AND THE AWARD GOES TO…..

During our Christmas Party, December 15, 2000, some exceptional individuals were presented with annual awards.

"Employee of the Year" Award

"You Make a Difference" Award

"Quality 1^st " Award

"Broken Screwdriver" Award

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOR YOUR EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE!

A very good time was had by all at our Annual Christmas Party! Once again, it was held at the Crystal Lake Country Club. However, this year it was a little more special as we had live entertainment. Manuel Barahona tickled the ivories in the tune of many beautiful Christmas carols and Barry Kitts entertained us with a few John Prine re-makes. In addition to the musicians, we had some wonderful vocalists! James Hill doing his ever-popular rendition of "Amen" and Livio Arleo, Don "Sugar" Nelson and Luis Colon belting out "Feliz Navidad". Thanks guys for the most enjoyable entertainment! (However, next year we’re checking song lists!)

Pet of The Quarter

Her name is Natasha Rose. She is a "blue w/ white" Persian, is 8 years old and owned by Larry & Carol Mandelion. She was named after "Natasha" from the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon because of the personality match. Like most felines, she enjoys being under foot constantly and poses as a hat for Carol's head every night.

EMPLOYEE PROFILE
By Mark Garey

Peggy Beck has been with Decimal since March 1998. Currently she works in the tool room, supporting both the machine shop and production lines with tooling and supplies.

Peggy is married to Steve and they have two dogs Flea and Blaze. Peggy enjoys traveling, camping, racquetball, pool, water skiing, and sailing. When she isn’t busy outdoors, she works at fixing up her homes in Oakland Park and Lacrosse (near Gainesville). Currently Peggy and Steve are restoring a ’67 Mustang which she hopes to be driving next year.

EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER

Congratulations Charles Dexter!! Charles has been with Decimal since 1995 as a Manufacturing Engineer. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty this quarter! He even postponed his vacation because he was so into working on a special engineering project!! That is dedication!

Thank you Charles for all your hard work and dedication!!

SUGGESTION OF THE QUARTER

Participation in this program has been lacking. We will have a New and Improved version. Some kind of a raffle ticket/point-type system may be put in place (i.e. one ticket for a minor suggestion and several tickets for a suggestion that saves the company money). We will hold a quarterly raffle. At the annual Christmas Party the three people with the most points will get to spend time in a money machine/grab bag. So put those thinking caps on!

QUALITY 1^ST !
By Manuel Barahona, Quality Manager

The year 2000 was a good year for Quality in our quest for Zero Defects. Customer returns and the generation of Discrepant Material Reports (DMR) decreased, especially during the second half of the year. The overall cost of DMR's decreased by 6% in contrast with last year. This was made possible through improved processes and the efforts of quality conscious Employees. An important factor was the implementation of the new Inspection Method Sheets (IMS) and SPC. This documentation allowed us to track part quality and alerted us to tool and machine status. Employee Suggestions helped improve quality and other areas of the facility as well. I would like to congratulate all Decimal Engineering Employees for making this a quality year and encourage you to continue to improve next year so that our goal for Zero Defects becomes a reality!

QUALITY 1ST AWARD

Congratulations Joe Thompson!!

Joe has been with Decimal for approximately six months as a lathe operator in our machining department. In that six months, he has assumed control of this lathe cell and proven himself to be a very talented and meticulous team player! He does his own programming and 1^st pieces. Way to go Joe!

SAFETY SPOT
Antonio Balas, the former Safety Coordinator, has moved on to concentrate more on the maintenance department. Therefore, the position of Safety Coordinator is open. We are looking for a qualified team player to fill this position. If you’re a Decimal employee and interested in this position, please see Alan Garey. GET INVOLVED!

NEW EMPLOYEES
Kevin Brophy Forming
Errol Chambers Assembly
Matt Cherbousky Machining
Leo Edmonds Assembly
Luis Montalvo Welding
Ramon Ramirez Machining
Gabriel Santacruz Assembly
Zinoviy Tokar Quality

BIRTHDAYS

WANTED:

ENGINEERING MANAGER — MIN. 5 YRS. EXP AS AND ENGINEERING MANAGER IN SHEETMETAL AND MACHINING APPLICATIONS. MIN. 5 YRS IN CAD. ABLE TO PERFORM GEOMETRY AND TRIGONOMETRY CALCULATIONS. THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF SHEETMETAL AND MACHINING CONCEPTS.

TIG WELDERS — DAYS OR NIGHTS

2 YEARS EXP., READ PRINTS

$100.00 BOUNTY

In an effort to acquire skilled employees, Decimal Engineering is offering a "BOUNTY" to existing employees for employment referrals. Any employee bringing in an individual that is qualified for a posted job would be eligible for a reward. The reward would be paid out after the new employee has completed his/her 90-day probation period.

PLEASE SEE JENNIFER IN HUMAN RESOURCES

DEI - FYI

• 125 Cafeteria Plan: This plan has been updated & revamped by Cura. Now you’ll be able to save money by having your medical/dependant care expenses taken out pre-tax. You can enroll via the internet or telephone.

• New PTO Policy (Paid Time Off): Take a day or _ day off at a time. A two week notice, based on shop workload, is required. With this will be the elimination of the so-called vacation policy. You may use one of these days for a "sick day" (with a doctor’s note) or just a "personal day." Everyone will be set to a calendar year. Days will be accrued per hours/days of service. Details on this policy will be given to you by mid January.

• Worker’s Compensation Incentive: This is a new program. This will be an incentive to be safe and not get hurt on the job. Our workers comp carrier is offering us a discount if our claims remain minimal. We will be passing on some of these savings directly to you. Details will be forthcoming. Progress reports will be posted quarterly.

• As always, the Suggestion Boxes located throughout the shop are checked on a regular basis. If you have any suggestions for The Decimal Point (ideas for articles/topics, things going on with you personally or in your dept. etc.), please drop it in a Suggestion Box or see Laurie. Your ideas/stories are appreciated and encouraged!

COACH’S CORNER
By Charles Dexter

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays to everyone! Another off-season has come and gone and it's time to get ready to play softball again. The grapevine tells me that everyone is anxious and ready to take the field again. So oil up that glove, hit the batting cages, and loosen up those arms. The season begins the week of January 21.

Once again, Tradewinds Park will be the site of all games. Monday night features teams in the C, D, D-1, & D-2 Divisions. The Decimal Dawgs will compete in one of the D Divisions and we hope to continue our recent success. Rosters must be turned in prior to the first game of the season, so if you or a friend wish to play on the team, be sure you sign the roster form. There are only 20 roster spots allowed for each team, so sign-up early. I'll have the official sign-up form after December 18, so let me know after that date if you want to participate. Game and practice schedules will be posted as soon as available, so watch those bulletin boards. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you out at the ballpark this season.

THE PRESIDENT’S CHAIR
By Alan Garey

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you and yours a Happy Holiday season! Overall, we did ok for the year 2000, there was an increase of 8% in sales. Sheet Metal was actually down 1% while Machining was up 47%. We have the best equipment, tools and personnel to do the job, so we need to utilize our exceptional resources to excel in the Year 2001! With that in mind, this coming year looks very promising.