{"id":134,"date":"1966-03-08T18:07:52","date_gmt":"1966-03-09T01:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/?p=134"},"modified":"2014-08-14T12:37:29","modified_gmt":"2014-08-14T19:37:29","slug":"shakes-are-highin-geneva-figisf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/?p=134","title":{"rendered":"Stakes Are High In Geneva Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Click<\/a>They laid it on the line last night. The steel industry in Utah-and this means Geneva Works – stands at\u00a0the crossroads.<\/p>\n

With a handicap of having to ship its product 700 to 1000 miles to market, Geneva faces serious\u00a0competitive challenges. This means the Utah plan must step up the fight for its markets. Indeed, it\u00a0must fight for its very survival.<\/p>\n

The threat has been created largely by two competitive forces: (1) Japanese-produced steel dumped on western U.S. markets; and (2) large tounages now\u00a0being shipped by cheap water transportation from\u00a0eastern plants in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Despite improved efficiency the past year or two, Geneva is still unable to match, in delivered cost, either of these competitive forces.<\/p>\n

This sobering problem was presented at the BYU Fieldhouse to 8000\u00a0people, including Geneva employees, their wives, and 500 guests.<\/p>\n

But serious as the picture appeared, it was obvious from the start that the speakers did not come to preach a funeral sermon. They came to inform, to inspire and to motivate. They outlined frankly what they felt must be done to keep Geneva healthy-and they warned of consequences should the mill fail to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

While no guaranteed blueprint for solution was\u00a0presented, the general tone was optimistic, based 0n determined, united teamwork. “We must simply . . put Geneva into the picture by our own hands, minds, and will to achieve,” said J. D. McCall, U. S. Steel\u00a0Corp. vice president .<\/p>\n

More specifically, the “Operation Bootstraps program inaugurated by General Superintendent George Jedenoff must be intensified in order to effect future economies in production; produce a higher quality product than competitors can offer; speed delivery to customers; improve service and total plant performance; and keep up on technological developments in the changing steel industry.<\/p>\n

The “Errors Zero” program adopted\u00a0during the meeting puts the crusade on a personal basis by charging each employee with (1) presenting his practical ideas for eliminating errors and production\u00a0defects and (2) setting and achieving goals to improve job\u00a0performance.<\/p>\n

The program was supported by speakers representing management\u00a0and labor;\u00a0also by Governor Calvin Rampton and N. Eldon Tanner of the LDS Church first presidency.<\/p>\n

But perhaps\u00a0the most eloquent endorsement\u00a0of all came from\u00a0the rank and file steel-makers\u00a0themselves, who rose to their feet, upon invitation of Mr. Jedenoff, to demonstrate overwhelmingly their intention to make “Errors Zero” succeed.<\/p>\n

Gov. Rampton summed up the situation when he said “This is not just Geneva’s fight — it’s the fight of the whole state.” Everybody knows that Geneva Works is the backbone of our economy in Utah Valley. We need this plant.<\/p>\n

Geneva’s Competitive Crusade<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some people have been known to scoff at the idea of Geneva’s ever being closed. The Herald has the utmost confidence in the ability of the dedicated Geneva team to meet the competitive challenge ahead. But make no mistake. Should Geneva go downhill and become a marginal operation, it ultimately would be closed, just like the mills at Donors, Pa. were ordered shut down recently, after a long\u00a0history of steel production.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, George Jedenoff, the alert, energetic Geneva general superintendent, sized up at an early stage the impending threat\u00a0to Geneva, and the employees have responded well in rallying to his call.<\/p>\n

Last night’s meeting at the Fieldhouse represented a striking effort to intensify “Operation Bootstraps” and to create an awareness of the high stakes the Geneva team is working for.<\/p>\n

Like the steel industry itself, everything about the meeting was big-the attendance, the dinner operation, the mammoth advance preparations, the caliber\u00a0of speakers, and most of all, the idea and concept which were so dramatically portrayed.<\/p>\n

Mr. Jedenoff and his co-workers, BYU, and\u00a0all others who helped, have provided\u00a0spring-board and most helpful climate\u00a0for the launching of “Errors Zero.”<\/p>\n

Now it’s up to members of the Geneva team at all levels and at all departments to carry on and make it go. This crusade if it is to achieve its maximum effectiveness, must be considered an opportunity, which it is. For the\u00a0employee, it’s an opportunity to make his job more secure and to do his bit to keep the community moving economically; for the plant\u00a0as a whole, it’s an opportunity to remain a vital force in the steel industry and in this state.<\/p>\n

Members of the Geneva team\u00a0must not embark on the crusade\u00a0begrudgingly. If there are some\u00a0who are slow to accept the program adopted last night, they had better get converted; if there are employees who are giving less than their best, they had better put their shoulders to the wheel because this crusade is a going thing.<\/p>\n

In his closing remarks, Mr. McCall spoke of the Geneva management and workers as “a steel making team with more talent, imagination, responsibility, and competitive will to win than any other like it in the world.”<\/p>\n

This was a great tribute. So, men and women, if they respond 100 per cent in the new competitive crusade,\u00a0are bound to succeed . . . to “rise above themselves and to\u00a0win the fight. All Utahns\u00a0will be pulling for them\u00a0to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They laid it on the line last night. The steel industry in Utah-and this means Geneva Works – stands at\u00a0the crossroads. With a handicap of having to ship its product 700 to 1000 miles to market, Geneva faces serious\u00a0competitive challenges. This means the Utah plan must step up the fight for its markets. Indeed, it\u00a0must… Continue reading Stakes Are High In Geneva Fight<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[40,43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gashler.com\/nlc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}