Day 125 - 12 May 95 - Page 42


     
     1        We have it somewhere.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The easiest thing, because these are not
     4        always easy to remember, if you can just put one of the
     5        index, for instance, of those suppliers who have given
     6        Civil Evidence Act notices, or the earlier one to which the
     7        letter was written about rainforest matters. If we can put
     8        a list or two in front of Mr. Beavers, it may help him say
     9        who they are.
    10        A.  The ones I recall would be Otto and Sons or OSI
    11        Industries, Normac Foods, Golden State Foods, and one
    12        escapes me.
    13
    14   MR. RAMPTON:  May I suggest -----
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  Is it Pabst?
    17        A.  Yes Pabst out of Minneapolis.
    18
    19   Q.   Previous to getting down to those five, there was a
    20        reduction from 175 down to five over a two or three year
    21        period or so?  When McDonald's checked these suppliers,
    22        when they were many of them, you said that you had to sort
    23        of basically institute your own policing system to make
    24        sure they were complying, or whatever, and some did not.
    25        You had I cannot remember what you called them Field
    26        Personnel Officers?
    27        A.  Field Consultants, our Field Service Department.
    28
    29   Q.   That was their sole job, was it, to visit those suppliers
    30        to ensure the quality was being reached that you were
    31        seeking.
    32        A.  No, that was not their sole responsibility.
    33
    34   Q.   What was it?
    35        A.  I think I indicated earlier that was part of, only part
    36        of their responsibility.  They had a broader responsibility
    37        in those days of checking out dairy suppliers, bun plants
    38        and meat suppliers, in addition to servicing our
    39        restaurants.  They are the principal link, as I outlined in
    40        previous testimony, principal link to our franchised
    41        restaurants.  So, today, a field consultant will devote
    42        little or no time at all to the quality assurance of
    43        suppliers.  It is not necessary that we have a coterie of
    44        folks in our Quality Assurance Department or Purchasing
    45        Department to do that, because of fewer suppliers it does
    46        not require quite the awesome task of, you know, getting
    47        around to hundred plus plants.  It is not a part of the job
    48        description of a field consultant today.  It was then.
    49        That was a pretty daunting task, to be honest with you.  If
    50        you had a field consultant that covered, you know, a pretty 
    51        good-sized geography.  We will some consultants that were 
    52        responsible for two or three state in those days.  That 
    53        meant an awful lot of travel.
    54
    55   Q.   It would have been difficult for them to visit the
    56        individual suppliers more than once in a while; it was
    57        difficult for them to monitor, effectively, whereas now it
    58        is easy because you have an ongoing relationship, well
    59        easier anyway?
    60        A.  Yes, it was.  It was very difficult, and I would say in

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