Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech,americast.usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Thu, Oct 15 1992 Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 04:48:41 EDT Message-ID: Lines: 120 10-15 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update Oct. 15, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network TEXAS INSTRUMENTS WINS AWARD: Many saw the work of Texas Instruments' Defense Systems & Electronics Group when they watched videos of smart bombs zoom into buildings' air ducts and windows in the Persian Gulf war. The Texas Instruments' group, which won a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Wednesday, makes the electronics that guide those bombs and other electronic weapons. (For more, see special Baldrige package below.) TELXON CEO RESIGNS: Raymond Meyo, CEO of Telxon Corp., resigned Wednesday, less than a week after the maker of hand-held computer systems said its fiscal 1993 earnings will be about 16% below the company's own forecast. Meyo will provide consulting services to the company for sales, the firm said. CHIP WILL BE ENERGY-EFFICIENT: Intel Corp. is designing a chip that would help personal computers use less energy. Desktop PCs now use 120 watts to 200 watts of electricity while on, even if not in use. Intel's chips - the brains of a computer - will switch PCs into a 30-watt "sleep" mode when on but not being used. 486 CHIPS ARE ON WAY: Intel Corp., the largest independent computer chip maker in the U.S., expects to ship about 5 million 486 chips by the end of the year, Intel spokesman Gordon Casey said Wednesday. Casey also said the company will ship its P-5 microprocessor by the first quarter of 1993. Engineering samples of the P-5 chips have been sent to personal computer companies. DIGITAL OPTIMISTIC DESPITE LOSS: Digital Equipment Corp. said Wednesday it lost $261 million its latest quarter but expressed optimism that a major restructuring should boost results the next quarter. The loss was the fourth quarterly operating deficit for DEC. CEO Robert Palmer is stepping up the company's restructuring, which includes a plan to trim its workforce by 25,000 the next few years to 88,000 worldwide. AT&T, NEC TEAM UP: AT&T Microelectronics and NEC Corp. Wednesday announced they have formed a joint venture to market semiconductors bearing the AT&T brand name in Japan. The new company, named AT&T Semiconductor Marketing, Ltd., is capitalized $1.7 million, AT&T said. AT&T owns 51% of the venture and NEC owns 49%. The deal will allow AT&T to sell its semiconductors through NEC's existing sales channels. INTERNATIONAL MOBILE TO MERGE: International Mobile Machines is expected to announce Thursday morning that it acquired SCS Mobilecom Inc. and SCS Telecom Inc., Bloomberg Business News reports. The announcement will bring two competing digital cellular technologies together. International Mobile develops time division multiple access technology, while SCS develops broadband code division multiple access technology. USF&G TEAMS UP WITH CIGNA: USF&G has selected CIGNA Information Services Inc. for a strategic alliance in personal lines processing. The multimillion-dollar nine-year agreeent has CIS providing policy processing, management reporting and information services to the USF&G organization and automated policy service support to USF&G agents. CIS will provide software and computer mainframe support. FIRM RECEIVES FCC LICENSE: Pacific Communication Sciences Inc. of San Diego said Wednesday it received a license from the Federal Communications Commission to perform experiments in the 1895 MHz-1918 MHz frequency band. The firm says it will use the band to develop products and technology for personal communications systems. Pacific Communications says the products will be available in late 1993. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BALDRIGE: UNIT HAS BEEN STEADY: Texas Instruments' process of designing, making and servicing of smart bombs is so good, the firm's Defense Systems & Electronics Group was awarded a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The program has helped keep the unit's revenue steady - around $2 billion a year - while the Pentagon has severely cut spending, says President William "Hank" Hayes. UNIT FOLLOWS GUIDELINES: The Texas Instruments' unit first became interested in the Baldrige in 1988. "We started looking to see if it would be a good road map for us to follow," Hayes said. "We thought it was an excellent road map." The group applied in 1990 and 1991 and learned a great deal from each attempt. EMPLOYEE TEAMS ARE USED: An important part of the process was pushing decisions down to employee teams. The unit now has five management layers, down from eight in 1990. A pilot program of four teams in 1983 has grown to more than 1,900 teams today. The group is on target to have half its 15,000 employees working in unsupervised teams by 1995. CUSTOMERS ARE PLEASED: The internal changes have made customers happy, too. A Navy study designated 106 processes and techniques used by the unit as "best manufacturing practices." No other Navy supplier got that many high ratings. Another Navy study of 17 missiles found the HARM and Shrike missiles to be the most reliable. Both missiles are made by the unit. (End of package.) Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 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