I/EC
DANGERS of launching a NEW PRODUCT Snell Research can help overcome them H e r e ' s h o w , in s o m e t y p i c a l case h i s t o r i e s o f Snell c l i e n t s : Product Research and Development Toxicology—One of the largest frozen food companies began getting complaints on the flavor of one of their green vege tables. Since hundreds of thousands of dollars were at stake, they consulted Snell to find out what was wrong. Snell by analyzing tests, and checking on the farm, was able to prove that the taste— Product Application—A Snell client in actually toxic—was due to a new type of the paper industry, for whom we had insecticide sprayed on the fields hundreds developed a fine additive, wanted to of yards away on a windy day long before explore uses in other fields. Unfortunately, the harvest! their highly qualified staff's experience was limited to the one field. Snell, with Engineering — A large midwestern firm experts in practically every product field, desired to produce its own brand of found the new product has potentialities instant coffee, to possess outstanding as both a good emulsifier and a paint flavor, body, and bouquet. They engaged plasticizer. Only the very largest manu Snell to design their extraction line, which facturing companies can duplicate the is now economically producing a superior product, and have since doubled capacity. breadth of experience and background the Snell "brain-trust" of technical ex Since that time, two additional plants have been modified under our supervision perts can offer you! to increase production and improve prod uct characteristics. Product Improvement — One Snell client found their product, an adhesive What's Your Product Problem?— bandage, slipping in quality. Tape was Whatever it is, and whatever your prod going gooey in storage on druggists' uct field—chemicals, chemical specialties, shelves. Snell research helped this client personal products, pulp and paper, pro bring his product quality up to equal the tective coatings, plastics, textiles, foods, best on the market, and retain his share petroleum, rubber—Snell has men who "know the score" in that field, and who of sales. can work with you creatively and profit Product Evaluation—A Snell brewery ably in developing, producing, protecting, client wanted to expand production and and marketing new ideas. This broad take advantage of a more efficient pro experience can be decisive in protecting duction technique but feared the taste of not only your ideas, but also the thou the beer might suffer. Snell food tech sands of dollars you spend developing nologists, taste panels, and engineers them. And the cost of Snell service is less checked the new process and hundreds of than you might imagine! Half the jobs samples of beer made under new and old we do cost less than $1000! systems, recommended the switch to the SEND FOR more profitable modern process. The change went unnoticed by the customers, 9 FREE BOOKLET and sales continued to climb. On Research Development & SE"" • Testing "SERVICES FOR You I YOU." It tells you how Snell Market Research—A Snell client with can serve YOU! No obliga a waste product had briefly considered tion, of course. Foster D. S " ï building a plant to use it to manufacture Snell,Inc.,Dept. I-G, 29West 15th Street, Ν. Υ. 11, Ν. Υ. another product; but had given up after their own brief survey showed the new product to be already overproduced. When they consulted Snell for checking, how ever, Snell predicted there would be a N e w Y o r k , Ν. Υ . shortage within three years. The client Baltimore, Md. waited two years, built the plant—and Bainbridge, Ν. Υ . now has a profitable new product instead Worcester, Mass. of a waste! —A few years ago Snell was retained to develop new products, applications, and markets for sugar. Extensive research and development work by Snell resulted in the creation of a new synthetic deter gent—based on sugar!
FDS SHELL
Circle No. 81 on Readers' Service Card
38 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
REPORTS
• Let's say o u r chemist wants only information o n baseball in N e w York City. T h e I R specialist superimposes t h e " N e w York C i t y " card u p o n t h e " b a s e b a l l " card. By peekabooing (noting only t h e holes which m a t c h u p a n d t h r o u g h which h e c a n see daylight) h e o b tains references to " b a s e b a l l in N e w York C i t y . " W h y — b e c a u s e only in those references represented by t h e m a t c h e d - u p holes d o t h e subjects " b a s e b a l l " a n d " N e w York C i t y " a p p e a r simultaneously. Φ Finally, t h e chemist decides h e is interested only in N a t i o n a l L e a g u e Baseball in N e w York City. A d d the " N a t i o n a l L e a g u e " card to t h e h e a p (there a r e several N a t i o n a l Leagues in sports), p e e k a b o o t h e cards, a n d t h e references to " N a tional L e a g u e Baseball in N e w York C i t y " a p p e a r as daylight holes. Now, if t h e references a r e u p to d a t e , t h e chemist should find t h a t there is n o more National L e a g u e Baseball in N e w York City. T h i s system permits indexing in great detail, yet it is possible to narrow a search d o w n to very par ticular references. W i t h only a few cards, a t h o u s a n d or m o r e references c a n b e checked in a m a t t e r of minutes. A n d only t h e pertinent references need be sent to t h e scien tist. Peekabooing is simple. T h o u g h this is o n e of its assets, it is also a sore spot, says R o a r k . People a r e disappointed, he explains, w h e n they d o n ' t find m a c h i n e s h u m m i n g a n d cards automatically p o p p i n g o u t of slots. R i g h t n o w J P R uses t h e system only for internal c o m p a n y reports. J P R information specialists w a n t to index all of t h e internal reports for the past 30 years, a b o u t 8000 of t h e m . So far, they h a v e indexed a b o u t 2500 reports o n 3000 cards, which indicates t h e high degree of cross-referencing possible w i t h t h e system. T h e I R section also m a i n t a i n s a b stracts of articles which a p p e a r in technical j o u r n a l s . I t now has a b o u t 150,000 abstract cards d a t i n g back to t h e 1920's. T h e s e would also fit well into t h e rapid search system. Unfortunately, R o a r k estimates t h a t it would take 20 to 30 m a n - y e a r s to index t h e m on peekaboo cards. E.V.A.
