May • 1957 TIMELY

M LY ... may • 1957 TIMELY Published for the Employees of the Hamilton Watch Co., Lancaster, Pa., by th e Public Relations Department Editor In This Issue Jeanne Thompson* Associate Editors Eugene P. Barber Manufacturing Divisioll THE AUTO CLOCK IN OUR FUTURE Blake V. Dulaney Why did Hamilton enter this competitive Administration Sales market and what are some of the problems Robert C. Frey Manufacturing Division met with to date? Read this article illus· Vic Friciino-er trated by photographs taken on the auto A llid P~'oducl s clock assembly line. Arthur Hammel PAGE 4-7 Research Division Robert V. Hartman Engineering Division Arlene Hershey Public Relations WHAT GOES ON WHEN THE SUN Edward 1. Jones GOES DOWN The night janitors of the Advertising Maintenance Depaltment perform a mulLi Albert J. Kleiner Manufacturing Divisioll tude of jobs often taken for granted by Bettye Miller day-time employees. Meet some of the Merchandising men who e duties begin after 6 p.m. Harold H. Quickel PAGE 8-11 Engineering Division Chris Steckervetz Clock Division Joe Marianowits Hathaway I'VE GOT A QUESTION This regular feature of Timely Topics is now one year and one month old. It is Reporters hoped you like it enough to want it con Donald Bly Rose Martin Wally Bork Charles McCarney tinued. Maybe this issue's questions will Sally Bushong Ray Musser bring to your mind a question or rumor Max Caldwell John Nies Ray Ellis Anna Parks and,.if 0, be sure to send it to us. Ed Fechter Frank Remley Ira Fickes Art Schneider PAGE 21 Frank Fisher John Scott John Fry ErIa Shaffer Dolly Getcy Laura Snavely Dan Graybill Doris Souser ON OUR COVER: It's that season again .. and Hamilton's Joe Grubb Joe Staab Marilyn Kuntz Mike Troop Midget-Midget leaguers Bobby Ulmer (at bat) and Bobby Helen Kupp Belly Watson Leonard prime for their '57 competition. Bobby Ulmer, 10, lra Mann Helen Witmer Loretta Martin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ulmer of 474 Fremont St., both Hamiltonians. Mr. Ulmer is employed in the Automatic Dept. and Mrs. Ulmer in Service. Catcher Bobby Leonard, 11, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leonard of R. D. 6. Mr. Leonard is employed in Clock Parts Manufacturing. • Member American Association Industrial Editors Recently our company announced a change in factory organization designed to create a more autonomous product line management. What does this mean? Mainly, it is but another step in Hamilton's announced plan to change from a one· product to a multi-product company. In other words- the diversification we have so often talked about in Timely Topics. Second, and perhaps more important, the new factory organization is designed to give many people at Hamilton more direct responsibility. It is a well known fact that most people when given an opportunity and the authority to prove their ability, better perform and assist the company in an area which affects us all- greater profits. Another important part of the reorganization IS that it presents an oppor tunity for our company to train personnel at all levels of operations for bigger jobs and responsibilities when our numerous products and services grow even larger, as they undoubtedly will. Watches, of course, are still Hamilton's major product. As we have stated before the main purpose for going into other product lines is to protect the future employment of all employees and to insure an adequate profit for shareholders. This cannot be done with assurance in our modern competitive society when we are completely dependent on one product, whether it be watches or anything else. THE NEW CLOCK DIVISION STAFF meets with Lowell F. Halligan (right), vice president. Left to right are: Maurice C. Shearer, Foreman, Manufacturing Section; Eugene P . Barber, Prod uction Manager; Roland P. Bitzer, General Foreman, East Petersburg plant; Victor P. Fridinger, Supe.rvisor, Production Control Section; Will iam A. Dinges, Manufacturing Engineer; and Kenneth 1. Trees, Manufacturing Inspector. THE AUTO CLOCK IN OUR FUTURE What justifies Hamilton's entrance into this highly competitive market? AMILTON has specialized for more than two gen ton had become the low-cost high-quality producer of H erations in the manufacture of the highest quality many of these necessary items. jewelled watches of great precision and, therefore, in rela tively high price brackets. Last year the Company made It was on ly natural then for the Company's manage its bid for a place in the automobile electric clock field. ment to look around to see just where we could continue to compete in this market for low cost timing mechanisms. The automobile field generally is known, and rightly so, as a highly competitive market, and the automobile The opportunity was presented in 1956, when a conver clock industry is one in which pennies count in the sation between Hamilton's president, Arthur B. Sinkler, scramble for business. It would appear to be a most and Tom Gibbs, president of The Gibbs Manufacturing logical question to ask why a precision manufacturer and Research Corporation of Janesville, Wis., turned to such as the Hamilton Watch Company could compete auto clocks. Mr. Gibbs' designers had developed an successfully in such a market. There is a sound answer. electrically wound automobile clock which incorporated design improvements covered by patents owned by the During the Korean emergency Hamilton became a Gibbs firm. Prototypes of the Gibbs electric clock manufacturer of fuzes for the Army and Javy, along movement were examined by our design engineers and with a group of American firms which included inex were pronounced excellent. pensive clock and watch manufacturers, camera manu facturers and the like. Through this we found that Hamil- The Gibbs Corporation had made some initial contacts 4 In the automobile industry which indicated that clock on cars during the model year of 1958. Despite this business was to be had, so the next step was a contractual timing, we were able to secure a contract from one arrangement between Hamilton and Gibbs, under which division of a large automobile corporation as one of the Hamilton purchased the Gibbs patents. suppliers for one of their 1957 model line. At this point Gibbs leaves the picture and Harpilton We have again obtained a contract from this same moves in. In dealing with a new, would·be supplier of corporation for 1958 cars, and our new contract has an item such as auto clocks, the procedures among all increased Hamilton's share of the automobile division's of the Detroit automobile manufacturers follow the same total clock requirements as compared to our share for pattern. Samples of the new item must be submitted to the 1957 models. Unfortunately, production samples the engineering and testing laboratories for engineering for tests by other car manufacturers were not available approval. When all tests have been successfully passed, early enough to permit the completion of engineering then and only then, is the potential supplier in a position tests in time to meet the buying deadline for the 1958 to call on the purchasing agent, submit prices and attempt model automobiles. to get some business. Usually it is stipulated that actual production samples must be submitted for engineering Our position in Detroit as a potential auto clock sup· tests, and this has understandably worked against Hamil· plier to all of the various divisions of the "Big Three" ton 's rapid entry into the auto clock market since produc· is a favorable one. Engineering departments of all of tion samples have been available for only a few months. the many divisions of these corporations are contacted regularly and are fa!lliliar with our clock. Even though The deadline for the submission of samples is usually actual purchasing negotiations have not yet been possible, August or September. The three month testing period good relationships have been established with the purchas. expires just before the end of the year and, if successful, ing departments of all of these manufacturing divisions. the manufacturer submits his proposal at that time. The clock purchasing program of the various automobile manufacturers is usually concluded early in the spring IMPROVEMENTS MADE on clocks for use in the following year's models. For The basic design of the Hamilton auto clock does not instance, production samples submitted in July or August differ too greatl y from the conventional type of spring. of 1956, are purchased in the spring of 1957, for use driven, electrically wound automobile clocks furnished by other suppliers. However, the Gibbs patents cover a type of lever escapement which offers definite advan· Roland Bitzer (second from left), General Foreman of Hamilton's East Petersburg plant, checks auto clock assembly blueprints with tages over the pin.lever escapements customarily used. job bosses Reid Titus and William Heeps and with inspection Moreover, th e Hamilton auto clock is equipped with an suoervisor Kenneth Trees (right) . Elinvar hairspring and a Dynavar mainspring which bring to the auto clock the same advantages of these two exclusive alloys enjoyed by the purchasers of Hamilton's finest watches. Realistic appraisals made by our Product Mary Bruckhart uses a compressed air screw driver as she works on the train assembly of the auto clock. Appraisal Department also indicate that the movement construction and the finish of the parts in our clock show definite superiority over competing clocks. In launching our initial production last faU (1956) we had our share of "birth pains." As a result of ' this ex· perience we have made signifi cant design changes and improvements for the 1958 model and can feel co nfiden t that we have a product which will compare favorably Elva Thompson does third and barrel assembly (mainspring) on with anything being offered in Detroit today.

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