Microfilm Newsletter 09-1969 002

A monthly report for business executives who use or market microfilm services and equipm ent P.O. Box 2154 / Grand Central Station / New York City, New York / 10017/ Tel: (212) MU 7-0890 September 1969 IBM MOVES OUT OF MICROFILM Just before Labor Day, IBM notified customers it has withdrawn basic microfilm product line, except for Microcopier-Reproducer 9955, but will continue to honor commitments and service agreements. Outside specula足 tion muses marketing problem, i.e. systems and computer-oriented sales staff not ideal for fractionalized microfilm market. Would pose no problem for move to COM. NEW COMPANY MARRIES FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION TO AUTOMATED MICROFIIM RETRIEVAL ComputerPix Corp. (NY), operating on sublicense from Comfax, demonstrates system for transmitting hard-copy of computer-retrieved microfilm image over telephone lines.

Transmitter interfaces with microfilm storage retrieval system, scans retrieved fiche, and transmits facsimile image cross country in one minute. AT&T has filed for experimental tariff for 1-minute rate.

MICROPUBLISHING: BOOMING, CHANGING At presstime, Leasco and Microfilm Unlimited (NY-based service firm) top contenders to buy Thomas Register microfiche operation .... Encyclopaedia Britannica on verge of announcing details and supplier for new ultrafiche library service, choice down to two.... NCR/PCMI gets contract for Sears parts catalog and price control information, to create ultrafiche for 3,200 locations.... Leasco heavily promotes microfilm disclosure service (SEC filings) with full page ads in NY Times, Wall Street Journal, also buys Pergamon Press....

Areata moves in solidly, acquires Real Estate Directories, Inc. (Miami), micro足 film publishers of ownership lists, tax rolls, maps, for 100 counties across U.S. .....Automated Information Management offers twist to its aerospace and construc足 tion libraries -- subscribers can get info by phone.... Crowell Collier announces new "Current Index to Conference Papers in Chemistry, Engineering and Life Sciences," three services through subsidiary, CCM Information Corp. Service provides weekly IBM 360/30 tape or monthly hardcopy volume. Why doesn't CCM tie in COM and offer micro service? Seems natural... and inevitable.

MICROFICHE: A $50 READER? US Office of Education (HEW) awards $50,000 contract to DASA Corp. for design, development of low-cost reader. DASA design tops 12 others, features light weight, hand-held use on desk or lap. OE to get 6 prototype PMR-50s in Feb. 1970, will loan these to schools, industry, societies for opera足 tional tests (interested borrowers contact Jim Prevel, Acting Chief, Equipment Development Br., Division of Information Technology, USOE, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20202)... .DASA hopes for production models in August 1970, sees market for 200-300,000 in 2 years.... OE also funds 4 other microform projects:

IBM Exits Microfilm.................. 1 Computer/Facsimile Microfilm.........1 Micropublishing Developments.........1 A $50 Microfiche Reader?.............1 Seminar Schedules....................2 Associations......................... 3

-P* -P- CO CO

CONTENTS COM Developments.......

Magazine Digest........

Micrdots (news capsules) Worth Getting..........

Company Profile/Kleer-Vu.............5 Selected Microfilm Stocks............ 6

(c) 1 9 6 9 b y T h e M ic ro film N e w s le tte r, In c . N o t to be reprod uced w ith o u t perm ission.

-

2

-

Denver Research Institute (applications of ultrafiche to colleges and investigation of environment for educational microform use); Assoc, of Research Libraries (user needs in libraries and a system to control microform publ. bibliographies); Assoc, of Jr. Colleges (needs in community colleges); M.I.T. (microform reader experiments with reflected light and fibre optics).

SEMINAR SCHEDULES: Industrial Education Institute and NMA announce Fall schedule of 14 joint 1-day instruction/demonstration seminars, "Microfilm and Its Applications."

Cover introduction to microforms, available types, indexing, COM, case studies. Cost: $65. Milwaukee (Sep. 16), Chi., (Sep. 17), Detroit (Sep. 18), Houston (Oct. 9), Dallas (Oct. 10), San Francisco (Oct. 13), L.A. (Oct. 17), Syracuse (Oct.22), Buffalo (Oct.23), Pitts. (Oct.24), Phila. (Oct.27), Balt. (Oct.28), Boston (Oct.30), N.Y. (Oct. 31). Contact IEI, 221 Columbus Av e ., Boston, Mass. 02116.... CEIR's Institute For Advanced Technology lists 3-day "Microfilm Information Systems" seminars covering sys­ tems design considerations, hardware overview and systems presentations. Cost:$225.

San Francisco (Sept.29-Oct.3), N.Y. (Oct.27-29), Atlanta (Nov.5-7). CEIR, 5272 River R d ., Wash. DC 20016.... National Archives and Records Service holds "Office Informa­ tion Retrieval Workshops", heavy emphasis on microfilm and COM, Oct.6-10 and Nov. 1721 in Wash. DC. Primarily for fed employees but open, space available, to others.

No fee. Contact Robert H. Cain, Asst. Dir., Paperwork Standards and Automation, NARS, GSA, Washington, DC 20408.

ASSOCIATIONS: Third International Micrographic Congress meets in Frankfurt (Sept.2426, Intercontinental Hotel), has speakers from Belgium, Germany, Japan, Sweden, U.S., 22 international exhibitors and registrants from 20 countries.... American Records Management Association annual convention in St.Louis, River Front Inn, Oct.19-22....

Business Equipment Manufacturers Assoc, exhibits in NY Coliseum, Oct.27-31.... San Francisco's Hilton site of 32nd annual meeting of American Society for Information Science (former American Documentation Institute).... International Association of Visual Communications (VICOM) holds annual at Chicago Hilton and International Amphiteatre, Oct.13-16.

NMA now has 12 local chapters in addition to national, at-large membership. De­ tails from Fred Williford, Exec. VP, NMA, PO Box 386, Annapolis, M d . 21404. NMA lists San Francisco Hilton site of 1970 national convention, Apr. 28-30.... newest national group with microfilm interest is Information Industry Association, trade group con­ cerned with promoting interests of commercial firms that create, supply or distribute info services. IIA holds second national meeting at S.F. Hilton, Oct.2. Aims to de­ velop industry-wide positions for greater effectiveness in working with government and public groups; to develop standards for info products, services; to work with groups having related interests; to report all developments to members. Permanent HQ at 1025 15 St., NW, Wash. DC, 20005; Paul G. Zurkowski, Exec. Dir.; Wm. T. Knox, McGraw-Hill, Inc., Pres. Full membership open to all commercial manufactr., distrib.; associates to suppliers; consultants, others may qualify for individual membership.

COM: THE TAIL THAT MAY WAG THE DOG Computer-Output-Microfilm, newest segment of industry, continues to grow at fantastic rate, draw most attention. New companies, large and small, move into hardware and service; financial community takes close look; new publication devoted exclusively to COM uses and users debuts.

The crowded COM field. At presstime 16 companies were producing or announcing COM recorders, 45 listed service bureaus. Newest major force is Burroughs with a 96,000 character-per-second recorder. Entry of IBM regarded imminent....Stromberg shows COM-to-fiche system. Ditto Burroughs. Similar systems expected from Beta, Kodak, by Jan.l. New products also expected from Ampex, CBS; would put them into industry, put microfilm into wholly new areas.

-3-

L J - J - J - J - J - J - J - J - J - J-J-J- J

-

J

.

-J - •* - -J -

-1- -1- «J--V

■>*-J- •>’-

V /V /\ /V /\ /V /V /V /\ /V /V /V /\ /V /V /\ /\ /C /\ /V /V /V /V /\ /V /\ /\ /V /V /V /V /V /V /V /V /V /\ /\ /\ /\ / \ Z\ /V /V /V /\ / * /V /\ /V /\ A /V /\ /V /V /V /V /\ /\

* * /V * * |

A MICROFILM NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBER BONUS Up-to-date lists of COM recorder manufacturers and COM service bureaus ± r v are available free to subscribers. Specify list and send self-addressed ± stamped envelope to MICROFILM NEWSLETTER, PO Box 2154, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10017 *

********************************************************* *******************

COM financial potential. Major brokerage firms pay close attention, do major research studies. Oppenheimer & Co. institutional research report expects that al­ though industry hardware capacity will not be sufficient, if it were 40% of nation's large computer users might install 1,400 COM recorders, worth $350 million, by end of 1970 (there are about 300 recorders in use today). Report also indicates that microfilm industry growth rate would hit 50Yo in 1969 and 1970 if COM hardware capa­ city can meet demand. Estimate could be low. With escalating computer output, every medium-to-large computer user should be COM user--via in-plant facility or service bureau-- in not-far future.

Standards. First part of NMA's COM Standards Committee report due this month, covers quality measurements and formating.

Remainder by yearend. To be published in NMA Journal in 1970 for public comment, revision, then submission to USASI. COM Magazine Debuts. Bi-monthly publication exclusively devoted to COM news, products, applications starts as supplement to Information & Records Management.

Name? COM! Rodd Exelbert, Publisher-Editor, 41 E. 28 St., N.Y., N.Y. 10016.

MORE ON THE INFORMATION "GAP" OR HOW MACRO IS MICRO? As reported last issue, no authoritative data exists on microfilm industry size, though guestimates abound.

ME recently re-queried top execs at NMA, Kodak, Stromberg, Bell & Howell, 3M for consensus fix on how 1969 has been and look to 1970. Consensus pegs 1969 volume at about $400 million, 18% annual growth, sees $550 Million in 1970, 1-billion plus by 1975 and double that in 1980. Unanimously see COM, micropublishing, sophistica­ ted systems leading the way.

Interesting background. Sharp & Oughton, Inc. offers two reports, on microcopy market and COM market. Former is based on 1967 figures with projections to 1972.

Latter is detailed analysis of Chicago-area COM, includes requirements for setting up a model service company, model in-house facility. Contact R.N. Baskin, S&O, 512 Green Bay Road, Kenilworth, 111. 60043. Studies on COM also undertaken by A.D. Little Co. (for clients) and brokerage houses (see above).

NEW APPLICATIONS: Honeywell Test Instruments Div. comes up with recorder accessory to film analog data recorderings from oscillographs onto 35mm film.... Specialized Business Systems microfilms menus of 50 top S.F. restaurants and makes them avail­ able to viewers at their booth at recent WESCON show. A new service for gourmets? .... Tulsa (Okla.) puts 57,000 criminal records on microfilm, ties into computerinquiry system that feeds answers via closed-circuit TV to remote locations. Police get needed data-- hardcopy if necessary-- within seconds.... Pan Am joins Eastern Airlines as user of HF Image Systems CARD for reservations. Data formerely found in bulky reference manuals now stored on 750 fiche cards in viewer at res agent's side. Retrieval vastly faster. EAL estimates 20-second saving per phone inquiry, 170,000 man-hours annually.

MICROFILM IN MAGAZINES: A DIGEST OF WHO'S WRITING WHAT WHERE Administrative Management (July). "Four New Forms of EDP Output," includes microfilm systems in discussion of alternatives to EDP line printers.

-4-

Business Automation (Aug.). "The Mini Look Solves Macro Paperwork Problem," case history of microfilm info system at TI Supply, industrial supply subsidiary of Texas Instruments Corp. System completely eliminates paper files.

—un s Review (Sept.). "It Pays To Think Small," overall review of growth of microfilm. Nothing new to industry here but valuable to general business reader.

Information & Records Management (June-July). Extensive micro coverage includes 10-page review of equipment shown at Spring NMA show and an illustrated description of Micro-Folio system.

Issue also includes debut of "COM" section which features stories about computer-output-microfilm.

(Aug.-Sept.). Offers second "COM" section plus an analysis of microfilm field today by NMA president, Karl Adams, Jr., an ex­ planation of NCR step-and-repeat microfiche system, and case studies.

IMC Journal(Issue #7).

Includes a status report on micro-blemishes, summaries of worldwide microfilm association activities, and application of CARD system to British telephone inquiry service.

NMA Journal(Summer). Features papers on Ampex aperture card drawing program, use of microforms by scholars and researchers, current uses of microforms for scien­ tific and technical research information, and a review of proposed USA standard for archival film.

Reproduction Methods (Aug.). "Microfilm Take-Off System," case study about Builders Exchange of Detroit bid document service.

MICRODOTS (Industry Notes):Houston Fearless, HF Image Systems announce merger plans, new corp., Image Systems Inc. Proxy material now in preparation for shareholders.. ...Microfacts Corp. (18415 W. 8 Mile R d ., Detroit, Mich. 48219) offers microfiche merchandisng package for retailers.

Includes monthly fiche of ad layouts and stories taken from 125 newspapers about a specific industry (for example--jewelry stories) and a tabletop Taylor-Merchant fiche projector. Cost:$25 month per industry....

NYC H q . Selective Service System which had its offices ransacked and records de­ stroyed reports to MN that "although our duplicate records were not on microfilm we are now engaged in the process of microfilming our most important records as protec­ tion against future vandalism." Interesting sidelight: in reporting event, no NYC newspaper thought to ask about security records on microfilm.

Betrays continuing lack of knowledge about medium by press, indicates need for industry education campaign.... three major in-plant u s e r s ---Cumberland Engineering Co., I.E. DuPont, Merck, Sharpe & Dohme-- develop comprehensive microfilm procedures manuals worthy of emulation by other corp. departments.... Kalvar Corp. (thermal process film) reported its first profit for a fiscal year period since organized in 1956 for year ending March 29,1969. Kalvar also acquired So. Microfilm Corp., Data Process­ ing Center, Inc., both in New Orleans.... National Association of Blueprint and Diazotype Coaters changes name to Association of Reproductions Materials Manufacturers.

WORTH GETTING: A listing of useful literature from a variety of sources.

1969 Catalog of USA Standards and International Recommendations, 112 pages, lists 3,600 USA standards (noting those available on microfiche) and 1,350 inter­ national recommendations. Just published by USASI, 10 E. 40 St., N.Y.,N.Y. 10016 .... A-B-C of Microfilm from Regiscope Corp., 7 E. 43 St., NY., N.Y., 10017, pam­ phlet useful for beginners.... What Management Needs To Know About Small Document Microfilm Systems, from Microseal Inc., 2222 Main St., Evanston, 111. 60202....

ST/PB/28; Microfiche Codes for United Nations Documents lists requirements for fiche by UN, from Chief, Documentation Division, UN Hq. Library, United Nations, NY

-5-

.... Protection of Vital Records, FG-F.3.7, listing of approved procedures from Office of Civil Defense, DOD, Pentagon, Washington, DC.... Diazoforms for Micro­ forms Distribution Systems, from Tecnifax Div., Plastic Coating Corp., S. Hadley, Mass. 01075.... two useful general records guides that discuss microfilm applica­ tions are Guide to Record Retention Requirements, 85-page comprehensive booklet from Superintendent of Documents, Gov. Printing Office, Washington DC 20402 (40c) and Case Studies in Records Retention and Control, dated but still useful, from Controllership Foundation, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

PERSONNEL MOVES: Milton Mandel, now Pres., Microfilming Corp. of America (subsid., NY Times).... John C. Marken named genl mgr., Bell & Howell Microphoto Div....

Frank H. McCracken to Pres., Leasco Data Processing Equipment Corp.... John Bickerton, Charles Carr and Paul Coveil, respectively, elected VP-Corp. Planning, VPData Products, and Secretary of DASA Corp.

COMPANY PROFILE: KLEER-VU INDUSTRIES, INC. When a David vied for attention with Goliaths at NMA show by introducing first automatic cut fiche duplicator, indus­ try took a closer look at Kleer-Vu. Background. Now public (ASE), with three major product divisions-- plastics, ultra sonic sealing, microfilm-- KV originated in Calif., 1943, moved to N.Y., 1949, went public, 1961. Began as mfr. of sheet plastic products, entered micro­ film in 1953 via Microfilm Jackets, Inc. (now wholly-owned, then joint venture with Filmsort). Applied ultrasonics to weld film to cards in 1965, introduced Sonicards (now said to rival 3M copy cards in total use). Same year moved into hardware by underwriting development of aperture card duplicator. Acquired development company, Optrex, in 1968 and created Microfilm Division as separate profit center with George Goldberg, president (also of parent KV), Terry Wilson, genl. mgr., Bob Anderson, sales mgr.

Plastics biggest part of KV business-- 90% in May 1968 prospectus for $1.5 million convertible issue, probably slightly less today-- but microfilm moves up as product lines increase.

Products/Sales. Two microfilm lines-- for engineering drawing systems and for document systems. Former sold by KV salesmen and through Itek, Inc.., latter exclusively by KV. Engineering: copy cards, card duplicators and duplicator/ verifiers; viewers. Documentation: jackets; cut fiche duplicator; collator. Almost all sales in W. Hemisphere, no significant overseas distribution effort to date.

Future.

KV philosophy is to have hardware and software capability in areas

P.O. Box 2154 / Grand Central Station / New York, N. Y. / 10017 Gentlemen: Please enter my subscription to THE M IC R O F IL M NEW SLETTER for: _________ 1 yr. (U.S.) @$35

_________ 1 yr. (Overseas Airmail) @$50

Name^_______________________________________________

T itle _______

n c

ft-

Q>

3 a

Company

3

Q>

Street

O o c

City

State

Zip

■O o D »-+•

o a

Bill Me

Bill Company

___ Check Enclosed

Ql

<

-

6

-

where it competes (example- offer cards and duplicators) rather than to create and sell complete systems. Currently puts heavy emphasis on R&D-- result, five new products in 18 months. Competes selectively against industry giants. Examples: automatic card duplicator (OP-30) was first moderate price ($7,250) unit of its kind, vies against more expensive IBM, 3M machines; semi-automatic unit (OP-60), only one of its kind. Auto fiche duplicator (0P-40) and add-on collator (OP-80), unveiled at NMA, go into field tests this year, production in 1970. Can have big potential, put KV into growing COM and micropublishing fields.

MARKET PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED MICROFILM STOCKS:

week ending Sept. 5, 1969

American and New York Exchanges Traded Bell & Howell Eastman Kodak (Recordak) General Dynamics (Stromberg) Kleer-Vu Leasco Data 3M University Computing Xerox

NYSE NYSE NYSE ASE NYSE NYSE NYSE NYSE

High*

Low*

80 79 49 23 54 112 73 100

50 68 23 8 23 94 63 85

7/8 1/2

1/4 5/8 1/2

Las t

3/4 5/8

59 75 24 8 24 107 67 92

1/8 1/8 5/8 1/4

5/8 3/4 7/8 1/2 1/2 3/8 1/2

Over-The-Counter Quotations

Atlantic Microfilm Areata National Computer Microfilm DSI Systems General Computing HF Image System Houston Fearless

Bid*

Asked*

11 35 14 5 14 26 3

11 1/2 35 1/2 16 6 16 28 3 1/8

1/2 1/2 1/4 1/2 1/4

Bid * 16 Information Int'1 Kalvar 115 17 Keuffel & Esser Microfilm Unlimited 2 Microform Data Sys 21 1 Micromation Sys 8 Micromat ion Tech

3/4 3/4 1/2 1/2 5/8 1/2

Asked* 17 119 17 3 22 2 9

3/4 3/4 1/2 1/4

*ASE, NYSE highs and lows for week ending Sept . 5; OTC. bid and asked for Sept. 4, 1969

References to sources for more information on any subject reported in this newsletter are available to subscribers. Please specify issue date, page number, and item.