The Iron Age 1916-07-06: Vol 98 Iss 1

liane RON AGE oh New York July 6, 1916 ~¢ ; py lg of 6 yn }joe (NNULLNAOUIVQOOON4AROU4L000040000040000040000040000400000000000400000S0000000000000O0AUEOOUGEOLLAUOUUHOOUEAOOA AGATA TLL THE FILE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY USE—AS PERFECT AS WILL AND SKILL CAN MAKE—CLEAN, STRONG, SHARP TEETH PHILADELPHIA U.S. A. HHNOUANANOLLIANLANQQOUNLONOUVS00000000000N00008900000400000800000000000880 0000000 000000LGUUOAEUOOUUAEE ADULT A USED IN EVERY SHOP WHERE ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY ARE PRACTICED q YUNA, 11 IINUUNUL IIVLYUUUUQUVOUUUU000 UONRNUOUUELULUOLUUINUOUULEULUOVOLUUUAGUUUOUEUUOUHOU.UU000000000000000000000000000004400000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000ULU0E USES NUN ‘ 4 = DAADEUANVAQAUOENNAUADUNENAAOOUD, SHOUUOUDEONEOODUUD GREEN ENNOOETUUEERALEOUO HOSA ALUUUUARED LUAU EONETA UU TNQAUUUTUNAUOUUEEENUOONOUNEEO AQUUUENY MM _TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - 3: ADVERTISING INDEX - - - 309. | ah ‘ Inde Section 2968 Help and Situations ot i 2 Clearina at : _& 2. ct Work Section 2x] ee eee eee init vs an Dantes . a "aeAtAG, aa . ee unin Unenennenvaeneanena att {YUTONTOUEEROOOUNNAAORERNAY CUMS ES ERENT THE IRON AGE Large and complete Stocks in Ryerson Warehouses for immediate shipment m sxranty y = pans seer ? OF nits PLATES OR sce gee: TREASON EASON peeve” ccc | JOSEPH roner tege Ie og ome 9g Ge Oe cee == pa we SS a goes S ; non sere —_- — _ or =F a ates — - ee ~ Plates Sheets Rivets Bolts Specialties Machinery July 6, 1916 and a thousand and one other iron and steel products. ESTABLISHED 1842 INCORPORATED 1888 sT Louis ROCKWELL STs NEW YORK 30 CHURCH ST WAREHOUSES WesT SIDE Ave JERSEY CITY Josepu T. Rverson & Son CLYDE M. CARR, PRESIDENT New YORK IRON STE. MACHINERY CHICAGO JOSEPH T. RYERSON, VICE-PREs. ST. Louis HAGAR PLANT 2206 N. 2no ST PITTSBURG CLEVELAND SaeiTa ds sv MILWAUKEE MINNEAPOLIS KANSAS CITY HOUSTON td Up Y Wn CLT YAUA Z » Lf Y Uy GG" ah, Uy A af gi dO ‘ Wis Z Y " iy Y tity ys Z Yl, Ci tii hhin thidiuild din Khe 2 he ¢ a F isda ESTABLISHED 1855 iy, LOOLPLMN YOO VC ELE = wee WYIGE pr fyi Wf); we & tis ts TOOT Mla etd hiss Mee Me Ws dM DispatchSystemof NortonGrinding Company Planning Board Visualizes Jobs Ahead of * Each Machine, and Routing Sheets Indicate fe Dimensions and Limits of Each Operation + 5 COMBINATION of a ? . A planning board, oO : which visualizes the ; i) | a jobs scheduled against each i | machine, and of routing i : : 2s sheets, that cover directions N $4 -—_ and limits of each machin- Te) tz ing operation, is a feature =o: 223 of the system for dispatch- [Sat + a. ing work through the plant oo of the Norton Grinding Company, Worcester, Mass. Also, instead of the ordinary traveler that generally accompanies the material in the factory, an envel- > ad, 4 (eT od | —— deh UH HM / ope is used. This envelope, here shown, gives all the information usually f ur- nished by the tag traveler. On the back of the envelope is evidence that it has been to the various departments necessary. It contains a : — duaroy blueprint of the finished 17 3 a cee , J file ~ meg ~ “npg a OS piece, there being an indi- wg. OS vidual print for each piece. Accompanying the blue- print are routing sheets shown among the illustra- tions. These routing sheets are in consecutive order Each shelf on these dispatch boards represents a single machine, its number appearing on a black wooden block at the end of the shelf Each job ahead for a machine is shown by a wooden block placed on the proper shelf and are clipped together. They serve as a guide to the inspectors, the workmen and the foremen. When an operation is completed the routing sheet is detached by the inspector and sent to the cost department as a further check on completed opera- tions. Use is made of the routing sheet, as shown, to describe operations, or to bring out any particu- lar points in connection with them, or to iliustrate, by means of drawings, roughing operations. This takes from the operator the necessity for doing any mathematical work, and also obtains the same rough- ing dimensions in each succeeding lot of pieces. It is beneficial in several ways, not the least of which is elimination of quarreling over piece-work prices on account of the amount of stock that may be left for finish. The information conveyed to the oper- THE IRON AGE July 6, 1916 ready for the shop to use. If the material has not arrived the stock clerk holds the envelope until he can obtain the material. The envelope is given to .ne dispatcher on the arrival of the material. This department uses blocks of wood in the form shown in the illustrations to represent each operation shown by the time card in the envelope. The length of time required for an operation for the lot is shown by the length of the block, the blocks being made to the scale that 1/10 in. is equal to one hour of time. To these blocks are fastened stick- ers which give the part number, the shop order num- ber, the name of the operation, and the machine best adapted for this operation. When the blocks for a given order have been filled out they are placed on tne shelves, one of which represents a definite ma- This close view shows a section of a dispatch board. The black block at the right bears the machine number. Each wooden job block bears a job ticket. The blocks are made on a scale of 1/10 in. of length, repnesenting one hour of time. A vertical blue line on the ticket shows that the previous operation is completed: a horizontal line that the time card for the job has been passed to the foreman ator on the routing sheets is such as to do away with the necessity for him to do any calculating of dimen- sions and limits or any extensive thinking. This is one of the developments due to the fact that most large machine shops now have a large force of ma- chine operators but few machinists in the sense con- veyed by the word machinist twenty years ago. A time card is made out to agree with each of the routing sheets. These are complete in every de- tail except for the clock number of the operator. This means that the amount of clerical work actu- ally done by shop men is reduced to the least possible amount. The envelope is now ready for the stock clerk, who, having authorized the shop order, has already ordered his material. If the material has arrived, he so indicates on the envelope, and the envelope is chine in the shop. The envelope with its blueprint and routings is then filed, ready for shop use. The general foreman, who has charge of pro- duction, starts the shop order into the factory in time to meet his needs on the assembly floor. He does this by ordering that the first operation on this job shall be given to that machine best adapted for that first operation. It is the duty of the general foreman to maintain ahead of each machine in the plant three operations, so that the workmen will at no time be out of work, and so that the foreman will not have to hunt for jobs for his men. As soon as an operation is completed, the time card, which has just been rung out on that operation, is sent to the dispatcher. The dispatcher takes down from the machine’ shelf the corresponding block of wood. It is then his duty to call to the ia , a 5 ‘ July 6, 1916 THE IRON AGE 3 _Onven Wo. penvme S454 oerr we SU 92 9434__ 8 410° Center Gr. Spindle Oreaeros Ca 10° Center Gr. Spindle wo 3 Orenanen Cut off & Cer Car 2.41 2e—_ _ 9 tt, ance Ber Ue Pee - Ww Pee _—— roe seco eave ree rm oare rem ace oare waren oare racw ere ware a == Tem owrny me OeLvER TO EMP Ho. ar once sere} j nd Selivered tm Tom! Cage ane bier betere time) tenis Uniens te Pertert Working Greer sed wilt on ee NOTE: Ground surtace must be concentric with Bolt at mouth within 000025" Ar arbors the taperhole projecting Be eM De me MR Le ee aie news 40° Center Gr. Spindle a 7 ? Feng ees ~ he 5S Oremeron ri Onoen wo cr UP Perce Get Ue Perce ree mace eave i ree mace ron rm eave ar ey res rom | a | ree see eave seer wed s vee see wanven were : reowere ware | we so oruven vom wo “ eccoce eave . Si ~ | Heat not over 1450 Ba | fe oa: | Mese surfaces must be be eae ae A eM ed ed in RT erat, Oe ade Te ra a Cua | by aS MSs 7d Med) ad rd hard aller grinding pant ne, Sad4 name 40" Center Gr. Spindle | we 9 oOreneron Bore & Ream Taper (Rot | me Lh Oremenon rind jote Sey Ue Pmee * we Pawe oar Ue Peer * we meee | “+ mo 10 oremaren Fi urn & Thr a oe. re ore mer oe 763 cevvcenss 20 neous 07 rem nee eave sete 8» YEH roe mace eave aot ne 8 wccmne me eearee care reowees ware e * | awe rom owrnt me S44 54-9 oCLwER oO eer we “ weoce eave | 2 BLUEPRINT OF A FINISHED PART AND THE ROUTING SHEETS FOR THE DIFFERENT OPERATIONS A blueprint of the finished part is placed in each envelope. This reproduction is of the drawing of a spindle for a center grinding attachment. The routing sheets which are also placed in the job envelope, cover the machining and other operations on this part. The routing sheets for roughing operations are blueprinted and bear a sketch of the part with dimensions thereon. The plan obviates complaints from operators on finishing operations of excess stock left in roughing operations Pes Le al Ene ome 4 THE IRON attention of the general foreman the fact that a new operation should be found for this machine, in order that the machine may still have three opera- tions ahead of it. In order that the general fore- man may know what operations listed against the machine are available, when an operation is finished, the dispatcher marks the next succeeding operation with a vertical blue line, which tells the general foreman that this operation is available for the given machine. He can therefore select any such available operation to be the third operation de- manded from that machine. When the vertical line is crossed by a horizontal line, it indicates that the foreman has received the time card. As soon as an operation is selected as the third operation demanded from the machine, the dis- patcher sends to the foreman having charge of that The middle and the left of this group of illustrations are the two faces of a card punched by an in- spector after an op- eration is finished. It is turned in to the time clerk by the op- erator and used to calculate piece wages. The fifth line on the reverse side enables the operator to as- sign payment to some other person. The punches show the truck number, num- ber of pieces, piece price and date. EL A AR em machine a time card for that particular operation. This notifies the foreman that the work is wanted, and saves confusion by keeping down the number of time cards in that department. If occasion arises whereby plans must be changed in order to get out some rush job that comes in with- out warning, the general foreman has the authority to alter any blocks on the board, so long as he con- nects with the dispatcher who then rearranges the foreman’s work. It is found, however, that con- tinuous planning keeps these changes down to a minimum. The operation of changing the dispatch board is not an arduous one, and permits of great flexibility. The foremen are invited to see the dispatcher at least once a day, and if they wish they can make a list of the three operations planned for each of their machines. This enables the foreman who has both a day gang and a night gang to keep in touch with his work very closely day by day. The use of this dispatch board will enable one to get exactly what is wanted from each machine. A glance at the board shows approximately the num- ber of machine hours ahead of each machine. Dur- ing poor business times this gives the superintend- ent a clue to the amount of work ahead in the plant, and enables him to take up with the management the question as to whether they will give him more work, or whether they will run short time; also whether they will weed out the less efficient men and TRUCK NO. <r ce or ore “AQrece2rece AGE July 6, 1916. prolong the working time of the more efficient, in order to keep together the better part of the organi- zation. It will also show whether one or more machines have been given more work than will allow the en- tire plant to meet its schedule. In most shops it will be found that certain machines, because of their efficiency, are great favorites with the foremen, and because these machines turn out work cheaper than other machines in the department, the foreman will naturally give them all possible jobs to do. This may result in these favored machines having so much work on hand that the other machines will be out of work, and the schedule will be delayed. Hence, the board shows that some of these jobs should be taken from these machines and distributed to other machines, perhaps less efficient. It also gives the CK’SHAFT MODEL @ R. Tu Fi. Bearing Cut off and Cir u Straighten — 1 Gr. for Blocks snor no._& 7 ™ ncason Lanse Mhear,§ Bere Fin. Gr. Short End Fin. Tu. Flange S&297/ wm««,!~~mmm ie Calatile no. pcs, accerten / 9 wate_7O amt. Z 70 mont sonus__>S __ TOTAL oS NO. PCS. REJECTED REC'D. PAYMT.__ PAY to__Z: ORDER NO. superintendent a tip to buy more of the favored machines, and get rid of some of the slower ones. To operate such a control board as this requires co-operation on the part of the foremen, and de- mands a firm stand on the part of the management that the board shall be obeyed in every particular. Unless one has a sympathetic organization, he will find that certain of the older foremen will look on all such matters as added red tape, and that the dictates of the board will be disobeyed, and—just as would happen on a railroad—collisions or falling down on the stad will result. In the operation of this system, differing in this detail from many planning systems, no effort is made to predict the time when the job will be done. When no attempt is made to do this, the failure of a schedule due to the uncertainty of the human fac- tor is eliminated. The principal functions of this system, which it is successfully performing, are the visualizing in a very concrete way of the amount of work ahead of each machine and the almost com- plete elimination of the running about of the fore- man to locate the next job for each operator. It brings to one point for the survey of superintendent and general foreman, all the factors necessary for the completion of jobs at a promised delivery date. The system is an adaptation of a similar system in use at the Hart-Parr Company, Charles City, lowa. For several years the Norton Grinding Company July 6, 1916 has specialized in the contract grinding of automo- bile parts, particularly crankshafts. It has recently devised an accounting method for its piece-work operators on this class of work which eliminates much of the bookkeeping, both for the operator and for the cost department. Twenty crankshafts are mounted on a special truck and go through as one job. The truck bears a tag which is punched by the inspector as each operation on the crankshafts is finished. This tag stays with the truck through all the operations. There is a somewhat similar tag which the oper- ator turns in and which is used in figuring up his time or piece-work wages in computing his pay for the week. At the top of this particular tag are two parallel series of figures from 1 to 0. The truck number is punched out on these numbers, as shown by the illustration. Down the left-hand side of the tag is a column of numbers from 1 to 20 which is punched to show the number of crankshafts on that truck. The center is printed with a description of each operation. On the right-hand side is a col- umn giving the piece-work prices for each operation beside which is room for a punch hole which is made by the inspector when the operator finishes the job. At the bottom of the tag the months and the days of the month are printed and are punched out to show the date of the operation. On the back of this tag, as shown, is some in- formation regarding the ordér number, kind of crankshaft, number of pieces accepted and rejected, rate, amount of night bonus, and the total. This bears instructions filled in by the inspector giving the name of the employee and the stock number. There is an extra line so that the operator can as- sign the payment of his check to some other person who can draw his pay from the paymaster. Who- ever draws the pay, whether the operator or the assignee, gives a receipt for the payment on the bot- tom line. This forms an extremely simple way of keeping track of piece-work and is of real service to the paymaster in making up the payrolls. The idea is borrowed from the practice in the shoe in- dustry, but the tag in this case is modified somewhat THE IRON AGE o after the lines of the transfer used by most of the street railway companies. This is one of the ways in which shop practices of the Norton Grinding Company have moved away from the beaten path followed by most manufacturing machine shops. A distinctive method is used to mark the raw steel stock. The steel stock has been standardized to nine kinds which are designated by numbers, as in the following list: No.1. C. R. S. serew stock No. 2. 15 to 20 P.C. O.H. M.S No. 3. 30 to 40 P.C. O.H. M.S No. 4. Crucible steel O. H No. 5. Center steel. No. 6. 100 to 110 P. C. tool steel No. 7. 15 to 20 P.C. alloy steel. No. 8. 30 to 40 P. C. alloy steel No. 9. Alloy steel over 40 P.C. and high in nickel or vanadi- um, such as used for spindles This shows a sec- tion of the truck used in the crankshaft grinding department and the manner in which the operation card is attached. This card, which is the right of the group on page 4, accompanies each truck of crank- shafts, occupying a place on the top of the truck. The column on the left shows operator’s number and the third column the number of pieces on the truck. The card is punched after each operation by an inspector. A letter of the alphabet designates each concern from which steel is bought. The instructions read: Mark steel number first, then firm letter. Thus, center steel from Bethlehem Steel Company would be marked 5-G. As the various producers and dealers differ in the end color marking for the same stock, the con- fusion that would thereby be caused is eliminated by the special code numbers and letters stamped upon the exposed end of each bar when it is placed in the rack. All portions cut from a bar are cut from the other end so that the last fragment still bears its distinguishing mark. The alphabetical marking makes it easy to tell from just which con- cern the steel was received. To make sure that the low carbon machinery steel does not contain an excess of carbon, an easy and certain method of analysis is employed. A disk, 4 in. thick, is cut from each bar and carbonized along with any of the regular jobs. One-eighth inch is next cut off one side of the disk. If the stock did not contain more than 20 points of carbon, the car- bonized portion of this side should be removed by this operation. The disk is then sent to the harden- ing department and heated and quenched. One side should then be glass hard and the other side be easy to machine. This is determined by a drill test. Keeping Track of Work in Process’ A Conibined Production-Operation Order Cost Record Serves to Locate Every Part of Every Order at Any Time BY H. A. RUSSELL HE method followed in getting work through the factory can be best understood by follow- ing a particular lot of castings from the foundry to the machine shop and thence onward, operation by operation, until they gre finished and either become a part of the complete machine or are placed in storage. The casting that has been selected weighs 64 lb. Castings of this weight, either in the rough or finished state, are piled one on top of the other. Smaller castings are placed in bins on which the designating letters and num- bers have been stenciled. Each bin section, con- taining from twenty to sixty bins, has a number OPERATION TIME CARD ~~ } Pattern or “2. a lbrf _ Oper. No Att y ofp Man's No. /~ 7 3 —+~——— Part Mame Garlanice H/esc- in i Rtennen) Classification - Py ss fp Date / 9//G Order No __... _ Man's Name Chae mgr ——— mn Pieces Finished Good 0 Rpoitea— Defective -- a | Morning M | T.|W.|Th) F.| 8. Afternoon 1.24 | 1.30) 1.36 142/148) LS ‘ M | T.|W.|Th| FF. 8 4 x | 7.06) 7.12) 7.18) 7.24) 7.90) 7.36) 7.42) 7.48) T.td 2 | 1.06) 1.12) 1.18 | | a j & 1, B12 8.18, 6.24 80 8.36) BAZ BAS B44 | 2 2.06 | 2.12 | 218 | 2.24) 230/236 242 248! 2s ! | i | i | , i 7 9 | 9.06) 9.12) 9.18) 9.24) 9.36) 9.36 9A2 9.48 9.54) | 3 — 3.18 | 3.24) 3.30/3.96/ 3.42) 3.48) 3.54 ee en | | ' | oa 10 |10.96)10.12|10.18)10.24)10,30)10.36)10.42)10.95/10.54) | 4 | 4.06] $42 | 4.18) 4.24/ 4.30/ 4.96 | 442) 44s) 4.58 = a | } { | i x | | ll 11.06) 11.12)11.18)11.26)11.30) 11.96 11.42 LASILS4) | 6 | 6.06 5.12] 6.18 5.24 | 5.90) 5.36 | 5.42) 6.48) 5.54 i att eee eee Ck Ae) A eae ee) TOTAL TIME 0K | Hours | Teothe “ Fis ff r a 5 f 2 SG Gots Foreman Fig. 1—The operator crosses out the time division on the cara most nearly corresponding to the actual time of starting work, and he similarly marks the time when he finishes. The elapsed time, rate and earnings are computed in the office painted in large figures on each end of the section. Each row is designated by a letter starting with A for each section. These letters are also painted on each end of the row. On the front of each bin is another number which is one of a series starting with 1 and running up as high as necessary. There- fore, if the record should designate “Section 2-Row B-Bin 5,” it is an easy matter to find the proper castings. THE PRODUCTION-OPERATION RECORD COST CARD The piece which will be followed through the factory is the crankshaft balance disk of an Ajax 74 x 10-in. engine. The symbol of this part is A164. The yearly inventory on Jan. 1, 1916, indi- cated that 40 pieces of A164 were on hand in the rough state. The production department, hav- ing analyzed the estimated sales, found that it should order 210 pieces of A164 from the foundry to com- plete 250 engines which had been specified. The first step is to fill in the production-operation cost card, Fig. 2, with the symbol number and name of the part, the name and size of a machine on which the casting is used, the minimum quantity to be carried in stock, the size of the desirable order, the weight per piece and the location in the storeroom. When the casting or other part is used on several different sizes of machine all of the sizes are specified. The number of castings re- *Second of a series of three articles describing the produc- tion methods of a large agricultural implement factory. The first appeared in THE IRON AGE, June 29. quired for each complete machine is also given. When the quantity of pieces on hand is reduced to the minimum designated on the card as the “low limit’ the clerk in charge of the record notifies the production chief by means of a written memo- randum. The item “desirable order” quantity. is subject to sueh change as may appear necessary. The principal reason for this item is to bring to the attention of the production chief the most de- sirable quantity of each casting to start through the factory. If, however, there is an unusual run on any one size of machine he uses his judgment as to the quantity to be ordered, as was done in the case under review. ‘Here the full 210 pieces needed were ordered, possibly to give the foundry a good start or to nitet a shortage of work for certain machines in the engine department. In the’columns headed “operation” the sequence of machine operations is given. The piece-work price and the department number in which each operation will be performed is filled in as shown. A part may be partly finished in one department and then proceed to another for completion. The pro- duction operation order is ruled and printed on both sides, giving space for the recording of eight separate operations. If more than’eight operations are required for finishing any one part a second card must be used. When this is done the cards are plainly marked Card No. 1, Card No. 2, etc. The piece-work prices given in the illustrations are fictitious and other items have been changed, but the method of recording the items is identical with the method now in force. The first quantity recorded on the card is the 40 pieces reported in the inventory. See entry on top line in “rough” column. On Jan. 5 the produc- tion department sent the molder’s work card to the foundry, ordering 210 pieces to be made, a nota- tion to this effect first being made in the first two columns of the production-operation order. On Jan. 8 the goods-received report indicated that 40 rough castings A164 had arrived in the engine de- partment, making a total of 80 pieces on hand. On Jan. 10, 40 more pieces were received, making a total of 120 pieces, but as on the same day 30 pieces were delivered to the operator for slotting, the total of rough pieces was reduced to 90. KEEPING THE MEN’S TIME The production-operation order showed the slot- ting operation had been completed on 29 pieces on Jan. 10. This record was taken from the oper- ation time card, Fig. 1. The operation time card is 4x 6 in. and of medium weight paper. Day work cards are white and piece-work cards green. When the operation is performed under an hourly wage, instead of a piece rate the entries are made in the same manner, excepting that the hourly wage is filled in the “rate” column. The difference in the color automatically warns the party making the entry. From these cards the pay roll is made up, each card being O.K’d by the assistant foreman in the department. At the completion of each job the operator makes a cross-mark over the nearest tenth of an hour to July 6, 1916 THE IRON‘ AGE 7 Time ea] ee Vcleop| || sl the progress of k has been completed but what work is a He ion cost record gives complete inform ition regarding It not only shows what wor J] » it is ordered until it is incorporated in the finished each part through the factory from the tion-operat machine. The produc 9_ Fig. time ; The card is ruled on both sides ; size of card, 6 x 15 in. head of each department. the actual minute of finishing the last casting. The time record can never be more than 3 min. away from the actual facts. The starting time had been indicated in the same manner and the actual time consumed is easily determined. The total time, rate and amount earned is filled in when the cards reach the office. Each day all of the cards for the previous day’s work are collected, and as fast as the calculations are made the entries are re- corded on the proper production-operation cost record card. The progress of the various oper- ations and the movement of the work from depart- ment to department is clearly shown in Fig. 2. FOLLOWING THE ORDER THROUGH THE SHOP The total number of castings slotted at the end of Jan. 12, was 59 pieces. On Jan. 13, 50 pieces were sent to be drilled and tapped. On Jan. 14, these 50 pieces moved to the third operation, “bolting on shaft.” On Jan. 16, 12 pieces passed to the final operation, “turning.” As one casting proved to be defective while being machined, only 11 good cast- ings remained, but as the operator had practically finished machining the defective casting before the defect became apparent, he was given credit for 12 pieces. Under “slotting” three separate castings are noted in the “bad” column. The operator was not paid for these, as the defects were discovered before any work was done on the castings. In order to keep the record straight all castings or other parts are reported, no matter whether they are good, bad, broken or spoiled in any way. On the extreme right-hand side of the produc- tion-operation order card is an additional set of columns, headed respectively “total good,” “moved,” “balance.” These columns are used for the purpose of checking off the finished parts as they become a part of the completed machine, or when they are sold as repair parts. When there are more than four operations on a part the two sets of columns on the reverse side of the card are used. Two col- umns are necessary for this purpose, because cast- ings and other parts are generally machined in lots which are greater than the daily requirements of completed machines. Therefore it was necessary to provide for the greater number of entries which would go into these columns. The production-operation cost record, Fig. 2, shows that on Jan. 22 (the date of the last entry) that there were on hand 134 rough castings, 13 castings slotted only, 78 castings bolted to the shafts and 7 castings ready to become a part of the complete engine. If the foreman of the engine department wishes to know the condition of the stock of parts for any size of engine the informa- tion can be secured from this record. He also can learn what work is ahead for each machine. Two entry clerks can handle several thousand items per day. The reports from the shop must come in accurately however, but this is principally a matter of training. LOW LIMITS AND DESIRABLE ORDER QUANTITIES The inventory on Jan. 1 indicated that only 40 pieces of A164 castings were on hand, while the low limit had been fixed at 50 pieces. At the end of the year quantities are allowed to fall below the low limits, as it makes the inventory an easier matter, and as there are usually a number of cor- rections to be made in the cards. A casting will disappear and another one will be found of which there is no record. These discrepancies generally result from reporting the incorrect number or letter and are bound to happen at times, no matter how much care is taken. So while the low limits 8 THE IRON AGE and desirable order quantities have been fixed through consultations between the production chief and the foremen of the respective departments, there is no hard and fast rule regarding them. Circumstances are allowed to alter the case as may seem expedient. The production department chief must be allowed to use his best judgment, and in order to do so he must keep in daily touch with the output of each department in the factory, speeding up one department so as to avoid delay- ing another. Should there be any danger of a department being held up by the non-receipt of material, the production chief must have other work planned. If there is a break in the output of one line another can be substituted without de- lay, thus preventing the loss of output by that department. PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT INSTRUCTIONS When the production department was organized certain instructions were issued, in the form of typewritten memoranda. While these were neces- sarily somewhat voluminous, they were planned to be permanent and to be in such complete form that @ new man in the department, after reading the instructions, would have a thorough understanding of the duties and responsibilities of it. The duties and functions of this department are divided as follows: Division 1. Records and record-keeping. Division 2. Reports to production department. Divisien 3. Low limits and desirable order quantities. Division 4. Production orders and _ erecting orders. Division 5. Relations with purchase depart- ment. Division 6. Division 7. Reports by production department. Follow-ups and promises. The first division relates to records and the manner of keeping them. Among these are the production-operation cost record cards covering such items as gray-iron and malleable castings, brass castings, steel castings, steel parts, crankshafts, etc. Another set of records covers all shipments of en- gines, sawmills, threshing machines, etc. A third set refers to the production orders that have been issued for complete machines and also the total yearly sales of each style and size of machine. Still another set refers to all patterns that have been made in the pattern department or have been sent to the factory by customers. Division 2 covers all the reports which should come to the production department to enable the records to be kept accurately. The responsibility of securing these reports at the required intervals rests on the production department. Division 3 relating to low limits and desirable- order quantities is especially interesting. To quote from the memorandum covering this division: Theoretically, the low limit of machines of any type (product) would be just enough of them finished on hand ‘to last until an entirely new production-order could be issued, the castings made and finished, purchased material ordered, received, forged, finished and the complete set of new ma- chines erected. This would therefore be the low limit of each piece in such machine. But it is impossible to provide room for storage of so much finished product. Consequently the aim is to carry on hand the fewest possible finished machines consistent with being able to fill customers’ orders. From this it follows that there are necessarily different low limits for finished product and for pieces composing the finished product. Therefore we fix the low limits as follows: First: The low limit of any particular finished machine July 6, 1916 is the fewest number of machines that will answer the re- quirements of our trade. Second: The low limit of any piece in a machine must be sufficiently large to allow ample time (after it is just passed) for a new requisition to be issued for the piece, to make it, or purchage and receive it, to finish it and erect it in new finished machines. This involves considera- tions, which may be grouped as follows: Group 1. Castings from the foundry. Consider the num- ber of days required to mold the desirable quantity—depend- ing upon whether bench or floor work, whether cores must first be made, quantity of flasks on hand of a suitable size, size of castings, percentage of loss, time required to finish in machine department, etc. many Group 2. Purchased articles on which we do work. Con- sider whether worked on in finishing department only or in several departments, such as connecting rods, which are forged in the blacksmith shop and then go to the machine shop to be finished. Ordinarily standard sizes of bar steel can be secured in from four to six weeks, but large rounds and squares, malleables, steel castings, odd sizes of flat steel, spe- cial shapes, etc., may take two or three times as long. Group 3. Purchased articles upon which we do no work. A. Where regular—can be obtained in from one to three weeks, depending upon kind and circumstances (such as valves, pipe fittings, etc.). B. Where special—(such as special safety valves or spe- cial traction throttle valves, etc.) will take from three to seven weeks or more. Low limits vary accordingly. The desirable quantity to machine at one time varies, to some extent, upon the cost of setting up the various machines. Certain operations may re- quire several hours to get ready before any actual productive work can be started, in other instances a few minutes may be sufficient. In the blacksmith shop it may mean the changing of heavy dies and to hammer only a few pieces would be an expensive operation per piece. Another element to be given consideration is the amount of material on hand of the proper size and quality. Still another factor is the length of time needed to finish a given num- ber of pieces. If a lathe or planing machine or hammer is tied up too long on one part of the product it may throw some other line of product too far behind. Division 4 contains the instructions for issuing production and erecting orders. The production order goes direct to the foreman of the department and indicates the actual quantity of each part that is to be made. The erecting order contains in- structions as to the quantity of each size and style that is to be assembled complete, ready for ship- ment. As the production department controls the supply of parts, it is always in a position to issue the erecting orders correctly. The production order was illustrated previously.* It is a loose-leaf binder sheet, 842 x 11 in., with the words “production order” printed at the top. The body of the sheet is ruled with horizontal lines. No attempt is made to provide for each item separately, on account of the variety of parts manufactured. Before issuing a production,or erecting order the following facts are considered: Stock on hand; parts and finished machines; warehouse or storage capacity; season of the year. Division 5 covers the relations that must exist between the production and purchase departments. Frequent consultations must be the rule. With the right spirit of co-operation between the two depart- ments costs are lowered, production increased, and a good example of thoroughness is set for the other departments in the office, as well asin the factory. When the two departments cannot, or will not, work in harmony, there is something wrong and the sooner the matter is given the proper atten- tion the better for all concerned. The instructions covering Division 5 are complete and specify clearly what the duties of the production department are, as affecting its relationship with the purchase de- *THeE IRON AGE of June 29, page 1557. July 6, 1916 partment. Certain items are ordered by the pur- chase department on its own responsibility, but a copy of the purchase order goes to the production department, minus prices and terms, but including a notation as to the time the material may be expected. Division 6 refers to the reports which the pro- duction department must make to the management, also to the other departments. These reports cover such items as the monthly inventory of finished machines on hand, the yearly report of machines built and a somewhat similar report which shows the number of machines and implements actually shipped, arranged so that there is a means of mak- ing a quick comparison with the previous year’s shipments. To the sales department a weekly re- port is made covering the machines on hand ready to ship. This last report is filled in on a printed form (by the sales department) and copies are mailed weekly to the dealers. The method of following orders through the factory is outlined in Division 7. In this division the attention of the production chief is called to the fact that the real function of his department is to speed up the various departments, so that maximum results will be obtained at a minimum cost. Con- sultations are held daily or oftener with the fore- men of each department in the factory. The pro- duction department is also in telephonic connection with each factory and office department. ADVANTAGES OF THE PRODUCTION-OPERATION ORDER The forms illustrated have proven their adapta- bility to the system and give records which are dependable. The production-operation cost card fur- nishes information which permits of the following results: The shop departments can more readily and easily plan their work. The production depart- ment can more easily and intelligently issue pro- duction orders and follow them up. The sales department will receive promises which can be de- pended upon regarding the shipment of customers’ orders. The cost department will have easy access to correct costs. The time department will have a check on earnings and piece-work counts. All of these results depend, however, upon the accuracy of each individual daily time slip. As these same time slips are the ones from which the pay-roll is made up, the question of accuracy is a fundamental one and no greater amount of work is entailed than that which is necessary for the purpose of the time department. In planning the production-operation cost card the first consider- ation was to avoid duplication of work, and the results obtained do not require a single item of information in excess of what would be in any event turned in daily. Tennessee Company Improvements BIRMINGHAM, ALA., July 3, 1916.—(By Telegraph) .— The Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company an- nounces plans for several improvements. One is the installation of an electric furnace at Ensley for pre- heating ferromanganese and another is the doubling of the blowing capacity for the Bessemer end of the duplexing plant at Ensley by the installation of a spare engine. Further items on the program are the building of employees’ bathhouses and school buildings at a number of the company’s operations. Forty-seven large manufacturing concerns at Osh- kosh, Wis., on July 1 put into effect the “extra daylight” plan by permitting all employees to start and finish work an hour earlier. THE IRON AGE 9 A Heavy Boring Lathe for 6-In. Shells An unusually heavy projectile boring lathe designed especially for high-speed work on 6-in. shells has been put on the market by the Osborne & Sexton Machinery Company, Columbus, Ohio. The bed, which is of heavy deep pattern with double- webbed box type girts to prevent vibration and spring- ing, has a total length of 12 ft. 6 in. The lathe has a 40-in. swing and is geared at a ratio of 8 tol. A 4%-in. hole with a depth of 12% in. can be bored in a 6-in. solid billet in 25 min., while on drawn shell work this operation can be performed in approximately 5 min. The length between the faceplate gear and tailstock spindle is 48 in., so that the machine can bore a hole 21 in. in depth. The two sets of driving years are cut from the solid and have heavy guards. A Heavy Lathe for Boring 6-In. Shells Capable of High-Speed Vork ‘The spindle bearings are 6 x 10 in. The diameter of the pinion and pulley shaft is 2 15/16 in. The driving pulley has a 10-in. face and is 16 in. in diameter, arid the diameter of the faceplate gear is 26 in. The headstock is 36 x 55% in. and is provided with lugs for the motor brackets. The tailstock base is provided with tongues to fit in the groove in the top piece to permit of lateral adjustment by the screws shown and thus take the thrust of the cutter bar. The tailstock spindle is of high-carbon steel and ground .o fit in the tailstock and the cutter bar end of the spindle has a No. 6 Morse taper hole with a slot across the end of the spindle for a driving key. This key is made small enough so that it will shear off, should the cutter become fouled and thus prevent damage to the bar. The variable feed to the tailstock spindle is through a lay shaft at the back of the machine, which is operated by a rocker arm on the shaft and a crank- pin on the end of the main spindle, the two being con- nected by a connecting rod. On the tail end is a rocker arm which is connected with a second rocker arm on the screw by a connecting rod, and the rocker arm on the screw has a pawl engaging a ratchet wheel keyed to the screw. The total shipping weight is 16,000 lb. and the manufacturer recommends that not less than 15 hp. be provided for heavy work. The French Army Helmets The French army steel helmets are stamped out of the best half-hardened sheet steel, about 1 mm. thick, according to the Bulletin des Armées, a government publication. Four pieces make up the helmet: The cap, the peak, the neck protector, and the crest, and they are riveted together and sprayed with a gray-blue paint just enough to prevent rust. After drying for three hours at 135 deg. C., the helmet is lined and fitted with the chin strap. Each one requires about 2 lbs. of steel and a little aluminum to stiffen the lining. Over 3,500,000 have already been made, and 50,000 per day are turned out, three-quarters of the work being done by women. The Wight Electric Recorder Company, Cleveland, will place on the market an electric time recorder for water in steam boilers. It is the invention of James Wight, formerly master mechanic in the employ of the Otis Steel Company, Cleveland. The machines, for the present, will be manufactured by the Fanner Mfg. Com- pany, Cleveland. The Wight Company has been incor- porated with a capital stock of $30,000. 10 THE IRON A Motor-Driven Seam-Welding Machine A new type of motor-driven seam-welding ma- chine has recently been put on the market by the Toledo Electric Welder Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. These machines are especially adapted for welding the side seams of coffee pots, pails, phonograph horns and other articles made from clean, pickled sheet steel of light gages. It is stated that the edges of the stock overlap only from 1/32 to ¥% in., and that the pressure of the rolls forces the stock together so that it is only from 0.002 to 0.003 in. thicker at the joint than it is outsidé the welded area, so that when the articles are enameled or japanned it is almost. impossible to detect ,the place where the. weld was made. a The machine is also used in the manufacture of oil- stove cylinders that are 34% x 41% in. of No. 24 lead-coated stock, where the weld, of course, must be absolutely tight and with a smooth finish. It is claimed that 5000. of the cylinders can be welded on the machine in 9 hr. The rolls pass from the cylinder at the rate of 18 ft. per minute, and only a fraction of a second , is required to weld a 414-in. seam. Two men oper- ate the machine and two jigs are used. One oper- ator places the stock in the jig and passes it to the man doing the welding, and while this operation is being done the second jig is filled as quickly as the first piece can be welded. The jig holding the cylinders is placed over the lower stationary horn of the welder that serves as one electrode. A slight pressure on the foot treadle shown trips a clutch that sets a worm drive in motion and thus carries the upper copper roll over the overlapping edges of the stock to be welded. The roll passes from the cyl- inder in 1% sec. and the current is automatically turned on at the instant that the copper roll touches the cylinder, and it is turned off immediately when the roll reaches the outer edge of the cylinder. At the same time the worm drive is reversed and the roll is returned to its original position ready for the next weld. The roll is water-cooled to prevent overheating. An alternating current of either 25 or 60 cycles can only be used at either 220 or 440 volts. A special transformer located inside the machine re- duces the current to about 3 to 5 volts, so that there is no danger of the operator receiving a shock. Based on a current cost of Ic. per kilowatt hour, it is stated that the expense would be only 10c. per 1000 ft. of welded surface. To take care of varying thicknesses of stock, a regulator is furnished to give different degrees of heat at the weld and the pressure of the rolls can be varied to suit the different stock used. The speed of work depends practically on the size and shape of the pieces handled and the rapidity with which the operator can pass them over the welding horn. The Taylor-Wharton Iron & Steel Company,. High Bridge, N. J., has increased its capital stock from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000. AGE July 6, 1916 The Bulletin Board as a Safety Adjunct The bulletin board may be made of great use in the safety campaign in the factory, according to Bulletin No. 77 of the Department of Labor, New York. It may also, if overdone, chill interest in the subject. The con- tents of bulletin boards, when read, make a constant ap- peal for safety. When unread, they are monuments to A Motor-Driven Machine for Electrically Welding the Side Seams of Articles Made of Light-Gage Sheet Steel, Such as Coffee Pots, Pails, Phonograph Horns, Etc. a dead cause. The following suggestions are given as to making the safety bulletin board most effective: Brevity. Few men stop to read a wordy bulletin. Even at lunch time a long, printed bulletin must be of unusual interest to hold the attention of the workers. News. Bulletins are effective in inverse proportion to the length of time they are posted. After they have been up for two weeks they are of doubtful value. Statistics. Detailed statistics have not been universally demonstrated to be effective in use on safety bulletin boards. Not all workmen understand them. However, their results can be so charted as to be intelligible to most workmen. Pictures. Pictures are most generally “read’’—photo- graphs especially. A picture is often used effectively to call attention to a short printed or typewritten statement. Letters. Short letters or typewritten communications signed by some one in authority in the factory attract atten- tion better than do printed statements. Cartoons. Occasional cartoons or the use of subject mat- ter other than safety varies the monotony but also detracts from the value of the board as a safety reminder if too much extraneous matter is introduced. Simple Language. Bulletins must be in the language un- derstood by the workmen. If they read Croatian put simple Croatian on the bulletin boards. If they read no printed language, post pictures instead. Location of Boards. Have a definite place for posting bulletins, so situated as to reach the greatest number of men. If more than one bulletin board is accessible to the same group of men, put different subject matter on them. Discontinuance. If all known means of keeping up inter- est in bulletin boards fail, leave the boards bare for a while. A bulletin which is not read is worse than none at all. Later the system may be renewed. Moving the board to another part of the plant will renew the interest of the workmen. The Northwest Steel] Company and Willamette Iron & Steel Works, Portland, Ore., have received a contract for the fifth steel steamer to be constructed by them, according to President Ball of the Willamette Works. The two plants now have work totaling $5,000,000 con- tracted for, which it will take two years to complete. The Zenith Furnace Company, Duluth, Minn., will add 15 coke ovens to its present plant. Both this and the Northwestern Iron Company’s 36-oven plant at Mayville, Wis., which is to be doubled, are Solvay proc- ess plants. A strong steel guard is erected outside the window to protect the sash and a cross bar serves as a point of support for the chute down which the bars and: rods are slid to a skid WELL-PLANNED and well-c