Business screen magazine (1946)

utilization Key to Savings with Videotape Making maximum use of a videotape installation is the real key to cutting costs and saving money with its use. Here s how one company found many applications and saved thousands in the process. Videotape recording lias helped save time and money and improve the flow of technical information at Combustion Engineering Inc.'s Combustion Division. The Windsor, Connecticut division, the leading U.S. supplier of fossil and nuclear steam generating systems and components used for electric power generation, has established a videotape recording link with five regional sales offices to help keep its sales force up-todate in highly specialized technology. One of its major tools is a videotaped course Introdiidion to Nuclear Power, which was produced at the division's main studio in Windsor and distributed via videotape to the regional offices in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Da'las and Birmingham. The course consists of 52 clockhours of formal TV instruction — a full year's instruction. It has been taken by approximately 300 employees. The primary purpose of the course is to provide a contemporary review of nuclear terminology and nuclear power plant development trends to the field sales force. Without videotape recording, the course would require three full-time instructors to present the 52 sessions in the five regions, plus 600 annual class sessions in Windsor," said James C. Anderson, training coordinator for the Combustion Division's field sales department. "In addition, each of the three instructors would have to travel 60,000 miles at a cost of about $6,000. Add to this the cost of salaries, lodging, food and course materials, and it is easy to see that the total cost of instruction would far exceed that of TV instruction. "By using videotape recording, we were able to reduce expenses by about 40 percent and cut the live 32 teaching time of each instructor by 87 percent. "And the result is a more informative and uniform presentation than is possible with a grueling schedule of travel and in-person presentations. Also the course is on tape and can be repeated each year at minimum cost." Master tapes were produced at divisional headquarters using two Ampex VR-7500 closed circuit videotape recorders and closed circuit television cameras. Five copies of each tape were made and distributed to the regional offices for playback on Ampex VR-6000 videotape recorders. The course, prepared in conjunction with the Nuclear Utility Services of Rockville, Maryland, included tapes on such topics as atomic and nuclear structure, nuclear reaction, economics of nuclear fuel and plant start-up and testing. Technical instruction is just one of the ways in which the Combus Training and educational tapes are duplicated for distribution to regional offices. Here, James Anderson, training coordinator of C-E's field sales department duplicates a master tape. tion Division is putting its videotape recording equipment to use. Each month, sales engineers and district managers from more than a dozen metropolitan areas meet to keep informed of developments within the industry. Television presentations have become a regular part of these informative sessions. Videotape recording also permits efficient visual communication between Windsor and the field offices, and even among the field offices. Each regional sales office has a videotape recorder, camera and TV monitor and can prepare its own master tapes for intra-company distribution. Each regional office is in a position to prepare TV instruction for district personnel within its geographic area. Videotapes are available to inform customers of new products, services and other company offerings. Tapes on C-E's air pollution control systems, waste treatment systems and advanced steam supply systems for production of electrical power have been produced and shown to customers in the field. Since 1968, approximately 80 hours of master videotape information have been prepared. Tapes from the master file are often used to instruct new employees and update veteran empoyees. So effective has been the Combustion Division's use of videotape recording that other departments and divisions are evaluating its use. To date, C-E's manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee and C-E Natco, Tulsa, Oklahoma, another C-E division, have installed VTR equipment. As a result, all of the videotapes may be used in any of the three areas without dubbing the content onto a second electromagnetic format. BUSINESS SCREEN