Articles
Autolite: (14) Epilogue
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June 1976 Completed more than forty years for the author in the spark plug industry. He saw Fostoria Spark Plug Plant grow from zero Production to over a million spark plugs per day: realized the total manufacturing mark of over three billion; guided the introduction of many new items to be produced in the factory; planned for orderly expansion of volume and production techniues; pioneered "cold-forming" of spark plug shells; witnessed continous "glass sealing" methods of the insulator connected to uninterrupted final operations of the plugs; researched the best means for forming a powder, the insulator of the spark plug, to a perpetual automated process; developed the computer as a "tool in Planning Production; controlled inventories of the raw materials; managed work in procedure; governed inventories of "tooling and finished product; observed the National Union's drive for reorganization; aided the sale of the plant twice to new owners,using entirely different management controls; operated the plant through World War II, Korean War, and Viet Nam War; led the factory through perod of material shortages; supported vast changes in engine designs and power output; and confronted manys ocial and economic changes within the business, brought about through political regulations and ethics.
The writer viewed, over the years, the achievement of many performance awards presented to the Fostoria Spark Plug Division for its excllence in manufacturing procedures, safety objuctives, and profit goals. He particpated in many civic activities that brought recognition to the company. He evidenced the first small kiln and laboratory of 1936 progress to the present large efficient operation of Bendix Autolite Corporation .
It has been impossible to narrate all the happenings over so much time, and there are surely many events that have been unintentionally left unwritten.
It seemed to the author like "leaving home", to turn over the "reigns: to someone else. However, his philosophy paid off, of training managerial personnel in more than one area, for now there were persons who were capable of "stepping up" in the organization into every position. The author knew the plant was being placed in
"GOOD HANDS"
|
Production--Autolite Spark Plugs
(000’) |
|
| 1936-------------------879 | 1976--- Not available Bendix |
| 1937------------------4,825 | 1977--- Not available |
| 1938------------------8,263 | 1978--- Not available |
| 1939-----------------12,685 | 1979--- Not available |
| 1940-----------------15,436 | 1980--- Not available |
| 1941-----------------21,112 | 1981--- Not available |
| 1942-----------------17,094 | 1982--- Not available |
| 1943-----------------26,510 | 1983- Bendix Became part of Allied |
| 1944-----------------30,511 | 1984- Not available-Bendix-Allied |
| 1945-----------------25,937 | 1985-Sept. 18 Allied became Allied-Signal |
| 1946-----------------41,076 | 1986--- Not available |
| 1947-----------------47,517 | 1987--- Not available |
| 1948-----------------40,052 | 1988--- Not available |
| 1949-----------------36,584 | 1989--- Not available |
| 1950-----------------40,583 | 1990--- Not available |
| 1951-----------------44,326 | 1991--- Not available |
| 1952-----------------54,493 | 1992--- Not available |
| 1953-----------------52,364 | 1993--- Not available |
| 1954-----------------43,165 | 1994--- Not available |
| 1955-----------------57,868 | 1995--- Not available |
| 1956-----------------54,604 | 1996--- Not available to us |
| 1957---------------- 62,144 | 1997--- Not available to us |
| 1958-----------------49,380 | 1998--- Not available to us |
| 1959-----------------63,602 | 1999------------------ |
| 1960-----------------67,804 | 2000------------------ |
| 1961-----------------19,143---Parent Autolite Company | |
| 1961-----------------50,897---Ford after April 12 | |
| 1962-----------------92,841---1st Billion 2/62 | |
| 1963-----------------86,080 | |
| 1964-----------------99,561 | |
| 1965----------------114,272 | |
| 1966----------------127,153 | |
| 1967----------------114,798 | |
| 1968----------------155,429 | |
| 1969----------------164,044 | |
| 1970----------------167,457 2nd Billion 4/22/70 | |
| 1971----------------156,815 | |
| 1972----------------188,270 | |
| 1973----------------212,147 | |
| 1974----------------217,588 BENDIX | |
| 1975----------------167,974 3rd Billion 9/4/75 | |
