Document 4J93zXG1pDv2bvkpR2Rve8r7e

PCB - A Threat or a False Alarm POLYClfLORIMATED BIPHENYL which svas"first recognised > a con taminant In 1MH, hai since been found in various concentration! In food packaging* and also in poultry and fish Because of its close structural similarity to DDT (both are chlonnalcd hydrocaibons), it was imme diately viewed with suspicion How did PCB find its way into food packaging materials or even into turkeys and fish1 PCB is a chlorinated hydrocarbon manufactured by Monsanto Com pany and marketed as a material used in heat exchangers It is also used in the manufacture of NCR paper* The litter, when recycled, introduced the PCB into waste-paper pulp used In the manufacture of cylinder board. Alternatively, when uaed In heat-exchange units, any spills will lead to the eventual pres ence of PCB in poultry, fish and even the growing plant. Accordingly, the presence of this compound in varying quantities In poultry, fish and food packaging molci lals has produced quite a scare, so that Monsanto has agieed to discontinue marketing the mate rial for non-controllablc applications and FDA haa limited the quantity permissible in paekagings to a maxi mum of Sppin -- the same as for DDT Other Complications One would have thought that the constraint imposed by FDA upon the permissible concentration of PCB would have eliminated the problem. This is not so Die difficulty is that tJiere seems to be no accurate method of de termining the quantity of PCB in any material The results of analysis -- carried out by gas chromatoglaphy or spectroscopy -- ate too un certain and cannot be reproduced The same (ample miy (how Sppm of PCB on one occasion and then may go up to lOppm on the next try Moreover, Its similarity with DDT makes it uncertain vhethei you are measuring one or the other The Institute of Papei Chcnmhv in Appleton, Wisconsin, is cuircntly engaged In designing methods that will result in more accurate analysis To compound the problem still further, certain experiment* earned out in Europe aeem to indicate that pure PCB ia not toxic, that the tox icity is caused by dibcnioyl furan which appears as a contaminant in the commercial grades of PCB. It has also been suggested that, because of the extreme stability of PCB (it ia reported to be more stable than DDT), it may be completely harmless to animals or human beings With the current interest in PCB, it is likely that these questions will be resolved within a few yetis BRIDGING THE PRODUCTIVITY GAP (Continued from pope 23) shortcomings The pulp mill superintendent may find that lltere are n great man)' things which lie can do to help the paper mill superintendent. lie may even dis cover that he is the biggest problem to improving op erations in die pajtcr mill. The mill accountant may learn that thr standard cost analyst who works in the paper mill area is not doing an effective job of training paper mill su)>crvision to use standard cost Objective setting which is locked Into a secrecy relationship be tween a manager and his individual snbordinates can never gel at all the facts, When Information is shared fully lx-twcen departmental areas in objective setting on a team basis, an organization development process is created. It is also worthy of mention that all managers will work harder to achieve their objectives when the maturity of their planning and thinking is exjtoscd to other twanoiyr* who work at their own level A man ager may not respond to the pressure of his boss, but lie is unusual wltcn he fails to respond to the pressure of his own pride, when his thinking process is exposed to his own peers More hnjxirtaiillv, we find that man agers will give their own time to Itelping a peer who is clearly out of slq) with the work group Never underestimate the powerful social forces of tlie group in helping a manager develop a subordinate who is in (rouble If you have a problem child, do not overlook llie fact that the entiic work group mav need counsel ing in a leant setting to solve the problem All too oflen, when introducing a new set of con cepts to line managers, we fail to recognize that wc can try to teach too much too soon about the tulumal details of the new concepts. We nbvavs try to usual Ibis mistake Line managers already kuou far more from their own experience than they are using Importance of Increased Involvement In the Mini Brcaks-Maxi Profits Progr.uu \se in troduced the concept of increased ins ots c im ut of hourly workers in improving coinpans ojierat mns We did not givr our line managers a clearly defined strut hire to accomplish this The training m work simplifi cation techniques did explain the use of project teams Wc then asked the line managers to find additional ways to involve workers Crew meetings ami tn w train ing were later identified by them as successful lechnlqiies liased on actual mill experience Out of Ibis ex perience. a new fotnml structure of involve incut .is created Now, wc are engaged m developing anti rt fin ing the details of tile new formal strut tine One of the most important functions of stall jx n- plc is to identify tile significant creative idius ulmh are developed spontaneously by the line organization Human ingenuity oflen already has developed gnat ideas for solving most jsroblons of the organization Staff should somehow find these ideas, dcscrilic them, and make them available to all other int tubers of tlx organization With oi new work iniprosciiw itl sis- tem, sve feel that we finally have a jiraetual fiauie- work within which wc can put this philosophs to srork on an objective basts 24 AMERICAN PAPER INDUSTRY Decambw, 1971 HONS 200978 If the line manager is to be effective, he must recog nize that standards of performance create identifica tion of problems. He is aware that these problems may be based on faulty assumptions, and the absence of imagination to lee opportunities for innovation He therefore listens, has respect for the ideas and opinions of others, and allows each employee to challenge the svstcin through proposed innovation and change In sSiort, he recognizes that opportunities for innovation offer greater opportunity for profits than the blind use of standards of performance as the final answer m creating operating objectives The history of the Mini Breaks-Maxi Profits Pro gram, and thr birth of the Work Improvement System, in Southern Kraft Division m 1970, rests on the foundation of six previous years of formal manage ment development activity It is a story of the applica tion of learning theory to a woik environment h con tains some Important lessons for the management of training activities, Lessons From Recent Experiences First, it is Important to recognize that operating level managers need early warning of any important changes in operating conditions. This provides a frame of reference for defining problems and identifying changes in behavior which are needed to meet the changes in conditions Training should be planned to accomplish the critical changes in behavior which are necessary to achievement of objectives The Mini Breaks-Maxi Profits Program was bom out of sharp change In operating conditions. We had the advantage of lead time for planning provided by the alert responses of corporate management Through the years, we had become accustomed to managing very large capita] improvement budgets. Suddenly, in July, 1969, we were told that we should not expect much in the way of capital funds in 1970. We had several months advance notice that we would be playing an entirely new ball garnet The training function became active in implement ing thr Mini Breaks-Maxi Profits Program in early November, I960. The Division Management Develop ment Department was asked to develop a training strategy to accomplish reduction of downtime. The important lesson in this event is that the need for training was the outcome of an operating goal to re duce downtime. All too often, the training organiza tion engages lo abstract forms of training which are not related ta actual operations improvement needs identified by Kne managers. A few months before, we had evaluated work simplification as an involvement SAMUEL W. JENKINS A West Point graduate with ten years oj army assignment* in education and training who has been tmth I/P's Southern Kraft Dio for 15 year*-- the last tix in management development. He is active in the Am*r. Soc for Training and Develop ment and ha# an honorary Bachelor of Human Engineering from Georgia Tech, December, 1971 * AMERICAN PARER INDUSTRY technique The pilot study of work simplification tech niques gave us real insights into the powerful leverage of involving our employees in organization change. At one mill, a project team study ofthe storeroom opera tions resulted in changes jn storeroom procedures which produce annual savings of approximntrK *100,00, ' We learned from this successful experience that cm ployce involvement is essential to making any im portant organization changes. An important lesson is implicit at this point of selecting the training approach In an actual mill en vironment We had learned how to use the techniques and get acceptance of line management When we presented our recommendations, we had more than speculation about the sucorss of the techniques of work simplification. We had a strong success story with the support of a mill manager, hts mill staff, and bis department heads. The proposal to use work simplification was approved as a strategy of training to reduce downtime on our paper machines We made an important change in introducing the Mini Breaks-Maxi Profits Program. Previously, it had been out practice to bring the mill managers together first to explain a new program. Experience had taught us tint each mill manager typically returned to his mill with enthusiasm, but with his own supervisors unin formed about the new program. This placed all the burden on the mill manager to explain the program In this instance, we prepared the production superin tendent and maintenance and engineering sujxtiiitendent to plan tlicir mill program. They were then able to return to their mill ana assume responsibility for developing mill plans to implement the program One of the lessons that we confirmed, in this instance, was the need to train the senior milt staff in advance This did not take away each mill manager's freedom and responsibility to develop his own plans But it dicl relieve the manager from the details of educating and training his own staff in the details of the program The process of setting objectives for reduction of downtime in each mill in late 1960 and early 1970 clearly demonstrated the multiplying effect which oc curs when objectives are set on a team basis. Our enriv experience with management by objectives stressed the man-boss relationship as the context wilbiu ulikli objectives should be set. In die early stages of ex perience, the emphasis should be on setting objectives through discussion between man and boss Hour' cr, as individuals acquire maturity with objective skills, objective setting should shift to small work groups, and finally involve a joint setting of all departiiienl.il objectives. Optimum Performance Related to Optimum Relationships Optimum performance is a result of creating opti mum relationships between all operating and service functions For example, when a paper mill superin tendent presents his proposed objectives to alt other assembled departmental managers, this is a great op portunity for other managers to learn about their ow n * HONS 200979 23