The Iron Age 1912-06-13: Vol 89 Iss 24

WULMTY LIT i ty 7 V Established 1855 New York, June 13, 1912 Vol. 89: No. 24 To Reduce Costs, Study the Work What Cycle Time Study Observations May Accomplish in Minimizing Unproductive Work, Improving Plant. Facilities and Design and ee _— Rates BY GEORGE K,. HOOPER* aia At a time like the present, when the industrial air is full of talk about efficient management, time studies, cost accounting. and the like, it seems to the writer that The Iron Age has done a distinct service to those manufac- turers who want to make progress, by pointing out in a recent editorialf the necessity of applying time study to a whole cycle or sequence of operations instead of to sepa- rate parts of the cycle. The writer has had many years’ experience in investigating plant operations, discovering sources of inefficiency and advising remedies. This experi- ence has shown that the warning of The Iron Age as to the mischievousness of unscientific time study is very much needed. Why time study that is worth while ought to cover cycles of operation instead of being devoted to study of the separate elements of the cycle of operations will be clear enough with a little careful consideration of the case. Amy manufacturing establishment, fundamentally, is an institution for the employment of labor, with the pur- pose of making profit therefrom.* This labor consists of that directly employed in production and commonly called productive labor and that auxiliary thereto, known as non- productive labor. The productive labor is therefore the economic foundation of the establishment, and this situa- tion is reflected in the uniformly accepted methods of manufacturing accounting, which make the cost of so- called productive labor a basis on which to build the cost structure and with which to compare the rest of the ex- pense of providing this so-called productive labor with the means of working. Why Non-Productive Operations Need Study This necessary expense is usually equal to or greater than the productive labor cost, as evidenced by the fact that so-called overhead charges vary in manufacturing establishments from a little less than to sometimes one- half more than the productive labor cost. The productive or tooling operations therefore form from 40 to 60 per cent. of the whole expense of manufacturing an article; hence, if time studies are made only of the actual tooling operations, but 40 to 60 per cent. of the cost problem is attacked and the results are necessarily inconclusive. By studying cycles of operations, which is but another name for studying everything that the skilled laborer is ob- liged to do to perform any definite task, a very large part of the overhead expense is laid bare to analysis, leading not infrequently to as radical and as great economies as have been accomplished by the study of the so-called pro- ductive or tooling operations only, in addition to enabling placing overhead expense on a systematic basis for its better control. Any study which provides a means of con- trolling overhead expense is of great value, since this cost is a permanent and nearly constant one and must be met whether business is good or dull, and accurate means of minimizing it, especially for dull times, should be eagerly welcomed by the manufacturer. *Hooper- Palhosinn Engineering Comput, New York City. +The Iron Age, November 9, 1911 Side Lights on Employee's Surroundings and Facilities The efficiency of labor outside of the mere tooling operations is directly governed by the employee's sur- roundings and facilities, and in the writer’s knowledge, no other or better way exists for controlling this part of his employment than the cycle study of the work. The gen- eral efficiency of the laborer is controlled by his surround- ings and by the class and number of appliances furnished him for performing his work, in the shape of drawings, templates, schedules, gauges, handling appliances, etc., and the quality of supervision extended over him. Certain of these factors have been noticed by keen observers, and in a general way analyzed. Their importance is, however, shown up in its true value by the cycle method of timing. In recording the time of any individual or gang of fa- borers by this method, stop watches are used and every operation performed is noted, regardless of what it is. The continuity of the timing is preserved by the use of a sufficient number of watches and observers to insure one watch being always in use, recording the time of any par- ticular operation. In practice, it is rarely necessary to use more than one observer and two watches, as from his experience, the writer has found it possible to note and record alone all of the operations performed by a gang of six men en- gaged in differing tasks on a single piece of work, such, for instance, as the fitting up of plate girders, truss mem- bers or columns either plate or latticed, in structural steel work. This was accomplished with two watches. The whole time spent on the completion of any task is thus recorded in a form capable of analysis. Not only this, but it is possible to study the proportion of each operation, whether ‘productive or not, both to the whole and to the other operations of the cycle. The different aspect thus given to the. proportions of a task is very valu- able. Significant ratios like those of the non-productive to the productive parts of a task when compared with the general non-productive to the productive labor ratio of the plant as a whole, where the product is a fairly uniform one, frequently compel immediate attention with resultant benefit. Measuring the Preliminary Mental Processes The general preparation, for instance, for any particu- lar task is frequently a point where considerable time is mis-spent. The nature of the information furnished the workman in the way of drawings, forms, gauges, ete., may lead to considerable losses. It has been stated in the re- port of the “House Committee to Investigate Various Sys- tems of Shop Management,”* that “there is no work that can be performed or that is performed that is ot pre- ceded by a mental process on the part of the workman. The more skill needed in the work, the greater the mental process which precedes the expression of it. So far as your committee has been able to learn, there is no method known to Scientific Management by which a time study *The Iron Age, March 21, 1912. 1451 1452 can be made of the mental processes preceding the phys- ical act.” Had the Committee been made familiar with the cycle method of time study, it is safe to say that this deduction would never have been made, since it is perfectly possible by this method to record the time spent in this preliminary process and determine therefrom whether the proper in- formation is afforded and in such form as to reduce this mental process to a minimum. This is an important point, as it affects also the whole conduct of the drafting room and tool department, and extends sometimes to the esti- mating and purchasing departments, as these use directly the information prepared in the drawing room. The time consumed in this “preliminary mental process” can certainly be controlled. As to the process itself, its results are a matter of personal efficiency easily controlled by intelligent working supervision. The study of this pre- liminary so-called mental process is yery important where the work of a large machine tool involving the use of a considerable amount of floor space, expensive handling ap- pliances and a gang of men is involved. Instances of Saving in Preliminary Work The manufacturer always studies with great care the cost of housing, serving and driving a large machine, the aggregate expense of these factors being frequently large. The extent and nature of the instructions furnished to the workman who has charge of this apparatus will determine whether it shall be employed a longer or shorter time on any particular work. The writer has a case in mind in which by a slight change in the form of the information furnished to.the machine operator, a considerable propor- tional saving was made in this operation as a consequence of the cycle study. Copies of material lists made and used by the estimating and purchasing departments of the plant in question were furnished for instruction to the machine operative. The raw material had to be cut up for a product in which the suitable cutting up represents a considerable percentage of the total work. A slight change in arrangement which added little or nothing to the work of the clerical departments named, re- duced the preparation period by about one-half, and this applied not only to the operative, but as well to his ma- chine, the handling apparatus and a gang of men. It is believed that but for the cycle method of time study the true cost of this loss would have remained undiscovered. Saving in Productive Work by Cycle Studies Passing next to the tooling or so-called productive operations, the speed of the tooling will of course be noted. Several able engineers have studied and written up this subject exhaustively, so that it will not be enlarged upon here. It should be noted though that the time consumed in properly securing tools in the machine, adjusting them in proper position and in other ways setting the machine into operation, can be duly recorded by this method and any inconveniences or losses involved revealed in their true value, the necessary remedy usually being obvious to the observer as the recording of the operation proceeds. An illustration of the importance of this phase came within the writer’s experience a few years ago in observing the tooling operations upon a considerable variety of simi- lar work in small pieces done by two machines of similar type and size, but of different make. In one there were frequent stoppages in the progress of the work for the ad- justment of the tool block, apparently of insignificant dura- tion. These stoppages when registered by the cycle method of study were found to total about Io per cent. of the operating time of the machine on the job. When the machines were run all day on that class of work, which was ordinarily the case, this loss became of great importance, especially as two helpers were required with each machine operative. The natural result was the reconstruction of that feature of the machine, but beyond that point lay the guidance offered in farther purchases of machine tools of that sort. It will follow directly from the preceding remarks that all other features involving loss, such as arrangement of machine tools, with reference to one another, and the light- ing and supplying of power to them, providing access in convenient manner and supplying the necessary sundries, such as tools, lubricants, etc., etc., will also be indicated. THE IRON AGE June 13, 1912 Information Obtained on General Plant Design The immediate deduction can, therefore, be made means of this cycle method that if each machine can properly located with reference to the others, and proyic with its necessary equipment and conveniences for econon ical operation, the departments can also be arranged, thy leading directly to the conclusion that the form and magn: tude of the buildings necessary for turning out a given product are also revealed. It requires but a short farthe: glance to indicate that the relative location of the respec tive buildings of a plant is also dictated from the results of this study. The whole plant is thus accurately planned from the study of characteristics of the woik done within i: As an example, an instance from the writer’s experienc: is in his mind in connection with the design of a plant for fabricating structural steel into buildings and bridges. Th. cycle time study developed the fact, during observation of the method of handling and piling material between operations, that transverse piling is more advantageous than longitudinal piling; hence, any increase in volume of business requires more expansion in the width of plant than in length, as increases in length of the product are comparatively small and infrequent and increase in ton- hage requires transverse space only. The shape and gen- eral construction of the building to house operations on this class of material is immediately dictated, as is, in fact, the shape of the plot of land to be used as a suitable site for the plant, and the general location of the buildings upon the site is indicated. . A Stable Basis for Rate Setting In the setting of prices for contract or piece work,’ whether straight piece work so-called, or according to any of the differential or premium plans, the cycle time study obtains a far more satisfactory record than can be ob- tained in any other manner. There will be less uncertainty as to what a man can accomplish when a record of his work is gained in this manner and the rate setting can be determined with greater certainty of permanency. The factors on which a very considerable part of the efficiency of a skilled laborer is based lie entirely outside the tooling operations, in the necessary movements which he makes in administering his task. The cycle method of time study offers probably better means of securing the necessary average result @pon which a rating can be made than any other method, and as well offers .a means of predicting how any change in method will affect any rate. There can be no question that a nearer approach to truth can be gained by this method than by any other. No better example of the benefits of cycle time study can be found than in the foundry, where the large propor- tional expenditures for non-productive operations have been disclosed and analyzed with the result that what is known as the continuous system is now in use in many plants putting the production of castings on a manufacturing basis and increasing considerably the efficiency of the labor employed in foundry tasks. After a considerable experience with this cycle method, the writer believes that increases of efficiency of labor of 25 per cent. are not unusual by making proper use of the information disclosed by it. A New Metal Roofing The Chattanooga Roofing & Foundry Company, Chat- tanooga, Tenn., has placed on the market a new type of metal roofing which has been patented by its president, J. E. Annis. This roofing which is known as the Annis patent Saflok has the right edge of each sheet raised to form a V with a folded pocket close to the V on the inside. The left edge has a similarly raised V with a projecting hook-like flange which catches in the pocket, the one \ overlapping the other. By this arrangement all the nails are completely covered, thus preventing rust and leaks at the nail heads, and wooden strips are done away with. It is claimed for this roofing-that the greater the strain placed upon it due to wind pressure or any other cause, the tighter the lock becomes. The Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory has opened a” office at 204 White Building, Seattle, Wash., in charge of C. A. Perkins, district manager. June 13, 1912 Mining Engineers’ Adjourned Meeting The June Bulletin of the American Institute of Mining Engineers contains the following notice concerning the im- sortant adjourned meeting, heretofore referred to, at which amendments to the constitution are to come up for liscussion : ‘At the annual business meeting of the Institute, leb uary 20, 1912, it was voted to postpone the consideration { the proposed amendments to the constitution until! lune 3, 1912, and the meeting adjourned to reconvene on hat date, or on such subsequent date as should be fixed the special committee of five appointed on February 20 ind the Board of Directors of the Institute, acting jointly Jue to various causes, including absence of two members f the committee in Europe for two months, it has not een possible for the special committee of five to com- lete its report in time for preliminary distribution to embers of the Institute and consideration by them prior » June 3, 1912, and it has been mutually agreed by the pecial committee and the Board of Directors to postpone the date at which the adjourned meeting shall be recon ened from June 3, 1912, to October 7, 1912.” New. 12-24-In. Gap Lathe The Barnes Drill Company, Rockford, Ill, has re- ently brought out a new sliding extension bed gap lathe of improved design and larger than its former 13-22-in model which was illustrated in The /ron Age, July 2, 1908. The new machine has a 14-24-in. swing. It is de- signed more liberally in regard to sizes throughout, par- ticularly in increasing the cone pulley diameters to give added driving power, in strengthening the compound parts and in adding to the weight of the tailstock spindle. It is equipped with a geared feed box giving six quick change geared feeds, both longitudinal and cross, varying from 0.007 to 0.049 in. It will cut either right or left hand threads from 2 to 18, including 11% pipe thread, by twos ip to 36 threads and by fours up to 48 threads. The top bed is fitted on the main bed with a dovetail ‘onstruction and is held in place by clamp bolts. A cut steel rack and pinion with a long screw and crank at the \ New 12-24-In. Gap Lathe Built by the Barnes Drill rear of the lathe serve to draw back the top bed and ex- tend the gap. The new lathe has a larger spindle with a diameter of 2-15/16 in. and a bore of 1-9/16 in. to take 1'%4-in. stock. The tailstock is the offset type with a set over adjustment for taper work. The taper attachment is THE IRON AGE 1453 secured to the back of the carriage and travels with it. Any taper up to 2% in. per foot con be turned. A countershaft is furnished with the lathe, Dut for small shop purposes or where it is desired to place the machine independently of the line shafting the lathe can be arranged easily for a self-contained motor drive for which a 2-hp. motor running at 12090 r.p.m. is recom- mended. The following table gives the principal dimensions and specifications of the lathe: te COR OE WR .c\ s cakeca is oh Nwh pb abdeees Whe et en 14% SWINE, CVT CRPCIOIIN, TEs ccc cc vvcac cc eedetdnevesdeuce 10 SUE: OU oc eb ecko beiccredadecddateneeeous 24 Number of cone pulley steps... ......cceseecevessess 4 Diameter of largest cone pulley step, in.............- 10 . Diameter of smallest come pulley step, im............. 4 Width of cone pulley steps, in...... 2... . 66 cee eeneees 2's Diameter of hole through spindle, Diva vs Tesdaen tans 1 9/16 Diameter of spindle mose, iM. .....25 ccc ccsesccesecee 2% Diameter of front headstock bearing, in.............. 2 5/16 Length of front headstuck bearing, in................ 3 7/16 Diameter of rear headstock bearing, in............. ia 2% Length of rear headstock bearing, im............+..+. 2M Diameter of tailstock spindle, in...............4. oP 1 13/16 Morse taper of tailstock spindle... ....... 0.6.0 5e00e0: No. 4 Morse taper of headstock spindle... .. pote these ss Soke No. 5 Ratio of back gearing............++.... peheeitee tee’ 11 to 1 ee ee. Sk errr st) Tree errs I i Sine: of SOGNE a, a oo. do 0o bce nhs neee es Conds %xl\s 1 Diameter of friction pulleys on countershaft, in....... 0 Face width of friction pulleys on countershaft, in..... 3 Speed of countershaft, r.p.m.......0.cceececenceeees 200 Angular travel of compound rst, in.........65e0e55: 3 Distance between centers, closed, in............65665 36 Distarce between centers, extended, in............ ; 54 ce Oe eer er eee ee 18 This lathe is regularly furnished with two lengths of hed, 5% and 7% ft. respectively. When the longer bed is furnished the distance between closed centers is 60 in. and the gap is 36 in. instead of 18 in., so that work hav- ing a maximum length of 96 in. can be acgommodated. The Dominion Steel Corporation’s Earnings A Montreal dispatch states that the annual report of the Dominion Steel Corporation and constituent companies shows that the steel subsidiary’s earnings were smaller than expected and the coal company’s better. The general result for the 12 months ended March 31 was to léave the parent company, after all fixed charges had been met, provision for sinking fund and generous allowance for depreciation, etc., a small margin— about % per cent.—over the amount required to pay the 4 per cent. divi- dend on the common stock, Compari- sons are rendered somewhat difficult hy the fact that a profit and loss state- ment of the corporation is now being submitted for the first time, and cov- ers a period of one year and nine months from July 1, 1910, to March 31, 1912. The net earnings of the corporation for the full period of its existence were $3,600,149, or $1,484,,040 more than required for dividend payments. The surplus March 31 was $784,054. Assets and liabilities show a total of $76,506,341, of which $10,391,044 is current and working assets, and $6s,- 885,428 is properties. The liabilities include $23,505,577 funded and mort- wage debt, $6,043,551 current liabilities, $485,466 reserve, $7,000,000 preference stock, $30,656,800 common stock issued and $8,000,000 preferred stock of the constituent coal and steel companies. The coal company for the 12 months showed net profits available for dividend on the common stock at the rate of 85 per cent. The surplus for the year over preferred and com- mon stock dividends was $670,417. Company, Rockford, M1. The Concrete-Cement Age Publishing Company an- nounces the union of Concrete, Cement Age and Concrete Engineering under the name of Concrete-Cement Age, with principal offices at 97-990 Fort street, West, Detroit Mich. a en Cee nee ee Making the Ford Motor Car How Records Are Kept of Materials in Process Time Unique * of Manufacture and and Production—The of Workmen’s Power Plant BY 0. J. ABELL The power plant of the Ford Motor Company is a producer gas installation. It is not only specially note- worthy from this fact and in the size of power units, but also in the extent to which arrangements have been made for conserving heat. A general ground plan of the power plant layout is shown in Fig. 25 and a cross- sectional elevation in Fig. 24. The producers are of the mechanically operated type manufactured by the Well- man-Seaver-Morgan Company, Cleveland, and in Fig. 26 a view of the two first installed is shown. The complete producer plan will include eight producers. These producers are to be designed with superimposed water heaters for taking up the waste heat from the gas- making operation. These will be auxiliary to the general hot-water heating plant consisting of 10 Erie City Iron Works boilers of which six are 72 x 18 ft. and four 78 x 18 ft. There is no steam space in these boilers, the runs by gravity through a chute into the Jones underfeed stokers with which the boilers are equipped. A rubbish burner into which waste paper and packing material con- tinually accumulating around the plant is charged without other fuel has been installed and takes care of two boilers The gas engine now installed, a view of which is shown in Fig. 27, develops 1500 hp., while a new unit now nearing completion will be installed calculated to develop 5000 hp., being the largest gas engine unit in this country operating on producer or other gas. Both were designed by Edward Gray, consulting engineer of the Ford Motor Company, and are generally similar except that for the new engine a new type of valve motion has been devised which will be entirely underhung below the engine frame. Th: entire mechanism will thus be in the subfloor space under the engine room. The smaller engine is a simple tandem with, 35 x 48-in. cylinders, while the large engine will be twin tandem double acting with 42 x 72-in. cylinders. The engine is designed very liberally in the weight of its parts and particular attention has béen given to the water cooling jackets and passages. The exhaust gases pass downward from the engine cylinders through four columns vertically ribbed with hollow water circulating sections and are then conducted through an auxiliary water heater before reaching the air. The engine circulation water which is thus intended to take up all the heat pos- sible is considerably preheated before passing through the heating boilers and out into the shop heating system. The boiler stokers are automatically controlled so that the boiler may. be regulated as the requirements vary. To take up the heat in the excess water a low-pressure steam turbine is installed direct connected to a generator From the engine circulation water heat and the gas- producer heat this turbine is easily supplied and the power obtained practically without cost. The returning water is [Dp SSSSssa & ot y CSS MF; < SANANNAAASSSS PWVAd4q7 er heeded Bele >>, STITT ILL OPTI re P| SSSSS SS P| 4 5 Fig. 24—Sectional Elevation Through the Coal Handling and Boiler Plants, Showing the Gas Producers and the Hot-Water Heating Boilers Which May Utilize Coal, Gas from the Engines or Even Heat from a Rubbish Burner shells being filled with tubes with the exception of a unit for supplying steam for hammering machines and small auxiliary pumps. The coal-handling arrangement includes a 1000-ton concrete coal storage pit from which the coal is elevated.by crane and grab bucket, as indicated in the illustrations, to overhead bunkers having a capacity of 100 tons for every 16 ft. in length. This bunker is directly above the producers, while coal for the boilers *Second and concluding part of article in the issue of June 6; the first part covered chiefly the operations of the foundry, heat treatment and machine departments. used for conditioning the air through the air-conditioning apparatus which serves the heating plant in winter and the ventilation of the shops in summer. For water stor- age a 300,000-gal. tank has been built and inside of the steel supporting columns of this tank a 35,000-cu. It. gasometer is arranged to move up and down on the central water pipe as a vertical axis. Movement ef Materials Through Works It has not been possible to preserve the general scheme for the movement of material through the plant without 1454 ine 13, I9I2 ne minor departures, and in consequence, auxiliary re- iving stations, stock rooms, incidental manufacturing | painting operations, assembly and testing floors, ‘may found in convenient places though somewhat at vari- -e with the general plan. Incoming material to be placed in stock will be re- ved through a general receiving room located at the rth end of John R street which crosses the plant through middle of the general plan shown in Fig. 4 in last ek’s issue. It is placed in-stock on the upper floors the four-story building. In general this material is in nished state of manufacture and ready for the final assembly, so that it can be handled directly down the vators to the car assembly floor when requisitioned. Raw materials requiring machining move from the ineway across the machine shop floors on either side the east and west through successive finishin’ opera- ns of turning, grinding, drilling and milling, and toward south end of the machine shops as the individual parts gradually assembled. This combined movement ac- mulates the machined parts at the north end of the chine shop floors, around the motor, transmission and <le assemblies. These assembled parts then move through e testing floors at the south end to the car assembly yr in the east building. The department in which the nished car is given a running test is also at the south so that the car can be moved in a continuous direc S . eS Refuse aaa Burner 25—General n from the assembly floor to the shipping platforms To each lot of incoming material unloaded on the eiving platform for delivery to the receiving depart- ment is attached a yellow so-called partial delivery ticket When the complete shipment has been received it is ac- ‘ig. 26—View of the Gas Producers, Showing the Bottom of the Coal Bunkers and the Boilers in the Background at the Right THE IRON AGE Plan of the Gas Power 1455 Fig. 27—The 1500-hp. Gas Engine to be Supplemented by one of 5000 hp. companied by a white ticket, Fig. 28, to the number of which all of the partial delivery ticket numbers correspond Other material received into the craneway is checked into bins and recorded on continuous inventory bin cards illus WoterTank ! Water Tank Plant trated in Fig, 29. In the receiving room, an inspection force checks every item for quantity and quality. For example, a scleroscope test is made of every gear installed, to determine its hardness. The inspection record is placed on the receiving tags. As indicated in the views pre- sented in the last issue, each bay of the main build- ings is numbered consecu- tively from north to south and each floor is lettered so that, for example, the designation C-20 locates a particular bay on the third floor on the west four- story building. Following inspection the material is routed by a routing clerk to that part of the plant where the particular material is kept in stock or wherever else it may be required, the designation being marked on the original tags which continue to accompany the material. Both the yellow and white tickets have de- tachable stubs which are returned by the clerk at the stock delivery point to the receiving department as a receipt. It is there- fore possible to route a partial delivery into the shop without waiting for complete unloading. When 1456 O 15501. Quantity NAME ¢ € OF PART Receiving Ticket No. .... Partial Deliveries _.. Part No. REC'D FROM eo ee ae a "i, i ee ge Am't 0. K. Date Am't Def. Total ; By STOCK ROOM Amt. ; ‘ By ; In case of discrepancy in counts notify head storekeeper who will make proper adjustment. ~ ROUTING SECTION 15501 Receiving Dept. Receipt No. Am't 0. K. Am't Def. Total Date This receipt must be signed and returned to Receiving Dept. as soon as goods are checked. Fig. 28—Completed Delivery Re- ceiving Tag Practically Identical Ex- cept for Color with the Partial De- livery Receiving Tag office of the production depart- ment for all work put through the shop. In fact every trans- action of the plant requires a written order. Parts are manu- factured in lots of 5000 unless particular circumstances require a smaller quantity. In requisition- ing for stock to fill this order, no department is allowed to order more than a working supply for two days. Seven copies of the production order are issued, Fig. 34, each copy in a different color. One copy remains in the produc- tion office, one goes to the shop superintendent, one to the fore- man, one to the stock room issu- ing the stock, one to the stock room receiving the stock, one to the stock office, and one to the cost department. Where the work is performed in several depart- ments, as is the case ordinarily, duplicate copies are furnished to each foreman. Each department requisitions stock for its needs under the production order, and although the material in process of manufacture seldom actually enters stock. these requisitions from each department check the material on the stock record under a single part or an assembly part at every stage of manufacture. The form of the stock requisition is shown in Fig. 31. A form of WAME OF PART THE IRON the material is routed a book record, Fig. 32, is made, against which this return receipt stub is checked before filing. The accounting depart- ment also takes off a record from the receiv- ing tag against which bills of lading are checked. This latter form is made in tripli- cate, Fig. 30, and goes to the accounting de- partment, the purchas- ing department and the receiving department. In this system the pur- chasing department is made responsible for deliveries on purchased material. It should be stated that not all the blank forms used could be reproduced. The System in Produc- tion Departments orders the Production are issued from N | OF GOODS Cacanee \ AGE requisition for material not required for a production order is also provided. Material en- route between departments is accompanied by an identifica- tion tag, as shown in Fig. 33. When the assembled motor is tested a motor assembly record issued in_ triplicate form, Fig. 36, is enclosed in a heavy manila envelope and attached to the motor. No motor is accepted for a car assembly unless this record ac- companies it. When the motor is sent to the assembly floor an automobile assembly record, Fig. 37, also is attached, and as each man assembling a par- ticular part completes his work he checks it off on this record. This also is made out in tri- plicate, one copy being filed with the repair department as a permanent record for future replacement, one an acknowledgment to ARTICLE Fig. 29—Continuous Inventory Bin Card, 5 x 8 In., Light Blue FORD MOTOR COMPANY RECEIVED FROM SSTRCE, aati. eee SO eee FREIGHT poetoeencmemneamneemeeeslll NL OULD eects anna PACKAGES ETS ——= ORDER No. | | symso.wo.| wean AMOUNT NAME OF ARTICLE oomennaaiila os ~ | icant ile ciajiiasciibtne, Dace alesis tia Fig. 30—Receiving Clerk’s Record, 6 x 9 In. Another in Pink, All Identical; Fig. 31—Stock Requisition Blank, 4% Non-Productive vided for the Fig. 32—Loose Leaf Book Form Record of Routing Tickets, 7% x 11 In., White Paper with one copy going to the sales department as a check against the original customer’s order, and one copy going to the manufacturing department. tomer’s original order, Fig. 35, is made out in six copies the June 13, fo apne O D { | IDENTIFICATION TICKEy Pea | PROORD.Ro. No. of PIECES ry Ss | NAME OF PART | FROM DEPT. ON REQ. No. ROUTING _ | DELIVERED BY. ENTERED ON DEPT. PRO-ORD-STOCK CARD — NOTE: AN IDENTIFICATION TickE? ! musT ACCOMPANY ALL MATER! Lt pe. * 'VERED FROM ONE DEPT. TO ANUT HER ” Fig. 2 33. — Identification Ticket Accompanying Materi- a Through Shop, 2% x 5% The cus- dealer; the second, an FREIGHT CARTAGE __ FORD MOTOR CO. STOCK REQUISITION WOTE. 1M CASE REQUISITION IS SPOILED, VOID SAME AND SEND THROUGH STOCK ROOM 1M REGULAR WAY, SO THAT ALL NUMBERS WILL BE ACCOUNTED FOR, x 8 In, Obtaining Miscellaneous Stock On ECORD OF ee TICKETS — —re = ee ae One Copy in White, Another in Light Blue and They Go to the Accounting, Purchasing and Receiving Departments in Pink. A Similar Size Sheet in Brown is Pro faterial Requisition for eg by All lue and Red Ruling on Both Sides - | Order on Stock Room. Req. No. 46452 STOCK DELIVERED Departments for une 13, 1912 ‘knowledgment to the wner; the third, an order cord; fourth, a shipping cord; fifth, a finishing de- irtment copy, and sixth, a iles department record. To keep this system in oper working order, to raighten out tangles of | description in the hand- ng of material, to trace st items which range rom. the smallest part to nished cars, and to ferret ut opportunities for im- roving conditions, a force f clerks is detailed for this pecific and general pur- ise. They have no regular utine and are available for whatever contingency may arise at any time. They perate in the department f the shop superintendent Specialized Labor on a Time Basis Labor in all departments of the plant is paid on a ime basis only. THE IRON AGE 1457 ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF OROER FROM Megha hampanp, ie ) otTrrRoirT aT ONCE ANY ERRORS ! ' ’ 1 , . om CORR EPOMDENCE ! CvsT Oare Onoar Date ASATS REFER TO Tee ' ! wo Swe yo —— ' | Gate mac's 32636 vn ; Omoen No c . —- ! Teawe Chanee To a { a ' i ! REMITTANCE 1 ‘ SPECIFICATIONS | . = 2 ° - . 2 . o 2 7 = - &§ oO : o 2 = . = y = . 3 Se Fig. 35—Sales Order Form Blank, 8% x 9% In. White and Blue Sent to the Customer, for Verifica- tion; No. 3, Thin White Paper, is Filed Numerically on Order Record Binder, and Contains Space for Noting Date of Shipment; No. 4, Light Yellow, is for the Shipping Clerk and Like No. 3, Shows the Automobile Number and Also Date, Car and Route of Ship ment; No. 5, Thin White, is Sent to the Finishing Department; No. 6, Deep Pink, is for the Sales Department and Has the Shipping Information. Recently the 10-hr. day basis on which that the average daily wage was increased about 5 per the plant has been operated was changed to 9 hr. with cent. It would not be unnatural to expect a piece rate a per hour increase in wages to all the employees such or premium system of wages in connection with a scheme INSTRUCTI Blue Print References APPROVEO Lbs Pes of operations so highly special- ized, but the remarkable output obtained per man per machine ORDER Sr ranean under the present system, consid- orver no. 904 _ ering the character of labor em- ——__—_—_— ee ployed, leaves little to be said Date. PLEASE MAKE THE FOLLOWING regarding the fiat time rates in NAME Sym No force. It is maintained in this con- nection that the installation of ee - . —_————_————_, ° PRODUCTION NS iti aii ii icteincrraittecineamreasdiianal aes certain machines, each with a rated capacity for turning out Seeee ence nan oe product, establishes definitely a possible rate of production to which one may attain, but beyond which the equipment is not in- tended to operate efficiently. By making an allowance of perhaps 10 per cent. for time when the operator is not at the machine, it RT eet OTN is possible to arrive at an accu- Signed rate expectation concerning the most practicable rate of produc- “et ——————|_ tion. It is considered preferable, NO ek ee ee therefore, to accept this rate and Deliver Only Material Authorized Hereon. if More or Less Required Notify Production Office for Instructions Give Notice At Once of any Delay No Work to be commenced Without an Order. Mention Order Number on Requisitions, Time Cards, Ete When Compieted, Date, Sign and Return to_——_—____________Dept. Date Completed Pieces Actually Comp j ee cs wae ee "7 ——, to bring the human element in | step with the rated machine ca- pacity during 90 per cent. of the time and to pay a straight wage for that labor rather than to ac- cept the variable output per man under piece rate or premium in- ducements. 8 Three phases of the scheme of shop management enter into the proposition of keeping the | ' human factor up to the estab- lished machine rates. Most im- portant in this regard is the fact that orders have always been far ahead of production. No ele- ment is more conducive to a con- tinued high rate of production than the pressure of accumulated or rush orders. No influence is ii oreman a tT ee | more creative of enthusiasm. At we no time in its history have the tig. 24—Production Order Blank, 8% x 11 In. White, Foreman’s Copy; Light Blue, Superin- successive plants of the Ford ‘endent’s Copy; Pink, Stock Room Issuing the Stock; Yellow, Stock Room Receiving the Motor Company, despite _ their Stock; Salmon, Production Office Copy Yellow. ; Light G ‘ : ee nee. a ae he Deseo a wonderfully rapid increases in s Cost Department Copy. The, Stoc Room Copies and Th are the Production ° 1 he Back to Note the Different Requisition pacity, been able prod = heen “Hcdeed end trent ™ Y ” — Covering Stock 1458 MOTOR ASSEMBLY RECORD KINGSTON 1912 MAGNETO Cou. a. H. un TAPPED For METRIC Pwos TAPPED For STanpann (U. 8.) Pivas. Fig. 36—Motor Assembly Record, 8% x 9% In. Copies for the Sales Department, the Manufacturing De- partment and the Repair Department automobiles as rapidly as the demand for the output grew. In the Ford plant the spirit of catching up is omnipresent. The second feature of the Ford shop system is that the foreman in each department is purely a production man. Each department is provided with a clerk who assumes all the duties of keeping time and material records. The particular duty of the foreman is to see to it that the men under him turn out so many pieces. per day and per- sonally works to correct whatever may prevent it. The measure of the foreman and the workmen rests in their ability to accomplish their proportionate tasks at the established rate of output. The third essential is that each employee is al- lotted one specific opera- tion, and the exceptionally specialized division of labor brings the human element into condition of perform- ing automatically with ma- Cust Dare Ee ee, ae Terms chine-like regularity and speed. An unusually complete record of each employee is preserved from his first connection with the com- pany. An envelope, on the face of which a continuous wage record is kept, as shown in Fig. 38, is per- manently filed in the time- keeper’s office. Six distinct records are kept in the en- velope. One of these is shown in Fig. 30, and they include an employee’s iden- tification card,.a report upon him when he js first em- ployed, a record of any change of address, a report if he should be discharged, Aa THE IRON AGE 7 CU ceeceysetansis + — -con m Te ON i ol sae RE icc Ranc tinted os SO GON c:ncisinctriiectiepiinceimaiiigilds TE TE ccinciienctbaieunaaninnn June 13, i912 information that the company can use to ad- vantage with reference to the employee is pe: manently available. The clock system \ it}; an ordinary form of pay check is used for re cording each workman's total time. For the daily detail time tickets, 20 distinct forms on heavy manila paper are used, each corresponding to the operations in the particular department for which the time ticket is prepared. These op- erations are listed on the time tickets, some of which are illustrated in Fig. 40. These time tickets are made out in each department by the foreman’s clerk from a daily time card turned in by the workman, the form of which is illus- trated in Fig. 41. For over time a similar card in another color is used. Summary and recapitu- lation forms for loose- leaf book records for the computation of labor costs are used in the timekeeper’s office. The assembling and non-productive manufacturing operations are each numbered on the time tickets and corresponding numbers are found on the summary sheet. The employees are arranged in twelve groups. For these groups there are four pay days a week, so that nearly every day is pay day at the plant. This method of paying the men in groups is being adopted by many concerns, notably the large steel companies, and it is found to offer many advantages. From the company’s standpoint it avoids the necessity of handling such a MANUFACTURING DEPT. Copy OCs, rst fet Company, MANUFACTURING DEPT Copy | AUTOMOBILE ASSEMBLY RECORD CAR NO Onver Date Sup To Cranat To via | || __|Gas Heao —. /ELecTarc HEAD OO ——~jELectaic Ream ——{On 6OE ——|ELectac Swe at ‘woov | sisi Slienel tanita da cacdalias } | : {Generator Re a a record of his transfer from one department to another, and a record of any advances he may re- ceive. From the data filed Re ; ‘ ‘ Fig. 37—Automobile Assem ec % % Copies the Sales Departmen Manufactur- in these envelopes all the r ore = Bouenan ae “the i partment — z Rovteo i NO. oF Crares Gnoss__ise. | LENGTH-WiOTH-HelanT §=Tane_ aes. || weT___iee. | June uM ENCING ™ pines rms kept in 13, 1912 REPORT OF PERSONS EMPLOYED MANAGER 1 HAVE EMPLOYEO ss . MPLOYMENT USLY EMPLOYED WERE ans DATE... e 19 - APPROVED Fig. 39 g. 38—Outside of the yye’s reference rec- manila envelope, 4 n. 39—One of the the em- s envelope. The oth- inks inserted in the velopeé, aS occasion de- ands, is a report of dis- ssal, checking whether employe is good, me- 1m or poor and giving reason fer discharge; ther blank covers a nsfer indicating the another covers dvance, giving both old and new rates; ther is for recording change of address, and PAY Pete es ae HALF MONTH ENDING. RECEIVED PAYMENT. HALF MONTH ENDING _ No. NAME -————— EMPLOYE’S NAME DEPARTMENT HOURS || HOUR WORKED || RATE BEOINS || AMOUNT is THE IRON AGE the sixth is a card to be signed by the gatekeeper and foreman, giving the holder the right to enter or leave the works and having figures to be punched for the time when the card is present- ed Fig. 40—Pay check and some of the time ticket forms, about two-thirds actual size, and al! manila | EARNED | iRRas DAILY TIME CARD a ER |, HOUR WORKED | RATE CHECK Fig. 38 FORD MOTOR COMPANY TIME TICKET EMP. NAME FOUNDRY EMP. NO. 191... ORDER NO a a il Sd Sad i Ed cd ss & a a ad a i) cd a = ad | RATE | —_ | ——| | onto | | eae ees eee | | reac | Taree Pench cant | Pree | ns | = ee ca biased | LS ed There are similar tickets to that for the cards. foundry, for example, covering such work as motor assembling, miscel- laneous minor assembl- ing, magneto assembling, gasoline tank assembly, heat treating department, radiator assembly, paint- ing, testing and black- smith work, axle assem- bly, frame assembly, as- sembling chassis, finish- ing and shipping, branch factories and core room Fig. 41 — Workman's daily time card, 5% x 6, manila card. A _ similar card in salmon is used for overtime. as {30 1460 THE IRON AGE large fund in one day; it results in a better distribution of work in the time-keeping department and it has been found that a-much smaller proportion of the men fail to appear on the day after pay-day than when the entire force receives its wages at one time. From the stand- point of the community and the men, this method has been found to operate greatly to their benefit both as to the prevention of pay-night dissipations and the flooding of the community with checks running into many thousands of dollars to be handled by the grocer and the saloon keepers. All wages are paid in currency except when a man is discharged, at which time he is paid by check. In conclusion it must be said that in its details the Ford plant presents a striking succession of devices from which economies of time and material are effected, and of which the foregoing description is little more than a general suggestion. A Universal and Tool Grinding Machine Recently the Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Company, Provi- dence, R. I., has added a universal and tool grinding ma- chine to its line. This new machine is especially adapted to the grinding of milling, formed, beveled and angular cut- ters; straddle, face and end mills; straight or taper reamers and similar work. Straight or taper cylindrical grinding can be done and by adding attachments internal and surface grinding can also be handled. The capacity of the machine is work having a maximum length of 18 in. and a diam- eter of 13 in. An unusual and valuable feature for a ma- chine of this kind is the provision for wet grinding. The tank is cast around the base, increasing the weight. The waste water is well taken care of and guards prevent the spray from wetting the floor. The machine is of substantial design, being exceptionally rigid and free from vibration. The base and column are cast in one piece, affording a firm support for the wheel spindle and the knee which carries the saddle and table is braced internally by stout transverse sections. The spindle has a transverse adjustment of 1% in., a vertical adjust- ment of 4 in. and a radial adjustment to any desired posi- tion. The main movements afe obtained in the knee, which slides on ample ways on the column, in the saddle mounted on the knee and in the sliding table which rests A New Universal and Tool Grinding Machine Built by the Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Company, Providence, upon the saddle. The machine is driven by a 1-in. belt, running over a two-step cone pulley, the speeds being 3180 and 3970 r.p.m. June 13, igi2 The sliding table is operated by a crank locate: front of the saddle and has a longitudinal adjus: 26 in., a transverse adjustment of 8 in. and a vert justment of 10% in. It will swivel 45 deg. on eith of the center, the setting being facilitated by a gra surface. Adjustable stops are provided. The transyerg, and vertical adjustments are obtained by handwhee! cated on the front and the side of the machine which; .;, graduated to read in thousandths of an inch. Protectioy against dirt and grit is afforded by metal guards. A variable speed mechanism consisting of multiple {ric tion disks located at the side of the machine furnishes 16 changes of work speeds ranging from I10 to 530 r.p.m. To change the speed it is simply necessary to move the lever to a position opposite the required speed, the variations be- ing shown by figures cast in the cover of the machin: The lever at the front provides a means for startine and stopping the mechanism independent of its drive. The speeds are transmitted to.the headstock by a flexible shaft and in this way it is pointed out a high efficiency is ob- tained and a wide range of speeds is possible. The protection of the working parts has also been given careful attention. The ways are all covered and all oil holes and parts needing frequent adjustment.are care- fully protected, The Steel Industry and the High Cost of Living A measure of the steel industry’s offending as a con- tributor to the high cost of living is presented in the fol- lowing editorial in the American Metal Market. Inferen- tially it indicates that the present campaign against big business is influenced more by the size of the institution attacked than by its direct impression upon the pocketbook of the consumer: “From some aspects, it is certainly a gruesome spec- tacle that the chief trust busting activities of the country) should be exerted in an industry which is not contributing to the high cost of living, but is instead making a contri- bution in the other direction. Witness the fact that Brad- street’s index number of commodity prices stands at the highest level on record, and it is at least 20 years old, whereas steel products are selling at only a trifle above the historic low level and are very much below the various high levels of the past 13 years. “Either the country does not expect any material relief from the high cost of living through holding down the steel industry, or it fails entirely in a quantitative conception of the in- fluences which make up the high cost of living. The quantitative concep- tion, however, is readily made. For example, last quarter the great steel trust made about $7 per ton on its steel output, before paying bond inter- est and allowing for depreciations, ex tinguishments, sinking funds. etc. Th« t