Sunday with one of the
supervisors, Jim Byrd or Jerry Surrette.
They usually spend three to six hours
loading it up and moving it out to make
space enough to get more product
Monday.
Where does all this go? From here
it's moved to Brevard Industrial Storage
where it is stored to be staged and
shipped.
If that sounds like a lot to keep up
with, you're right.
Vicki Scarborough handles it. All
day. She works against what Lee
Guillebeau calls a constant deadline.
(Continued on Page 4)
1978 was a good year for the Photo
Products Department and the Brevard
Plant. Demand for all products manu
factured at Brevard remained strong.
The contributions made by our plant
to x-ray markets and base for sale were
significant factors in achieving success.
It was also gratifying to complete the
year without an on-the-job lost work
day injury. I want to thank every
employee for a job well donel
The events of 1978 are history, and
once again the challenges of a new year
are here. The demand for x-ray products
should remain firm, but growth will be
limited by pressure to reduce health
care costs, concern over radiation
exposure, leveling off of population
growth and competitive pressures. The
outlook for polyester base continues
bright. Overall, 1979 should be another
fine year.
There are problem areas that require
attention, and I would like to direct
your attention to the important ones.
1. Safety — Off-the-job safety per
formance was very disappointing.
Twenty-five employees suffered
painful lost-time injuries totaling
627 work days. As of this date,
some of those injured are still
unable to return to work. I appeal
to every employee to take this
matter seriously and help in the
effort to reverse the trend.
2. Employee Relations — Deter
mining employee preference for
12-hour shifts and associated pro
blems occupied the minds of
many employees throughout 1978.
Finalizing this work schedule,
concern over inflation levels and
President Carter's appeal for wage
and price constraints will challenge
our resolve to work together
harmoniously. I firmly believe
the interests of both employee
and management can continue to
be served best by working together
to resolve our mutual problems.
3. Plant Operations — Major con
cerns are related to cost contain
ment, quality and base production.
• Cost Containment — Infla
tion has a serious impact on
plant costs due to soaring
prices of raw materials. This
added to a lower x-ray growth
rate makes effective cost reduc
tion programs a must. Pro
ductivity gains, yield improve
ments, and silver conservation
are essential ingredients for
success.
• Quality — Brevard employees
have always been quality orien
ted, but standards are contin
ually rising. Threats to our
business by quality competitors
and lower price films can be
met effectively through high
quality and good customer
service. Strict adherence to
operating procedures and stand
ards are a vital part of excel
lent quality.
• Base Production— Polaroid's
success in maintaining its lead
ership in instant photography
means increased opportunities
for sale of polyester base.
Successful casting rate increase
programs, higher yields, and
improved quality on all base
products are high priority
items.
In summary, effective cost reduction
efforts, high quality standards, conserva
tion of costly raw materials and working
together cooperatively are the keys to
success. I solicit the help of every
employee in making 1979 another good
year for the Brevard Plant.
John H. Golden
Plant Manager
Visitor Center Being Built
When customers and potential cust
omers started visiting the Plant back
in 1969, picnic sites and scenic spots
were readily available. With increased
numbers of visitors and greater employee
usage of the property, the facilities have
sometimes become crowded.
Construction is underway for a new
site for customer-visitor entertainment
on a knoll across the lake from the
bathing area. Jim Hill has guided the
work of the bulldozer operator and
decided which trees were cut and which
remain. Walt Rogers and Mike Bradley
have prepared plans for the structure.
The facility is expected to be ready for
use by early summer. Present plans are
to reserve this site for the use of visitor
and customer groups.
(See Sketch on Page 2)