Greensboro Vicks [May 1988]

              Greensboro Vicks
Vol. 30
May 1988
No. 10
What's Happenin' Here?
What It Is Ain't Exactly Clear
What's going to happen to the
HC-10 hne? If Hair Care distribution and
the Thurston Warehouse come under
Browns Summit's umbrella, what's
going to happen to us on Swing Road?
Will Procter & Gamble employees from
other facilities replace people here?
These guestions and more have been
talked about over the break table, in
the halls, and at home. While there is
no effective way to end the talk and
rumors, these guestions need to be put
into perspective.
When P&G bought Richardson-Vicks,
they didn't make any immediate changes
in the way we work. The only evidence we saw for the first 6-9 months
of P&G's ownership was the large
number  of visitors  who  freguently
came through the plant. Gradually,
changes began when the first manager
transferred in from another P&G facility,
and we started sharing shampoo
responsibilities with Browns Summit.
Still, at this point, nothing drastic had
taken place; nothing that might not
have happened if we were still owned
by RVI.
Had P&G made more changes
immediately after purchasing RVI,
perhaps we could have recognized
earlier that we are no longer RVI
employees, but P&G employees. But
P&G wanted to find out how RVI did
business and get to know us as
employees and people first before
making changes. Why? To make the
transition more effective and less
traumatic for us and the business.
You might compare it to buying a
new home. You buy a new home
because you like it; it has many good
features and gualities. After moving
and settling in, you begin to make
alterations to make it your home.
That, basically, is what P&G is doing —
making RVI their company because it is.
(con't page 3)
Product Compounders Graduate
1?S
(l-r) Fred Smith, Larry Ellis, Joe Tracey, Kim Josey, Charles Smith, Ben Abraham,
Mike Barksdale, Phil Gordon
"This is the first time I've been in the
Conference Room and haven't had to
learn anything," said Fred Smith, a
new employee since October, as he
took his seat on March 10. He, along
with the other newly certified product
compounders, had gathered in the
Conference Room to celebrate their
achievement. Not only are new work
opportunities available to the graduates,
but Phyllis Bodnar and Joan Drummond,
who are responsible for compounding,
have greater flexibility in scheduling
the compounding personnel among
the three production shifts.
To become certified as a compounder
takes six months. The first step, though,
is passing the basic mathematics exam
to gualify for inclusion in the first half
of the Compounders Course, which
concentrates on numerical skills from
fractions to specific gravity calculations.
After passing the first session, the
candidate proceeds to the second part
on technical skills that covers instructions
on control of chemical raw materials,
compounding processes, and record
keeping. Upon completion of this session
the recruit takes an exam, which, if
passed, leads to a two-week internship
in the various compounding areas.
Joan and Phyllis are very excited
(l-r) Randy Taylor, Dennis Landreth,
Kim Brown, Jerry Dowd
with the excellent compounders these
two classes have graduated. The new
compounders are Ben Abraham, Mike
Barksdale, Kim Brown, Jerry Dowd,
Larry Ellis, Phil Gordon, Kim Josey,
Dennis Landreth, Charles Smith, Fred
Smith, Randy Taylor, Ruffin Terry, and
Joe Tracey. After encouraging each to
sign up any time a compounding
assignment is posted, Joan and Phyllis
emphasized that each graduate should
visit the compounding areas to keep
abreast with eguipment and method
changes, so no great surprise will greet
the new compounder when his or her
first assignment is posted.
To most of us thirteen is an unlucky
number, but to Phyllis and Joan the 13
newly certified compounders are a
boon. Congratulations, again I