RANK XEROX Nov/Dec 1987 No. 186

The house magazine of Rank Xerox Mitcheldean

Wired for world'Class status T H E R E E L S and bunches o f wires in every co lour o f the ra inbow have always caught the eye in harness assembly operations.

But today the depar tment is a t t rac t ing a t t en t ion for more significant reasons.

Says manager Dave Charley: "The a i m is to develop the centre to a t ta in world-class supplier status w i t h facilities for design as well as p ro to type w o r k and w i t h the capabi l i ty and capacity to develop a healthy level o f t h i r d par ty business."

The centre is designated as the design support faci l i ty for E M S D for harness b u i l d and " W e are current ly b u i l d i n g harnesses for Xe rox Corpora t ion ' s o w n vendors as well as for Ven ray , " says Dave .

"There is also a section doing design s u p p o r t / p r o t o t y p e work for Xe rox products , and this puts us in an advantageous posi t ion to capture further produc t ion w o r k .

" W e are, i n fact, i nvo lved wi th four new programmes at an early stage."

T o cont inue to be successful in a t t ract ing new w o r k , the facili ty, backed up by fu l l inspection, materials and technical staff, is constant ly str iving to make and m a i n t a i n improvements in a l l areas o f the business th rough qua l i ty , cost and delivery performance.

The company has shown its faith in the depar tment w i t h significant levels o f capi tal investment in the latest wi re cut t ing and harness p repara t ion technology and a h igh percentage o f the harnesses are produced on fu l ly-au tomated machines. Continued overleaf

Reels of wires in lO-colour sequence Iced the Molex A MSI which is programmed to create, and test for continuity, multiple assemblies of up to 32 wires: the connector housings, pre-loaded with terminals, are held in tubes within the machine. Here inspector Mark Wellington (left) and setter-operator Dave Witts check a 'first olT.

Setter-operator Jim Smith guides wires emerging from the AMP DECAM; this machine creates multiple assemblies of up to 20 wires for 1012 harnesses, and tests them for continuity.

Programming one of the KIOOF machines which cut, strip and terminate single wires is setter-operator Robert Sargent.

Continued from page 1

These qua l i ty harnesses range f r o m very simple discrete (single) wire l inks to the most complex f inal assemblies o f 400-plus wires.

As well as w o r k for fo r thcoming products , the centre produces harnesses for the 1012 copier assembled at Mitcheldean and for C B A machines wh ich we refurbish.

The inf lux o f w o r k for the 1012 has resulted f r o m the Na t iona l In tegra t ion p rogramme set up in late 1986 to achieve a h igh level o f European sourc ing for the product , then about to be in t roduced in Europe .

Fur ther N I w o r k w i l l depend on the centre's a b i l i t y to remain compet i t ive .

A growth area The au tomat i c equipment

instal led has meant a big saving in man-hours , yet at the same t ime the fac i l i ty has seen a sizeable increase in staff.

Th is t ime last year, when the depar tment was prepar ing to move out o f b i d . 5 / 1 , it comprised about eight people, w o r k i n g under section manager G r a h a m Mer ry ' s supervision.

Discu.ssitig wire cutting schedules are harness assembly operations

' manager Dave Charley nageri .iiid (right) Brian Fisher {materials).

Pat B r o w n , then a p roduc t engineer, was dedicated to the successful ins ta l la t ion and commiss ioning o f the au tomated equipment and Dave Charley was leading the N I team.

Af te r sett l ing in to its new home on the g r o u n d f loo r o f bid.6 — an area about three times the size o f its fo rmer

In wire preparation/secondary operations, above left Lou/.sc- Ball tags wires with the aid of a bench press; right Wendy Edey uses an MTI press to finish off right-angled connectors attached to harnesses. Below: This UPMC which Deborah Rowles is operating makes small multiple wire a.s.semblies with right-aneled connectors.

loca t ion — the fac i l i ty q u i c k l y grew to take up the available space.

The nucleus o f eight experienced operators was doub led w i t h the transfer back o f former operators w h o had been w o r k i n g elsewhere on site.

P r o v i d i n g a valuable source o f expertise, they have given o n -the-job t r a in ing to new starters recrui ted progressively t h r o u g h o u t the year.

" I d o n ' t k n o w h o w we w o u l d have coped w i t h o u t their valued assistance," says Pat, w h o j o i n e d as harness assembly section manager a r o u n d mid-1987.

I n September Dave was released f r o m the 1012 N I project to enable h i m to take over as manager o f the centre, wh i l e Phi l T u r n e r transferred f r o m w o r k s engineering to head up the technical team.

M o r e recently, T r e v o r Jones has moved across f r o m new b u i l d assembly to assume responsibi l i ty for the wire p repara t ion /secondary operat ions w o r k .

Recru i tment o f operators was c o n t i n u i n g as we went to press and i t was expected that the t o t a l complement w o u l d be approach ing 100 by Chris tmas.

Making the right connections Miles o f m u l t i - c o l o u r e d

w i r i n g o f different gauges go to make up the harnesses (the colours , inc iden ta l ly , are t o meet f ield service requirements) .

These harnesses, w i t h their end f i t t ings , comprise the basic

electric w i r i n g circui ts o f ou r machines, c a r ry ing signals f r o m the c o n t r o l un i t and current f r o m the power supplies to a l l the w o r k i n g parts .

The longest wires , extending to 12 or 13 f t , are to be found in harnesses for refurbished C B A machines; the shortest may be as l i t t l e as 2 ins. in length.

A f t e r the wires are cut to the required length, the ends are s t r ipped d o w n to the metal a n d f i t ted w i t h terminals (the tagging opera t ion) .

The prepared wires are then assembled i n to connectors which again come in a m u l t i t i d e o f sizes and types depending o n the appl ica t ion .

These operations are car r ied ou t bo th au tomat ica l ly and by operators w o r k i n g at hand bench presses — a mix o f new and t r ad i t i ona l technology.

T w o sophisticated computer -con t ro l l ed machines are used for m a k i n g most o f the mul t ip le wire assemblies.

The Molex A M 8 I draws wires f r o m rows o f reels, arranged in a ten-colour sequence, and ' kn i t s ' them i n t o assemblies ( k n o w n as ' j umpers ' ) o f up to 32 wires at a t ime for a new produc t .

The A M P D E C A M does a s imi la r j o b , mak ing up to 20-wi re assemblies for 1012 harnesses.

Phil Turner, product engineering manager, studies a drawing of a bench press with (right) industrial engineer Dave Barrett.

Helping them to help the animals T H A N K S T O all who contributed gifts and jumble for sale, the sum o f £1,200 has been raised this year for animal welfare by a local couple, beating their last year's total of just over £1,000.

Joan Beavan (formerly in group purchase) has been campaigning for the cause for some ten years, assisted by her husband Graham (payroll operations), and she says the success o f their efforts "depends entirely on the goodwil l o f people wi th in Rank Xerox and outside who think o f the animals when sorting out unwanted items."

The sale proceeds are divided between about 20 different animal charities including the W o r l d Wildl i fe Fund, RSPB, Donkey Sanctuary, Marwel l Zoological Trust (sponsorship of chital deer), I F A W , and many others.

Joan and Graham hold about ten sales a year, so whenever you have any items of china, books, toys or jumble , do contact them on Dean 510394.

A U P M C makes small jumpers w i t h a different range o f connectors whi le a pai r o f KIOOF machines cut , s t r ip and fit terminals to single wires , number ing each for ident i f ica t ion .

Cer ta in wires have to have closed ends (apt ly described as ' bomb- ta i l s ' ) ; some assemblies require add i t i ona l connectors which the au tomat ic machines cannot handle. These and other special t e rmina l requirements are dealt w i t h in the secondary operat ions area by staff using hand bench presses.

The finished wire assemblies are then rou ted on harness boards wh ich incorpora te a j i g

W H E N C O L O N E L Ken Jervis, commander o f the new p roduc t main line in bid .3 , sought recruits for an opera t ion in Swindon's ' C o m b a t Zone ' , he was amazed by the number w h o eagerly volunteered.

The opera t ion was being mounted against General ' W i l l ' ( G r a h a m ) Hudson ' s d iv i s ion f rom 1025/1038 assembly (some of w h o m had already seen act ion in this area).

R X management had demonstrated thei r str ict neutral i ty by p r o v i d i n g coach transport for b o t h sides. The combatants themselves pa id a round £23 each for the issue o f combat gear, rifles and rounds o f ammo. , a barbecue d u r i n g the luncht ime truce, showers, and a w o o d l a n d ba t t l eground in which to f ight for the honou r o f the department.

Before they left . C o l . K e n , a staunch believer i n i n v o l v i n g his troops, discussed strategy and tactics for attack and defence wi th his men — and women .

Vic to ry depended on whether a side could capture their opponents ' f lag whi le defending their o w n , and the combatants (22 on either side) wore armbands o f red or green to

or f r a m e w o r k . Th i s holds in place the i n d i v i d u a l wires, or bunches, wh ich are c l ipped in to pos i t i on and connected up accord ing to the design d r awing .

The t o t a l assembly is then 100 per cent, tested for c o n t i n u i t y and correct placing w i t h the a id o f au tomat ic test equipment . This shows i f there is a fault and wha t type i t is — w h i c h wire is incorrect or where there is a w r o n g connect ion — so it can be put r igh t immedia te ly .

Such checking is essential, for incorrec t ly w i r ed assemblies cou ld result in safety hazards and involve hours spent faul t ­f i n d i n g i n the f i na l r u n and test

Product engineer Keitti Elmore, operator Michcle Ward and section manager Pat Brown (right) discuss a harness board assembly process.

Brian Tate puts a Tmished harness 'under wraps' of insulating tape.

o f the comple ted copiers. H a v i n g passed the test, the

harness is comple ted o n the boa rd by the f i x i n g o f plastic cable ties r o u n d the groups o f wires. I t is then removed and the bunches o f wires are wrapped in insula t ing tape where necessary.

The harness is then ready to prov ide some X e r o x machine w i t h its lines o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n .

fel l i n , and so d i d every hero w h o t r ied to rescue her.

I t pou red w i t h ra in all day, i t was dreadfu l ly m u d d y and " i t was marve l l ous" , was the general c o m m e n t , and no one a t tempted to desert.

Since the score was t w o victories fo r each side, and t w o draws, they were obv ious ly wel l matched.

This sort o f 'war game ' migh t seem to have l i t t l e relevance to assembly opera t ions , bu t i t t aught the combatants qui te a b i t about leadership and t e a m w o r k .

I t also t ied in wel l w i t h a Q I P project w h i c h K e n Jervis has go ing on 'opera tor mora le . '

" W e have a social c lub in the depar tment w h i c h was started in the p i l o t p lan t at W e l w y n and w h i c h organises regular get-togethers fo r 'new p roduc t ' pe r sonne l , " he t o l d us.

A few nights before the C o m b a t Zone event, they organised a less r igorous k i n d o f game in the clubhouse — a T r i v i a l Pursuits t ou rnament . Ten teams represented the var ious sections, re jo ic ing in names l ike Roger's D i d d y m e n , V o d k a Frenzy and Executive Stress (the management team, w h o w o n by one p o i n t ) .

I t a l l helps the esprit de corps.

Who dyes, wins!

.lunglc warfare in Swindon — behind all that camoullage and face-blacking is Sean Hale, one of General Hudson's men, about to take a dyeing shot at the enemv.

match thei r flags; w i t h s imi la r gear and blackened faces they migh t otherwise have shot their fe l low fighters, w h i c h w o u l d have unde rmined mora le somewhat .

Casualties were easy to spot. A n y o n e receiving a direct , o r indi rec t , h i t f r o m one o f the plastic pellets was spattered w i t h a greenish-yellow vegetable dye and p r o m p t l y p ronounced dead — though a few were suspected o f resurrect ing themselves by r u b b i n g o f f the dye when the

umpires weren' t a r o u n d . N o physical contact was

a l lowed; bu t when C o l . K e n ran for the flag wh ich N e i l l Bates, the general's second in c o m m a n d , was defending, he was suddenly tackled by four men and b rough t d o w n in the m u d whi le N e i l l shouted 'Shoot h i m , shoot h i m ! ' . ( A cour t ma r t i a l is doubtless i n progress.)

O n another occasion the colonel 's men had to wa lk a p l ank across a d i t ch several feet deep in water . Helen Cresswell

Ho w we protect our technology W H A T IS an export?

A consignment o f spare parts f rom the supply centre destined for one o f ou r Opera t ing Companies? The handing over o f a technical d r a w i n g by one o f our buyers to a European supplier? A visit o f a manufac tur ing projects engineer to Bulgaria?

The answer, o f course, is: a l l o f them. For , under U S regulations, ' expor t ' doesn't mean s imply the physical movement o f goods; i t also covers the passing on o f technical i n f o r m a t i o n o f US o r ig in to any c o u n t r y other than the U S A and the ' expor t ' o f people on business visits abroad .

Since Rank X e r o x is a subsidiary o f the A m e r i c a n company X e r o x , we have to comply w i t h US expor t con t ro l regulations as wel l as w i t h our o w n na t iona l laws and those o f other countr ies .

The regulat ions are adminis tered by the US Depar tmen t o f Commerce and they are subject to change, reflecting A m e r i c a n foreign pol icy and nat ional security considerat ions.

Legis la t ion is not most people's favouri te reading matter , and fortunately we don ' t have to sort it out for ourselves.

As long as we fo l low the guidelines la id d o w n in the E M S D procedure k n o w n as M C 6 0 0 I , we can be confident we are c o m p l y i n g w i t h US law and observing corporate export cont ro l policies, which also protect p ropr ie ta ry rights in Xerox technology.

For tunate ly again, whi le we arc all responsible for f o l l o w i n g that procedure, we have on site three export con t ro l co­ordinators who are t ra ined and authorised to give us guidance.

Led by John Cour t as materials logistics manager, they are: Gera ld Cooke (supply centre), Fred Bach (materials systems) and T o n y Al l en ( con t ro l ) who are responsible for commodi t ies , technical data and travel approva l respectively.

Each has site responsibi l i ty for not on ly Mi tche ldean employees ( i nc lud ing temporary and contract workers ) and d iv i s iona l staff (people in M I S , ROS, Q A and personnel) bu t also anyone f rom another loca t ion w o r k i n g here.

Con t r aven t ion o f US export con t ro l cou ld have very serious consequences for our company and therefore for each one o f us. Sanctions cou ld be imposed o n Rank Xerox or Xe rox C o r p o r a t i o n . Personal and corporate fines — which can be very steep — could be levied. Shipments cou ld be detained or seized. We w o u l d suffer d i s rup t ion to our business — or even w i t h d r a w a l o f US licensing privileges.

We cou ld become a 'denied par ty ' . There is a list o f such individuals and companies and we must not transact business w i t h them or have contact w i t h them w i t h o u t p r i o r US agreement.

Commodities W h e n it comes to the

consignment o f goods, the countr ies o f des t inat ion are d iv ided in to a number o f groups.

There are ' embargoed ' countr ies ( L i b y a , for example) to wh ich we canot export at a l l ; ' res t r ic ted ' countr ies (chiefly the Eastern Bloc) ; and the 'free w o r l d ' ( w h i c h is most o f the r emain ing countr ies) .

Then we have to be careful we do not suppor t a boyco t t against a coun t ry wh ich is f r iendly to the U S A .

Xe rox products and equipment are classed as strategic or non-strategic. Strategic goods cover laser pr inters and other electronic equipment but whi le the ma jo r i t y o f Mi tche ldean site's products are not regarded as strategic, cer tain i n d i v i d u a l components o f ou r f inished products can be.

I t ' s a l l qui te compl ica ted and ou r export depar tment have c o m m o d i t y and coun t ry -by-coun t ry l icensing guides.

ACCIDENT TOTALS for year to date '86 '87

'Head/Hec£ 0

0 13

0

0 13

They also have the benefit o f thei r compute r systems S W O R D (a customer fi le) and P E D R O (a supplier f i le) in keeping tabs on the status o f ind iv idua ls and companies, thus ensur ing they do not deal w i t h 'denied parties ' .

A l t h o u g h they are very experienced and are fu l ly aware o f the need for careful checking, especially when asked to do something not in the n o r m a l r u n o f th ings , there are ways in wh ich we can assist t hem, says Gera ld Cooke .

H e emphasises that ; • A n y o n e w h o wants to ship h igh tech. mater ia l should consult expor t s taff early — there may be delays beyond their con t ro l in ge t t ing the appropr ia te i n d i v i d u a l licence.

" W i t h hundreds o f appl ica t ions in the queue there cou ld be a t w o - m o n t h lead t i m e , " he warns. • N o one should carry goods i n their hand luggage when go ing abroad w i t h o u t get t ing the appropr ia te e x p o r t / i m p o r t documen ta t ion first . I t can take longer for these to be cleared than for products sent as f re ight , and can have serious consequences for our company .

Technical data Technical data is more

d i f f i cu l t to m o n i t o r , as Fred Bach explained. I t is defined as: i n f o r m a t i o n o f US o r ig in that can be used, or adapted for use, in the design, p r o d u c t i o n , manufacture , u t i l i sa t ion or recons t ruc t ion o f X e r o x equipment or products .

Tha t can mean a n y t h i n g d r a w n or w r i t t e n (a parts d r a w i n g , or opera tor manua l ) ; i t can be compute r software; i t can even take the f o r m o f technical k n o w - h o w .

Whether incorpora ted i n a Telex message, or sent t h r o u g h the post, or passed on t h r o u g h visual inspect ion or by w o r d o f m o u t h — no mat ter how it is conveyed, i t is regarded as being expor ted or re-exported, should it be go ing to a coun t ry other than the U S A .

Technica l data is separated in to t w o categories: that wh ich is generally avai lable to the pub l ic ; and p rop r i e t a ry data w h i c h covers a l ong list o f items i n c l u d i n g drawings , procedures, reports — in fact, any i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h cou ld give people an inside knowledge o f ou r products and activit ies.

We have a great deal o f such data on site and we have to be very careful about d i v u l g i n g i t to others, even i f they are Rank X e r o x or Xe rox employees.

X e r o x have compi led a s tanding au thor i sa t ion list ( S A L ) w h i c h defines wha t

technical i n f o r m a t i o n can be moved about w i t h i n the company and lists those w i t h i n the X e r o x g roup o f companies w h o can receive i t .

Obv ious ly such i n f o r m a t i o n has to be shared w i t h suppliers at t imes and a l though they w i l l have signed a conf ident ia l disclosure agreement, every t ime a buyer, o r an engineer, shows them p rop r i e t a ry technical data, the t ransact ion has to be logged.

" E v e n i f they have already seen i t once, we s t i l l log it and submi t the l og sheet to Fred Bach. We w o u l d n ' t get ou r expenses i f we d i d n ' t ! " said one S Q A engineer.

One o f the most extensive logs is that kept by manufac tu r ing projects manager G e o f f H o w e l l whose team have to record every d r a w i n g or o ther technical data handed over whether on site or du r ing thei r visits to other countries, even when the project is sponsored by East European Operat ions .

T o ensure everyone concerned is kept up-to-date w i t h any changes, Fred regular ly runs re- t ra in ing sessions on disclosure o f technical data.

Visits A further reminder is g iven

by T o n y A l l e n , as t ravel approva l co-ord ina tor , to people p lann ing business visits abroad. Trave l requis i t ions are checked so that he can ensure that the visit is in order and tha t the travellers are fu l ly aware o f the restrict ions.

I f their dest inat ions are i n Eastern Bloc countr ies , Ch ina and certain o ther countr ies , T o n y has to o b t a i n U S expor t c o n t r o l clearance, and a l l visits, no mat ter where, are recorded in de ta i l .

T o ensure tha t o n l y approved disclosure o f company i n f o r m a t i o n is made, travellers are requi red to sign a dec lara t ion o n thei r t ravel r equ i s i t ion . Cominucd opposite

Continued from page 4

I n the case o f visits to Mitcheldean by companies or individuals f r o m restricted countries, no t i f i ca t ion must be given to Kate Phi l l ips (corporate affairs) in advance so that the appropriate approva l can be obtained.

Simi lar restrictions apply concerning the disclosure o f technical data and , whether they are Xe rox or n o n - X e r o x personnel, they can on ly be given access to areas where they have a specific 'need t o k n o w ' .

We have to be pa r t i cu la r ly careful abou t a n y t h i n g w h i c h has not been launched in to the marketplace.

A l l this checking and record­keeping is essential.

W h i l e X e r o x do an annual check by means o f a detailed quest ionnaire , they also carry out an on-go ing audi t p rog ramme (the next Mi tche ldean audi t is due in 1988).

Xe rox themselves are being audi ted by the US Depar tment o f Commerce regarding compliance w i t h export con t ro l legislat ion, and a f o l l o w - o n audit is l ike ly in the U K or H o l l a n d du r ing the next 12 months .

Any news for Vision?

If you have, then please —

mail it to me in bid. 7/4,

or lea ve it at any gatehouse for collection by me,

or post it to me at Tree Tops, Plump Hill, Mitcheldean GLI7 OEU,

or ring me — ext. 566 or Dean 542415.

Myrtle Fowler, editor

Heating sctiemes win second GEM award O U R W O R K S engineering people have w o n themselves a number o f awards for their energy saving and cost-effective schemes in recent years.

I n 1983 they were one o f eight finalists in the local d iv i s ion o f South West Gas w h o w o n a regional Gas Energy Management award ; that was for the ins ta l la t ion o f a more efficient gas-fired system in b l d . 4 l ( now b i d . I ) .

N o w this year, as runners-up to the Br i t i sh Gas south-west d iv is ion finalists, they have w o n an even more significant G E M award for efficient use o f gas, saving over £ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 pa.

O n 7 October , jus t before his ret i rement, maintenance and energy manager K e i t h Jones travelled to T o r q u a y , accompanied by section manager John Lewis , to receive the certificate at a Br i t i sh Gas south-west d iv i s ion exh ib i t i on and conference.

Measures w h i c h works engineering have taken include: • a change f r o m expensive o i l -f i r i n g to gas-f i r ing boilers in boi lerhouse n o . l ; • the ins ta l l a t ion o f supplementary heat ing, thus enabl ing bu i ld ings to be heated d u r i n g periods o f l o w demand (e.^. spr ing and a u t u m n ) and r u n n i n g the m a i n boilerhouse on ly d u r i n g the win te r proper; • ob t a in ing greater con t ro l o f heat ing by ex tending the use o f the De l t a 1000 computer ised system to include the new supplementary heat ing and enhanced boi lerhouse c o n t r o l , plus ta rge t t ing and m o n i t o r i n g .

This warm-air heater seems to be setting a new hair style for Karen Price of small copier assembly!

The supplementary heating takes the f o r m o f gas-fired warm-a i r equipment o f var ious types. I n office areas these heaters are invis ible , being incorpora ted in existing heating systems hidden in the service ducts. Others are f i t ted in the roof. The most visible are f loor -mounted 'b lowers ' , l ike the one shown here, which have adjustable louvres that direct the temperature-control led f low o f w a r m air.

"One o f the big advantages o f the scheme is that i f we get a cold snap in the late summer we can respond immedia te ly , " said Ju l ian Shuff lebotham, who looks after the Del ta system.

The scheme is now in opera t ion in a l l ma in R X bui ldings except bid.6 and it is current ly being extended to that area.

Obituary

W E W E R E very sorry to learn of the death on 20 September of our most senior pensioner, C y r i l W o o d w a r d , at the age of 93. One of the 'early chaps' , C y r i l was working in maintenance when he retired and the letter from him that we published in our M a y / J u n e issue gave an interesting account of his career while throwing more light on early days at Mitcheldcan. O u r sympathy goes to his widow, Agnes , to whom he was married for 63 years.

W e also report with regret the sudden death on 7 November of B r y a n Wright . B r y a n , who would have been 43 on 16 November, had worked at Mitcheldean for 14 years and was a copy quality adjuster in small copier assembly. W e would like to convey our sympathy to his family.

Keith joins ttie telepltone set

Keith takes shelter beneath his new umbrella and leaves the 'hot line' in John Lewis's hands! Sharing the brolly are Julian Shufflebotham and Pad Madley.

R E C E I V I N G T H E latest G E M award on behalf o f Rank Xerox made a nice note on which to end his 24-year career in works engineering for Keith Jones.

He started as an electrician and held various supervisory and managerial posts, finishing as maintenance & energy manager — a position in which he is succeeded by Ferruccio Marangon.

Kei th has now gone into the telephone and communications business, and at his farewell ' do ' his colleagues gave h im a mock-up o f a hot Hne — a red-painted hand-set, while for his hobby o f fishing they gave h im the one bit o f equipment he lacked — a large umbrella.

We also said goodbye in October to another long-server — John Smith, who had 33 years' service behind h i m , and was, in fact, the

longest serving manager on the site.

John jo ined the company 'learnership' scheme back in 1954 and made his career in engineering, chiefly in component engineering. He held management positions in PED (where he played a major part in the start-up o f the 2400/3600), in the tool room/sma l l batch and, finally, in asset recovery.

A n inventive type, John has spent much leisure time developing exercise appliances to help disabled people at the Bristol Stroke Uni t , wi th specialist assistance from our electronic lab., and he hopes to keep up this hobby as well as his amateur radio and T V activities. His main regret, he to ld us, was that he had had to relinquish his membership o f the L S A , not having reached the magic age o f 50. (77ie LSA committee tell us they are looking into this aspect of membership.)

All projects -great and small S I X T O P Teams received recogni t ion at the t h i r d , and f inal , presentation o f awards for 1987 for projects wh ich var ied considerably not on ly in subject but also in size and impact .

The ' ro le o f the opera to r ' was a major project w h i c h has marked the beginning o f a to ta l ly new style o f w o r k i n g at Mi tche ldean , and has encouraged the creat ion o f other projects.

It has demonst ra ted the wide benefits that can be derived wi th the greater invo lvement and accoun tab i l i ty o f operators w h o . as K e v i n H o r r o b i n said in his i n t r o d u c t i o n , have a wealth o f experience and operat ional knowledge w a i t i n g to be un locked .

Con t ra s t ing w i t h this was another a w a r d - w i n n i n g project — small but very useful — w h i c h concerned the rc-lavout o f the

t ro l ley ca r ry ing subs for the C B A input module in refurbishing operat ions.

This latter award should encourage any w h o may have reservations about p u t t i n g f o r w a r d a project because they feel it is not large or i m p o r t a n t enough.

" W e want to see as many teams as possible, whether small or not , wh ich address real problems or oppor tun i t i es in the plant . I t is not essential that they make a b ig business impac t , " emphasised site d i rec tor D a v i d Stokes.

A l l o f this year's ten a w a r d -w i n n i n g T o p Teams displayed their projects at the Q u a l i t y Conven t ion held in b i d . 6 /2 on 24 November . As we went to press, preparat ions were nearing comple t ion for this event w i t h its theme o f 'S tay ing ahead w i t h Teamwork" .

Though snnill compnrcd with many QIP projects, the CBA input trolley layout project which this team tackled is bringing sizeable benelits in safety, quality and

This 'Toner dump' team provided a quick fix, to enable the dismantle & clean sectii to operate .safely, and also a long-term .solution of value to Rank .Xerox refurbishing operations both at .Mitcheldean and other company hvations.

A ward winners • Role of the Operator — Th is project came about t h r o u g h a desire to see that the fine team spir i t developed in the W G C p i l o t plant d u r i n g the development o f a new produc t was transferred, a long w i t h the product , to the new w o r k i n g env i ronment in Mi tche ldean b id . 3 / 1 . The fu l l p i l o t team defined the p rob lem as a need to gain more operator involvement in the dec is ion-making affecting the use o f their skills and envi ronment . They ident i f ied potent ia l areas such as t o o l i n g , safety, qua l i ty and materials , where there cou ld be further involvement and sub-groups were created to deal w i t h the many problems which arose. W o r k i n g in their o w n t ime they generated potent ia l solut ions, iden t i fy ing various ways in wh ich operators cou ld utilise their specialised knowledge, t a k i n g on increased responsibi l i ty and accoun tab i l i t y and thus der iv ing greater i n d i v i d u a l and team satisfaction. A t the time o f going to press, most o f their recommendat ions were being incorporated in to the da i ly practices o f the assembly area w i t h projected benefits in safety, hygiene, cost, qua l i ty and output .

Team members: Peter Whiles (leader), Mike Barnard, Nick Hill, Mike Humphries, George James, Clan Jones, John Overbitry. Trevor Pensom, Mike Jones, Trevor Foxwcll, Gordon Hcmms, Cllvc Cooper, Mike Evans, Sandra Gardner, Mike Grindle. Roger Smith, Roger Brookes, Mike Garden, Roger Barnes and (implementation only) Norman Rudge.

• CBA input trolley layout — The layout o f the t ro l ley ho ld ing subs for the C B A input module in refurbishing operat ions was unsatisfactory. As the machines have g r o w n older , more parts have had to be removed, and since the load o f the t rol ley had developed haphazardly, t o t i n g had become p o o r and unsafe w i t h risk o f damage to parts. The team reorganized the layout for bo th dismantle and rebui ld so that operators cou ld w o r k more effectively, qu ick ly and safely. They placed parts in totes in the sequence o f rebu i ld ing , applicable to al l models , so as to avo id unnecessary l i f t ing and bending, w i t h smal l parts in a po ly-bag to minimise risk o f damage, and heavier components at the b o t t o m for safe t ranspor ta t ion , and agreement was obta ined f r o m all concerned. Photos were taken o f the shelves for use as visual aids and to provide a basis for an i m p r o v e d one-sheet process m a k i n g for better unders tanding o f dismant le or r ebu i ld requirements and b r ing ing benefits in safety, qua l i ty and cost.

Team members: Peter Meacham (leader). Dave Newall. Gordon Fennell. Jack Phillips, John Marchant. Francis Reed, John Baker, Gary Snook, Vince Harris.

• Toner dump — I n au tumn 1986 it was noted that the toner d u m p , wh ich handles the bu lk disposal o f toner removed in the refurbishing dismantle & clean section, was not opera t ing proper ly . A mul t i - func t iona l team was fo rmed to p rov ide b o t h short and long term solutions. In order to enable p r o d u c t i o n to cont inue in a safe envi ronment , they decided to take the toner d u m p out o f commiss ion and use one o f the four a i r blast booths as a t empora ry d u m p . This w o r k e d for a t ime bu t then the m o n i t o r i n g system set up revealed there was blockage o f the filters and the hopper which f o r m e d par t o f the ex t rac t ion un i t . A second problem-solv ing exercise was carr ied out and various modi f ica t ions made which enabled p r o d u c t i o n to cont inue safely. The long term solu t ion was to get the toner d u m p opera t ing to customer requirements. The team went for reduct ion o f a i r ve loc i ty plus other measures w h i c h had the desired effect, and opera tor instruct ions were revised accord ing ly for safe w o r k i n g . The toner d u m p has since been relocated w i t h i n dismantle and clean and continues to p e r f o r m sat isfactor i ly . The team's f indings have been o f value in so lv ing other toner-related problems in bo th 1012 new b u i l d and refurbishing assembly, and also in refurbishing centres at o ther company locations.

Team members: Alan Carney (leader), Vince Harris, John Marchant, Mike Wilkinson, John Lewis, Terry Buffry, Julian Shuffiebotham, John Spratley and Don Baker (divisional health & safety).

With a new product, a new environment and a new. whole team approach this 'Ro achieved through greater in\olvement and accountability of operators in day-to-di

Citation winners • 1025 S A D H quality problem — There was an unacceptable level o f P E T (aud i t ) defects associated w i t h the bu i ld o f 1025/1038 S A D H / A D H w h i c h ranged f r o m noise and feed diff icult ies to jams . The team established that these were due to defective parts, dr ive belt speed and other problems. The team analysed the defects, p r io r i t i s ed them and generated a range o f solutions. In the short t e rm these involved ensuring that operators were retrained where necessary in order to increase awareness; increasing level 1 counsel l ing and feedback on qua l i ty issues; and in t roduc ing a system o f record ing o f defects by means o f numbered stamps issued to mechanical adjusters so they cou ld be accountable for al l w o r k passing t h rough their stations. L o n g -term solu t ions have involved rebalancing o f the line to give more t ime for these adjusters to set and adjust belt speed, and a possible inves t iga t ion by p roduc t engineering to ensure testing o f the S A D H / A D H is ident ical in F R & T , PET and the ' i n l ine ' s i tua t ion ; invest igat ions in to the power ou tpu t o f the m o t o r by product engineering may also be carr ied out i f this should prove necessary.

Team members: Neill Bates (leader), Tony Murrell, Bob Howells, Terry Brown, Keith Marfell.

• E I S installation kits — The first T o p Team project generated to ta l ly w i t h i n the shop f loor , this was a imed at ensuring that ki ts o f refurbished engineering i n f o r m a t i o n systems (otherwise k n o w n as d r awing office pr inters) a r r ived at customer premises complete and in proper sequence for ins ta l la t ion . Because o f their size and complex i ty , the machines have to be packed as separate modules in separate crates, together w i t h al l the necessary bol ts , screws and associated parts . W i t h the a id o f i n f o r m a t i o n fed direct to them f r o m the U K C o m p a n y , the team.

w h i c h compr ised a l l the staff o f the EIS refurbishing section, reorganised the pack ing procedure, i n i t i a t i n g a check-list for each crate and d r a w i n g up desk instruct ions. The result has been a reduct ion in the t ime taken by U K Co . service engineers for ins ta l la t ion , and an i m p r o v e d customer percept ion o f qua l i ty o f our p roduc t , plus an improvemen t in the qua l i ty o f the refurbishing section's pack ing area.

Team members: Derek Jones (leader), Ron Arkell, Alan Bosher, Mike Ward, Alice Matthews, Stan Davies, Terry Zimmermann, Blaney Williams, Richard Andrews and Mike Bullock.

• Non-conforming material control & purge effectiveness — There was a need and a desire to improve the qua l i ty o f the new p roduc t being bu i l t i n bid .3 so as to achieve the necessary P D T and D P H M levels and engineering re l iab i l i ty . Var ious factors, pa r t i cu la r ly the many con f igu ra t i on changes, were m a k i n g the p r o b l e m sheets/purge cont ro ls ineffective, as a result o f wh ich n o n - c o n f o r m i n g mate r ia l was managing to get t h rough to machines. The Q I P team carr ied ou t a detai led analysis o f these factors, reviewed the exis t ing procedures, and produced recommendat ions for a revised process o f con t ro l o f non ­c o n f o r m i n g sub assemblies and machines. This i nvo lved the use o f a Q A ' h o l d ' self-adhesive label (made in house) bear ing the number o f the purge sheet i den t i fy ing the reason for the ' h o l d ' c o n d i t i o n , and more detai led n o n - c o n f o r m i n g mater ia l record documen ta t ion , ensur ing clearer d e f i n i t i o n o f the p rob l em. The avoidance o f unnecessary p r o d u c t i o n in te r rup t ions , and purges, improved c o m m u n i c a t i o n and unders tanding and better w o r k l o a d p r i o r i t i s a t i o n are a m o n g the benefits result ing.

Team members: Tony Wood (leader), Tim Hamper, Mark Russell, Richard Cooke, Brian Jordan, Richard Passey, Robert Vincent, Barry Clein and Terry Annis.

Greater aceountuhility and awareness of operators, along with improvement of checking procedures and rebalancing of the line, were among this team's solutions to a 1025 SADH quality problem.

I f f/ic operator' team demonstrated what can be \u\ities on the shop Poor.

114 Generated totally within the shop floor, this quality project has brought about improvements in the EIS refurbishing section packing area and m the installation of these engineering printers, while also improving the customer's perception of our product quality.

This team produced a better process of control to prevent non­conforming materials getting through to machines in the new product area in bid.3 and avoid unnecessary interruptions to production.

Changing industry's image at school G L O O M , D O O M and depression. D i r t y w o r k on the shop f loor — and in the b o a r d r o o m (just l ike 'Dynas ty ' ! ) . Constant strikes.

This seems to be the image o f industry that prevails a m o n g young people, j u d g i n g by the comments o f delegates to recent conferences.

W i t h such an an t i - indus t ry cul ture, often encouraged by the media, and T V in par t icu la r , any effort to show them what indus t ry is really al l about is welcome.

The Indus t r i a l Society has been r u n n i n g 'Challenge o f Indus t ry ' conferences in con junc t ion w i t h schools for many years, and today the need for them is as great, i f not greater, than ever.

As Jane H o r r o c k s , the Society's indus t r i a l educat ion campaigner , t o l d us, " W e believe that the best way to get the message across is to invi te people f r o m indus t ry to w o r k w i t h youngsters in pract ical sessions."

M a k i n g a c o n t r i b u t i o n to that effor t , a long w i t h other companies l ike D o w t y , Br i t i sh Te lecom, the Roya l M i n t and Reed Cor ruga ted Cases, we have been sending several o f our younger managers who have pract ical experience in dealing w i t h day-to-day problems in p roduc t i on and people management, to act as g roup advisors at local schools.

Last year M a r k Barna rd (assembly) and D a n n y Bagl in ( t ra in ing) helped out at a Gloucester 'Challenge o f industry ' conference.

This year K e i t h Jones (product engineering) went as group advisor to a one-day event on 17 September for 140 sixth formers f r o m D e n m a r k Road H i g h School , Gloucester, St James's and the Abbey School , M a l v e r n , and The King ' s School , Gloucester (who p r o \ i d e d the venue).

M o r e recently, on 14 and 15 October , Pete Meacham (refurbishing) and Steve Pomeroy (fuser ro l ls ) d id the same at a s imi lar event held in M o n m o u t h .

O n this latter occasion three separate conferences were held — one at M o n m o u t h Comprehensive, one at the M o n m o u t h School ( for boys) and a t h i r d at M o n m o u t h School for G i r l s (which was where Pete and Steve were assigned), w i t h a mix o f pupi ls

f rom a l l three at each loca t ion . The format was s imi la r at

each conference, s tar t ing w i t h an in t roduc to ry address by the Indus t r ia l Society chairperson on ' Indus t ry matters ' who explained why a manufac tur ing base was essential to our economy.

There were also presentations on their i n d i v i d u a l roles by managers o f the suppor t ing companies and by trade un ion representatives.

I n g iv ing one such presentation at M o n m o u t h Comprehensive, M O C manager Derek Kn ibbs described the c o n t r i b u t i o n made by the personnel manager who has responsibi l i ty for recrui tment , welfare, employee relations and other matters concerning human resources, after wh ich he had to field some searching questions f rom the delegates. " T h e y really put me th rough i t ! " he t o l d us.

The ma jo r i t y o f the t ime was devoted to pract ica l sessions, and the young people were given tasks to pe r fo rm as groups o f eight to ten, after which they reviewed results, or d i d a replay, at a j o i n t session.

L i k e the other advisors, ou r three managers had to divide their groups i n to 'doers ' and 'observers ' , appo in t a leader, give the doers a set b r i e f and let them get on w i t h i t , f u l f i l l i n g a counsel l ing role on ly .

The i n i t i a l task was to make a poster that depicted the 'challenge o f indus t ry ' . Said K e i t h : " T h e y were suppl ied w i t h Sunday newspaper magazines, paper, scissors and glue, and i t was interest ing to see how they organised themselves — or , rather, d i d n ' t !

" A f t e r w a r d s , we held a post m o r t e m , w i t h comments f r o m the observers and myself, to help them unders tand the need for p l ann ing carefully before e m b a r k i n g o n any ven tu re . "

A t M o n m o u t h , an ' i n t r ay exercise' i nvo lved deal ing w i t h six letters w h i c h the delegates

had to pr ior i t i se o n the basis o f what was most urgent , or wha t cou ld be dealt w i t h most q u i c k l y .

Pete said his g roup "s tar ted o f f w a n t i n g to rush in to ac t ion w i t h o u t due cons idera t ion . They had to be steered towards more moderate measures and reminded that things aren' t always black or whi te — there are often wider impl i ca t ions .

" A l t o g e t h e r i t was a really good exercise."

Gloucester delegates got i n to a st icky s i tua t ion when they t r ied their hand at manufac tu r ing j o t t i n g pads.

Said K e i t h : " T w o managers were ident i f ied and given a spec, for a pad. They had to p lan the w o r k , agree a l abour rate w i t h the work fo rce , negotiate the purchase o f materials (wh ich consisted o f paper, st icky tape and scissors), estimate the cost and agree a price w i t h the customer.

"Everyone got in a bi t o f a mess cu t t ing up the sheets so as to minimise the scrap, and s t ick ing them together. But despite their shortfal ls , our g roup came second overa l l . I t made them realise that c o m p e t i t i o n is inev i tab le !"

Other ro le -p lay ing exercises invo lved conf ron ta t ions between oppos ing sides. A t Gloucester the groups were each d iv ided i n t o t w o , one h a l f representing management ( w h o knew their company was r u n n i n g d o w n and a u t o m a t i o n was necessary to c l inch a b ig order i n the of f ing) , the other h a l f p l ay ing the par t o f trade u n i o n representatives ( w h o also knew business was dec l in ing and redundancies were i m m i n e n t , bu t w h o d i d not k n o w about the order ) .

" T h i s was a test o f unders tanding and c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s , " said K e i t h , " a n d i t developed i n to qui te a noisy session. I had to extract the learning poin ts and help them to pu t aside the

emo t ion and be more objec t ive ."

Equa l ly heated was the s i tua t ion at M o n m o u t h when, in a s imi la r sort o f exercise, a 'conservat ionist g roup ' representing local people opposed a company ' s plans for open-cast m i n i n g wh ich they needed to p rov ide a cheaper source o f fuel for their a l u m i n i u m smelter.

Once again the whole s i tua t ion was re-enacted o n stage when the groups reassembled, and the arguments ended in favour o f a compromise , the a l u m i n i u m company o b t a i n i n g agreement to thei r plans — but w i t h strings at tached.

One task concerned a fictitious company group called Creat ive Enterprises L t d .

Each g r o u p o f delegates represented one o f the companies and had to dream up a p roduc t , however r id iculous , w i t h the b rand name o f ' R i s k i t ' (these ranged f r o m a f ly ing carpet to an aphrodisiac!) .

They had to develop p r o d u c t i o n plans, consider h o w to marke t thei r p roduc t , how much capi ta l to b o r r o w , h o w to pay i t back and so on .

A r ich A r a b was prepared to invest in one o f the companies and each g roup had a half -hour in wh ich to persuade h i m to back their enterprise — a presentat ion that called for some more ro le -p lay ing w i t h one person act ing as p r o d u c t i o n manager, another as marke t i ng manager and so o n .

" I was amazed how wel l they coped , " Steve t o l d us. "Some o f the presentations were excellent, and the girls were better at this than the boys . "

A l t h o u g h there was a game element in a l l these tasks, there was a valuable lesson to be learned f r o m each, and as the conference progressed, the delegates began to see indus t ry

Continued opposite

Newly wed

Peter Williams (refurbishing) with his bride Susan (formerly Phipps) at their wedding on 17 October at St John's Church, Coleford.

How's business in tlie Parte? W E H A D four tenant companies in residence wi ien the Business Park was of f ic ia l ly opened in Ju ly 1986.

Today we have seven companies emp loy ing some 500 people. I n fact, there is very l i t t le unoccupied indus t r ia l space available, and serious enquiries are now coming in for the nor the rn part o f b id . 1 and the whole b id .4 wh ich have st i l l to be vacated.

" I t is on ly in the last few months that we have really started to get out na t ion -wide , " says Ray Hensley, operations manager for the Business Park and the M E W S .

" W e knew we had a qua l i ty product to sell and , w i t h everybody back ing us, we were confident we cou ld do i t . "

The top t w o floors o f office accommodat ion in bids 7 and 8 have already been put on the market even though we are not ful ly vacat ing them u n t i l earlv 1988.

"Companies l o o k i n g to move in in six to 12 mon ths ' t ime have to make their arrangements wel l in advance, so we have to get m o v i n g at an early date t o o , " Ray explained.

A l t h o u g h we do not have to pay rates on a b u i l d i n g once we have vacated i t , we s t i l l have to pay for heating, l i gh t ing , cleaning, maintenance, etc., to ensure each uni t remains in good cond i t i on to at tract 'customers ' in the shape o f tenants.

C i f n l i n u C L i f r o m page S

in a better l igh t , and become more enterpris ing themselves.

Our o w n representatives also took the o p p o r t u n i t y to highl ight our products . They took a long some l i terature and d id a bit o f p r o m o t i o n when the youngsters asked about Rank Xerox .

A l l three agreed the conference had been really wor thwh i l e .

" I feel we helped them to get a more realistic p ic ture o f industry than the media one ," Steve to ld us, wh i l e Pete commented that "delegates began to see indus t ry was about people as well as p roduc t s . "

K e i t h said that it taught youngsters the need for object ivi ty and p l ann ing , something wh ich was essential and yet was missing f r o m their normal school educat ion.

The events cer tainly showed that there were challenges and opportuni t ies w i t h i n indust ry which the young people d i d not k n o w about and which they w o u l d do well to consider when p lanning their careers.

The i r c o n t r i b u t i o n reduces our overheads, m a k i n g us more compet i t ive so that we can at t ract more w o r k and thus protect jobs .

T o meet customer requirements, different k inds o f leases for a whole o r part o f a b u i l d i n g have been developed. A n d , since leasing formal i t ies can take some t ime , an 'access agreement ' has been in t roduced to a l l ow a tenant to move in before these are concluded. There is also an 'easy i n , easy o u t ' a r rangement w i t h no security o f tenure.

T o help marke t the propert ies , an i l lus t ra ted brochure in co lour has been prepared; this holds loose-leaf sheets fea tur ing current ly available b u i l d i n g s / u n i t s w i t h fioor plans.

Such l i tera ture doesn't indulge in the purp le prose o f some estate agents but it does make one realise the value o f such space and the impor tance to us o f acqu i r ing tenants.

A n in fo rmat ive handbook has also been prepared, setting out everything an in tending tenant needs to k n o w — about car p a r k i n g , al terations to premises, use o f the Cour t Restaurant, and al l the shared site services (heat ing, l igh t ing , disposal o f refuse and so on) for which we make a standard 'estate charge' which helps to offset ou r runn ing costs.

A l d e r K i n g o f Gloucester, our agents, d is t r ibute our sales

l i terature to po ten t ia l tenants and other agents.

Loca l government author i t ies , the Depa r tmen t o f Trade & Indus t ry , the Gloucestershire Enterprise Agency and other bodies also receive i t . " A l l o f t hem are keen to see businesses and therefore jobs c o m i n g to Mi tche ldean — we a l l have the same goals , " says Ray.

I t is his j o b to t r y to get a successful le t t ing to a f inanc ia l ly viable company whose business is compat ib le w i t h those on site. W h a t usually clinches the deal is the undeniable qua l i t y o f the Park compared w i t h others.

Just a few miles away in Wales they have ' f u l l area status' (we have ' in te rmedia te ' ) w i t h easy loans, frozen rents, rate-free periods and other inducements.

But ou r beaut i ful env i ronment , the obv ious care taken o f the site, ou r very way o f life at Mi tche ldean can weight the scales in ou r favour .

A l t h o u g h i t is r u n as a separate en t i ty , the Business Park is part o f the company opera t ion , and regular status reports are given by Ray to the management commit tee .

O u r contacts and tenants are kept in the pic ture , t oo , about developments — in fact, there is c o m m u n i c a t i o n go ing on a l l the t ime in this 'business w i t h i n a business'.

Here is a b r ie f end-of-year status report for readers:

Bid.2 is held by the Land Registry on a three-year lease (with two years to go); they are so impressed wi th the bui lding and the quality o f the site, Ray tells us, that they are likely to retain their tenancy.

Bld.6 — The NatWest Bank and Pickford's Business Travel have a small unit each on the ground floor, the rest o f which is in use by us; on the floor above, space is being taken up by materials people and the N I team from bids 7 and 8.

Bid.9 provides a temporary home for Imperial Trident Life while their new office complex is being buil t at Barnwood, Gloucester; thev are due to move out in early 1989.

Bid.10, being situated wi th in the M E W S area, is isolated from the rest o f the Business Park; it is empty at present and the company wou ld consider selling it freehold.

B I d . l l accommodates two companies — A S H Technology and G I C O / N o r t h w a y Technologies.

G I C O , who manufacture guides to printed circuit boards and other complex assemblies, occupy the lower part of the bui ld ing and their five-year lease has some two years to run.

A S H must have the most secure tenancy on site — they specialise in electronic security systems! They have invested heavily in setting up their operations on the upper two floors and have recently acquired two units on the lower floor o f —

B I d . l l where our policy is to create six units, three on each of the two floors.

The engineering systems section o f refurbishing operations is temporari ly located in another unit on the lower floor.

On the floor above is the unit occupied by Leap-Frog (Home Furni ture) who, because they are a fast expanding company, have an access agreement which is reviewed every three months. They currently have 7,000 sq. ft. but they plan to fill three times that space after two years o f operating.

Their collection o f children's furniture is painted by hand wi th Li t t le Grey Rabbit and Walt Disney characters (for which they hold w o r l d copyrights). They also market adult furniture and their products are exported all over the w o r l d . A t present they do assembling and hand-finishing only but they have plans for manufacturing the furniture themselves.

Bld.l3 is largely occupied by Rank Xerox ( U K ) , an arrangement brought about through refurbishing operations manager Kei th Grant . They have over 100,000 sq. ft. for the storage of off-lease machines, leaving only some 25,000 sq. ft. unoccupied.

Slop press: A blue chip company wants bid. I (north) lor a minimum of two years, with full occupation in early .spring. A serious enquiry has also come in for bid. 10.

Minister gets update

R O B E R T A T K I N S , Parl iamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry, came on a fact finding tour of the Forest of D e a n last September. Hosted by local M P Paul M a r l a n d and accompanied by Department of T r a d e & Industry regional director Br ian Lodge , he visited various businesses and called at Mitcheldean on Tuesday , 8 September, to see developments here.

H e remarked on the attractive appearance of the site and on the friendly atmosphere and good staff relations that existed.

Hav ing worked in our U K C o . as a sales executive in the late '70s, he was especially interested to see how our product range had developed and he wished us well with future projects.

A s well as visiting new build assembly in bid.3 he toured the Business Park and the M E W S and talked to tenants. T h i s type of initiative was, he said, particularly welcome in the Forest area.

O u r picture shows him (right) getting an overview of the site from the model layout in the Showroom. With him are site director D a v i d Stokes, controller B r y a n C o o k and Paul M a r l a n d , M P .

Service awards 30 years

D U R I N G T H E days o f visits by VIPs like Sir John Davis and Richard Dimbleby, and movie stars who included Anna Neagle and Mai Zetterling, an unknown celebrity joined British Acoustic Films — namely, Alan Phelps.

I t was, he said, on 22 October, 1957, when. National Service in the R A F having decided to finish wi th h im, he turned to Mitcheldean for sustenance!

Production control was then the 'target' that provided the attraction and challenge of civvy street, wi th Bell & Howel l equipment, and, later, the Xerox 914 and 813 machines, being the developments of the day.

"Interesting changes have been a feature of my 30 years wi th in the company," says Alan .

In 1972, after 15 years in manufacturing, he joined the supply division as assistant manager of inventory planning and a year later there came a secondment appointment as

inventory planning manager wi th in Venray international supply centre.

On his return he became, first, operations manager o f Mitcheldean ISC, then supply centre manager in 1981.

" M y career has turned full circle," says A l a n , who returned to 'manufacturing Mitchcldean' in 1984 and is now a purchase manager wi th in commodi ty operations.

His interests include music, especially singing, and for many years he has been closely involved as a member and choirmaster of St Stephen's Church in Cinderford.

For the last three and a half years he has, o f course, been chairman o f the Mitcheldean Long Service Association.

G o l f has become his most recent obsession, and he confirms that satisfactory contact is now being made wi th the ball on a more frequent basis, and a 'double figure' handicap is always possible!

Akin Phelps Pete Skelton :ind Phil Broun

Materials manager Kevin H o r r o b i n was happy to be able to present his service award on the actual anniversary o f the day A l a n joined us. The event was also marked by Alan's getting a severely 'stuccoed' ankle that very evening — thus also breaking a 30-year attendance record!

25 years

Phil Brown is one o f a band o f five brothers, all but one o f whom arc long-servers.

Leading the league is product engineer Basil who is now in his 33rd year; Charlie, formerly industrial engineering manager, clocked up 28 years wi th us before going into business wi th John Wooding in Hygiene Services in the M E W S .

Phil comes next in length o f service while John (transport) reaches his quarter century next year. The youngest, Brian, works in refurbishing assembly and has been with us 11 years.

Phil had done an engineering course before jo in ing us, and, after only a few months as an assembly hand on the 914 line, he moved into the machine shop where he worked on dr i l l ing , mi l l ing , boring, turning — in fact, every type of equipment — and became a setter operator.

At the end o f 1983, when manufacturing operations were being cut back, he moved back to assembly as a setter operator on the 10 Scries and today he works on 1025/1038 subs and spares for the 2300, one o f our earliest desk­top copiers.

Having contracted polio as a chi ld , Phil's opportunities to take part in sports have been l imited, but he enjoys watching a game o f rugby and he used to go sea fishing. " I once caught a 50 lb. conger eel, but I d idn ' t stuff it — I ate i t ! " he to ld us.

Fine end to season T H E F I N A L o u t i n g o f the 1987 season o f the R X G o l f Society was to the elevated Clevedon g o l f course on 21 September.

This testing course over looks both the t o w n and the Br i s to l Channel , sometimes being subjected to fa i r ly strong breezes.

For tuna te ly we picked a day when the elements were not in ful l force, a l though evident, m a k i n g scoring somewhat easier — we l l , for the players on f o r m , that is.

Th i r ty - th ree golfers took part on the day for the In terdepar tmenta l C u p ( two per team, medal scores) and various Captain 's D a y prizes.

M a k i n g early bids for the day's spoils were Bob Pr i tchard w i t h a fine nett 64 fo l lowed by the captain M a r k Barnard , scoring a gross 69 nett 65, and B i l l Meek w i t h a nett 66.

W h i c h team was leading at the halfway stage for the In te rdepar tmenta l C u p was a bit o f a mystery as other lowish scores were kept close to chests.

W i t h the sun s ink ing in the West, the f ina l r o u n d this season drew to a close. Showing marked improvemen t f r o m the m o r n i n g r o u n d were T e r r y H o o k and G o r d o n Davis w i t h nett 64s, fo l lowed by M a r k Ba rna rd , D o n Eraser and B i l l Meek w i t h nett 68s.

The In te rdepar tmenta l C u p c o m p e t i t i o n resulted in a clear w i n for 'The 4 M e n ' — M a r k Barna rd (65 + 68) and T r e v o r Jones (71 + 70) on 274. Second place went to 'The B T e a m ' — B i l l Meek and D o n Meek , w i t h a nett score o f 284.

Capta in ' s D a y prizes were awarded as fo l lows : • Fewest put ts in the m o r n i n g r o u n d — J o h n Rees and T e r r y H o o k each using the put ter 30

times. • Fewest put ts i n the a f te rnoon r o u n d — D o n Eraser w i t h on ly 28 putts . • Longest d r ive , in the fa i rway on the 10th hole — a migh ty b l o w f r o m Steve Powel l , a t rue ' ch ip o f f the o l d b lock ' . • Best nett in the 0 - 14 handicap range — posted by B i l l Meek , c o n t i n u i n g his recent good f o r m , w i t h a score o f 134. Runner-up — Bob Pr i tchard w i t h 136. • Best nett in the 15 - 28 handicap range — G o r d o n Davis w i t h 138, fo l l owed by T e r r y H o o k on 145.

The captain closed the evening formal i t ies by t h a n k i n g the gather ing for thei r suppor t d u r i n g the past year, and wi sh ing the very best to T r e v o r Jones (capta in for 1988) and players al ike for next year, the schedule for w h i c h includes tha t gem o f a c o m p e t i t i o n for the In te rp lan t C u p in the Emera ld Isle.

D . R .

Pete Skelton, who joined a fortnight after Phil , spent most o f his quarter century in the press & sheet metal shop, both at Mitcheldean and Cinderford. He started as a bench hand, becoming a setter and leading hand.

When the section closed down in mid-1983, he transferred to the supply centre warehouse and "rat t led around in that area" doing a spell in the Squirrel stores at Hereford at a time when these were being progressively brought back on site.

After a short time in refurbishing dismantle & clean section he switched to small copier new bui ld ; then in February this year he joined the qual i ty function as a mechanical inspector work ing on knock-down kits for licensing projects in India , Bulgaria and other eastern countries.

Various members of his family have been employees over the years, among them his father, Ernie, well known for his work in arranging angling trips for the disabled, and he has a quali ty colleague in his brother-in-law, J im Pearcc o f tool inspection.

A philatelist, Pete specialises in G B stamps, adding to his collection all the commemorative stamps that are issued and visi t ing antique fairs and auctions.

" I don' t yearn to own a penny black," he to ld us. "1 prefer the tuppenny blues, dating from the mid-19th century, which were the first stamps to be perforated."

He and his wife L i n have a 13-year-old son and they enjoy going on long treks in the country together. " I particularly like it in the autumn because the colouring is so beautiful — and the Forest o f Dean beats Sherwood Forest any day!"

Bacic ttome again W H I L E A T T E N D I N G a London LSA dinner, Alan Phelps met Pat O'Hare and invited him to come to the Mitchcldean dinner last spring, when Pat had a great time meeting former colleagues.

He and his wife Marie stayed overnight, looked round Ross-on-Wye the next day and decided " t o come home".

One of the advance guard, Pat originally came to Mitcheldean in the 1940s. He was in charge of assembly and later headed up the department which serviced Bell & Howel l equipment.

The sales and service operations moved to London in the early '60s and Pat subsequently took on the j o b of technical trouble shooting internationally for the company.

" I n going round the wor ld I proved to myself that the projectors and cameras that had been built at Mitcheldean were the finest Bell & Howel l ever had.

" I would spend half a day going up country in darkest Africa and f ind a projector operating perfectly," said Pat.

He and Marie retired to East Sussex but " m y heart was in Ross", Pat to ld us, and they are now happily settled back there.

Re.\ Roger Childs and John Harris (foreground), plus some young spectators, do a bit of onion weigh t- wa tching.

Arthur Moore (centre right) receives the president's trophy from MOC manager Derek Knibbs. The other top gardeners are (from left) Fred Sheers, Andy Gardiner and Phyllis and Vere Christopher.

Bigger and better entries in siiow

E N T R I E S C A M E in f r o m all age groups — f r o m senior citizens to chi ldren — for the t h i r d annual Garden ing Associa t ion compe t i t i on , held in the clubhouse on Saturday, 5 September.

This year there were 18 classes — eight more than last year, and cha i rman John Har r i s was happy to say there had been an entry for every one, w i t h a to ta l o f 103 entries.

Last year c lub secretary H a r o l d M o o r e shared the D a v i d Stokes perpetual t r ophy for the highest number o f points in the show w i t h M i k e and Caro l Rouse. This year he w o n it ou t r igh t .

Fred Sheers came second, while t h i r d w i t h j o i n t entries were ex-Mitcheldeaners Vere and Phyllis Chr is topher .

A l t h o u g h there were flowers and other vegetables, the onions st i l l domina ted the scene and evoked the strongest feelings in the breasts o f r iva l growers.

The compe t i t i on to be the top o n i o n grower grows more intense each year, bu t A n d y Gardiner held on to his championship status by w i n n i n g the heaviest o n i o n class, w i t h a 5 lb . I I oz. specimen (wh ich beat his 1986 p r i ze -winn ing

entry by I l b . ) , and also the three heaviest onions class.

Roger Keyse, w h o was the judge at the association's f irst , on ions-only show in 1985, returned to judge the vegetable section and he said that , a l though i t had been a bad year f r o m the weather p o i n t o f view, the s tandard o f onions entered was a defini te improvement on that o f t w o years ago.

Fred Sheers once again p roved he c o u l d g r o w the longest k idney bean, whi le Rex Tur ley ' s 27 lb . m a r r o w was actual ly 5 l b . heavier than his w i n n i n g entry last year — the commit tee held thei r breath d u r i n g the we igh ing session for the scales on ly went up to 28 lb . !

Herber t Hancocks j udged the f lower classes and chi ldren 's items and he commented on the "ve ry , very g o o d s tandard" .

The prizes were k i n d l y presented by M O C manager Derek K n i b b s w h o congratu la ted the compet i to rs and organisers on thei r excellent efforts.

Thanks went , t oo , to the t w o stewards, V a l G a r d i n e r and Elizabeth Guest, for assisting the judges d u r i n g thei r assessment.

Herbert Hancocks assesses the merits of .some dahlias: assisting him is Val Gardiner, one of the stewards.

Sid Wood discusses the growing of prize dahlias with Derek Knibbs and his wife Jean.

The ma jo r i ty o f entries came f rom indus t r ia l s taff and the Garden ing Assoc ia t ion t o l d us they w o u l d very much l ike to see more o f the rest o f us t a k i n g part , i nc lud ing management , next t ime r o u n d .

In fact, M i k e Overbury has t h r o w n out a challenge to a l l gardeners t h roughou t the site to take part in an in terdepar tmenta l contest as part o f next year's c o m p e t i t i o n .

The idea is that teams o f four f rom each department , w i t h each o f the four c o n t r i b u t i n g t w o onions apiece, should compete for the heaviest to t a l weight o f eight onions.

O n l y the thickest skinned cou ld ignore such a challenge!

Roger Keyse. who judged the vegetable section, spoke highly of the standard of the onion entries.

AH ttie results Heaviest onion (dressed) — 1st A n d y Gardiner ; 2nd Haro ld Moore; 3rd Bil l Smith.

exhibition onions— 1st Phyllis & Vere Christopher; 2nd Rex T u r l e y , 3rd Fred Sheers; h.c. Stephen Wil l iams. Heaviest J onions (dressed) — 1st A n d y Gard iner ; 2nd Mike Overbury; 3rd Mrs . Overbury . 10 shallots (culinary) over I" dia. — 1st F r e d Sheers; 2nd Rex Tur ley ; 3rd Haro ld Moore. 10 shallots (pickling) under I" dia. — Ist Rex Turley; 2nd A n d y Gard iner . Longest kidney bean — 1st F r e d Sheers; 2nd Phyllis & Vere Chris topher; 3rd A n d y G a r d i n e r . Heaviest marrow— 1st Rex T u r l e y , 2nd H a r o l d Moore; 3rd A n d y G a r d i n e r . 6 Kidney beans — 1st F r e d Sheers; 2nd A n d y G a r d i n e r ; 3rd Bi l l Smith; h.c. Phyllis & Vere Chris topher . .? Carrots, long or stump — 1st F r e d

Sheers; 2nd H a r o l d Moore; 3rd S id W o o d . 5 Dahlias — 1st Phyll is & Vere Chris topher; 2nd S id W o o d ; 3rd H a r o l d Moore; h.c. Walter Manns . 6 Sweet peas — 1st H a r o l d Moore; 2nd S id W o o d ; 3rd Phyll is & Vere Chr i s topher . 5 Chrysanthemums— 1st Mike Trigg; 2nd H a r o l d Moore. Best pot plant (foliage)— 1st Bob Smith; 2nd H a r o l d Moore; 3rd Kei th Knight; h.c. A n d y Gard iner . Best pot plant (flower) — 1st Phyllis 6 Vere Christopher; 2nd Keith Knight; 3rd J o h n Harr i s ; h.c. H a r o l d Moore . Best 5 tomatoes — 1st Sid Wood; 2nd F r e d Sheers; 3rd Walter Manns; h.c. Kei th Knight . Best pair of cucumbers — 1st Keith Knight; 2nd H a r o l d Moore; 3rd Sid W o o d ; h.c. A n d y Gardiner . Decorated vegetable or novelty veg. animal (children's section) — 1st Anne Turley; 2nd E m m a Turley . Decorated tray (children's section) — 1st Shane Chi lds ; 2nd Cla ire Harr i s .

RANK XEROX

Ace-Finn win again E I G H T T E A M S , t w o more than last year, entered this year's mixed skittles tournament — seven f r o m Rank Xerox and , for the first t ime , one f rom the M E W S .

The contest was played as a r o u n d rob in in t w o groups, each team per g roup p lay ing each other once.

G r o u p A finished wi th three teams on equal points , necessitating a play-off ; this resulted in a w i n for Guys and Dol l s w i t h 220 pins over Y o u n g Hearts (218) and The Ravers (204).

G r o u p B winners were the current holders o f the winners ' t rophy — Ace-F inn — w i t h a m a x i m u m three wins.

A t the f ina l , held on Saturday, 17 October , this finance team, under their captain G o r d o n Cru ickshank , fought to retain the championsh ip against Guys and D o l l s , captained by H a r o l d Funis , and w o n by eight pins w i t h 214:206.

Roger Keye ( Y o u n g Hearts) achieved the highest i n d i v i d u a l score — 48 pins — among the men, whi le G i l l D r e w (Ace-F inn) led a m o n g the ladies w i t h 44 pins.

Ter ry Peates, m a k i n g his first public appearance as the new chai rman o f the Sports & Social C lub , congratula ted the finalists and thanked G r a h a m Welch for once again organis ing the event.

The prizes were presented by John K e m p w h o was responsible for organis ing the 'Crack Cancer ' Chel tenham H a l f M a r a t h o n , and G r a h a m had special reason for i n v i t i n g h im to come a long .

In t ak ing part in this 13 plus mile race (see r i g h t ) , G r a h a m had raised a splendid £ 1 2 5 in sponsorship money, to w h i c h the company added a fur ther £50 .

Af ter the skittles presentation, he handed the sum of £175 over to John w h o , in thank ing G r a h a m and all those who had con t r ibu ted , d r u m m e d up a b i t o f support for the 1988 Chel tenham H a l f M a r a t h o n .

" I t w i l l be on 18 September next year, so you have plenty o f t ime to get f i t enough to r u n in

12 i t , " he said.

The ehampions trophy was retained by last year's winning team from fmancc who won by eight pins.

A n o t h e r welcome guest was A l l a n Roseberry, co -ord ina to r for the race on behal f o f the Coba l t U n i t .

He t o l d us that , now that the U n i t has been equipped w i t h a l l the most up-to-date equipment , they are m o v i n g i n to cancer prevent ion .

" W e give advice on dietary matters, r u n non - smok ing clinics and w i l l eventually be d o i n g screening."

7"/7e Cniys and Dolls who were runners-up.

.lohn Kemp congratulates Gill Drew, the ladies' top .scorer: Vic Fennell recei\ed the men's highest individual score award on behalf of the winner. Roger Keye.

Graham Welch presents his t'l 75 sponsorship cheque to .lohn Kemp, organiser of the 'Crack Cancer' Half Marathon. Pictured with them are Allan Ro.sehcrry of the Cheltenham Cobalt Unit (seated) and Terry Peates. chairman of our .Sports & Social Club.

Rodley runners do well S T E V E P O W E L L (refurbishing) w o n this year's Rodley Quar ter M a r a t h o n held on 5 September, securing the Rank Xerox t rophy w i t h a t ime o f 40 mins. 11 sees., nearly t w o minutes ahead o f the runner-up .

This is the f i f th t ime the race has been r u n , and the second t ime it has been w o n by an R X M P runner; B i l l y M c L e o d (fuser rol ls) w o n it in 1983 and his record o f 37 mins . 36 sees, remains unbeaten.

Eddie Shermer went a long to start the race wh ich was once again sponsored by o u r company . There was a smaller than usual ent ry w h i c h organiser A n d r e w L a n d o n believed was due to thei r hav ing switched to a Saturday date, so next year they plan to revert to a Sunday once more .

G r a h a m K i b b l e , another runner f r o m refurbishing, f inished 18th and G r a h a m Welch (goods receiving) d i d wel l to come in e igh th , p i c k i n g up a prize for being second veteran to f inish — his first ever race award .

W i t h Fred Meek , also f r o m refurbishing, m a k i n g i t a foursome, the R X runners t ravel led to Che l tenham on Sunday, 13 September, to take par t in the annual 'Crack Cancer ' Che l tenham H a l f M a r a t h o n .

O n that w a r m , sunny a f t e rnoon , 1,500 runners l ined up at the start and headed for the c o u n t r y lanes and twi s t ing t o u r o f the t o w n .

I n fact, the very w a r m condi t ions t o o k thei r t o l l on the runners and times suffered

accordingly . Some 1,300 got to the f in i sh ,

a m o n g them Steve w h o was placed 19th overal l w i t h a t ime o f I hr . 15 mins. 40 sees.

G r a h a m Welch , w h o had on ly been in t r a in ing for some nine weeks, finished in I hr . 41 mins . 15 sees., whi le Fred crossed the line in 1 hr. 57 mins. , jus t ahead o f G r a h a m K i b b l e (1 hr. 58 mins.) .

Running ahead: H a v i n g competed in one quar ter and t w o ha l f mara thons this year, we hear G r a h a m Welch is now sett ing his sights on a fu l l m a r a t h o n in 1988!