FLEXIBLE REPEATER MANUFACTURE 111 



"Qualification" of All Personnel 



Before employees were assigned to production work the^^ were re- 

 quired to pass a qualification test estaljlished by the inspection organi- 

 zation to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Programs were, there- 

 fore, set up for "vestibule" training and qualification of new employees. 

 This activity was carried on by full-time instructors who had been trained 

 by Western and Bell Laboratories engineers. Training was carried out 

 in two stages: 



1. (a) The employee received instruction and became acquainted 

 with equipment and requirements, (b) A practice period in which the 

 employee developed technic{ues and worked under actual operating 

 conditions, with all work submitted to regular inspection. 



2. A qualification period in which the employee was required to 

 demonstrate that work satisfactory for project use could be produced. 



The main objective during stage 1 was progressive quality improve- 

 ment and in stage 2 the maintenance of a satisfactory quality level over 

 an extended period of time. Employees made a definite number of units 

 at acceptable quality levels in order to qualify. The number of units 

 required for training varied with the type of work and the ease with 

 which it was mastered. 



All personnel were required to pass qualification tests before being 

 assigned to production work and were restricted to that work unless 

 trained and qualified for other work. Employees trained on more than 

 one job were requalified before being returned to a previous assignment. 



Records of the performance of individual operators started in the 

 training stage were continued after the employees were assigned to 

 production work. The performance record of the operators was based on 

 results obtained during the inspection of their work, while that of the 

 inspectors was based on special quality accuracy checks of their work. 



Personnel Selection 



It was apparent that the new manufacturing techniques, including 

 the cleanliness and quality demands, would necessitate that all shop 

 supervisors and employees be very carefully selected. It also appeared 

 (and this was subsequently confirmed) that after the careful selection 

 and training of supervisors, long training periods would be required for 

 specially selected shop emploj^ees. 



In selecting first line shop supervisors, such factors as adaptability, 

 personality, and ability to work closely with the engineers were of para- 

 mount importance. For the parts and apparatus included in their re- 



