FOTOFAX
BREVARD PLANT
IMAGING SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT
U S PAT aTM
Page 2
Vol. 20, No. 1
FOCUS: Visions
And
Directions
Chuck Smith
Where is OE going? Will we stay with the self-management concept? Why
not just tell us what you want us to do? These are just a few of the questions
being asked as we struggle with the transition to a new culture in which we
hope to use everyone’s thinking capabilities to improve our ability to prevail
over our competition.
The fact that we have not dictated how self-management will be
implemented, but have allowed freedom to experiment, has resulted in several
different approaches. While this inconsistency may make some of us uncom
fortable, we are learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t. We are
also learning how to focus the best of our thinking to improve the way we
are organized and how we function.
Change is difficult for most of us. It can be stressful to be encouraged
and expected to think about things that may have been off limits in the past.
“Just tell me what you want me to do” is a natural response brought on by
the temptation to return to our old ways while we are still experimenting and
learning from our successes and mistakes.
I’m encouraged! I see general recognition and acceptance of the idea that
we must use everyone’s thoughts and talents more fully to improve our com
petitive edge. Satisfying our internal and external customers is a high pro
file emphasis now apparent throughout the plant.
We are seeing more efficient meetings, iogic grids and frameworks, pur
pose statements and attempts to operate based on well-defined principles.
At this early stage in our new culture development, it is very reassuring to
see that overall bottom line results such as quality, yield and productivity
are better than they were last year. They must continue to improve opposite
the gains of our competition.
Even though we believe it is appropriate to allow freedom to experiment
with alternatives in implementing methods such as self-management, we
know it is also very important to have a well-defined and well-understood
sense of direction so that we can align our efforts and move forward with
unity of purpose. To provide that direction, the Plant staff is working to develop
a description of our future; a vision of what we believe the Brevard Plant
must become to remain a strong competitor in our business. Our direction
will be to move toward that vision of our future.
The product of this vision development work will be shared soon, and teams
will be assembled to upgrade the vision, identify barriers and help develop
strategies to move toward our vision. The vision description will deal with
our market, how it is changing and the effects of these changes on our plant.
It will include a view of possible future organizational structures, job roles
and our relationships to each other and our business.
We believe this is important and timely work which will affect all of us. It
is also important that everyone have the opportunity to influence the strate
gies we develop to move forward.
...And Now, We’re “Imaging Systems”
Once again, the name changes. The
Brevard Plant has gone from Pigments
Department to Photo Products, to Pho
tosystems and Electronics Products —
and now we’re “Imaging Systems.”
What’s it all about? The latest change
is part of a company-wide emphasis on
customer service, bringing products and
resources into an organization that targets
specific markets rather than grouping
operations by manufacturing process or
product type.
Local history shows the need. The origi
nal Brevard Plant was established to pro
duce silicon, the material that
revolutionized electronics. The operation
was managed by the Pigments Depart
ment because the silicon process was
similar to that for producing titaniurn pig
ments. The idea was sound. “Sister”
plants can share their experiences to
improve similar processes. But problems
came when paint-and-pigments thinking
could not keep pace with the explosive
growth of the vigorous new semiconduc
tor businesses. The pigments business
was stable and slow to change; the needs
of silicon customers shifted like the wind.
In the early days of solid-state electronics,
new devices and technologies evolved,
seized the market and became obsolete
almost overnight. The Brevard Plant
manufactured silicon to the highest stan
dards in the world — but it wasn’t what
the customer needed.
Today, DuPont’s organizations still con
sider the need to share the know-how, but
with the added imperatives of staying in
touch with the market, sensitive to cus
tomer needs and alert for new opportu
nities.
Imaging Systems, with solid resources
in technology, manufacturing and market
ing, intends to be “a solid contender in all
the markets we serve.” Brevard is a key
player on a team carefully chosen to play
the toughest game of all — continually
winning customers in America and the
world.
Lewis To Retire
Shirreffs In Saddle
Following the announcement that
Gordon Lewis will retire and the
changes that restructured Photo and
Electronics into a new department,
John J. (Jack) Shirreffs, Jr, has
assumed leadership of Imaging
Systems as Director of Manufacturing.
Shirreffs is an ex-marine (’59-’63),
received his BS from the U.S. Naval
Academy following undergraduate work
at the University of Pennsylvania. He
started with the company in 1963 as a
design engineer in the Seaford, Dela
ware, Textile Fibers plant. After work
ing in maintenance and manufacturing
positions there, he worked in Nylon
headquarters in Wilmington, Dei., then
moved to Martinsville, Va., and Chat
tanooga, Tenn., returning to Seaford in
1977 as Plant Manager.
Following his return to Wilmington
(1982), as a production manager for
Textile Fibers, Shirreffs became
“Orion” business manager in 1985.
He is active in community affairs. Jack Shirreffs
aviation, and holds a commercial
pilot’s license.
...and these aie
some of our
Hcture Perfect
Products/
'V
ASBESTOS:
New OSHA Standard Disallows
Beards And Yellow Respirators
Asbestos has received a lot of attention
as a health hazard because of its link to
cancer and lung disease. It has created
economic crises in some of the corpora
tions that manufacture products contain
ing asbestos, setting many legal
precedents in personal injury and prop
erty damage iitigation. Most of us have
heard concerns about asbestos outside
of the workplace, in schools and other
public buildings.
Asbestos has been used extensively in
industry. It is most often encountered as
high temperature insulation at the Brevard
Plant. It can be worked with safely if the
hazard is recognized.
Wherever possible, asbestos is being
replaced with other materials during the
course of construction or maintenance. It
is not hazardous until such times, when
the fibers can become airborne as the
material is damaged or removed. Then,
protective steps are mandatory. OSHA
developed two sets of rules, one for small
maintenance operations and the other for
large construction projects. Both sets of
rules cover air monitoring, protective
equipment, labeling and training.
Now, new OSHA regulations reduce the
permissible exposure limit from 2 fibers
per cubic centimeter of air to 0.2 fibers per
cc. Fibers are measured in microns, one
micron being one millionth of a meter,
about 39 millionths of an inch. OSHA
defines a “fiber” as being at least 5
microns long.
At Brevard, we’ve been well below the
0.2 f/cc limit for years. Our procedures call
for wetting down insulation before disturb
ing it and protecting people with appropri-
M
Ed Hallowell
Industrial Hygienist
ate respirators.
But “appropriate” protection is rede
fined by the new OSHA standard. There
are two changes that affect almost every
one whose job brings them in proximity
to free asbestos fibers: the very popular
yellow (3M No. 9910) disposable respira
tor is no longer approved for protection
against asbestos fibers — and beards are
definitely out. Other changes include
more air monitoring, changes in waste
labelling, and additional training and
respirator fit testing, every six months for
people who regularly work with asbestos.