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WINTER 1992 WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTI rj*WW£ Manufacturing the 1990s in SPECIAL ISSUE A Robert C. Stempel '55 Chairman and CEO of General Motors '"-iiiif1^; # H^HL " # —*# • • — <>. • • I WPI Journal VOLUME XCV NO. 1 WINTER 1992 CONTENTS What's Good for General Motors Today? MichaelDorsey 2 The 1980swas an eventful decadefortheworld's largest manufacturer. General Motors Chairman Robert C. Stempel '55 explainswhat the corporationlearned duringthosecritical 10years aboutmakingqualityproducts forthehighly competitiveautomotive market, and howit is applyingthose lessonsto become astrongercompanyinthe 1990s. " The New Wave in Manufacturing CarolCampbell 10 Powertothe people. Itmaysound likealeftoverslogan fromthe '60s, but more and more, Americancorporations are learningto maketheiremployees key players inthe quest forquality. As manufacturingexecutives at seven corpora- tions explain, involvingand empoweringworkers is acritical steponthe road to competitiveness. Flights of Fancy 17 — Here's alookatseveral ofWPI's best-knownbuildings up close and personal. Inthis four-color photo essay, wecapturesomeoftheembellishments and details that givethese buildings theiruniquecharacter and charm. Education on the Front Lines CathyKalenian 21 In theclassrooms and laboratories oftheWashburnShops, students enrolled in manufacturingengineering, WPI's newest accredited academic program, are learningto becomethe manufacturing executives and the industrial innovators ofthe 21st century. The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Steady As She Goes MichaelDorsey 28 Robert H. Beckett '57waited until thetimeand circumstanceswere rightto found his owncompany. Sincethen, his unswervingvision and quiet leadership havehelped Robec Distributors grow into thenation's most profitable distribu- torofdesktop computers, peripherals andsoftware. DEPARTMENTS 34 Communique: ClimbingBetween thePeaks. DonaldF. Berth '57 FrontCovenRobertC.StempelposeswithaGeneralMotorsconceptcar.Storyonpage2.Photo courtesyGeneralMotors.Opposite:PaulCotnoir,directoroftheManufacturingEngineeringAppli- cationsCenter,left,andgraduatestudentFredricGolduseahoroscopetoexaminethetransmission housingofaBradleyFightingVehicle.Storyonpage21.PhotobyJanetWoodcock.BackCover.A detailfromahand-coloredengravingoftheWPIcampusbyRichardRummell,completedin1908.WPI haslaunchedadrivetoendowthemaintenanceofitsacademicbuildings,includingBoyntonHall. StrattonHallandtheWashburnShops,seenherefromlefttoright.Storyonpage34.(Note:Alumni Gymnasium,completedin1916andseeninthebackground,wasaddedtothisprintatalaterdate.) StaffoftheWPIJournal:Editor,MichaelW.Dorsey•AlumniNewsEditor,RuthS.Trask•Writers,BonnieGelbwasserandNeilNorum •Designer,CarolHoyleBallard •Photographer,JanetWoodcock•AlumniPublicationsCommittee:SamuelMencow'37,chairman•PaulJ.Cleary71 •JamesS.Demetry'58•JudithDonahueSIM'82 •WilliamJ.FirlaJr.'60•CarlA.Keyser'39•RobertC.Labonte'54•RogerN.PerryJr.'45•The WPIJournal(ISSN0148-6128)ispublishedquarterlyfortheWPIAlumni AssociationbytheOfficeofUniversityRelations.SecondclasspostagepaidatWorcester,MA,andadditionalmailingoffices.PrintedbyTheLanePress,Burlington,Vt. DiverseviewspresentedinthismagazinedonotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionsoftheeditorsorofficialWPIpolicies. Wewelcomeletterstotheeditor.Addresscorrespondence totheEditor, WPIJournal, WPI, 100InstituteRoad, Worcester,MA01609-2280. Phone:(508)831-5609,FAX:(508)831-5604,Electronicmail(Internet):[email protected]. Postmaster:Ifundeliuerable,pleasesendform3579totheaddressabove. Donotreturnpublication. Entirecontentsm1992, WorcesterPolytechnicInstitute. Winter 1992