Founded in 1950 by two scientists, American Radiatronics Corporation is one of the leading producers in the nuclear electronics industry. Part of the American Radiatronics Corporation, the nuclear tube assembly room is a production unit which, around 24 months earlier, was known to be a highly problematic one. Workers within this unit were recognized as stubborn troublemakers, causing production to decline, costs to be uncontrollable, and deliverables to become unpredictable. The troubles within the unit became so challenging, that the elimination of the entire operation was thought as one of the best solutions for the corporation. However, this situation changed after Ralph Langley was appointed as general foreman of the Process Department. Showing 53% improvement in the dollar output of product per man-hour of work, the group also worked below its assigned budget (at 81% of its expense budget). Moreover, direct labor efficiency improved for 24%, followed by 12% increase in the raw material utilization on tubes produced, making manufacturing operations one of the best in the company from the profit position.

Nuclear Tube Assembly Room

Responsible for the production of all of the company’s regular line of electronic tubes, the nuclear tube assembly room was one of several production units in the plant’s Process Department. The unit produced products which differed in materials, design, size, and shape, ranging from delicate all-glass to massive all-metal products. This production unit produced roughly 25 different types of tubes, while in a normal production month it would produce 300 to 500 units of 8 to 10 separate tube styles. An important note to mention is that only 4 major tube styles accounted for up to 84% of the dollar value from the total output.

Not having a fixed operating process, the production process of each style of tube depended upon three factors: the materials employed, the particular electronic properties called for by its function, and the mechanical design of the tube. Considering that tube designs were developed by continuous trial and error and from known formulation by the company engineers, the production workers viewed the changes of tube designs and production methods as an unfinished process for developing an ultimate design. However, the operating process was roughly divided into five stages: glass work, metal work, tube assembly, vacuum testing and exhausting, and electronic testing. Following the five stages, the products are tested, labeled, recorded according to individual serial numbers, and packaged for either shipment or inventory storage. The testing was conducted within the same assembly room by the production workers.

The production work in the tube room was conducted by eight women led by Sally Ivers. Every worker specialized in one or more operations. Even though part of the regular production process, these special jobs appeared from workers’ skills, preferences, and the department needs. Moreover, each worker was involved in several kinds of operations. Not a single operation could be considered as exclusive, since one worker could substitute another worker when necessary.

Regarding payments, workers at the tube room were paid on an hourly basis. Pay grades followed an established standard procedure set by the industrial relations department. Workers were evaluated based on the amount of skill and knowledge that was required to perform the job. Each employee was rated every four months by the department general foreman, who then forwarded these forms to the industrial relations department, which was entitled for any pay increases. The evaluation forms are returned to the general foreman, who would discuss the ratings with the employees.

What made the Nuclear Tube Assembly Room very successful?

According to Mr. Singer, the tube room produces the same products and follow the same processes by using the same equipment which were set at the beginning of its existence and without any engineering control. If that is the case, it means that the success of the tube room does not come from any improvement made in the equipment or processes, but solely from better labor management. Since Mr. Langley was assigned, the workers in the tube room who had previously created a reputation of “agitators, hotheads, and persistent troublemakers” became one of the most successful group.

Considering that workers should not be used for ego and power satisfaction, Mr. Langley regrouped the team under common goals by creating trust and respect among group members, who could determine how to achieve goals and solve problems on their own. Even though, the group was given the autonomy to manage their own work, nonetheless, the schedule set by the corporation had to always be respected and there was no comprise on that.

One of the major contributors to the improvement of the group’s performance was Mr. Langley’s approach toward the group. By making the group feel part of the entire corporation, Mr. Langley treated the women as insiders and not outsiders. By providing the freedom to schedule their work and pace themselves, Mr. Langley assured that the group will constantly seek to improve the quality of tubes and the processes. Moreover, he made sure to always provide each worker the same share of attention by treating each woman individually. The fruitful results of this approach can best be seen by the satisfaction that the group members have to work with each other and Mr. Langley.

Harold Singer’s perception of the Tube Room and Process Engineering Proposal

According to Mr. Singer, one of the main problems of the Tube Room is that there is no engineering control over the operation. The tubes design, production methods, and process specifications should be developed by Process Engineering Department and not by the production workers themselves. Considering current products as primitive in design, the Process Engineering Department is developing a pilot process for the new LDTC line of radiation tubes completed by the Research and Development Department. Considering the new LDTC product line as tremendously important, the Engineering Department finds the introduction of this product line as an excellent opportunity for introducing a new process and improving of the existing process.

Another major problem is the testing operations. According to Mr. Singer, the Testing Functions should be separated from Assembly Operations. The current testing procedure is considered unhealthy, and therefore, should be operated by a completely different group of people under different supervision. The proposal for introduction/start-up of LDTC Tube Assembly Process consists of two major plans: (1) a plan for the production start-up of the LDTC and (2) a plan for improving existing tube assembly processes. The plan for the production start-up of the LDTC has three main phases: (a) pre-manufacturing process development, which consisted of pilot process development and pre-production facility changes; (b) production assembly start-up of LDTC; and (c) finalization of process specification on LDTC. On the other hand, the plan for improving existing tube assembly processes also contains three main phases: (1) development of process specifications, which require assigning a process technician full-time to the Nuclear Tube Assembly Room and monitoring of process changes; (2) development of operator specialization and fixed-station assignments; and (3) separation of testing functions from assembly operations.

According to the Process Engineering Department, the process change is highly necessary in order for the firm to ensure consistent quality standards and product reliability. Moreover, the proposal suggests that during all phases the main person in charge should be Mr. Singer, who will manage, monitor, and approve the process procedures and workers. No changes of any kind will be allowed without the approval of Mr. Singer.

How necessary are the changes?

Even though, the tube room was experiencing fruitful results under the true leadership of Mr. Langley, the process changes are highly necessary for the firm. Considering the increasing competition from other young companies and older electronics firms that had recently entered the nuclear field, American Radiatronics has to ensure quality standards which will differentiate it from its competitors. Especially, considering the fact that the current products are mainly considered as primitive in design.

Quality standards will be better achieved if the firm establishes a clean and organized department, give workers designated working area, test product in a different department, and employ engineers to revise the design separately. However, considering Mr. Langley’s success in managing the tube room, the employee management should be conducted by Mr. Langley himself. Compared to Mr. Langley, Mr. Singer wants a stricter and a highly supervised department. On the other hand, Mr. Langley provides workers a higher autonomy on their decisions, making them feel and understand that they highly contribute to the company. Mr. Singer’s approach on having too much structure, order, and pressure can diminish innovation, creativity, and productivity of current workers. Such an approach has proven to be unsuccessful prior to Langley’s assuming the leadership of the department.

The process changes should be communicated or introduced to the current workers by Mr. Langley, assuring that they understand the necessity for changes and that each employee will engage in her/his specialty operation only. The specialty operations can be arranged among the employees themselves, giving them the flexibility to choose the operation that they consider to be more qualified at. Moreover, whenever necessary, the employees will still be able to maintain the previous communication with Mr. Langley.

The new process, however, should be closely monitored by Mr. Singer, ensuring that the required consistent quality standards and product reliability are met. Therefore, we suggest a close collaboration and coordination between Mr. Singer and Mr. Langley, where the ‘new’ system will be managed by Mr. Singer, while human resources will be managed by Mr. Langley. At the meantime, Mr. Goodrich must ensure a smooth partnership between Mr. Singer and Mr. Langley.