Winnipeg manufactures drives<strong>and</strong> develops test equipmentby Grant Nelin, personnel manager,<strong>and</strong> Eric Nernberg, human resourcesmanagerResponsibility for the direction of theWinnipeg plant officially transferred fromBurroughs to <strong>Memorex</strong> in March 1982.The Winnipeg plant originally commencedoperations in April 1975 in aleased building at the Winnipeg airport.The plant was functionally part of thePeripheral Products Group <strong>and</strong> wasassigned the responsibility of designing<strong>and</strong> manufacturing computer discmemories. A new facility of 106,000square feet, located on a 19-acre site inthe suburb of Southdale, was occupied inOctober 1976. Although functionally apart of <strong>Memorex</strong>, the Winnipeg facilityremains in the Corporate structure as partof Burroughs Inc., the Canadiansubsidiary of Burroughs Corporation.Two disc drive products have beenmanufactured in the Winnipeg plant. Thefirst was a 206 removable media drivewhich has now been phased out ofproduction. The second is the 207 fixedmedia drive, currently in production.Committee focuseson safety issuesWestlake is keeping a sharp eye onsafety, according to Russ Severn, humanresources representative <strong>and</strong> chairmanof the Westlake Safety Committee. TheCommittee comprises representativesfrom manufacturing, quality, engineering,human resources, <strong>and</strong> the OpticalMemory Program.Some of the <strong>major</strong> problems they'recontending with are back problems fromimproper lifting, injuries from on-the-jobaccidents, <strong>and</strong> chemical h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>and</strong>disposal.By increasing the awareness of allemployees about the importance ofsafety, the Committee has reduced <strong>and</strong>,in some cases, eliminated thoseproblems. As part of their program, theCommittee is educating supervisorsabout safety issues who, in turn, areexpected to educate their employeesabout safety issues.Another aspect of the program is aseminar called "Backs <strong>and</strong> Bucks"presented by the Wausau InsuranceCompany. The seminar addresses backproblems which, according to Wausua,costs companies a lot of money ininsurance premiums <strong>and</strong> medical costs.The third part of the safety awarenessprogram at Westlake is evacuation drillswhich are held approximately once everysix months. Employees are assigned a"buddy" whom they must locate afterthey've left the building in an emergency.If the "buddy" cannot be located, theemployee is instructed to report themissing person to the proper authorities.In that way, all employees can beaccounted for within minutes after theemergency evacuation.The Committee also conducts "safetywalks" throughout the Westlake facility(which is over 400,000 square feet) on aquarterly basis wherein they identify anysafety problems. Those problems areassigned to a member of the Committeewhose responsibility it is to find a properresolution. Severn reports that injuriesare now at an all-time low in the Westlakeplant.The 207 operates with 6500 bits perinch of recorded track <strong>and</strong> over 700tracks to the inch. Each cabinet manufacturedcontains eight discs to give acapacity of 3200 million bits ofinformation. The 207 was designed by theWinnipeg engineering group <strong>and</strong>, in 1980,won the Province of Manitoba's Award forDesign Excellence. The plant alsocurrently produces the Disk DriveElectronic Controller B1955. This is an inbuiltcontroller for the Burroughs B1900medium-sized computer.The Winnipeg plant currently employsabout 360 people with a 49-person strongengineering group. With the transfer to<strong>Memorex</strong>, the plant is now part of theStorage Equipment Manufacturing <strong>and</strong>Development <strong>org</strong>anization of <strong>Memorex</strong>.General manager Ed Trost reportsdirectly to Bill Krehbiel, vice president ofoff-site operations for SEM & D. Newareas of involvement for the engineeringgroup are development of specialized testequipment for the 3680 program <strong>and</strong>product support of small discengineering.Westlakecontinued from page 1manufacturing operation, it also boastsspecialized talents in plated discfabrication <strong>and</strong> flying head technology.Engineering design expertiseencompasses several fields includingelectrical <strong>and</strong> mechanical engineering,physics, chemistry <strong>and</strong> computerscience. The three product engineeringgroups are concentrating on plated mediatechnology, tape engineering, <strong>and</strong> discengineering.In addition to all this activity, theWestlake facility rents space to four otherBurroughs' <strong>org</strong>anizations including:Technical Information Organization (TIO),Optical Memory Program, CorporateIndustrial Design, <strong>and</strong> Disk Media, Inc.(DMI).TIO is an essential link betweenWestlake's engineering/manufacturing<strong>and</strong> Burroughs' marketing. They provideassistance to customers of all Westlake'sproducts by maintaining a close workingrelationship with engineering,manufacturing, <strong>and</strong> product assurance.Optical Memory is dedicated to thedesign <strong>and</strong> development of a largecapacity, fast access, compact, <strong>and</strong>stable computer system by means oflaser devices. The success of thisprogram represents a tremendousadvancement in the state of the art.Corporate Industrial Design services15 plants, concentrating on thevisualization <strong>and</strong> design of products.Their main concern is the externalappearance <strong>and</strong> human-factor features ofthe equipment produced, having alreadydesigned the <strong>Memorex</strong> 659 to resembleBurroughs' products. They will continueto work with additional <strong>Memorex</strong> productsas they are produced.Disk Media, Inc. is a joint venturecompany between <strong>Memorex</strong> <strong>and</strong> ControlData Corporation which intends to beginengineering media <strong>and</strong> buildingprototypes beginning late 1982 atWestlake.All these activities are essential to theBurroughs/<strong>Memorex</strong> future, whichpromises to be exciting, prosperous, <strong>and</strong>innovative.Grant Nelin at bat during ah employee'ssoftball game.The Winnipeg management team is shown above, left to right: Steve Roth, managementsystems manager; Greg Melnyk, manufacturing operations manager; Eric Nernberg,human resources manager; Dick Dilawri, controller; Ed Trost, general manager; <strong>and</strong> ChrisGreaves, product assurance manager. Not shown is Dan Card, product engineeringmanager.Nernberg assists unemployedin labor training programThe Winnepeg Core Area Labour TrainingProgram is an employment preparationproject whose long-term goal is tointegrate unemployed by employablecore area (meaning downtown area ofWinnipeg) residents into the labor forceby teaching them specific metal-workingskills in a work environment. The skillswill allow persons to compete in the labormarket for basic entry-level positions.One of the anticipated results of theprogram is that it will aid the economy ofthe area because those people will get offsocial assistance <strong>and</strong> become incomeearning,tax-paying citizens.The Program was established based onthe recommendation of a commissionappointed by the Winnipeg Chamber ofCommerce to study the situation ofunemployed core area residents. On thatrecommendation, the Chamber ofCommerce formed the Program Board inApril 1980 to implement the project. EricNernberg, human resources manager inthe Winnipeg plant, was named Chairmanof that Board.Nernberg joined the company inOctober of last year. Prior to that, he waswith Versatile Corporation, RaytheonCanada, Marsl<strong>and</strong> Engineering, <strong>and</strong>Canadian General Electric—all in humanresources positions. Nernberg holds a BAin psychology <strong>and</strong>, along with all his otheractivities, is working toward his MBA fromthe University of Manitoba.The Board's m<strong>and</strong>ate was to begin thedevelopment of an industrial trainingprogram which would teach basicindustrial skills to currently unemployedpersons who could then be employed inReuter <strong>and</strong> Harancelebrate 35 yearswith BurroughsWestlake employees Arnold Reuter <strong>and</strong>Frederick Haran were recently honored ata Burroughs Service Award luncheon for35 years of service to the Company.Reuter, a native of Detroit, began hiscareer with Burroughs as an accountingclerk in 1947. Following several accountingassignments, he was appointedsupervisor of defense costing at thePlymouth, Michigan plant. He subsequentlyheld positions as senior financialanalyst, manager of manufacturingaccounting, <strong>and</strong> controller for theWestlake plant.Haran, a native of Irel<strong>and</strong>, started withControl Instrument Company in 1947.That company became a subsidiary ofBurroughs in 1950. His first position wasprototype assembler <strong>and</strong> machinist afterwhich he became assistant foreman ofthe model shop in 1951. In 1955, Harantransferred to the Electro-Data Division aslogistics supervisor for field engineering.He subsequently held positions asspecial product supervisor, supervisorof engineering technicians R&D <strong>and</strong>product support, then transferred toWestlake in 1970 as production supervisor.During his 12 years at Westlake,Haran has worked with all disc <strong>and</strong> tapeproducts in production.local <strong>industry</strong>. The Board determined thatthe initial area for training should be metalwork since there was a constant shortageof metal workers in <strong>industry</strong>, salarieswere fairly high, <strong>and</strong> the basic skills couldbe taught in a relatively short time.C<strong>and</strong>idates are expected to be "ready,willing, <strong>and</strong> able," according to Nernberg,<strong>and</strong> must meet the following criteria: theymust be functionally literate, must besincerely interested in finding long-termemployment, must have <strong>major</strong> socialproblems under control, <strong>and</strong> must havethe potential to benefit from the program.The program is supported by grantsfrom federal government agencies. TheBoard itself has representatives fromlocal businesses, social agencies, legalfirms, <strong>and</strong> accounting firms. Any resultsare yet to be seen or measured as the firsttrainees started classes in September ofthis year <strong>and</strong> none have graduated yet.Nernberg <strong>and</strong> the Board have greathopes for the success of the program.Product engineeringhas tough assignmentThe purpose of the product engineeringdepartment at the Winnipeg plant is todesign new products <strong>and</strong> to solve designproblems with current products,according to mechanical engineeringmanager Alan Davenport.A potential new product now in testingat Santa Clara by Winnipeg personnel, isthe DMA 5/5, a very advanced hightechnology5 1 A-inch Winchester discdrive. This unique drive has a capacity of10 megabytes of storage, with 5megabytes fixed <strong>and</strong> the other 5megabytes in a removable cartridge.<strong>Memorex</strong> has obtained licenseagreements to manufacture <strong>and</strong> marketthe drive from DMA Systems Corporationin Santa Barbara, CA. <strong>Memorex</strong> plans tomarket the drives worldwide, except inJapan <strong>and</strong> certain Far East countries,according to the contract signed byrepresentatives from both companies.The agreements provide for productpurchase by <strong>Memorex</strong> <strong>and</strong> a license for<strong>Memorex</strong> to use DMA Systems'technology to manufacture the drive.The product engineering group inWinnipeg is currently testing the DMAproduct, which represents, "really firstclass, high-technology steps forward,"according to Davenport."Compared to a flexible disc," he adds,"this product lasts longer, has lessdegradation, <strong>and</strong> more reliability. In short,it's a large-scale storage device inminiature."The Westlake plant has shipped the firstfour units of 677-33 disc drives, "clearlydemonstrating <strong>Memorex</strong>'s Westlakeability to perform as scheduled,"according to Andy Leon, 677-33 programmanager.He added, "To learn, assemble, test,quality assure, <strong>and</strong> sort out documentationfor shipment in six weeks is anachievement. I want to thank you <strong>and</strong> the677-33 team members for your support<strong>and</strong> dedication."
Hodgman identifies purposeof Westlake Village plantThe purpose <strong>and</strong> objectives of theWestlake plant are designed "to ensurethe success of the plant in terms ofstability <strong>and</strong> job satisfaction by providingexcellent, best quality products <strong>and</strong>engineering that meets the needs of ourcustomers <strong>and</strong> by being an invaluablecomplement to Santa Clara manufacturing<strong>and</strong> engineering," accordingto Gary Hodgman, general manager of theWestlake plant.The Plant Purpose comprises fouraspects:• Teamwork, wherein employeesworking as a team do all that isnecessary to make the plantsuccessful. That includes the free flowof relevant, honest communicationbetween all levels <strong>and</strong> based onresponsive management, <strong>and</strong> bycareer <strong>and</strong> work-related personaldevelopment of all individuals inharmony with the plant's goals <strong>and</strong>purposes.• Working toward measurable goals thatlead to the accomplishment of the PlantPurpose. That includes thoroughinvestigation of all aspects of a project,preparing plans <strong>and</strong> critical pathanalyses, executing those plans then,subsequently, measuring, tracking, <strong>and</strong>reviewing the results to ensure thatgoals are met.• Being the best in quality in all that isdone by continuously reviewing goals<strong>and</strong> plans, implementing changeswhen needed, <strong>and</strong> conforming to allofficially implemented procedures <strong>and</strong>specifications.• Maintaining first-h<strong>and</strong> knowledge ofcustomers <strong>and</strong> their needs,competitors <strong>and</strong> their products, <strong>and</strong>latest developments <strong>and</strong> trends in the<strong>industry</strong>.Hodgman contends that in orderto make the plant successful in termsof stability <strong>and</strong> job satisfaction, allemployees must concentrate onexcellence <strong>and</strong> quality in every task. Hebelieves that the mental attitude of each<strong>and</strong> every employee is directly reflectedin the success of the entire operation."The essence," says Hodgman, "is eachperson's attitude."Communication is a key to changingthe attitudes of employees. To that end,Hodgman plans to ensure that policies,procedures, <strong>and</strong> specifications aredocumented, understood, <strong>and</strong> agreedupon. In addition to that, he meets dailywith all his direct reports to communicateessential information both ways. Thosedirect reports are expected tocommunicate that information to theirreports, <strong>and</strong> so on throughout the plant.Committments to excellence <strong>and</strong>highest quality work are being acquiredfrom the top down. Hodgman feels thatwhen management has made thosecommittments, the rest of the employeeswill follow suit. He says, "I want them toknow that it is basic to their survival, mysurvival, <strong>and</strong> the survival of the plant."Bob Hazel, advanced techniques manager at Westlake, tests a read/write board in anoptical memory.Burroughs <strong>and</strong> <strong>Memorex</strong> havedetermined that a market exists for alarge capacity, fast access, compact, <strong>and</strong>stable storage system to meet the needsof those customers.The 14" disc is made of aluminum witha proprietary coating <strong>and</strong> is similar to thelaser video disc systems currently on themarket. A laser beam is used to meltsmall holes in the coating, creating areflective spot. Where holes are notburned on the surface, it remainsnonreflective.When the area is read by the sensor,the areas of high <strong>and</strong> low reflectance areread as either O's or 1 's, representingpieces of data.The holes are approximately 30Roberto Custodio, Westlake material h<strong>and</strong>ler, assembles a capstan motor.microinches in diameter (about amillionth of an inch) which provides theopportunity to store 2000 megabytes perdisc with a transfer rate of 1.5 megabytesper second. In short, that's very largecapacity.The media is not affected by magneticfields, temperature, or humidity, since it isjust a coated disc with a series of holes<strong>and</strong> spaces.The optical media has a continuoushole-free surface when it is manufactured.The customer burns the holes ontothe surface to represent the data beingstored, which is permanent, similar to arecord album that can be played over <strong>and</strong>over again, but on which no new musiccan be recorded.Burroughs anticipates productannouncements for the system sometimein 1983, according to Ed LaBudde,Inspecting circuit boards at Westlake are, left to right: Reba Collins, Myrna Lundsford, general <strong>and</strong> manager of the Optical MemoryIrene Jones.Development Program at Westlake.Winnipeg celebrates productionof 10,000th 207 Data Module"For their dedication <strong>and</strong> effort,"employees of the Winnipeg plant wererecently honored for producing the10,000th 207 Data Module. All employeeswere summoned to the lawn outside theplant where Ed Trost, general manager,presented the employees with a plaque<strong>and</strong> thanked them for their accomplishment,considered "a milestone for theWinnipeg plant."Special recognition was given to theemployees of the Module Room for theirsignificant contribution to the effort.Accepting the plaque for employees wereLasers burn holesin optical mediaMany storage media customers require alarge capacity, long-term storage system.For example, banks <strong>and</strong> many otherbusinesses must keep all accountrecords for seven years to comply withIRS regulations. This requirement isusually met by storing data on magnetictape or magnetic rigid discs.However, there are a number ofdrawbacks in storing data for such a longtime on magnetic media. The media mustbe stored in a temperature <strong>and</strong> humiditycontrolled environment which is shieldedfrom magnetic fields. Also, data retrievalcan be a slow process with computertapes. The tapes themselves can bebulky <strong>and</strong> multiple back-up tapes mustbe kept to reduce the chance of errors ordata loss due to environmental factors.Ge<strong>org</strong>e Bruce <strong>and</strong> J.R. MacPherson,Module Room production supervisors.Trost informed employees that theirwork on that module represented morethan 500,000 hours of labor. Followingthat, Trost was presented with aBurroughs' baseball hat by the presidentof the Employee's Social Club, Ge<strong>org</strong>eBruce.•IffIGe<strong>org</strong>e Bruce, production supervisor <strong>and</strong>president of the Winnipeg Employee'sSocial Club."Curling Bon Spiel"tops social eventsThe Employee's Social Club at Winnipegis "a tool to bring the different groupstogether, enhance communication, <strong>and</strong>build better morale," according to Clubpresident Ge<strong>org</strong>e Bruce. Formed twoyears ago, the Club sponsors a widevariety of activities for employeesincluding: golf tournaments, baseballtournaments, the Christmas dinner/dance, basketball teams, <strong>and</strong> the annualCompany picnic.The most popular event sponsored bythe Club is the "Annual Curling BonSpiel," a Scottish sports event similar toshuffleboard, but played on ice. The"curling rock" is slid along the ice whichhas been sprayed with water to make thesurface pebbly. This event is attended bymore employees than any other socialevent <strong>and</strong> over half of the participants areawarded prizes for playing.The Club also sends cards to illemployees, sells Burroughs' baseballhats <strong>and</strong>, once a quarter, holds a raffleincluding all member's names for theprize of a $25 gift certificate.As a gift to employees, the Companyrecently assisted the Social Club ininstalling a baseball diamond onCompany property right behind the plant.Participation in the co-ed baseball gameshas increased considerably since then.Plans are to continue to upgrade theplaying field as funds are available,possibly with benches for spectators <strong>and</strong>lights to allow teams to play after dark.The Club is supported by membershipfees from the current 127 members <strong>and</strong>from fund-raising events put on throughoutthe year. Voluntary membershipentitles members to discounts at all Clubsponsoredactivities <strong>and</strong> an opportunityto serve on the Board or as an arearepresentative. The Board comprises:Ge<strong>org</strong>e Bruce, president; Joan MacRae,secretary; Bob Chapman, treasurer;Gwen Stone, vice president; <strong>and</strong> DonaldMacAulay, membership chairman. Arearepresentatives are: Nelda Francisco,Verla Pearson, Rick Selby, TrentWestwood, <strong>and</strong> Jeff Bowers.
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