Return to 1960-1964

Vision 007

It is sometimes said that a good ‘After Sales
Service’ is worth more than a front page advertisement
in the ‘Daily Mail’. This may be
true, but there is a far deeper significance
in the statement than would at first appear.
Why do you or I buy a particular brand or make
of product when we have many from which to
choose? We may like its appearance, its
packing, or the description of what it does.
We may like the advertising, the type of shop
that sells it or it may just fulfil a need.
All these things are important but there is
one other – the recommendation of other people.
A good product is its own best salesman – a
bad one, its own worst enemy. Most manufacturers
know this and that is why they set
great store by their reputation for the
quality and reliability of their products.
A good reputation is a manufacturer’s most
coveted asset; it is worth more than volumes
of advertising and it is, in fact, much what
advertising sets out to achieve.
Let me return to this matter of ‘After Sales
Service’. What is it really? It is an insurance
policy against loss of Reputation. But a
product’s reputation starts long before that.
It begins with the care and attention to
detail at all stages of design and manufacture.
It is far more than working within
4 factory tolerances or an inspector’s
signature. It is an immeasurable and elusive
quality which each of us leaves with the
things we handle or say or write. It reacts
all down the line from the purchasing of the
raw material to the despatch of the finished
article.
AFTER SALES SERVICE ”””
EE
ES
fft:
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2
As far as Bell & Howell is concerned, it
revolves around you and me. In fact, wherever
you work or whatever you do, you are part
of our ‘After Sales Service’.
Service Manager
1-
SE
SE
BEHIND THE
CURTAIN
MK. JOHN ASH, Territorial Executive
in the Export Department at
Mitcheldean, and Mr. Walter Rubel,
Overseas Sales Executive. spent ten days
in East Germany during March, looking
after the Cine & Photographic Division’s
Stand at the Leipzig Trade Fair. This
was our first venture behind the Iron
Curtain, and many valuable contacts
were made with prospective buyers from
East Germany. Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia,
Hungary-in fact, all the
countries of the Eastern Bloc, contacts
which could not have been made in any
other way.
Reports John Ash-‘The interest in
our products was enormous, particularly
in the Sportster V Zoomatic. We could
have sold all the equipment on the Stand
many times over, if regulations had
allowed us to sell direct to the public.
We were, however, able to supply to
various State-controlled concerns a
number of cameras and projectors,
notably a consignment of 627 cameras
intended for news-work with East
German Television.’
The main impression gained was one
of prosperity and material well-being;
shops are full of good quality articles,
money is not in short supply, and people
appear well-dressed and well-fed. This
was a matter of some envy to our
representatives, who claim to have gone
three days after arrival without a cooked
meal! Restaurants and hotels were so
packed with official trade commissions,
of all nationalities, that it was practically
impossible to book a table, even well in
advance. This meant that the staple diet
became ham and cheese rolls, fried eggs,
hot Wiirste (sausages) and cold beernot
unappetising, but a little monotonous
over a fortnight.
Another similar difficulty was the
fact that a laundry simply did not exist
in Leipzig-apparently such places are
regarded as not being suitable in a
People’s Democracy. This meant that
dirty linen piled up rapidly, and completely
filled several suitcases when the
time came to return. This may have
been a blessing in disguise, for John Ash
is convinced that the reason he got
through the English Customs without a
search of any sort was due to the
officials’ evident reluctance to rummage
through soiled and smelly washing!
Despite these difficulties and the hard
work and long hours inevitably associated
with Trade Fairs, the trip was both
interesting and successful. It is almost
certain that we shall exhibit at next
year’s Fair. though both representatives
agree that it should be staffed by those
of their colleagues who insist on asking,
since their return to the office. ‘Well,
how did you enjoy your fortnight’s
holiday?’
C. SPOOKS
Mr. R. J. Hall (Sales Export Administration Department
and Shipping Office) showing the Autoset
Turret to Mr. Masotti! and Mr. .4fsar Ali. The
brothers, sons of Mr.. Mushtay Ali, Managing
Director of Mushko & Co. of Karachi, our agents
in Pakistan, were paying a short visit to the
Mitcheldean factory before returning to their own
country where Afsar, the elder, is to join his
father’s firm. Their uncle, Mr. Israr-ul-Haq
Quraishy, is currently training at Mitcheldean.
Incidentally, Mushko & Co. recently obtained a
contract from the Pakistan Air Force for 22 sound
projectors in the face of tremendous competition.
COVER PICTURE
Bebe Daniels brings a Sportster IV
camera into action while hubby Ben
Lion signs autographs at the Company’s
stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition.
See pages 8 and 9 for the
story of our ‘show inside the show’.
(P.R. Office photograph.)
3
W. E. Blaich, Mitcheldean’s Plant Engineer, Writes About
BUILDING PROJECT 4
rirHE uninitiated observer casually
1 notices some measuring and surveying
taking place at the back of what is
generally known at Mitcheldean as the
New Building. ‘About time theyextended
that Car Park,’ he muses. ‘Those
parking jams are not really funny,
although they have given me frequent
cause for amusement. Or are they doing
something about those tennis courts I’ve
heard talk about? I wonder?’
A few days later he observes some
earth-moving equipment literally getting
‘stuck into it.’ It gains and the excavations
rapidly fill with water. ‘Now it’s
beginning to look more like an outdoor
swimming pool. I wonder? It would be
rather fun, bui then the summer is still
a long way off and they are actually
working late into the night by artificial
light, so that rules that idea out. This
must be a far more important job.’
Bringing You into the Picture
Yes, our fictitious character is quite
right in his final conjecture. This is a
most important new project and it
should give us all an uplift to see a
further expansion scheme going ahead.
By now-and, at the time of writing, the
steel erectors are really ‘putting on a
show’-most of us are considerably
more enlightened concerning Project 4.
Nevertheless, the following facts should
help to bring you all into the picture.
Why is it called Project 4? Essentially
for the same reasons that we give our
own products different model numbers.
Simply to give the building project an
4
Identity which is readily recognised by
all concerned with its planning, design,
erection and, at a later stage, maintenance.
The forerunners? Auto and Press
Shop, Plating and Polishing Shop, New
Building (see what we mean?) in that
order.
And now for the purpose that Building
Project 4 is planned to serve. It is a safe
bet to forecast what will be the generally
accepted identification of this building:
it will be simply ‘XeroX Building’ or
‘XeroX Shop’, and that explains very
briefly its purpose. Most of you will
recall that we had to dispense with our
Wood Mill, where our whitewood projector
and speaker cases were being
produced, to give us an assembly area
for the now well-known 914 XeroX
equipment. More recently, we were
obliged to evacuate our case finishing,
assembly and inspection departments to
premises outside the factory bounds, as a
temporary expedient to provide further
XeroX assembly space. This transfer
was generally known as ‘The Litson
Move’ -a story in itself. Even so, if you
should notice some peculiar noises
coming from the present XeroX assembly
area (and they will steadily grow
louder), you will know that it is caused
by some considerable stress at its seams!
But take solace in the fact that this
should cease as soon as Building Project
4 is ready for occupation.
This explains why the pressure is on
as far as Project 4 is concerned, and also
why the earth-moving operations continued
well into the night. The date for
completion? Let’s say mid-summer or
earlier-or else there had better be a
good reason!
Layout and vital statistics? This is
always a very good question. Location:
North-east (rear of) and in line with the
present New Building, with a gap of
40 feet between buildings. Total floor
area: approximately 25,000 square feet,
comprising lower ground floor (133 ft.
60 ft.) and ground floor (133ft. .c 120 ft.)
plus entrance annexe. Roughly similar
in size and shape to the present New
Building, but less one floor and the
complete office block.
The layout on the lower ground floor
makes provision for a machining and
sheetmetal/presswork area, a goods and
material receiving and inspection area,
also raw material and tool stores. The
ground floor (similar level to the present
main Assembly Shop) is planned to be
an almost entirely open area for XeroX
sub-assembly and main line assembly,
apart from Administrative, Production
Control and Quality Control offices, and,
of course, stores and inspection facilities
and a relatively small warehouse area.
To obtain the best possible layout the
main staff entrance, with clocking
station and staircase, has been pushed
out from the main part of the building in
the form of an annexe. This projection
faces the existing building and also provides
space for a Transformer Room,
Switchgear Room, Service Duct, etc.,
which would otherwise encroach into
the main areas.
We shall therefore have a building
planned entirely for XeroX production.
Raw material and components will be
received into the lower ground floor area
for inspection. The material will then
move through stores and the machining
area. Finished and inspected parts will
be taken via a centrally positioned goods
lift to the floor above and received into
the assembly stores and thence issued to
the sub- and main assembly lines. The
finished product is planned to move
through Quality Control Department
for final inspection to Warehouse for
packing and despatch from loading bays.
situated at the southern end of the
building.
To cope with the production programme
as it is known at the moment,
approximately 150 will be employed in
the XeroX Building to begin with. Mr.
R. T. Walding will, of course, continue
to operate in his present capacity as
Departmental Manager and be responsible
for all manufacturing activities.
Call for Co-ordination
Having read the above, you will
readily appreciate that a considerable
amount of detail planning has to be
carried out before it is even possible to
put pencil to paper on the first building
plan. This calls for the utmost coordination
of all concerned.
In other words, this type of scheme
does not just ‘Grow like Topsy’, and if,
as invariably is the case, one or two
snags do arise on a project such as this,
it is as well to remember that many,
many others never arose, or, alternatively,
were nipped in the bud at an early
stage, thanks to all the behind-the-scene
activities.
It is hoped that this brief article has
given you all (including our mysterious
observer) some further insight into the
activities at the rear of the present New
Building; and also that you will join in
wishing success to Building Project 4 and
to the purpose it it destined to fulfil.
Mr. Robert Yahn of Halold-XeroX spent a month at Mitcheldean recently offering guidance on XeroX
production. Here he is pictured on the undeveloped site of Project 4 with Mr. F. Wickstead and (on the
right) Mr. P. W. Faulkner (Assistant Managing Director, Rank-XeroX) and Mr. J. A. Hargroves
(Technical Manager, Rank-XeroX).
_t
C. BOOKS
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St. Patrick’s Night Dance-The Library
whooped it up on Friday. March 17.
when a St. Patrick’s Night Dance was
held at the Park Hotel, Hanwell.
Although it was not so well patronised
as in previous years, the bars and dance
floor were still crowded throughout the
evening, and a good time was obviously
had by all.
Long Service Association-The Perivale
Branch of the Long Service Association
held another of their enjoyable dinners
on Friday, March 24, at the Park Hotel.
In the chair was Mr. A. S. J. Baker. and
we were pleased to welcome many fellow
members from other branches, whilst
regretting that pressure of business kept
many more away. During the evening
Mr. E. F. Lyons presented 25-year
awards to Miss E. Fletcher (Head Office)
and Mr. L. F. Carter (Manager, Bell &
Howell shop).
Annual General Meeting-In anticipation
of the Sports & Social Club
A.G.M., the following have been nominated
Committee members : Miss
Patterson (Dictorel), Miss Flynn (Booking),
Mrs. E. Hill (Exam), Miss Dymock
(Stock and Progress), Mr. Poulter
(Goods Inwards), Mr. Moore (Booking),
Mr. Tomlinson (Tech). There have
been no nominations for Secretary or
Treasurer other than those of Mr. R.
Edmonds and Mr. F. Rutley respectively
and their appointment will be confirmed
at the meeting, when the election of next
year’s Chairman will also take place.
It is greatly regretted that Mr.
Derek Moore felt he could no longer
continue as Secretary, a post which he
has energetically filled for three years.
However, his successor, Mr. Edmonds,
will have his help and assistance as
Derek will continue to take an active
part in Club affairs.
Newly Engaged-Congratulations to
Ken Hains of Sound Recording and
Sandra Davies of Accounts who became
engaged on March 17.
`Get Well Soon’ Note-As we go to
press, Mrs. Lowe, Canteen Manageress.
is recovering from bronchitis. We hope
that by the time this is printed she will
be back with us.
Four for Fore-With the arrival of
better weather, the Library’s golf
enthusiasts have resumed their activ it ies.
At least once a week Messrs. A. S. J.
Baker, C. Robb, R. Hoodless and
J. E. Maltby make their way, during the
lunch hour, to the links on Horsenden
Hill.
Comings and Goings-Secretary to Mr.
John Maltby (Export Manager), Mrs.
Audrey Dean, without whom it is going
to be difficult to imagine the Export
Department, has now practised what she
has been preaching for the past eight
years. She has exported herself, complete
with husband, to Northern
Rhodesia. ‘Apartheid-Segregationleave
it to me,’ said Audrey, ‘I’ll show
’em!’ And, knowing Audrey, she
probably will! When she left the Library
on March 17, a week before she sailed,
she was presented with a gold wristwatch
by Mr. Hodge on behalf of all
her colleagues.
Another familiar face no longer to be
seen at Perivale is Mr. John Burder, who
was assistant to the Publicity Manager,
Mr. J. Latreille. John, as everybody
knew him, has joined the B.B.C. A
briefcase was given to him when he left
on March 3. His place has been taken
by Mr. D. Clarke.
We have also to report the departure
of Mrs. Gilmer, Print Order Department,
and Mrs. Carpenter and Mrs.
Adams, late of Film Repair Department.
We are pleased to welcome Miss
Vivian Cooper who has now taken over
the position of secretary to Mr. E. J. Lee.
The Mystery Solved-`And this is where
I take over,’ writes Mr. Jack Latreille,
who is now prepared to disclose the
identity of the mysterious ‘Perivale
Piece’. ‘She is none other than my own
secretary. Mrs. Josie Cox, who has
written this column since the magazine
started. Alas, no more, however. When
this appears, she will have left to take up
residence at Saltdean, near Brighton.
Any volunteers to be “Perivale Piece
Mark II”?’
Home Sales Manager
Jack Duffel! sends
JOTTINGS
from
JAPAN
1 AWOKE in Copenhagen at 7 a.m. on
I March 10 to find a warm bright sun
shining on me through the open window.
For me this sunshine persisted without a
break for the next 26 hours, and it was
desperately trying to penetrate the
yellow haze of smoke as the DC-8
glided steadily towards the runway across
the fishing nets and filth of Tokyo bay.
I disembarked-very thrilled but just
a little jaded. At an average ground
speed of 550 miles an hour the sun had
conspired with the constantly changing
scenery of Scandinavia, Greenland, The
Arctic Circle. The North Pole, Alaska
and Japan to keep a man awake for fear
of missing something.
The first impressive feature of Japan
from the air is the complete absence of
green. All the grass, even that on the
golf courses, dies during the winter
months and leaves a large proportion of
the valleys covered in a light brown.
springy thatch.
Once on the ground the first thing you
notice is that the Japanese as a race are
much smaller than the average European.
This fact is emphasised at regular
intervals by your bashing your head on
the top of door frames and bringing your
knees smartly up under your chin as you
sit down in the bar.
Sitting in the cinema is sheer agony:
not only are the seats too small, but as
you sit in one it automatically assumes a
reclining position which, of course,
shortens still further the space between
your seat and the back of the one in
front. After the first quarter of an hour
of ‘Ben Hur’ I sat like a captive kangaroo
praying for the intermission!
These notes have been written only a
few days after my arrival in Japan. 1
have therefore avoided offering any
opinions and impressions which I may
have, as these might well prove later to
be ill-founded. In the next issue of
VISION, however. I will let you have all
the interesting information I can collect
on this very fascinating country.
It was pouring with rain when Mr. Duffel! took this
shot of a typical Japanese street.
LIBRARY RELEASE
.THE Work of the Blood’-a film simplifying
the function of the blood and
circulation as an integrated system of
the body-is a new release from the
Education Department of the G.B. Film
Library. Produced by Encyclopaedia
Britannica, this 13-minute 16mm. colour
film is intended for school physiology
classes (children of 13 years and over),
pre-nursing classes, and first aid classes.
Several years have passed since a film of
this type has been made available so it
should be in considerable demand.
;FILM IN YOUTH WORK
FOLLOWING upon the 1960 Albemarle
Report. the Government recently decided
to spend a further £3 million on
the development of youth services in this
country. The Education Department,
Cine & Photographic Division, decided
to help youth accept the challenge of this
worthwhile scheme by issuing a pioneering
brochure on ‘Film in the Service of
Youth’, depicting some of the ways in
which film can be used in the various
spheres of youth work. More than 2,000
copies have been distributed to such
organisations as the Air Training Corps.
the Army Cadet Force Association, Sea
Cadets, the Scouts and Guides Associations,
the Y.M.C.A. and the Outward
Bound Trust, as well as to Youth
Officers all over the country-and with
such success that there have been
requests for hundreds more copies.
7
IT’s
the talk of the trade, today. Bell
& Howell at the Daily Mail ‘Ideal
Home’ Exhibition at Olympia-the first
cine equipment manufacturing firm ever
to participate in this huge show!
For our debut, it was important to
have a stand that was both informative
and eye-catching-and in a really good
position. Those who were in the party
that travelled from Mitcheldean to visit
the exhibition were able to see for themselves
how well these requirements had
been met.
Our stand, designed by Miss S.
Cherna Schotz (Central Advertising),
was just to the right of the main entrance
to the Empire Hall. There was something
to catch the eye on its every side,
but the stand’s greatest attraction was
undoubtedly the ‘set piece’. This comprised
a complete lounge, furnished in
contemporary style, where a cane
dummy ‘father’ relaxed in an armchair
watching a `Lumina’ projecting colour
movies, while outside the window wall
‘mother’ filmed ‘junior’ on his animated
swing.
In fact, it was ‘action stations’ all
round the stand. There were the three
counters where our 8 mm. cameras and
projectors were displayed and where the
hard-working staff gave demonstrations
and answered customers’ queries; a fivefoot
high representation of the ‘Sundial’
with a lighted moving dial to illustrate
the fact that one merely has to ‘dial the
weather and shoot’; and a continuous
showing on a rear projection screen of
the 16 mm. sound colour film ‘Movies
for You’ which was specially produced
for the exhibition.
This film sells the idea of home movies
8
BELL & HOWELL
MAKE: THE
‘ IDEAL HOME ‘
with particular emphasis on the ‘Sundial’
and ‘Autoset’ cameras, and
Mitcheldean staff will have an opportunity
to sec it at special showings to be
held at the factory in the near future.
People will always stop to see something
that moves on an exhibition stand,
and the lounge set certainly scored in
this respect. Watchers must have been
intrigued to know how the whole thing
worked. Well, we can tell you!
A tape recorder worked continuously
behind the scenes, relaying a commentary
on the films shown. A short strip
of metal fixed to the tape made an
electrical contact as it went through the
recorder, and this operated a motor to
close the curtains in front of the lounge
set ‘window’, thus ensuring reasonable
black-out. At the same time a battery
of floodlights illuminating the lounge
dimmed out and the ‘Lumina’ came into
operation. After the eight-minute show
was over, a metal strip on the film made
an electrical contact which set off the
sequence of operations in the reverse
order: the curtains opened, the floodlights
switched on, the ‘Lumina’ stopped.
It is a great tribute to everyone concerned
with the design and assembly of
the ‘Lumina’ that the two projectors
in use on the ‘set’ operated without any
mechanical failure of any kind under
conditions which would certainly not be
found in the average ‘ideal home’! By
the time the exhibition was over, the
two machines had been in use alternately
twelve hours a day for 24 days,
switching on and off every eight minutes,
with only a three-minute breather between
shows while the lights were on and
the curtains remained open. The
machines were standard models, with
the exception that the running speed was
set at a constant 24 f.p.s. and two
input leads were attached.
It is also a tribute to the staff that they
operated without any mechanical failure!
The temperature became tropical, and at
times-particularly on Saturdays and
every evening-the air became stifling
and loaded with dust. It made talking
very difficult, and the cold orangeade and
‘coke’ stored in a ‘fridge on the stand
were in constant demand to soothe sore
throats and recover disappearing voices.
During the week selected assistants
from stockist dealers in the London area
were there to help on the stand. In the
evenings the London and suburban Area
Managers-Derek Herman, Dick Luff,
Jack Smith and Jack Tindale-took
over on a rota basis, with Ernie Maynard
and Les Carter from Hanover Square
and the following from Mortimer
House: Barry Clifton, Bill Crisp, Gerry
The back room boys, Mike Bent and Peter
Thomas. keep the ‘works’ operating smoothly.
Top right is the mirror of the rear projection
set-up: top left, a see-through mirror with
curtain backing enabling a watch to be kept on
‘Lumina’ operations in the lounge set.
Actor Robert Beatty tries out an Autoset while
visiting our stand; looking on is Jack Tindale, our
Central London Area Manager.
Gask, Jerry Henwood, John Lurcook
and Ian Masters. At weekends and the
Easter period the stand was staffed by
Area Controllers Peter Carr, Geoff
Gray, Cyril Powell and Eb Worsell.
Mike Bent and apprentice Peter Thomas
were kept busy looking after the
technical side of things (tape recorder.
projectors, motors, etc.).
Taking alternate weekly stints as
stand manager were Deputy Sales
Manager Ted Cann and Sales Promotion
Manager Roy Fowler.
Looking back, it is felt that the project
was a decidedly worth-whileand successful
one. Tremendous interest was shown
in all the 8 mm. equipment. Names and
addresses of many hundreds of intending
customers were taken and passed on
to stockist dealers. In fact, dealers
‘phoned specially to report that sales
had resulted from these enquiry followups-
in many cases camera and projector
being sold together.
9
Our Marketing Manager, G. E. A. Perutz, announces:
THE BIRTH OF TWINS!
Omot. morning last Februai . a cable
was diffidently brought into Mr.
Wickstead’s office at Mitcheldean. It
read ‘The baby was born at 10.30 a.m.
this morning.’
There was a lot of speculation in
certain quarters. Eyebrows went upvoices
went dove n. The drama was explained
within hours, when it was found
that the ‘baby’s’ name was ‘Rank Precision
Industries S.A.’-the new subsidiary
of the Cine & Photographic
Division. The ‘baby’ started marketing
Bell & Howell product in France on
March 1 under General Manager
B.O. Butler and Sales Manager Fred
Mayer.
Now we have a small but very fine
selling team in one of the most important
countries for our products in the world.
This is the outcome of the work of a
number of executives who, after repeated
visits to France over the last year, have
often been in serious trouble on arriving
home, breathing out garlic fumes-the
result of the very delicious but antisocial
method of French cooking of
escargots (snails) and bouillabaisse (fish
soup).
No French Holiday
Many people think that our reps.
Hochstetter and Bourdillat will have a
pretty easy time. Scheduled routes include
the Champs Elysies in Paris and
exciting Southern places like Monte
Carlo, Nice and Cannes. But the only
way they are really going to see the Blue
Mediterranean is through the viewfinder
of a Bell & Howell camera while
demonstrating to French dealers. With
an average of five dealer calls per day,
plus the hii/ards of driving through
France, where the motto is ‘Go firstand
look afterwards’, they will have a
big job to achieve their target of putting
Bell & Howell ‘on the map’ in France in
a big way.
While our new ‘baby’ in France
buzzes with activity, the ‘birth’ of its
twin brother in Frankfurt is expected
any minute as I write.
10
Preparations for the ‘happy event’ are
largely being coped with by General
Manager Adolf Muller. Following a
period of training at Mitcheldean-and
an appearance at the recent Company
dance at the Cheltenham Town Hall-he
has set up a temporary office, signed on
the necessary staff, and formulated plans
to invade the traditional heart of world
camera production-Germany.
Canine Sabotage
Until Adolf Miiller’s new permanent
secretary started work on April 1, one
temporary member of the staff appeared
anxious that Germany should not know
about Bell & Howell products! The
temporary typist had to bring her dog to
the office every day; this dog made
determined and noisy attempts to stop
the conduct of business and arrival of
visitors. However, no puddles were in
evidence!
Despite this ‘sabotage’, Adolf Muller
has supervised the completion of some
very nice offices ana a showroom, and,
just about the time this issue goes to
press, he will be launching his major
attack on the German market.
GET UP TO DATE WITH DANCING
IF you want to ‘Learn the New Steps’.
and some of the old ones too, do go
along to the dancing classes that are
being held on alternate Saturdays at the
Club House, Mitcheldean.
Here, for only 2s. 6d. per person per
evening, you can learn from instructor
Mr. Alf Rich, D.T.A. Gloucester, how
to ‘slip’ in the nicest possible way while
doing the Charleston, how to Cha Cha
Cha, how to waltz divinely-in short, to
become the most desirable dancing
partner. The young and not so young,
the long and the short and the tall, have
been getting quite a kick out of these
classes, which have been arranged by
the committee-Mrs. J. Smith, Sister
Townroe and Mr. F. Hatch.
DEPOT DISPATCH
THERE may be nightingales in Berkeley
Square, but when we last heard from
our London Depot they were feeling
very content with Hanover Square. The
spring flowers were springing in profusion
and provided a very pleasant
outlook from the showroom. Wrote
Mr. E. Maynard: ‘It does, of course,
differ from the outlook of fields and hills
and woods which you have at Mitcheldean,
but we are very fortunate, we
think, in being located in such a nice
area, situated in the heart of London.’
The next phase of alterations to the
Depot was reported to be going forward
very shortly: the viewing theatre will be
removed from the ground floor to the
basement, to allow for extension of office
accommodation. This is in anticipation
of the increased business they are hoping
to enjoy this year.
By the way, they’ve had a gangster at
the Depot! Mr. Lloyd Nolan, the wellknown
film star who takes gangster
parts, ‘broke in’ recently; however, the
male staff were able to take their hands
out of their hip pockets when they found
him to be very friendly-quite different
from his tough portrayals on the screen!
All About Executives . .
EXECUTIVES are a fortunate lot, for,
as everyone knows, an executive has
nothing to do-that is, excepting: –
To Decide what is to be done; to listen to
reasons why it should not be done, why
it should be done by somebody else, or
why it should be done in a different way,
and to prepare arguments in rebuttal
that will be convincing and conclusive .. .
To Follow Up to see if the thing has been
done; to discover that it has been done
incorrectly; to point out how it should
be done; to conclude that as long as it
has been done it might as well stay as
it is . . .
To Wonder if it were not time to get rid
of the person who cannot do a thing
correctly; to reflect that, in all probability,
a successor would be just as bad
or worse . . .
To Consider how much more simply and
ORNITHOLOGIST Dr. Peter Driver, Bristol
University Resident Tutor in West
Gloucestershire, was given facilities at
Mitcheldean recently for editing the film
he has taken in the Arctic on the
behaviour of the eider duckling. We
understand that, if Dr. Driver gets his
way, we may be seeing the result on
television some time.
TWELVE ladies from the Teachers’ Training
College at Crewe; the Secretary of
the National Sunday School Union:
City of Leicester Fire Brigade; the
Secretary of the Baptist Mission Society
-these were among the people who
attended training courses at Mitcheldean
recently.
THE Annual Dinner of the Mitcheldean
Long Service Association will be held
this year at the Chase Hotel, Ross-on-
Wye, on May 9.
HAVING been in the Reserve Team for
the last three years, one of the Tool
Room’s marksmen-William Austinwas
this year selected to shoot as a
member of the Gloucester County Small
Bore Rifle Team against Yorkshire. He
scored 100 out of a possible 100, and we
defy anyone to do better than that.
better the thing would have been done
had he done it himself in the first
place . . .
To Reflect satisfactorily that, if he had
done it himself, he would have been able
to do it right in 20 minutes, and that, as
things turned out, he himself spent two
days trying to find out why it was that
it had taken somebody else three weeks
to do it wrong . . .
And To Realise that such an idea would
have a very demoralising effect on the
organisation, because it would strike at
the very foundation of the belief of all
employees that an executive has nothing
to do.
(Following the appearance of the item
‘All About Secretaries’ in our January
February issue, VISION was asked to print
the foregoing as being ‘By another reader
of the ‘Express’ in the ‘forties’ !)
11
THAT ‘ HIDDEN QUALITY’
By Mitcheldean’s Chief Metallurgist L Davies, A.M.I.E. T.
Wi Al Mitcheldean attach great
importance to the durability of
the finish given our products-they
must be able to withstand normal wear
and tear and still look attractive.
Now, paint both makes an article look
attractive and protects the underlying
metal from rust and corrosion to which
almost every metal is prey. But it only
affords this protection as long as the
paint film remains unbroken; if we chip
or break away the paint on any part, the
raw metal exposed will quickly rust.
Further, in the case of light alloys
such as aluminium, etc., corrosion
products will form on exposed areas of
raw material: this is sometimes referred
to as ‘white rust’. But, what is of far
greater importance, where paint is
applied directly to a raw metal surface,
corrosion will creep from a damaged
area completely under the paint coating
and cause the paint to flake or peel away.
This form of corrosion, often referred
to as ‘inter-face corrosion’, is the most
deadly, since it will render the whole
area of the base metal useless in time,
and it is not often that any form of
finish repair is possible.
Pre-paint Treatments
However, modern technical developments
have kept abreast of this problem,
and very few manufacturers of highclass
equipment now paint directly on to
raw metal surfaces. A wide range of prepaint
treatments are now available to
help combat under-corrosion of a
painted coating. Most widely used are
the phosphate processes for ferrous
metals, and chromate or oxy-chromate
treatments for non-ferrous metals.
Briefly, these treatments, which are in
the main chemical oxidation processes,
react to convert the metal surface to an
absorptive coating which is an integral
part of the metal; when paint is applied,
it is absorbed into the coating, thus
sealing the metal against corrosion.
Under these conditions, if a paint film
becomes damaged, the subsequent cor-
12
rosion is held at point of damage, and
does not spread throughout the complete
article.
With the pre-paint section of our
Paint Shop nearing completion, we
bring ourselves bang into line with the
latest metal finishing techniques.
A number of processes are now being
adopted at Mitcheldean. There is the
bonderising process for dual treatment of
steel items and aluminium castings
which converts the metal surface to a
crystalline zinc phosphate coating, giving
excellent paint bonding and corrosion
protection properties to the paint
coating applied.
Then, mainly for sheet aluminium,
etc., we operate the pylumin process:
this forms an amorphous oxide coating
on the metal-an excellent corrosion
inhibitor with good paint-bonding
properties.
World-wide Protection
Our magnesium items will be processed
through a chrome-manganese
bath, a chemical process commonly
known as chromating; again, this treatment
ensures excellent paint adhesion
and protection.
With the adoption of these processes
we are assured of giving the maximum
possible protection to our painted
products. Quality is our keynote, and
such a quality feature-even though it be
a ‘hidden quality’-is of great importance
when you consider that our
equipment is called upon to operate
under widely varying conditions of
humidity throughout the world.
HOME MARKET
Gor-Ray Lady’s Skirt, never worn, 65
per cent. wool, 35 per cent. mohair,
beige. Waist 24 in., hip 36 in. Price £1.
Apply Box No. 11.
Hoover Junior for sale. In good working
condition. About ten years old. £3 10s.
o.n.o. Apply Box No. 10.
Replies to Box Nos. should be addressed –
The Editor, VISION, Fair View, Plump Hill,
Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire.
c. molts
A Frenchman, a Dutchman and three Germans were among those attending a three-week course for
Rank-XeroX Service Engineers held recently at Micheldean. We hear that during their visit they received
much attention from the ladies who took advantage of the opportunity to brush up their command of the
various languages (or perhaps it was just a case of ‘entente cordiale’). Pictured here are (left to right):
L. Hart and F. Oakey (Mechanical and Electronic Instructors at Mitcheldean), with Rank-XeroX
representatives M. Guillossou (France), A. Noske (Germany), H. Liesenhoff (Germany), P. Scrivens (Gt.
Britain), D. Maaswinkel (Holland), K. Groth (Germany) and M. Down (whom we introduced to you in
our Januaryl February issue).
Putting YOU in the Picture
MITCHELDEAN
Mr. W. Beech, who has been assistant to
Mr. F. C. Collins in the Purchase
Department for some years, has been
appointed to take over the position of
Chief Buyer. This appointment has been
made to relieve Mr. Collins, who has
been in poor health for some time, of the
heavy responsibilities he has been
carrying. As soon as he is fully recovered
from his recent operation, a further
announcement will be made as to his
new assignment.
Mr. D. F. Griffiths of the Work Study
Department has completed a three-year
course and passed the final examinations
for the Certificate of the Institute of
Work Study, gaining four out of a
possible six higher level passes. He has
also been accepted as a Member of the
Institute of Work Study.
Another achievement of note in the
Work Study Department is that of
Mr. Pronob Sarkar who has recently
been elected a Fellow of the Royal
Economic Society. Mr. Sarkar, who
took his M.A. and B.Com. degrees at
Calcutta University, has taken the final
examination of the British Institute of
Management.
Messrs. Robert Walker and Jack
Osborne joined Production Control in
February; Mr. Osborne was with the
Company some years earlier.
Mr. A. J. Pincombe, Chief Administrator
(Sales), was re-elected President of
the British Photographic Manufacturers
Association for 1961.
Following the departure of Miss
Margaret Smith and Miss Mary Reed,
Miss Marian Phillips (formerly secretary
to Mr. J. Rooke, Warehouse Supervisor)
has been appointed to the Bell & Howell
office, and newcomer Miss Janet
Baldwin is now Mr. R. E. Baker’s
secretary. Miss Christine Lewis, formerly
of the Mail Room, has succeeded
Miss Phillips in the Warehouse Office.
Mr. H. Byett has taken the place of
Mr. G. Stephens (Warehouse) who has
transferred to XeroX.
Following in her parents’ footsteps, Miss
13
C. B ..002CS
Mr. and Mrs. G. Breeze
Jacqueline Smith has joined us at
Mitcheldean as secretary to Mr. P. Carr,
Home Sales. Her mother works in
Inspection, her father in the Tool Room.
Miss Olwen Howell has joined Purchase
Department as a junior clerk ; Miss
Gloria Rogers has left for another post.
Mrs. M. Pritchard and Mrs. P. Austin
have both returned to the Company to
work in Machine Shop, while Mrs. A.
Bennett has returned to Assembly.
Mrs. H. West has joined the Filing
Department; she replaces Mrs. June
James.
Mrs. P. Gaylard, wife of Mr. A. Gaylard
(Polishing & Plating) has joined Assembly;
she formerly assisted in the canteen.
Mrs. Janet Eales, who left us for a
‘happy event’, has returned to Hollerith
Department.
The Mitcheldean Works Fire Brigade
has been re-formed; Mr. Ralph Taylor
Tool Room) is Chief Officer once more.
Birthdays, Engagements, Weddings
Miss Loretta Mills (Assembly) celebrated
both her 21st birthday and her
engagement to Mr. David Marsh of
Bridstow, nr. Ross-on-Wye, on February
24.
Miss Dawn East (Assembly) became
engaged on March 11 to Mr. Graham
Weaving of Cinderford.
Miss Esmee Halford (Production Control)
celebrated her 21st birthda on
April 12.
14
Miss Valerie Wright (Hollerith) was
married on February 25 to Mr. David
Dunnett at Littledean Church.
Miss Marlene Popejoy (Assembly) and
Mr. Robert Field were married at St.
Stephen’s Church. Cinderford, on
March 11.
Miss Pam Phelps (Machine Shop Progress)
was married on March 18 to
Mr. T. Knight (Small Batch Inspection)
at Littledean Church.
March 25 was the great day for Miss
Janet Roberts (Design Records) and
Mr. Colin Boseley at the Forest Church.
There was a ‘batch of brides’ for Easter
weekend. On the Saturday there were
the weddings of Miss Wendy Meredith
(Paint Shop) to Mr. Douglas Oliver at
the Baptist Chapel, Cinderford, and of
Miss Christine Smith (Quality Control)
to Mr. Jack Phillips at All Saints Church,
Longhope; and on the Monday those of
Miss Iris Leake to Mr. Ian Potter (Small
Batch) at Sellack and Miss Olwyn
Morris (Assembly) to Mr. Gordon
Breeze at St. Lawrence’s Church,
Weston-under-Penyard.
New Arrivals
Dark! Ian, a 5 lb. 1 oz. son for Mrs.
Jean Powell, formerly in Assembly.
David arrived on January 21.
Martyn Christopher, a son for Mr. John
Wilkes (Purchase Department), who
arrived on March 7 weighing 81 lb.
Julie, a sister for Alan and a daughter
for Mr. Gerald Townley (Maintenance),
born on March 17. weighing 8 lb. 13 oz.
Shane Stafford and Jacqueline Ann,
twins for Mr. S. Cherry (T.E.D.). Born
on April 3, they weighed 5 lb. 2 oz. and
5 lb. 6 oz. respectively.
LONDON
Mr. P. O’Connor, who is known to the
U.K. Sales staff at Mitcheldean, and
who has handled many of the sales of
equipment to industrial users here, left
Division II at the end of March, having
been promoted to a sales appointment
in the Studio Equipment Division of
Division III at Woodger Road.
Mr. C. E. Irving, who has been on the
sales staff of Bell & Howell since 1951,
was recently transferred to the London
Service Department at Hanover Square.
VISION readers will remember him as the
winner of the Cover Picture Contest
last year.
16-year-old Keith Gray has joined the
general staff of the Audio-Visual
Department and the P.R. Office. Potted
profile: he lives in Croydon; formerly
worked at the Savoy Hotel, London;
loves travel on the Continent for
holidays.
Table Tennis Triumphs
ONCE again L. Bonser (Home Sales)
emerged as winner of the Men’s Singles
in the Table Tennis Competition; he
beat E. Wenderlish (Assembly) in the
final. Ladies’ Singles champion was
Miss G. James (Accounts); her opponent
was her departmental colleague, Mrs.
S. Parsons.
Our Visitors
AMONG recent visitors to the Mitcheldean
factory from overseas were three gentlemen
from Norway: Mr. L. Wigaard,
Sales Manager of our 16 mm. agents in
Norway; Mr. H. Geicke from the Norwegian
War Office; and Mr. E. Herzberg
from the largest photographic dealer in
Oslo. Another visitor, this time from
Italy, was Dr. L. Fontana of Ferrania.
ZOOM AGEThis
month Bell & Howell enters the
Zoom Age with its Sportster V and
Autoset III cameras. We’ll be featuring
these new models in our next issue.
G. BROOKS
The offer wa, I bottle of wine for a song’. Miss
Louise Harris Quality Control) sang the song.
and the Australian girls, Miss Olive Davis and
Miss Bette Gilbert, whose visit was aimed at boosting
the sale of Australian foods in this country,
rewarded her with a bottle of wine.
AUSTRALIAN QUIZ
ON the Thursday before Easter, when
those who had lunched in the main
canteen had eaten their fill and in the
usual way would have been embarking
on a crossword, a chat with friends, or
just a state of after-lunch lethargy, all
attention was directed to two charming
Australian girls presenting a display of
their country’s foods and wines. After
giving a talk on two-way trade between
Australia and this country, they conducted
a quiz, the prizes being canned
fruit and meat and bottles of wine from
‘down under.’
All this was part of an original
‘Factory Drive’, carried out in the
industrial areas of the U.K. and
sponsored by the Australian Department
of Trade, with the theme: ‘The
more Britain buys from Australia, the
more Australia can buy from Britain’.
Mr. and Mrs. D. Oliver
H. GRIFFIN
MOTORING MATTERS
TOP speeds and, what may be considered
more important, times taken from point
A to point B seem to be the main topics
of conversation now spring is here. One
learned Jig & Tool Waller has made the
bold assertion that he has done Cinderford
to Bristol in 55 minutes. His car
now rests in the garage-someone ran
into the back of it. Must have been one
of the new E-type Jaguars!
Overheard recently in the White Horse
was the following calypso, composed by
members of the Sales Office:
Car Park Calypso
Mrs. Fangio, she drive all day,
Her little Morris, it bounce and sway.
Now, D. Wed ley, that’s his name,
Has got a Morris just the same.
Low and sleek, just like star.
Not Bob Evans, I mean his car,
While Des Jones polish with all his might –
That Consul is now ‘Omo bright’.
The hooter sounds, the flag goes down,
R.P. drivers haring throug,h the town.
Our Dear Wally, ere so nimble,
Thinks flying far more b … simple.
Bob stands there when danger’s rife,
Directing traffic in fear of his life.
Is our Bob here to stay
Or will he get a Holliday?
And finally, as cars multiply,
More lady drivers come to R.P.I.;
This means, it is plain to see,
We must have a Ladies’ Grand Prix.
ARE YOU
THE Management welcomes
suggestions, for product or method
improvement, which, in the opinion of
the Suggestions Committee, render a
reasonable saving in manufacturing
time. Suggestions not directly affecting
production, but showing potential
savings, administratively or otherwise,
are also welcomed. Generous monetary
awards are made for accepted suggestions
falling in these categories. It is
therefore up to you as individuals to
make full use of this Scheme, and, by
doing so, contribute towards maintaining
the continued efficiency of the
Company.
-Suggestions Committee
Printed by The Victor lames Press Limited,
Coulsdon, Surrey
It’s been rather amusing to see the
staff queueing up outside the main gate
in the morning these days-the reason
being that the Staff Car Park is out of
bounds until the Works fill their Car
Park to capacity, and entrance is not
allowed until this is done. Under this
system, we get the usual ten calls to
move cars in the Works Car Park every
lunchtime-and ‘hard luck’ if you get
caught in an emergency. To case
matters you can usually get a special
pass from the Production Manager, but,
of course, by then the cat has had her
kittens!
While on the subject of cars, we must
record the remarkable beneficence of one
Arthur Thomas (Project Engineer).
Having recently purchased a 1933
Citroen for 50s. from Ken Fox (Product
Design & Development) he has now
presented it to the village of Whitecroft
to be used for local functions-in
particular, for conveying the Lord
Mayor of Whitecroft on the occasion of
his twice-yearly court. Arthur (who, we
understand, is the Mayor’s Chauffeur)
played local benefactor once before in
this manner. The vehicle which he gave
then is now being used as a ‘Staff Car’
(we nervously report Mr. Thomas’
statement that it is rainbow coloured),
while the ‘new’ Citroen has been
elevated to the status of the ‘Lord
Mayor’s Coach’!
A THINKER ?
Cartoon created by Rai Wright. drawn for reproduction
by litter* Cleat (both of Design Drawing
Office).
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