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Westclox History from 1970 to January 19761970Corporate (In Office)G. E. Hirt - General Time President John Serafini - Will succeed Mr. Whitehead as General Manager of Precision Products & Parts Division (st. 1950) Westclox (already in office)G. Smith - Division Mgr. of Manufacturing Quarter Century Club - 53 years (Meeting held Dec. 5, 1970)Walter Kolodziej - Club President 50 years service Henry Anke (Traffic & Shipping) (st. 1920) Charles Keenan - oldest living member of Club - 92 years old - attended the meeting. 91 - Honored for 35 years of service (Largest group to be honored for 35 years.) 65 - Honored for 25 years of service. Total Membership - 1,015 (42% of all employed at Westclox) (1,015 Active members - 486 Associate members) Approximately 1,908 individuals have been honored by the Club since 1918. Elected - John Heitman Club President 1971 MiscellaneousUnited FundC. Pellegrini, Chairman - 79.9% employee participation. 51 departments 100% - total $21,724 - employees contribution; $12,000 General Time Foundation donation. Management Club - OfficersR. Kalman (Purchasing) President Westclox Donates LP (LaSalle - Peru) ScoreboardParking LotWest end of Plant - holds 75 cars (new) Westclox Launches Two Anti-Pollution ProgramsLacquer and PlatingNow one department General Time - Conducts Research, Engineering, and Automation Meetingheld at Starved Rock June 22, 23, 24 Westclox Awarded Two Army Fuze Contracts - $9,461,000Twenty-Seven Employees Complete First Aid Courseconducted by Plant Nurse - Madge Schmitt Electric Cart Replaces Bicycle for all Mail Delivery in PlantForm New PlantHeavy Machining Civil Rights ActGuaranteed women equal employment opportunities. Women encouraged to bid on job openings. New Pension PlanAssures pension for district 50 employees VacationJuly 19 through August 2 PromotionsWarren Hammerich - Foreman Final Assembly - now also Foreman Final Assembly
Fuze (st. Westclox 1941) RetireesH. B. Whitehead - Senior V.P. G. T. Corp.Joined General Time as Director of Manufacturing - 1953 M. E. Schlenker - Retired April 30, 1970 (almost 46 years service)1967 - International Division of General Time (Assigned to)
Activities (Employee participation)Basketball Quarter Century Banquet - 53rd Annual - 12/5/70Talley Industries(Part of speech by G.T. Executive V.P. A. Stamatakas) Talley Industries was formed in February 1960 by Mr. Talley and Mr. Hirt. The basic product of Talley was military aircraft emergency escape equipment such as the ballistic rocket catapult which was the first safe low altitude-ejection seat rocket developed for the military. Mr.. Hirt is the patent holder of this unit and other similar items. Talley was actually a two-man company in 1960. . The business grew rapidly during the early 1960's, and in 1967 a major expansion program by acquisition was initiated. In ten years, Talley Industries has grown from sales of zero to $300 million in 1970. Talley Company management took office (over General time Corporation) in 1968. Mr. G. H. Smith - Division Manager of Manufacturing (at banquet)Military business has been cut drastically - in 1970 billings 19.5 million dollars - a reduction of nine million dollars. Spring-driven Clocks and watches slightly better than 1969 - 1969 sales 29.8 million dollars, an increase 1.5 million dollars . . . (LaSalle Plant only). Quartz Clock units on test keeping time within one second. Installed Prenco Burning Unit which will take care of our Water pollution problems - will be in operation 1/71 Air Pollution problem is still being worked on. Employment level - lowest it has been in years - salaried, as well as production workers. Economy now showing some signs of recovery. 1971 - Increasing advertising budget by 10%, and on spring
clocks it is being increased 100% . . . . plus adding sweep seconds hands
to out Bens should increase our spring clock sales. Completed tooling for a humidistat control for home humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Finished tooling a spring-driven timer for gas stoves, outdoor gas broilers and for sprinklers. Intend to increase our Wrist Watch sales 30% - tooling to make several different models of men's cases here - intend to produce 1/3 to 1/2 our requirements. March 1971 - mold and finish all our wrist watch boxes. 1975Westclox Lasalle Plant
Westclox LaSalle Plant Staff
MiscellaneousGeneral TimePurchased plant at Franklin Springs, GA - to make room for transfer of NEW TRAVEL CLK AND DAY/DATE MOVEMENTS (Springwound) ----- developed at LaSalle - Movement will go into all travel clocks and also small boutique clocks. BABY BEN will use the new Day/Date Movement. The 17 jewel wrist watches will also be transferred to LaSalle to this new facility for production. (2/75 - 100 models of the 17 J W. Watches were transferred - Engineering is still being done in LaSalle. QUARTZMATIC MOVEMENT - developed and in production at LaSalle for desk and wall clocks - transferred to Athens. NEW FACILITY at Davenport, Iowa - for the assembly of wrist watches - Quartzmatic Analog and L.E.D. transferred from LaSalle. 1976Units Sold - Production 1975 to January 1976
Athens Production
MiscellaneousSpringwound timers (LaSalle) - (1976 - to be transferred to Eastern Time Ltd.) Weather Instruments (trans. from LaSalle to Gadsden plant) Smoke Signals Production on above - 140,406
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