In the days before Chemforum, a uniformed operator in a hard hat and safety goggles loaded raw materials into large stainless steel or glass containers, consulting the written standard operating procedures as he went along the chemical mixing process. If a problem came up-if, say, a chemical looked wrong or didn't test properly-the operator would get on the phone and dial a supervisor, who would then consult a manual or call another executive, until the problem had been solved. After the Chemforum was installed, the operator might make the same call, but a supervisor would probably log on to the Chemforum to solicit a solution from another manufacturing location.