Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1955)

14 Trade Personals: Henry C. Bonflg’s resignation as Zenith v.p. & director of sales (see p. 11) became effective May 18 when TV-radio sales v.p. Leonard C. Truesdell succeeded him; Bonfig will vacation until early June, when he assumes presidency of CBS-Columbia Inc., and until then retiring pres. Seymour Mintz will remain on job . . . Frank Folsom, RCA pres., leaves this week-end for 4 weeks in Europe, will also go to Cairo and Istanbul; v.p. Mannie Sacks will join him in about week . . . Sam F. Arn Jr. promoted to sales mgr. in expansion of PackardBell technical products div.; Hugh Vick, ex-Northrop Aircraft, named chief of contracts administration section . . . Harry L. Thorson, mgr. of GE TV camera tube project, appointed mgr. of transmitting tube project engineering at Schenectady . . . Fred C. Zusi promoted to head new DuMont systems-engineering group, supervising sales of electronic equipment for automatic production & quality control ... Nat Marshall, ex-mgr. of broadcast sales, promoted to asst, director of General Pz’ecision Labs’ engineering products div.; Joseph Belcher promoted to mgr. of industrial TV sales . . . Jack L. Hobby, Raytheon staff asst, for public relations, will become mgi’. of publicity & institutional adv. and head house organ Raytheon News, in new setup after Richard Axten takes over June 1 as director of public relations ... Bernard B. Cohen, exEmerson & Tele-tone, named works mgr.. General Transistor Corp., Jamaica, N. Y. . . . Ray McCadam promoted to western district sales mgr., GE tube dept., Los Angeles . . . Jerome K. Levy, gen. mgr. of Audio & Video Corp., N. Y., elected a v.p.; Robert Winston elected sales v.p. of National Musitime Corp., div., Ray Rand sales v.p. of A-V Tape Libraries Inc. . . . Edwin J. Bradley, ex-Airpax Products Co., Middle River, Md., appointed sales mgr. of Color Television Inc., San Carlos, Cal., now largely in military electronics production . . . Albert Benjaminson named chief engineer, Granco Products, Long Island City, N. Y. . . . Richard Berggren, ex-Stiller-Rouse & Assoc. Adv., Los Angeles, named Hoffman Radio adv. mgr., reporting to E. A. Tischler, new adv. director of parent Hoffman Electronics; Deane Aylesworth continues as adv. mgr. of Hoffman Labs . . . G. Warren Kimball promoted to mgr. of battery & renewal components marketing, RCA tube div. DISTRIBUTOR NOTES: Walther Bros., Philco distributor in New Orleans last 27 years, switches to RCA, replacing Television & Appliance Distributors Inc. . . . CrosleyBendix appoints Graybar, Buffalo , . , Stromberg-Carlson appoints Southern Electric Corp., Staunton, Va. (L. J. Kiger, pres.) . . . Sentinel appoints Ralph Lay Co., 5627 Manchester Ave., St. Louis . . . CBS-Columbia Boston factory branch promotes Arnold Mackowsky to sales mgr. . . . Gross Distributing Corp., Newark (Stromberg-Carlson) appoints C. Edward Erbe as sales mgr. Lansdale Tube Co., Lansdale, Pa., operated as Philco subsidiary since 1947, becomes Philco division under name of Lansdale Tube & Transistor Co. Wm. J. Peltz, v.p. of operations for TV div., has been promoted to v.p. & gen. mgr. of new div. Construction of Motorola’s $1,500,000 ti’ansistor plant in Phoenix began this week as exec. v.p. Robert W. Galvin dug first shovel of dirt. New 57,600-sq. ft. building is slated for completion by end of year, initially will employ 300-500. Louis A. Connelly, 59, mgr. for last 13 years of govt, dept., RCA engineering products div., died of heart attack May 20 at his home in Medford Lakes, N. J. He had been with RCA and predecessor companies since 1924, always on govt, sales, won company’s highest citation recently for extraordinary service during Korean War. Surviving are his wife and 2 daughters. ElcctfOnicS Roports: Complaint that aircraft manufacturers are using govt, procurement policies to put themselves in the electronics business (Vol. 11:7,17) drew strong rebuttal last week from a leading airframe maker and a top Air Force procurement official. Addressing National Conference on Aeronautical Electronics, August C. Esenwein, Ft. Worth v.p. of Convair (whose parent General Dynamics Corp. is due to take over Stromberg-Carlson; see Vol. 11:18) said aii'craft industry has too many of its own research, development and production problems to try to take over the function of electronic subcontractors. “Never has our problem been one of too little work, work to be husbanded selfishly in our own plant,” he said. “Rather, the greatest problem has been one of finding capable, qualified, enthusiastic and uncommitted vendors. Our sister divisions at San Diego and Pomona have had the same trouble . . . which is why, in certain instances, they have had to do some of the electronics work themselves.” Air Force policy is opposed to aircraft manufacturer competition with established electronics suppliers, said Brig. Gen. C. H. Mitchell, director, procurement & production, Air Materiel Command headquarters. “There must be some compelling reason for an airframe manufacturer to build his own component equipment,” he declared. “This should happen only by default of the electronics industry. However, it is not the policy of the Air Force to encourage or condone airframe manufacturers entering the electronics business — or the same policy in reverse.” Sperry Gyroscope Air Force contracts mgr. Norman L. Winter urged that electronics companies be given bigger role in new “weapons system” procurement contracts. He said each pi’ogram should be examined carefully to see whether an aviation or an electronics company would be better equipped to manage the program. To date, the bulk of weapons system management contracts have gone to airframe manufacturers, giving them full responsibility for design and integration of all components going into the military end-product, and important responsibility for procurement of these components. * * * * Consolidated Electronics Industries Corp., Waterbury, Conn., controlled by North American Philips Co., will buy all assets of Alliance Mfg. Co., Alliance, 0., leading manufacturer of antenna rotators, small motors for phonographs, fans & bathroom heaters. It’s paying $3,650,000 in notes convertible into 200,000 shares of Consolidated within 3 years. Transaction is to be concluded by June 30, subject to stockholders’ approval. Consolidated, formerly Reynolds Spring Co., sold its automotive business last Dec. and acquired a number of Philips properties (Vol. 11:2), including military electronics. Consolidated reported net profit of $301,000 for first quarter 1955. In last quarter 1954, com'pany sustained operating loss of $274,000 plus loss of $731,000 on sale of its assets. Net sales for 6 months ended March 31 were $2,934,000, net loss $704,000. Original “Tinkertoy” automatic production line in Arlington, Va. — ^which gave modular design of electronics its greatest impetus when shown for first time in 1953 (Vol. 9:38) — has been leased by National Bureau of Standards and Navy to Aerovox Corp., which succeeds Kaiser electronics div., Willys Motors Inc. as operator of the line. Key personnel formerly associated with Kaiser have been employed by Aerovox to operate and expand the system. Emphasis will be placed on production of modules for experimental use by interested electronic equipment manufacturers. The Navy, which is encouraging use of modular-design concepts in fleet equipment, reports that electronic devices turned out on the Arlington automatic assembly line have proved equal or superior to conventional equipment.