International Harvester

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER '"^"'^'^<^,^,_ A Winter Poem BY KARL C. BRANDNER VOL. 37 NO. 19 AT EVANSVILLE DNION STATION AT LOUISVILLE WORKS The branch managers come in to review progress and plans They visit the new factories and new school, and see advance models of new products EARLY IN FEBRUARY 1944—the year day was spent at Melrose Park Works, that was to prove the greatest in the near Chicago, where a tour of the plant, Harvester Company's production of war meetings, luncheon, and attendance at materiel — the management personnel exhibits of the plant's products preceded from all the Company's sales branches the "Harvester Plans for the Future" were called in to Chicago for a week to official dinner in the evening at the Drake see at first hand some of the wartime Hotel, Chicago. Wednesday night the production, and to hear of the Com delegation boarded two special trains for pany's plans for the postwar period, in Evansville, Indiana, where they were the sofar as those plans could be made in the guests of the Evansville Works through midst of war. They also saw some of the out Thursday and Thursday evening. engineering developments for postwar. Thursday night the two trains took the A sequel to that conference, and management group directly to the doors complementing it, was the Branch Man of the Louisville Works, Louisville, Ken agement Conference during the week of tucky, for a day and evening as guests of last October 6, held in Chicago and at that plant. Friday's events concluded three of the Company's new operations— the week's program, with the managers Melrose Park Works, Evansville Works, and others either departing for their and Louisville Works. The conference homes from Louisville or returning to was attended by managers and assistant Chicago on the special trains en route to managers from all of the Company's 117 their home cities. AT CHICAGO DEARBORN STREET STATION sales branches in the United States. Also But, however similar the schedules of attending were representatives of the the two conferences, there was a distinct General Offices, Chicago, including difference in their content and perspective, foreign operations, and representatives and there was the difference also in that of the General Offices, International all the tours of the recent conference were Harvester Company of Canada, Ltd., at new Company operations—new prop Hamilton, Ontario. erties representative of the Company s At the February 1944^meeting the more growth that had taken place since the than 300 management visitors were 1944 meeting. divided into two groups for their meet ings and tours of plants. Each group spent two days at the Stevens Hotel, IN THE 32-MONTH interim the Com where they saw exhibits of new Harvester pany had achieved much, and had done products, mostly in the engineering stage; so despite a disturbed national economy, one day at Fort Wayne Works, where material shortages, and labor disputes they made a tour of the plant to see the and strikes, which had seriously cur IT WAS RAINING HAKD whcn this bus aod eight others manufacture of war products and motor tailed production. Yet, during the war like it started from Louisville Works at 4 p.m. to take truck tests on the proving grounds; one the Company had gone on to produce the managers to the Kentucky Hotel in downtown day at Tractor Works for a tour of that more than a billion dollars' worth of war Louisville for a few hours of test, then dinner and ^lant, and one day at the General Offices. materiel, and after the war reconversion entertainment. The schedule was somewhat similar for had been pushed through in a remarkably this year's conference. Most of the first short time, and so had a major share of two days were spent in meetings at the the Company's expansion program. Palmer House, Chicago, with a tour of the Some of the new plants were already new Central School for Sales Personnel in in production, and otners soon would be. cluded on the Monday program. Wednes New products for new markets were BRANCH MANAGERS REVIEW PROGRESS AND PLANS research department, salary administra tion depanment, and an education and training department. "Not many more changes are con templated," he said. "Our job now is to make these organizations work, and it is a job that rests on the shoulders of each of us." Mr. McCormick frankly brought to the managers' attention what he termed "the three most important problems facing the Company: the labor situation, the materials situation, and the foreign situation." These were all hazards, he said, and not to be considered lightly. "By the foreign situation," he said, "I mean both the political and economic aspects. All of you know as well as I do the troubled conditions of the world, as far as international affairs are con cerned. Anything could happen, maybe now, or maybe five or ten years from now. It certainly is a question mark. Toward the close of his address EARLY MONDAY MORNING at thc fitst scssiou of the Week, Fowler McCormick, chairman of the Board of Mr. McCormick spoke to the managers Directors, welcomed the managers and presented an outline of the Company's expansion, modernization, as "salesmen" — as salesmen not only and organizational program—that already accomplished, and that to come. At Mr. McCormick's right: of thc Company's products, but of the A. J. Peterson, sales manager, general line sales department. At his left: W. K. Perkins, manager of sales, Company itself, and as salesmen, too, motor truck division, and A. C. Scyfarth, director of education. of the system of private enterprise itself "under which we have lived and under which we want to continue to live." Mr. McCormick illustrated that point by saying that "there was a time, not too many years ago, when all of us in being produced, and the coming year transformation had begun in the summer the sales end of the business thought would bring others. The employe educa of 1943 when the new consumer relations we had just one thing to sell, and that tion and training program was a going department was established, and that the was the product of the Company." factor, with plans for its further expan next step had been taken a few months In those days, he said, a disgruntled sion. The new divisional organization later "when the supply and inventory customer was likely to condemn only the had been rounded out for greater operat organization was set up with its three product. Then came a time when the ing efficiency and continued growth. departments of distribution, materials customer condemned both the product Given a reasonably stable national and control, and estimate and order review." world economy, the rest of the Com pany's new goals would be taken in stride. Much of the progress and planning MELROSE PARK WORKS that had taken place since the first con ference was reviewed in the welcoming address by Fowler McCormick, chairman of the Board of Directors, at the first session of the week on Monday morning. Mr. McCormick, as the first speaker of the conference, was introduced by A. J. Peterson, sales manager, general line sales department, who was in charge of the conference and who presided at the Monday sessions and at a number of others during the week. "Mr. McCormick," said Mr. Peterson to the branch men, "is known to most of I HE DIVISIONAL organization of the you personally, and we of the General Company, he recalled, began to take Offices' staff reel there is no individual form in January 1944 when the motor in our Company who gives more time and truck division was established. That effort to Harvester's interests. He is an same year saw the six other divisions set inspiration to those of us who are priv up, as was also the new general line sales ileged to work a bit more closely with organization. "This was followed," he him than you men of the field." said, "by grouping the merchandising Mr. McCormick, in his address, re services under Mr. Jenks; by creating the called the February 1944 conference and new foreign operations organization to "THE BALL IS GOING TO ROLL around again, and it said that at that meeting he had outlined have complete control of all foreign will be on the alley of the sales department," the postwar plans under three main business; by making the Canadian Com President John L. McCaffrey told the branch headings: engineering, new plants and pany a self-contained unit; by increasing managers at the "Harvester Plans for the Future" equipment, and changes in organization. and clarifying the responsibilities of official dinner. "But I know this group," he added, With regard to the organizational branch managers and works managers; "and I know you can do anything we ask you to changes, he reminded the group that the and by establishing a manufacturing do." I^^^Hr ' «i?*«-^ Itt: ! SPEAKERS' TABLE St "Harvester Plans for the Future" official dinner. Back row, Front row, left to right: left to right: W. K. Perkins, manager of sales, motor track division , ^ T. B. Hale, vice president, general line sales A. J. Peterson, sales manager, general line sales department G. C. Hoyt, vice president, foreign operations W. C. Schumacher, general manager, motor truck division Karl O. Schreiber, vice president, manufacturing John Morrow, Jr., vice president, purchasing and traffic Neil Loynachan, general manager, fiber and twine division W. S. Elliott, senior consultant Sanford B. White, secretary W.

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