A N A L Y T I C A L CH EM1S T R Y WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor
The Place of the Analytical Department in Modern Industry
W
~ ~ 4 the ~ place i s of the analyst in industry today? How does the analytical department fit into the modern “team approach” pattern we hear so much about in industry today, especially in the so-called chemical process fields? What do we mean Tvhen we talk about such subjects as research in analysis, quality control, adaptation of instrumental analysis methods in large scale manufacturing, and how are these and other factors related to other departments of a company? I n many respects, the analytical department can be said to be the nerve center in modern manufacturing operations. As a department. it has direct contact with manufacturing, purchasing, sales, research, market research and development, and top management. If i t does not, something is vitally n-rong in the organizatioiial structure, a weakness that can be very detrimental to the success of a company where quality and new products are of prime importance. Despite this generally close relationship with just about ever- other activity in a company setup, me do not recall ever having seen or read any comprehensive survey discussing these essential relationships. \Then we mentioiicd this apparent absence in thc literature a t a niwting of the Advisory Board of L i ~ . 4 C~H E~ ~ I~I ~~Tthere R~T ,~ was L an irnniediate spontaneous enthu\iasni for a series of articlcthat would discuss thc relationship of the analytical department to ali other phases of company management. The first in thiz wries appears in this issue. page 11 A. John E. McKeen, president and chairman of the board of Chas. Pfizer & Co., a nationally and internationally known cheniical and pharmaceutical manufacturing concern, discusses how top nianagrment in his company views the analyst and the analytical department. I n subsequent ibsiics, 11idely known leader3 in manufacturing. purchahig, sales, product development, enginccring, and research will present their ideas of n h a t conititutes an ideal relationship between their respecti1.e departments arid the analytical department. Still other articles in the series will be rontrihuted b y an indcpendcnt chemical consultant and nn independent niniiage-
ment consultant. The series will close with one or more articles written by prominent directors of a number of analytical departments. We firmly believe that management today is coiiscious of the role of the analyst. We know from firsthand observation of many companies that the director of analytical research very frequently is made part of the over-all team assigned to the development of new processes, new products, and new large scale manufacturing operations. Thus the horizons of the analyst are constantly broadening from the classical concept that analysis has as its chief objective the maintenance of quality control. It is certainly true that the so-called “works chemist” or analyst of the 18th or 19th centuries no longer is looked upon by management as an expensive but, perhaps, necessary evil. T’ery significantly the wheel of fortune for the analyst has come around a full 360 degrees Historically analytical chemistry probably is the oldest field in the broad spectrum of chemistry. Obviously, the first challenge to the chemist was to determine the constituent parts of the physical things he could see or touch. Later emphasis shifted to organic chemistry, then to physical chemistry for the reason that the challenge then was to produce synthetically many natural substance5 or to produce products that did not exist in nature. Cltiniately, of course, the analyst reached the lowest ebb in stature when small chemical nianufacturing plants sprang up. The analyst’s main or sole duties consisted largely in performing routine tests to determine the quality of the raw materials coming in, so to speak, the back door, and the finished goods going out the front. No longer is the analyst the “Cinderella” of the chemical profession. Severtheless, despite the renaissance in hi3 professional stature, the duties and contributions of the analyticd rhemist are still in many instances not too well defiiird nor too well understood. The series n-hich starts with Dr. McKeen’s keen analysis of the role of the analytical department in Pfizer operations is specifically designed t o d w e l o p dibcussion and coiitrox-crsy. Coniinenti from reader, will be most welcome.
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