Page 31 - Remembering ISTEL

Remembering ISTEL

The system will maintain a perpetual inventory of finished vehicles and
provide the planned Factory Controlled Delivery system with valuable
information.

Systems will be implementing MINIVICS in Longbridge first and will be
planning implementations in all other major assembly plants.

Extensive use will be made of visual display terminals with keyboard entry and
fast printers. Data capture methods will include light-pens which by simply
being drawn across documentation can read and pass information directly into

the computers.

MINIVICS is a good example of the use of small dedicated computers run by

users in factories for data collection and data processing applications.

Training for change

Skilled Systems professionals are in
short supply. Systems technology is
changing so fast that we have to replace

the skills of Systems staff completely
approximately every 5 years. The

combination of these two factors
means that Systems management must
be committed, both in principle and in
their actions, to comprehensive and

effective training for systems staff. This
commitment to training is evidenced

by a fully equipped Systems Training
Department based in a purpose built
wing at Studley College, with its own small mini computer system, computer

terminals and modern training equipment.

Each year since 1976 up to a hundred raw recruits from school and university
have been trained for posts in computer operations, programming and systems

analysis and design. In this way. BL has been doing at least its fair share towards
solving the national shortage of Systems staff. The major objective of the

training is to make new starters productive quickly, which obviously is in the
interests of both the individual and the Company.

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