INTERCOA newsmagazine forMemorex people everywhereVolume 14 / No. 2 / May

Building a betterdisc drive: 601 team

tells how it's done.

See page 2.

Building the 'simple' 601: ittook ingenuity & team of 50Ho hum, another disc drive. So

what else is new?

For employees not directly involvedwith the design and sale of Memorexequipment, that sometimes seemsto be the reaction to a new productannouncement. If you've seen oneof those big boxes, you've seenthem all. Not quite.

Continuing to build better disc drivesis one of the company's main jobs.And not just a better disc drive.But a better drive for each segmentof the computer market. The differences in drives may be measured inbit density and microinches of flying height and Mean Time BetweenFailures, but they are differencesthat show up, ultimately, in Memorex'sfinancial results.

Consider the 601, the new OEM drive

announced in February. The 601 isdesigned specifically for the smallsystems user. It incorporates thelatest technology in a form that thesmall business—the warehouse, thebranch bank, the local retailer—can

afford. It does just about everythingthe 3650, the new Memorex drive for

large systems users, can do, but on asmaller scale. (It has a storage capacity of 25, 50, or 75 megabytes,compared to 317.5 megabytes forthe 3650.)

Orders for the 601 are coming in fast,and the first customer shipments are

scheduled this month. "There are a

number of small companies in theworld that could use the 601," said

Dennis Moynahan, Manager, StorageProducts. "It's adaptable to manysystems."

The 601 provides some important"firsts" for Memorex. It is the first

INTERCOMEditor: Louise Burton

Staff: Kevin Burr

Published by the CorporatePublic Relations Department

Memorex CorporationSan Tomas at Central Expressway

Santa Clara, California 95052

Telephone: 987-2201

drive with a fixed disc, the first with

a rotary actuator, the first that doesnot have a direct equivalent in theIBM line (which is why the 601program was initially known asThe Maverick). Some of the featureson the 601 are unusual enoughthat Memorex has applied for afew patents along the way.

All the innovations have made the 601

a marvel of simplicity —simple toinstall, simple to maintain, simple tooperate. Building in all that simplicitytook months of work —and a team

of 50.

In the electronics industry, where anew generation of equipment comesof age about every five years, the solitary inventor has become a creatureof the past; the great leaps of invention are made not by one person, butby teams. There were nine interdependent engineering teams involvedwith the 601, each responsible forone aspect of the project. Theyworked in five labs and dozens of

offices in Building 14.

Al Hasler, one of the first mem

bers of the 601 program, headed theActuator Task Force. His specialty

was the rotary actuator, a devicewhich makes previous actuators seemdownright primitive. The actuatoris the mechanism that moves the

read/write head from one track on

the disc to another; its precisionis critical. For Hasler and colleagueRon Guthormsen, the challenge wasto build a highly sophisticatedactuator on a small scale.

Hasler and Guthormsen spent monthsdesigning, testing, and redesigning.They eventually came up with a rotary device that pivots into place. Itis smaller, more accurate, has fewermoving parts, and uses 40 percent

Ron Guthormsen

Actuator Group

Hugh HagelPower Systems Group

less power than the traditional linearactuator. It is one of the majorengineering triumphs of the project.

"Conventionally, disc drives havebeen big, cumbersome pieces ofequipment," said Amnon Rosenof the Recording Technology group."The 601 is a trimmed down version

of the old beasts." Or as Ian Graham

put it, "It required a lot of technology to make this product simple."

ON THE COVER:

Key members of the 601 engineering team —Al Hasler,Bill Montero, Dennis Moynahan —admire some of thesmall, but revolutionary, features on the company'snew disc drive. For background on this innovativeproduct, see story above.

Ed Barba

Servo-electronics Group

For Graham's group, the task wasmaking the head "simple"—so lightand perfectly balanced that it couldfly less than 1/120 the thicknessof a human hair above the disc

and still not crash into it.

In addition to the groups workingon individual parts, there were 601teams devoted to the drive's servo-mechanisms, its mechanical con

struction, power supplies, digitalelectronics, and its overallevaluation.

"Each team had its special assignment, yet the groups were closelyintertwined," said engineer Roy Nakai."For example, the servo-electronicsgroup headed by Bing Leong workedright along with the actuator team.The servo system might be considered the 'brains' behind the

actuator, since it tells the actuator

where to go and how to get there.

"The digital electronics peopleunder Mike Popovici were responsible for the logic—for making surethe 601 could interface with other

pieces of equipment; that what thecontroller said to the disc drive the

disc drive could do. Then Tom

Williams' power systems group had

Jay BaileyProject Evaluation Group

to see that the machine had all the

power resources needed to performits various functions—that the

currents and voltages were right,"Nakai continued.

"Once the designs were in, mechanical engineering, under TomCarroll, went to work. It was thatteam's job to put everything together in a package that met thecompany's tough engineering standards. Meanwhile, the product evaluation team was thoroughly testingthe product under all conceivableconditions."

With the 601 now moving into themanufacturing stage, the engineeringgroups are shifting their focus toother projects. But their 601 workisn't over; they will continue tomodify and improve the equipment asthey get reports back from the field.

Looking back on the program thatbegan two years ago, 601 ProjectManager Bill Montero said, "Thetechnicians, engineers and all otherdepartment personnel who put in thelong days, nights, and weekends arethe ones who made this program go.It took tremendous effort to meet

our schedule. We did. And now we're

shipping a product that's unique.We're pretty proud of it."

OEM takes new

name, bigger rolein small systems

The OEM Division has a new name

and expanded responsibilities. OnApril 15, it officially became theSmall Systems Division. Keith Plant,General Manager of the former OEMDivision, will head the new group.

The change was made to better servethe needs of the small systemsmarket. "Today, equipment revenuesfrom manufacturers of small systemsrepresent an important part of ourbusiness," said Executive Vice Presi

dent James Dobbie. "Organizationally, the Small Systems Division willbe a full functional division chartered

to serve the small systems segmentsof the U.S. information storage andretrieval markets through the design,manufacture, sales, and servicingof its products."

Dobbie said that the Small SystemsDivision would continue to serve

OEM customers in addition to takingon responsibilities for the end-usermarket. BST, the Southern Califor

nia peripherals manufacturer whichMemorex proposes to acquire, wouldalso become part of the SmallSystems Division.

Heading major groups in the reorganized division are: James Tatsukawa,

Manager. Small Systems Engineering;Wayne Lettiere, Manager, Small Systems Manufacturing; Eugene Meyer,Manager, Small Systems Finance;Dave Britton, Manager, OEM Marketing and Bill Lowery, Manager, OEMCustomer Service.

First quarter income up 55 percent over first quarter 76On April 14, Memorex reported recordincome for the first quarter ofS8.205.000, or $1.38 per share, beforeextraordinary credit. This comparesto income before extraordinary creditof $5,289.000, or 95 cents per share,in the first quarter of 1976, and isan increase of 55 percent.

Net income for the first quarter of1977 was $13,675,000, or $2.34 pershare. This includes an extraordinarycredit of $5,470,000. or 96 cents per

share, from utilizing tax loss carryforwards. Net income for the comparable period of 1976 was $9,083,000.or $1.66 per share, which included anextraordinary credit of $3,794,000,or 71 cents per share, from utilizingtax loss carryforwards. This is anincrease of 51 percent.

Revenues for the first quarter of1977 totaled $100,101,000, a gain of26 percent, or $20,682,000 more than1976 first quarter revenues ofS79.419.000.

Cash and temporary investmentbalances at March 31, 1977, were

S45,483,000, compared to $43,803,000at December 31, 1976 and $37,267,000at March 31, 1976. Total debt was

reduced by $3,459,000 in the quarterto S154,717,000 from $158,176,000.

Total shareholders' equity increasedto $62,040,000 from $47,536,000 at

year-end 1976 and common shareholders' deficiency improved to$1,612,000 from $15,279,000 atyear-end 1976.

For VP Dobbie, new job meant 'coming homeFor Jim Dobbie, taking the job ofExecutive Vice President, Equipment,felt like "coming home." ComputerMedia had been his field for two

years, but now the veteran engineerwas returning to his long-time love:the design, manufacture, and saleof data storage and communicationequipment.

Jim Dobbie was named to his new

position in January at the same timethat Bob Jaunich was named Execu

tive Vice President, Media. Alongwith President Robert C. Wilson,

the Executive Vice Presidents form

an Office of the President.

Jim came to Memorex in January,1975, as Vice President and General

Manager of the Computer Media Group.Computer Media grew rapidly underhis leadership, and employees thereknow he wasn't an isolated executive.

Refurbishing the clean room, participating in the profit improvementprograms, and lunching with ten-year

W

MRX

100UBS

Max

jMRX I1 100 T

MM

US,

1 ioo 5

J* 4MR*106

Ir**7"

veterans all contributed to personal

relationships with employees, which,he says, were invaluable to hisunderstanding of the business.

How does he see his new challenge?"Missed opportunities are muchworse than the occasional mistake,"

he says. "Business has the samebasic rules as tennis—eye on theball, firm grip and follow-through."

He pointed out that the 3650 "is ourtop priority product for 1977, butthat doesn't mean we are only courting the large system user. We're pursuing the small user with new, well-planned programs. Sales people arebeing trained specifically for smallsystems customers, and new productslike the 601 and 3640 rotating storage systems and the 550 advancedfloppy disc are being introducedfor this market."

In his view, "The right balance oftechnology, products, and service

is what will distinguish us from thecompetition. Effective investmentof research and development dollarswill result in new products and product superiority rather than reinvention of the wheel.

"In 1977, we're shipping more newequipment products than we have inseveral years: the 3650, the 601, newtape drives, a new version of the 1377,

and a whole host of productextensions."

fJim Dobbie

New safety program seeks to reduceindustrial accidents by 33 percentIt was almost quitting time on aFriday afternoon, and a three-dayweekend was about to begin. Johnwas thinking about the camping triphe'd planned with his family. He hadonly one box of cables and harnesses to move before he was through.But instead of getting a fellow employee to help him, he decided tolift it himself. Suddenly, he felt asharp pain in his lower back. As aresult, John spent three days in traction, missed four weeks of work, and

never did go camping that weekend.

Some industrial accidents lead to a

long-term disability for the employee.In this case, John was relativelylucky; the accident could have beenmore serious, and often is. The unfor

tunate thing is that most accidentsare avoidable.

In an effort to eliminate industrial

accidents at Memorex, divisional

safety councils have been formedto promote greater safetyconsciousness.

"It's our goal to reduce the frequency and severity of industrial accidents by at least 33 percent overlast year," said Gene Gilman, Mana

ger of Corporate Safety and HealthServices. "In doing so, we hope toeventually reach a 95 percent reduction in accidents within the company."

Under the new safety program,divisions will compete on the basisof their safety records over a one-year period. The division showing themost improvement over its 1976 performance will receive a special awardfrom President Robert C. Wilson.

"The intent of Memorex's Safety Program is to go beyond technical compliance with the law and to seek outand correct conditions which are potentially harmful to Memorex employees," stated Mr. Wilson. "Accidentprevention and efficient operationgo hand in hand."

Currently, the program is limited toproduction and warehouse areas, butwill eventually be expanded to includeall departments. Divisions participating in the program are: Computer

Tape, Video Tape, Audio. Word Processing, Disc Pack, Comdata, OEMand Equipment Manufacturing. Theequipment operations include SantaClara, Nogales, Eau Claire and Liege.

Jim looks forward to working withthe Equipment organization. "Istrongly believe in building a senseof confidence and success in eachindividual, in making sure that wehave the right people in the rightplaces. And I think that working inthis group can be stimulating andsatisfying."

Jim was born in the small village ofAberargie, near Perth, Scotland.He attended Perth Academy and thenGlasgow University, where he received a degree in electrical engineering. His first job was with theMetropolitan Vickers Corporation inEngland, as an engineer specializingin process control. Later he servedin the Royal Air Force Reserve, which,he says, "is just as glamorous as itis in the movies."

He came to the United States in 1957

to take a job with Westinghouse andspent his honeymoon on the voyageover. "A honeymoon paid for bysomeone else — perfect for a Scotsman," he admits with a smile.

From Westinghouse he went to

Each participating division and operation will have its own safety councilto oversee the planning and implementation of safety programs andreport on its progress. The divisionalsafety councils will report to the Corporate Safety Council headed by DickMartin, General Manager, ComputerTape Division.

"The Corporate Council will monitor each group's safety performancethroughout the year," stated Martin."These results will be posted so thateach group will know how it standscompared to the safety goals. It'sour feeling that safety performanceis the responsibility of each employee

General Electric, which he left as

Manager, Systems Engineering. Thenhe was at Raytheon Data Systems asDirector of Engineering, and later atVarian Data Machines, where hewas executive vice president beforecoming to Memorex.

True to his style, Jim earned hismaster's degree in electrical engineering at Arizona State Universitywhile working full time. In additionto his two degrees, he holds 12patents, with 23 others pending.

How does he have the energy to do itall? Well, like several other Memorex

Vice Presidents, he keeps in shapeby running. The past two years hehas run on the four-man Memorex

team at the Tyler Cup Race in Dallas,a national event for business leaders

over 35.

But no matter how early the daystarts or how late it ends, there

is always time for animated discussion over dinner with his wife and

three teenage daughters in theirPalo Alto home.

and manager. The company's safetyperformance starts at the top, andmanagement involvement on all levelsis essential."

Periodic surveys of each location willbe made by area safety coordinatorsand outside consultants to find potential safety risks so that correctivemeasures can be taken.

"We've improved our safety recorda great deal in the past few years,"said Gilman. "But we intend to do

even better in the future. With the

cooperation of every employee,Memorex will become one of the

safest companies in the country."

Safety pays: write a slogan, win a prize

To kick off the safety awarenessprogram, the Safety Department issponsoring a company-wide postercontest. Awards will be presentedto the top 50 entries, includingS150 cash to the first-place winner.

The contest, which ends May 15, isopen to all permanent Memorexemployees. There is no limit tothe number of ideas submitted byeach person. The categories are:safety slogans and logos, campaignthemes, and cartoons.

Ideas may be handwritten or in theform of rough sketches. They shouldbe sent in a sealed envelope toSafety Officer Gene Gilman atMail Stop 00-64. Further detailswill be posted on Safety BulletinBoards.

Entries will be judged by the Corporate Safety Council and willbecome the permanent propertyof Memorex. Winners will be

announced June 3.

Audio tape plant's solvent recovery system

Solvent recoveryunit installed at

audio tape plantThe first phase of the installation of anew chemical solvent recovery system has been completed at the audiotape plant in Santa Clara, accordingto Environmental Engineer StanZwicker. The company has had arecovery system in service forseveral years at the computer tapeplant.

The new system, which far exceedsBay Area Air Pollution Control District regulations for. protecting airquality, is one of the most technologically advanced of its kind. It is designed to reduce the emission ofsolvent vapors by 95 percent.

"This is a state-of-the-art-system,"said Zwicker, "so good, in fact, thatI think many environmental expertswill come to see it."

Manufactured by the Oxy-Catalyst Co.of West Chester, Pa., the system costmore than $500,000 to build. Besides

preventing most solvent vapors fromentering the air, it will recycle thesolvents.

"Recycling serves two important purposes," says Zwicker. "It cuts downon our use of natural resources, and

will eventually result in significantcost savings for the company."

The new system, which took more thana year to design and manufacture tocompany specifications, is expectedto take a minimum of 90 days to becompletely installed, tested, andplaced in operation.

Joe Rizzo. Plant Manager in Eau Claire.acceptsan award lor asset management from RobertMalcolm. Vice President of Industrial Relations.

In the week before the Silverado conference. Memorex people from around the world metwith the Santa Clara team. Here. John Barnes (right). Director of Technical Supportin Liege, talks shop with Dan Weber. Jim Hix, and Dennis Palmerston of EPG.

East meets West in Napa Valley

Silverado message: it takes creativity to winThe men and women of Memorex

who serve the information storageand communication needs of cus

tomers around the world met

in Silverado in February to reviewwhat they did in 1976 and to discuss how to do even better this year.

The theme —and challenge —ofthis third annual international man

agement meeting was Creative Excellence. Its importance to Memorexwas highlighted by President RobertC. Wilson in his keynote comments.

"Our continuing objective is thatof excellence—Memorex excellence.

Competitive excellence was thetheme of last year's meeting and in1976 we did out-perform competitionin several aspects. However, one yearis only the beginning, and in somerespects competition out-performedus. We must continue our efforts to

excel in all respects. This means newand better ideas. Thus, it is fittingthat we have selected Creative

Excellence as the theme of this year'smeeting," Mr. Wilson explained.

Healso reviewed theaccomplishmentsand disappointments of the year, asdid the other members of the Corpor

ate Operating Committee and severalof their staff who gave presentations.

"1976 was a great year forMemorex," said Mr. Wilson. "To

be sure, we had some problems —and we stubbed our toes —but the

problems fade away in the glowof our accomplishments:

• Memorex became a third-of-

a-billion-dollar company• Our operating profit and

cash flow reflected qualityperformance

• We made major futuresinvestments

• We began to develop areputation for solid integrity."

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Wilsonurged his colleagues to share themessage of Silverado with all of theirassociates throughout the world.

"I once again would like to expressto you how proud I am to be a member of the Memorex management. Iwant to thank you for the outstanding contributions that each of youmade in 1976 and I am looking forward with great anticipation to working with you to make 1977 thegreatest year ever," he stated.

A number of Creative Excellence

awards were presented to managersfor representative achievement inthe nine key business results areas.Winners were:

In the Corporate Group, HalKrauter and Thomas Gardner for

asset management; Len Perrone forprofitability; and Bill Schroeder,futures investment.

In Equipment. Al Kennedy and BobLloyd for market position; HenryTinker, personnel development; Jim

Ferenz. productivity; Joe Rizzo,asset management; and Bill Whitaker.attitude.

In Media. Gene Douglas. Bill Adair.Ray Cook. John Humphreys and JimOttinger for market position: HarryAdair, John Scott, John English,

and Dick Bigotti, product leadership;Warren Kisling and Neil Rayborn.productivity.

In EUMEA. Michael Kelly forattitude; Giorgio Ronchi, profitability; Alain De Forges, productivity;Helmut Gottinger, market position;Reto Braun and Gene Douglas, publicresponsibility.

In A&A, T. Yamada and Ney Arias,

In a get-acquainted session. AllisonWells—like other first-timers at Silverado

—collects autographs from her colleagues.

profitability; Carlos Farre. productivity; Dan O'Brien and Rafael Gomez,asset management.

Each award was symbolic of businesscontributions made by all Memorexpeople, as particularly exemplifiedby the manager receiving the award.

Theannual gathering brought together150 managers from 20 countries. During the stay at Silverado, managersmet with each other, strengthenedworking relationships, reviewed 1976operating results, and rekindledthe spirit of Silverado which led tothe significant accomplishmentsof 1976.

Rating services boostMemorex ranking

Two of the nation's best known

and respected Corporate financialrating services, Standard & Poor'sand Moody's Investor Services,recently upgraded their ratings ofthe company's 5'/4 percent Subordinated Convertible Debentures.

Standard and Poor's moved its rank

ing to "B" from triple "C," whileMoody's changed its to "B" from"Caa."

Standard & Poor's explained that"the change reflects a sharp improvement in Memorex's earningsand concurrent reduction in long-term debt which have producedsignificant strengthening inMemorex's financial ratios."

A debenture is traded like com

mon stock, but is a form of debt

on which the company pays interest.Other Memorex debt is in the form

of bank loans.

For country managers, it's adifferent style of businessWhen Gary Hughes was going togrammar school, he had to memorize

the names of all the states, their

capitals, and their principal products.It is an assignment familiar to alot of American schoolchildren. But

Hughes is not an American. He isa Canadian.

Ever since she was old enough toread the newspaper. Rossana Zarzarhas been following American politics.She can talk easily about the candidates and issues in the last Presiden

tial race. Ms. Zarzar lives in Lima,

Peru.

To both Hughes and Zarzar, it isamazing that Americans, by contrast,know so little about the rest of the

world. Zarzar. who has visited the

States a number of times, says thather fashionable clothes often surpriseAmericans. "And I've met people withdegrees who don't know exactly wherePeru is, just that it's somewherein South America." Canada doesn't

fare much better; few Americans can

name and locate all the Canadian

provinces.

Hughes, who is the new Presidentof Memorex Canada Ltd., and

Zarzar, who is Country Manager forPeru, talked about their countriesand Memorex prospects there duringtheir recent visit to Santa Clara for

the annual management conference.

They both said that doing businessback home is definitely differentfrom the U.S. In Canada, says

Gary Hughes

Hughes, a company has to consider"the country's great geographicalspread and its intense regionalism.

"The French issue is highly underrated by people outside Canada," saysHughes. "Not only does a companyhave to be able to communicate in

French and be sensitive to the political situation, but business has to

be conducted in the French style.In general, the sell is softer inCanada, but especially in Quebec,where proposals are often outlinedover dinner and the customer is

courted over a period of weeks."

Hughes majored in French at theUniversity of Toronto, and in hisprevious job with Systems Dimensions Ltd., he managed the company'sQuebec operation. He sees Quebecas a prime market for Memorex.

Where does he see Memorex Canada

going? "There is great opportunityin Quebec and with the federal

government," he said. "We also haveto open up the western market.Alberta is just sitting on black stuff—on oil. It's going to be a tremendousboom province in 10 years."

A 20-year veteran of the computer industry, Hughes has worked in systems engineering, in marketing, andmanagement. Asked about his styleas a manager, he said, "Well, I insist on good communication betweenpeople and good preparation. We'vegot a great challenge in Canada,and I think we can meet it."

(continued on page 11)

Rossana Zarzar

Supervising the mechanical assemblyof as many as 60 disc drives per dayis an accomplishment anyone couldbe proud of. And when you do it forsix straight months without letting asingle defect slip by, you deserve anaward. That's just what happenedto Jan Carpenter, Supervisor ofMechanical Assembly for EPG.

In recognition of her outstandingrecord, Carpenter was presenteda"quality excellence" award byQuality Manager Dick Burris.

According to Jim Ferenz, Manager.Production Operations, quality workisn't something new for Carpenter.She's been doing it since she cameto Memorex in 1970. "Not only hasshe achieved a level of excellence

in her own endeavors, but she's inspired a level of excellence throughout the department."

The popular company T-shirt slogan,"Memorex Will Bust Your Glass,"turned out to be just what PaulShumate, Manager, Word Processingin Denver, needed to promote goodwill. In this case it was a women's

soccer team.

At the suggestion of Computer MediaSales Representative (and team member) Linda Brewster, Shumate provided the team with 30 "Bust Your

Glass" T-shirts. Managed by GeneKay, a Word Processing dealer forMemorex, the team played ninegames with other company teamsin the area. The season culminated

with a tournament in which Memorex

finished fourth.

When he started working for Memorexfive years ago, Roger Travagli thoughthe would be a chemical technician.

But that was before he became in

terested in electronics. Since then,

Travagli has been going to schoolfull time at San Jose State, studyingfor his degree in Electrical Engineering while continuing to work part-time for the company.

8

altersHis efforts were rewarded last

December, not only with the degree,but with the new job title of Electrical Engineer ! as well.

Maintaining a 3.6 grade point averageand working 20 hours per week wasn'tthe easiest thing in the world, butTravagli isn't complaining. "It dependson what type of person you are," hesaid. "My lifestyle during the pastfew years hasn't been very interestingbecause I spent most of my timeworking, going to school, or studying. But now that I look back, it wasworth the effort."

The next time Comdata General Man

ager Howard Earhart sees a JacquesCousteau special on television, he'llknow from experience what it's liketo handle slippery creatures from thedeep.'That's because Earhart was theproud stepfather of eight baby octopi.

It all began last Christmas whenEarhart's wife, Cathy, and his son,Mike, gave him a 30-gallon salt watertank complete with a live octopus. Anavid aquarium buff, Earhart set upthe tank in his office at Comdata

and promptly named the octopusOscar.

"Stepfather" Howard Earhart checks

the octopus nursery.

Jan Carpenter chats about her award withJim Ferenz. Manager of Production Operations for EPG. and Ken Lowe. Manager ofManufacturing Assembly.

However, things aren't always whatthey first seem to be. Oscar turnedout to be a she, and proved it bylaying eggs ten days later. "It's noteasy to differentiate the sex of anoctopus," said Earhart. "But wesolved the mistake by re-namingher Emily."

Realizing that Emily might need special attention now that she was in

a motherly way, Earhart contacted amarine biologist, and found that raising an ocean creature in captivity isa difficult task. To the biologist'sknowledge, no one had successfullybred octopi in captivity before.

Not only did Emily surprise everyoneby laying eggs, but within two monthsthe eggs began to hatch. "It becamequite an event around here," notedEarhart. "Everybody looked forward toa daily progress report on the motherand babies."

Unfortunately, Emily died a few weeksafter the eggs hatched, and her babiesdied a short time after that. But that's

not discouraging Earhart. Althoughhe's decided to leave octopus breedingto biologists, he has introduced someother colorful residents to the tank:

three anemones, three clown fish, anda lion fish named Leo.

Last fall there was a Memorex con

nection on the UCLA football team

in the figure of 6'5", 265 lb. CurtisMohl. The son of Quality ControlInspector Cindy Mohl. Curtis tackled

a four-year, all-expense scholarshipto the university.

Although Curtis only saw limited playing time as a freshman, his mother didcatch a glimpse of him on nationaltelevision during the Liberty Bowl inMemphis. "It was very cold so theplayers were all bundled up, but Iwas able to spot him on the sidelines," she says. "I guess only amother could pick him out underthose conditions."

Acceptance for the company's 1380front-end Communications Systemcontinues to grow, andsodocustomerorders, reports Program Manager JimHix. "We've shipped and installed23 systems in the first quarter alone,and with our backlog, the secondquarter looks even more promising,"stated Hix.

Perhaps the most prestigious newaccount is Bell Canada, one of theleading data communications organizations in the world. "Competitionfor this account was very keen," notedHix. "Every company I know of whichmanufactures an equivalent to the1380 has tried to get an order withBell Canada."

According to Hix. the successful BellCanada shipment is typical of theefforts of all supporting Memorexgroups. "Development Engineeringmet its commitments on time and

stood by to provide support as required," he said. "Manufacturingassembled, configured, and tested

the system, and Field Engineeringchecked both the hardware and software before shipment."

In addition to Bell Canada, othershipments during the first quarterincluded: Yale, Johns Hopkins, andGeorgia State Universities; TheFederal Reserve Bank, New York;Simpson Timber, Seattle; andSouthland Corp., Dallas.

For Robert Spelleri, receiving awardsfrom his colleagues for outstandingpublic relations efforts is gettingto be a habit. After collecting threeawards during last year's annual competition sponsored by the NorthernCalifornia division of the Public Rela

tions Society of America, Memorex'sManager of Corporate Public Relationswalked away with two more awardsfrom this year's competition. He tookan award for best Financial/Investor

Relations program and an HonorableAchievement award for the PR

Department's Employee Relations(communications) program.

Participating in the competitionwere the San Francisco, Sacramento,

and Peninsula Chapters of the PRSA.More than 170 entries were submitted

anonymously to the Los Angeles-Orange County Chapters for judging.

New assignments

Gene Ousterling (second from right).Manager of PCB Operations, shows A&Adistributors how equipment is assembled.

The Americas and Asia group heldits first distributors conference in

Santa Clara in March. The purpose ofthe conference was to better acquaintdistributors with Memorex philosophy,products, and people.

Distributors are independent businesspeople who market the company'sproducts directly to their customers.

According to Barry Carpenter, Distributor Manager for A&A, the conference "gave us a better understanding of the distributors' needs andgave them the opportunity to learnmore about Memorex, which will helpthem in representing us."

Ten distributors representing theFar East, Latin America, and Canada

were present at the conference.

COMPUTER MEDIA

Robert Bodnar to Manager. Product Marketing DepartmentLinda Clay to Quality Control Inprocess Inspector CManuel Cota to Coating OperatorValerie Cotterman to General Clerk A

Thomas Deffina to Dept. Tech., Quality Assurance/Quality ControlRoy Ericson to Dept. Tech., Quality Assurance/Quality ControlSusan Finger to Accounting Clerk ACathleen Gipson to Traffic ClerkMichael Hanson to Engineering ll-MechanicalAngel Jaramillo to Supervisor, CoatingJohn Judge to Sales RepresentativeNora Kimberlin to Accounting AssociateCarol Konczal to Material Handler

Kurt Krusick to Test Lab Technician

Thomas Lambert to Manager. Domestic TrafficRichard Lepori to Engineering SpecialistRichard McEathron to Production OperatorJohn McMahon to Sales Representative I, King of Prussia, Pa.Tom Mendez to Machine Operator (Disc)Lucille Motley to Administrator, Media OrderLarry Reeves to Supervisor. Traffic InboundMargaret Retz to Coordinator, Word Processing CenterElaine Reyes to Correspondence Secretary BRegina Robinson to Production Operator (Disc)Raymond Schwoerer to Inprocess InspectorNancy Seals to Inventory Control Clerk ADonald Stevenson to Senior Processing Test Technician

Cheri Vanvoorst to Traffic Clerk

Opal Wells to Dept. Tech., Quality Assurance/Quality ControlCynthia Von Kaenel to Senior Traffic Clerk-Inbound

CONSUMER AND BUSINESS MEDIA

Sharon Garcia to Senior Production Control Clerk

Harry Heskamp to Manager. Zone Sales, CincinnatiPatricia King to Mix OperatorJan Palmen to Inventory AnalystVirginia Pepperell to Manager, Area Sales, DetroitDenise Sherman to Customer Service Supervisor, ChicagoLinda Talatzco to Production Control Clerk

Marylyn Thur to Inventory AnalystMatthew Watson to Production Control Inspector

David Whiteley to Warehouse CoordinatorWilliam Parnow to Department Technician, Maintenance

CORPORATE

Kathleen Bascom to Legal AnalystJudith Blades to Manager, Finance AdministrationRobert Broderick to Manager, Credit & Accts. Receivable-FinanceCurtis Dudnick to Senior Financial AnalystJefferey Egan to Manager, Regional Cust. Serv., PhiladelphiaAlice Gentry to Field Order Administrator, Decatur, GeorgiaCarol Gentry to Field Order Administrator, Charlotte, N.C.Kay Hill to Field Admin. Coordinator, Birmingham. Ala.Howard Holland to Senior Analyst Programmer

(continued on page 11)

Teaching youngsters about guns the safe wayFor many people, the thought ofspending a relaxing weekend at homewith the children is something tolook forward to. However, if you have14 youngsters, all armed with shotguns, the prospect is a little scary. Butthat's exactly how Jim Plumley ofEPG Manufacturing spends his freetime.

Jim Plumley sights in with a youngtrap shooter on a Saturday morning.

As a National Rifle Association (NRA)certified instructor, Plumley volunteers his Saturday mornings to teachyoungsters gun safety and the fundamentals of trap shooting. And helooks forward to it. "It's relaxing,"says Plumley, "and it's a good wayto meet people while doing something worthwhile for kids."

For Plumley, who has handled gunssince he was seven years old, proper gun handling and safety is a serious subject. "If children show aninterest in guns, then they should betaught how to use them safely beforeaccidents happen." says Plumley."A gun club is the best place toteach them."

Each Saturday morning at 8, Plumleyand four other NRA certified instruc

tors get together at the SunnyvaleRod and Gun Club with a group ofyoungsters, ages 7 to 18, to shoottrap.

The object of the sport is to hit aclay disk (called a bird), four-and-a-half inches in diameter, using ashotgun. Taking turns at four different positions, each person gets 25"birds," which are propelled intothe air by machine.

"It's amazing how good some ofthese kids get at it," said Plumley."In the first two months they mighthit 8 to 10 birds out of 25, and within six months some of them hit

20, maybe 22, out of 25."

Before actually firing a gun, eachyoungster must go through an educational program. This begins with amovie on the fundamentals of han

dling a shotgun and culminates witha lecture on gun safety and properrange procedures.

"After they go through the 'school'part of the program, we continuallyreinforce what they have learned asthey shoot," said Plumley.

Eventually. Plumley would like to getthe youngsters involved in competitive trap shooting. "Tournamentshooting adds enthusiasm because ofthe incentive of prizes, but it alsogives kids an opportunity to be competitive with others in their age group,as well as adult shooters."

A typical Saturday morning at thegun club ends with a tired group ofyoungsters and a satisfied instructor."It's a great feeling to know you'veparticipated in something the kidshave enjoyed, and at the same timehave instilled the idea that guns canbe fun when used safely and in theproper place," said Plumley.

New lab uses computers to simulate customer conditionsDeveloping technically advancedproducts of the highest reliabilityrequires a lot of talent, commitmentto quality, and patience. Before everreaching the manufacturing stage,each equipment product must be thoroughly tested and evaluated under avariety of conditions which reflect thedifferent needs of users. The purposeof the new Engineering DevelopmentLab in Building 14 is to do an evenbetter job at this "dry run" process.

Officially opened on March 17 byPresident Robert C. Wilson and the

Corporate Operating Committee, thelab provides services to more than75 development engineers.

Currently, Engineering Developmentshares space with Information Systems in Building 10. The first phaseof the new lab involved installing aSystem/370-145 computer in Building14, which now services approximatelyhalf of Engineering Development'sprojects.

10

Phase two. scheduled for completionlate this year, will enable Engineering Development to consolidate allits work in Building 14. The completed facility will house two System/370-148 computers and an environmental chamber to simulate the ex

treme conditions of heat and humidityencountered by equipment productsin various customer sites around

the world.

The lab is being operated by Department Manager Ron Dumont and histhree-man staff of Jim Steinwinder,Vaughn Logan, and Mike Ferranti.

"One of our main functions is to

identify and solve design problemsbefore the equipment is released tomanufacturing," says Dumont. "It'smuch easier to fix problems at thisstage rather than after the hardwareis in production."

Once a product has been thoroughlydeveloped, tested, and shipped, thelab keeps a production model operational so it can define and resolve

problems which may later develop inthe field.

The lab also provides support to fieldengineering training and educationclasses, where instructors purposely"bug" equipment for field engineersto identify and fix in the lab.

"This gives our field engineerslive, hands-on training in an operational systems environment." notesDumont. "If a problem developsin the field they'll be prepared tosolve it."

Ron Dumont gives COC membersa tour of the new engineeringdevelopment lab.

Kumagai

Hermosillo

70 years on the job

Computer Media once again heads the anniversarylist, with five employees recently reaching the10-year mark. The old-timers are: Ed Kumagai.Computer Tape Test Supervisor on the swingshift; Warren Kisling. Manager of Disc Pack Manufacturing; Jose Hermosillo and Duane Holt ofthe Warehouse staff; and Karl Koo of AnalyticalServices. Consumer & Business Media was represented by two members of the Video Division:Cliff Harter and Dean Smoot.

Kisling

Woman managera novelty in Peru(continued from page 7)

In Rossana Zarzar's view, challengeis definitely the word to describeher job. It has been a non-stop challenge since last October, when shetook over as country manager in Peru."I've been doing just about everything—the accounting, the selling, thedeliveries." Until the recent addition

of two staffers, she and a secretarywere running the subsidiary by themselves. "We really worked long daysthe first couple of months, from 7:30in the morning till 8 or 10 at night."

Zarzar joined the company in January,1971, shortly after Memorex S.R.L.(as the subsidiary is known) wasfounded. Hired as a bi-lingual secretary, she gradually took on more responsibilities, including Phone Powersales. And when the previous countrymanager left, she moved up tothe job.

Doing business in Peru, as in Quebec,means long working lunches and persistent cultivation of contacts. For

Zarzar, one of the biggest challenges is dealing with governmentministries. "Sometimes you need tensignatures on a purchase order from

a government office. And you haveto get to know the purchasing people well. It's often hard to convincethem that quality is just as importantas price."

As far as she knows, Zarzar isthe only woman heading a foreignsubsidiary in Peru. "I thought Iwould encounter prejudice," she says,"but most people seem to havethe attitude, 'if they picked a wo

man, she must be good.' Older people have another mentality becausein their time women didn't work. But

most men at data processing centersare younger and understand. There ischauvinism, though. At a businesslunch, men still won't let me paythe bill!"

Is she aggressive in her job? "SureI'm aggressive sometimes—if that'swhat it takes to sell the product."

New assignments

(continued from page 9)

Malvin Leonard to Manager, Regional Customer Service. DetroitCharles McCue to Manager. Tariffs & Duties-FinanceJoan Murosky to Senior Legal AnalystPatricia Raucci to Secretary A. ChicagoPeter Reyes III to Computer Peripheral Operator

EQUIPMENT

Ben Alaimo to Manager, Power SystemsGeorge Anderson to Engineer IIJames Barlow to Engineer l-Quality ControlJoseph Butera to Production Control ExpeditorDonald Carlson to Senior Accountant

Stephen Cavigliand to Supervisor, Equipment ManufacturingJohn Chenoweth to Senior Electronics Technician

Jesse Cogburn to Associate Fabrication SpecialistFrancis Colden to Packaging Specialist, King of Prussia, Pa.Marjorie Corbin to Systems Engineering TraineeGary Cramer to Manager. ShippingDiane Davis to Warehouse Coordinator

George DeVoe to Manager, Field Support, Newark, N.J.Thomas Enoch to Production Control AnalystWilliam Etheredge Jr. to Manager, Western Regional SalesJames Fluter to Production Control SpecialistRoss Foulk to Department Technician-ManufacturingGail Francis to Supervisor, Purchasing AdministrationDavid Fukagawa to Senior InspectorJoseph Gibbs to Electronics Technician ADavid Gordon to Manager, Control Unit Engineering

Fred Gorton to Manager, COM SalesGerald Harris to Material PlannerWilliam Heller to Senior Accountant

Sharon Henry to AccountantAnn Hilchey to Sales Representative, Hartford, Conn.David Hilst to Manager, Technical EducationJeanette Humphreys to Secretary ASyed Iftikar to Manager, Mechanical EngineeringL. Vern Johnson to Supervisor, Cost AccountingGail Jones to Tracking Systems AnalystDennis Lambright to Production Control SpecialistJames Lawrence to Manager, Budget & MeasureRobert Marks to Manager, Spare PartsJoseph Matta to Territory Supervisor, BaltimoreLinda McMains to Field Communications CoordinatorKeith Mercer to Associate BuyerJoseph Mooney to Manager, Field Support, BostonJames Nallan to Senior Electronics TechnicianRobert Nalley to Manager, Read/Write Development, 3650Lavarn Nolf to Product Test TechnicianJames Pelican to Manager, Field SupportGeoffrey Raybould to Engineering SpecialistRobert Reed to Field Supervisor SpecialistLydia Rubio to Secretary BDorthy Staehs to Supervisor, Text ProcessingMarian Taverna to Sales Representative, New YorkEdward Thomas to Supervisor, Technical IllustrationJohn Toohey Jr. to Inprocess Inspector CRoger Travagli to Engineer l-ElectronicJames Ulrich to Supervisor, Equipment ManufacturingErwin Vangilder to Manager, Field Support, MinneapolisGary Weitz to Manager, Manufacturing AdministrationOscar Weller to Engineer IIJerry Williamson to Supervisor, Fabrication ShopLuke Yam to Manager, 3650 Test Operations

11

"Spang'Mi&/J%

iiiMiiiiiiiiiini1 027 4529 2

Comes

Santa Clara

Proud-pied April, dress'd in all his trim, hath put a spiritof youth in everything." Ah yes, Shakespeare, that's still

true today. Even at the headquarters of a major American corporation. Just look at what happens when the

first warm breeze rustles the birches and floweringplum trees. At lunch time, jackets come off. hair

swings free, and the solemn rites of softball.shuffleboard. and Frisbee begin. Best of

all there's a chance to nap on asunny patch of grass.