Page 2 CHEM-TEXTS Volume 12, 1978
EDITORIAL
A large portion of this edition of CHEM-TEXTS is devoted to things that are happening here at the plant as a result of making it a “better place to be”. My staff and myself have dedicated ourselves to that objective in 1978.
In addition to some of the physical changes that are occurring, there are many changes being made in the way we manage our business. After reviewing how we were managing and deciding that it was not the way we would like it, we started to change. More of our people are becoming involved with running our business, and we intend that each of our buildings will be run as a separate business. Each of our service departments will be run as a separate business and will be measured in this way. The people running these businesses have been and will be given the authority necessary to make decisions and expenditures as required.
All of our people running the small business units will have both the authority and responsibility for the success of these businesses. I believe that this will make the Naugatuck Plant the most successful in the Chemical Division.
One of our other objectives for 1978 is to make the Naugatuck Plant “The Flagship” of the division. Certainly making it a better place to be and managing our business better will go a long way toward achieving that goal. But to reach it, we also have to strive to make the plant, inside and out, the best of any plant in the division—the cleanest, neatest and best maintained.
By dedicating ourselves to these objectives everyday, I am sure that they will be achieved in 1978.
[Signature: R.J. Meyst]
Named To IR Dept.
[PHOTO: Black and white photograph of J. Robert Douglas]
J. Robert Douglas has been named Manager of Industrial Relations for the Naugatuck Chemical location. In his new position he will be responsible for the Labor and Employee Relations at the Naugatuck Chemical facility which employs over 1100 people.
Prior to his new appointment Douglas held the position of Industrial Relations Manager at the Painesville, Ohio, plant.
He joined Uniroyal Chemical in 1967 as an Industrial Relations Representative at the Joliet Ammunitions plant.
[PHOTO: Black and white photograph of Donald J. Conty]
Donald J. Conty has been appointed Manager of Labor Relations for the Naugatuck Chemical plant.
Conty had been Manager of Industrial Relations for the Uniroyal Industrial Products’ Division plant in Port Clinton, Ohio.
He joined the Industrial Products division of Uniroyal at the Passaic plant in 1956 as a Safety Supervisor. He was later named Manager of Safety and Plant Protection. In 1972 he was promoted to Employee Relations Manager for the Port Clinton, Ohio plant.
Equality Policy Affirmed
The Uniroyal Chemical plant has a firm commitment to offer equal opportunity to all employees. It is the policy of the plant’s management to support and implement this commitment continually.
This policy requires that all recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, and company-sponsored training, education and tuition assistance, as well as social, recreational and health programs and lay-off and recall practices are followed and carried out without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, or handicap of any individual person.
J. Robert Douglas, the Industrial Relations Manager for the Naugatuck plant is the Compliance officer and has the responsibility for implementing this policy; monitoring the Uniroyal Chemical Affirmative Action Compliance Program; and reporting to management the program’s progress.
The responsibility for the improvement of the program and the positive results of it rests with each Manager, Foreman, and Supervisor as an integral part of their job.
Profits And Sales Improve In 1977
For 1977 the Company’s net income was $34.8 million, or $1.13 a share, compared with $20.1 million or $.57 a share in 1976.
Sales for 1977 were $2.6 billion compared with $2.3 billion in 1976.
Strong annual gains were made in U.S. tire sales. Sales and net income from chemicals exceeded all forecasts in 1977.
4th Quarter
In the 4th Quarter, the Company had a foreign exchange loss of $2.5 million, reducing earnings to $57,000, or a loss of four cents a share. This compares with the abnormally high income of $20 million, or $.71 a share after a $.5 million foreign exchange loss in the 4th quarter of 1976.
The 4th Quarter net income was also attributed to declines in sales of footwear, and losses incurred as footwear production was discontinued at the Naugatuck plant.
Tire 4th Quarter Sales Off
Sales in the Tire and Related Products group were $371 million in the fourth quarter of 1977, compared with $380 million in the last quarter of 1976. The relative decline was due to abnormally high orders in 1976.
Chemical, Rubber and Plastic Materials Improve in Quarter
Chemical, Rubber and Plastic Materials sales increased to $83 million in 1977 from the $79 million in the 4th quarter of 1976. The Chemical Division and specialty chemical sales continued to show improvement in this period, as did the pricing of natural rubber.
Scholarship Offered
The Uniroyal Chemical Management Club is again offering a $500 scholarship award. Fifty dollars of the scholarship comes from the Larry Monroe Fund.
The scholarship is available to a graduating high school student who plans a college education. To qualify, one of the student’s parents must have worked for Uniroyal Chemical at Naugatuck or Bethany for two years or more
(continued on page 4)
21,000 Barrels of Oil Saved
A total of 148,000 barrels of #6 oil was budgeted to operate the plant during 1977 but through an extensive program of energy conservation, only 127,000 barrels were used, resulting in a savings of 21,000 barrels at an average price of $14.70/barrel for the year.
Recovered nonenes from Bldgs. 109, 89, 94, and 100—previously wasted—were blended into a fuel in the Boiler Plant and accounted for 5000 of the 21,000 barrels in the above savings.
Major Problem Areas
During the year the Steam Conservation Committee concentrated on three major problems: 1.) Steam Traps: the repairs on the traps was done by Pipers Francis Clark and Michael Csepes.
2.) Insulation: four Chemical Maintenance Insulators — Richard Tucker, John Lengyel, Domingos DaSilva, and William Scott replaced defective insulation.
3.) Steam Jet Maintenance and operation: work on the steam jets was done in the Chemical and Synthetic Pilot Plants, Bldgs. 109, 100, 79 and the Pollution Abatement Laboratory under the direction of John Gilbert, William Broden, and Roderick Ashby.
Committee Members
The Steam Conservation Committee consists of George Arndt,
Chairman; John Gilbert, Secretary, Robert Breton, William Broden, John Painter, and Joseph Mambrino.
The goal of the Committee is to reduce the cost and use of steam throughout the buildings of the plant. A program for 1978 has been planned with even greater savings anticipated.
[FORM HEADER:]
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL
Division of UNIROYAL Inc.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT___
LOCATION__
PAGE_
JOB NO._
DATE_
BY_
[GRAPH: Line graph showing cumulative #6 oil barrels x 1000 from months J through D, with two lines labeled “BUDGET” (solid) and “ACTUAL” (dashed), ranging from approximately 10 to 150 on the y-axis]