The Iron Age 1933-03-30: Vol 131 Iss 13

f rising manufac. bing ma. lirect fac. d. FR arber-Co). imingham de Island cago, the 1 division h that of eforth be Clinton has ap. ladelphia rust re » Keene, nery Co,, exclusive ct. Provost od Metal. © handle is at its quipment any will imencing given of the etallurgy tallizing r Place, ye agent the sale awrence i. opened » at 214 charge the In- ve also L. BE n, will ey City an ex- ‘ork, in eports 30,155 This 71,342 . Dee. irrent iabili- with },099,- 24,836 Total $34,- e, 81, 50 Ib. puary ainst ig to rican ESTABLISHED 1855 ..THE IRON AGE.. MARCH 30, 1933 Vol. 131, No. 13 The Small Plant Holds Its Own for size, whether it be in a col- lege football crowd or in a fac- tory, has been in large measure re- sponsible for the fact that what its great corporations have done has long been heralded up and down the land, whereas the achievements of its smaller industrial units have gone un- sung. However, the downward swing of the business pendulum during the past three years and the resourceful- ness shown by many small companies in surmounting the difficulties be- setting them has thrown into vivid relief the position which the small plant now occupies and the part it will play in recovery. Should industrial America look to its myriads of small factories to lead it from the wilderness in which it now finds itself into the promised land of better times? Has the movement to- ward consolidations and the forma- tion of huge corporations, so pro- nounced in the decade ended in 1930, spent its force with the result that once again individual enterprise rather than mass effort will be the chief ingredient of success? What are the major elements which compose a profitable small company? These are questions which deserve painstaking scrutiny and adequate answers. Pits site, America’s predilection Still a Small Plant Country Latest census figures show that only ¥.o per cent of the manufacturing companies in the United States em- ploy over 1000 wage earners, only 1.4 per cent employ over 500 people and 3.4 per cent over 250, according to an analysis made by the National In- dustrial Conference Board. Moreover, establishments employing 100 work- ers or less constitute 87.2 per cent of industry, and the 28.8 per cent of the total wage earners on their payrolls is a larger number than the 24.1 per cent employed by establishments with By BURNHAM FINNEY Detroit Editor, The Iron Age ‘hae depression has brought a reappraisal of many ideas that were commonly accepted during the “new era.” No longer is it taken for granted that the day of small enterprises is over and that large-scale undertakings will blanket all branches of business. The study by the author, which is the first of a series, discloses that the United States is still pre- dominantly a small plant country and that small businesses..have withstood the depression better, in many cases, than their larger rivals. vvyv more than 1000 workers. It is signifi- cant that plants with less than 500 employees provide work for 61.9 per cent of the country’s total working force. Here then is compelling evi- dence of what profits and efficiency of management in small plants mean to American business. These figures alone, however, do not convey the true picture of the posi- tion occupied by the small plant. Just as few people realized at the time that a downward trend in manufac- turing activities was taking place months before the portentous stock market crash late in 1929, few peo- ple today are aware of the fact that several years prior to that crash the decline in the number of firms and in the ratio of the smaller firms to the total had stopped and an increase had set in. In fact, this was occurring as long ago as 1925. There was a decline in the number of firm members and proprietors in industries from 173,000 in 1921 to 133,000 in 1925, but this downward movement was halted by 1927 and two years later the total had started to increase. The biennial cen- sus of manufactures in 1929 revealed that over two-thirds of all manufac- turing establishments have an annual output valued at less than $100,000, while 90 per cent are in the group with products valued under $500,000. That large corporations are more efficiently operated than small com- panies because of better management and greater resources is a common be- lief. If this is true, the best proof of it should be found in earnings. Yet Frederick M. Feiker, former director of the Bureau of Foreign and Do- mestic Commerce, points out that earnings made by over 1100 individual industrial concerns during the past 20 years showed that those firms hav- ing investments of less than $2,000,- 000 each had rates of earnings 26 per cent greater than firms with larger investments. So far as the im- mediate past is concerned, reliable fig- ures are meager, but in 1931 electric power consumption by small com- panies dropped only 0.8 per cent, as against a decline of 8.5 per cent by large companies. Statistics prepared by certain trade associations confirm the statement that small companies not only have a ee on Ce gener ee } ; } ’ fared better during the current de- pression, but usually are less affected by business slumps than larger com- panies. Where information is avail- able showing the breakdown of or- ders in a single industry according to size of plants, small units have more than held their own. Prof. Erwin H. Schell, in charge of the department of business and engi- neering administration at the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology, at- tributes this ability of the small com- panies to maintain entrenched posi- tions during the economic crisis to the spirit of comradeship between executives and the rank and file which leads to superior teamwork. Former Secretary of Labor Doak likewise sub- scribes to this theory, having re- marked that “in the -smaller plant there is ...a family feeling which makes for harmony and good service.” However, there are other important factors favoring the small factory as against the large one. Quality cannot be gaged by size; in fact, sometimes quantity is achieved at the expense of quality. The large corporation loses something through sheer bigness, whereas the smaller unit more closely approximates “controlled industry” because of its pliability and low overhead costs. It usually is not plagued with the problem of sizable inventories, capital investments are comparatively fully utilized, owner- ship and management are close to the job and concentration of authority facilitates quick action. In contrast to the fixed obligations of large cor- porations as, to dividggds*and interest on plant and aia. the small factory is relatively free from such fetters. The small company does not have the many complications and many jealousies attendant upon the prox- imity of many executives. One of its most highly prized assets is the fact that its general manager is usually in the thick of the selling campaign, knows customers personally and can give a final answer of “yes” or “no” to them when questions are asked, rather than wait upon the pleasure of someone higher up to make the de- cision, as is the case with the large company. This absence of red tape is especially advantageous today, when almost every order, no matter what the size, is for prompt delivery and in many cases bears a “rush” tag. Motor Highways Stimulate Growth of Small Industries For many years the location of in- dustrial plants was governed chiefly by the path taken by our railroads, because adequate transportation fa- cilities were almost entirely dependent upon steam carriers. No longer is this true, for the construction of good roads, the development of motor truck hauling and the growth of cheap power have enabled industry, par- ticularly small units, to seek eco- nomical sites in the foothills, far re- moved from the congestion, high 500—The Iron Age, March 30, 1933 rents, high taxes and high labor rates of large cities, where employees can live in relative comfort nearby and raise at least part of their food on their own plots of ground. This turn of events has given tre- mendous impetus to small industries. Under such conditions even the man who personifies Big Business, Henry Ford, has constructed seven small plants on water sites near Dearborn, Mich., devoted to the manufacture of parts for Ford cars. These units, em- ploying from a dozen to several hun- dred men each, are giving Mr. Ford an opportunity to test the prac- ticability of his theory that the worker is safest and most contented when he has “one foot in industry and the other in the soil.” Whether situated in the city or in rural districts, many small companies serving specialized industries and con- fining their activities to a small sec- tion of the country are thriving at the expense of their more powerful competitors. While admittedly some types of small businesses, such as commercial heat-treating plants, by their very nature can _ profitably serve only a restricted area, some of the most successful companies stretch their sales effort across the entire continent. Here is a manufacturer of metal industrial scales, there a pro- ducer of cutting tools, each doing business on a national scale. They are typical of thousands of plants with similar programs. Quality of Management Important The small plant operator must be- ware of the frills and fads which have attached themselves, like barnacles on a ship’s hull, to so many large cor- porations. He must be careful to adapt to his own needs, not adopt in toto, the ideas which have been suc- cessfully worked out by the industrial giants. Says D. R. Stevens, vice-presi- dent and works manager of the Okon- ite Co., Passaic, N. J., “The small plant can fall into bad habits by copy- ing the large plant, but the small plant under broadminded leadership has every possibility of making the better comparative showing.” This brings us to the inescapable conclusion that the success of any company, large or small, rests upon the caliber of its executive direction. Smallness, in fact, may be an asset provided there is far-visioned, en- lightened management. Mr. Stevens declared recently that “the roots of ‘ greatest efficiency lie in the smaller plants, but only in the case where they have an able, well-trained, level-headed management.” Near the top of the list of qualities which management must possess if it expects to make a small company stand up against competition is an in- telligent aggressive merchandising policy. It may possess modern plant equipment, skilled workers, low over- head and a good product, but these assets are rendered useless unless sales can be made. The planning and execu- tion of a sales program might well be termed the keystone in the business arch. In the fall of 1931 the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce made a survey of 205 concerns which were progressing as usual or better than usual in spite of the depression. In most cases they were relatively small. It was discovered that increased sales effort and an intensified adver- tising policy were the most important reasons responsible for their success- ful operation. Among the other rea- sons enumerated were market re search, reduced prices, cooperation with dealers, improvement of service, management of salesmen, development of new products and improvement of quality, all of which are related to the merchandising side of busmess. During the depression a southern Ohio builder of machine tools and tool room equipment has maintained a fairly even flow of orders because it has consistently kept its products abreast of the latest engineering de- sign, long ago diversified its lines so as not to be dependent on one product, aggressively advertised where others ceased their efforts, and left no stone unturned to get every possible order. And incidentally it didn’t secure its orders by slashing prices, as it has a cost record system running back to 1914 and therefore knows how much it must charge in order to make a profit. A northern Indiana metal products manufacturer has increased its sales each year, despite the depression, by concentrating on new lines recruited from a special small order group, thereby offsetting losses in volume in its regular products. Special attention was given to answering inquiries promptly and sending with the reply a blue print showing various possible designs. Its catalog was enlivened by the revision of material and illustra- tions. It wrote all customers sug- gesting that it was in a position to make its products for special require- ments, at the same time advertising this fact in the leading industrial papers. Trying to disc. ver new products which would give its plant additional work not only now but in the future, a Mid-Western company recently sub- mitted a bid on a certain job in com- petition with a much larger company long experienced in the contemplated type of work. The prospective custom- er knew that the small plant’s old products were of fine workmanship and of good material, but it was skep- tical of the company’s ability to turn out this new job which it had never before tackled. This did not discourage the small plant’s manager. He called a com ference of his two fellow officers, the shop superintendent, his designer and his sales engineer. After talking ove? the matter, they decided to invest 2,000 (a considerable sum to them) to build one of the new articles and prove to the skeptical customer that he need the wo} built th tomer ders wh a chanc which h step ah the dept Making One I ual con reciting selling ; for the Massac discove! small e€ half of prietor lems, ¢ spent i taining of tha manuf: | sistin; balan light crank It j a foi and shrin join Failu servi spok ing | spok enur gra\ shri the max at | with ht well usinegs ‘eau of nmerce | which better ‘ession, atively -reased adver- ortant uccess- r rea- et re. ‘ration ervice, pment ent of to the uthern S and tained ecause oducts ig de- nes go oduct, others stone order. re its has a ck to much ake a ducts sales in, by ruited ‘Troup, me in ntion uiries reply ssible ed by istra- sug- on to juire- ‘ising strial ducts ional ture, sub- com- pany lated ‘tom- . old iship :kep- turn ever mall con- _ the and over vest em) and that he need have no fear in giving them the work. The small manufacturer built the article, convinced the cus- tomer and subsequently received or- ders which justified his having taken a chance. This is the kind of courage which has kept this small company a step ahead of its competitors during the depression. Making Rather Than Taking Orders One might go on from one individ- ual concern to another ad infinitum reciting what proper attention to the selling end of their business has done for them. Let it suffice to say that Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered from a study of over 200 small establishments that more than half of the time of the typical pro- prietor is given to marketing prob- lems, and a large share of the time spent in marketing is devoted to ob- taining new business. Professor Schell of that institution warns the small manufacturer, however, that he must delegate that duty to others if he is to protect the future of his company. The job of the general manager of the small concern should be to go into the field personally and study the trends of demand, ascertain the new and undeveloped uses for his manu- facturing skill and gage the nature of oncoming competition. “He must merchandise his manufac- turing resources rather than sell present products. He must make rather than take orders. He must capi- talize customer goodwill by gaining advice as to the changing trends of their requirements. His preeminent question to his clientele must be, ‘Let us find out how we can continue to do business together.’ He must remember that he has never sold a_ product. Rather has he sold satisfactions either in the form of profits to the industrial producer or middleman, or of personal gratifications to the customer. His task, which he cannot delegate to others, is to find future mediums for continuing that service.” These are words of wisdom which every small plant executive should study. They are the quintessence of success. If they are heeded, he should not fear competition, for superior physical resources do not spell profits. With intelligent direction, modern plant facilities, low overhead, skilled workmen, and only modest financial resources, the small plant is in the best competitive position in years. With these advantages, plus a well planned and executed merchandising policy, it should face the future with confidence. If size in the past has been one of the shrines at which we have wor- shipped in industry,” said Mr. Feiker recently, “it is quite apparent at the moment that the God of Size has clay feet and that there are advantages in being small as well as in being large.” Disk Wheels for Locomotives HE conventional spoke type of [ cometive driving wheel center is usually a steel casting con- sisting of a heavy chunk of counter- balance, a comparatively light rim, light spokes, and heavy axle and crank pin hubs. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a foundry to make such a casting and not have abnormally high shrinkage stresses where the spokes join the hubs and the counterbalance. Failure of driving wheel centers in service is due principally to cracked spokes, also cracks in the hubs start- ing between the spokes. The cracked spokes are due to the causes above enumerated and are further ag- gravated by the stresses due to the shrinking on of the tires, because the wheel is saucer-shaped and the maximum stress in the spokes occurs at the outside edge at the junction with the hubs. Disk wheels recently designed for locomotives are stronger, lighter and less el Co., St. Louis, originator of the new wheels. The New Scullin Ste The wheels also tend to get out of round at positions which might be designated as four and eight o’clock considering the center of the counter- balance above the main hub as 12 o’clock. The stresses imposed by the shrinking on of the tires tend to straighten the rim between the spokes, thus causing flat spots which require shimming. Shrinking on of the tires also tends to buckle the wheels, forcing the hub outward, be- cause of the fact that the stress is acting at an angle from the center of the rim to the center of the main hub. The new design of double disk wheel center corrects this difficulty as the rim is continuously supported by the two disks. With it, the main and crank pin hubs are lighter than with the conventional spoke design. The disks reinforce the hub and aid in securing the necessary press fits York Central locomotive shown is the first to use these dis! for the crank pins and axles. More weight can be counterbalanced with the double disk wheel than with the spoke-type wheel. This is of utmost importance in the heavy-type freight locomotives which have small wheels and heavy revolving and reciprocat- ing weights to be balanced. The in- terior of the wheel between the disks is closed, after the casting has been cleaned, by welding plates to the two disks, so that no foreign matter or water may enter. The double disk wheel, being a practically uniform section of metal, makes it possible to produce a much better casting than with the spoke design, it is stated. Also, the wheel is lighter, averaging about 10 per cent less in weight, and is about 50 per cent greater in strength in the lateral direction than with the spoke design. expensive than the familiar spoke design of drivers, according to the k wheels in service. The Iron Age, March 30, 1933—501 A EO TE TO I ee ee eee wee ~ — Bills of materials for assembly orders are printed from plates which are laid in the Dupligraph machine. aA aA ORTY years ago J. S. Duncan, }: bookkeeper in a small Kansas grain office, disliked the job of addressing envelopes to go out with all of the monthly statements. In order to make this labor lighter he had a rubber stamp made for each name and address and had these stamps fastened in little metal frames. These frames were linked together like a chain and this chain was fed through a small printing machine that he developed. Each time the stamper arm on the machine was pushed down an envelope was printed and the next rubber stamp progressed into place. This machine also had a small automatic inking device on it so that as the stamp moved into its proper place it was duly inked. This little machine was so success- ful in its operation that he finally developed a small business for making and selling these machines. This was the foundation or beginning of the Addressograph Co., which is today known as the Addressograph-Multi- graph Corpn. and is one of the largest companies in the world engaged in the manufacture and distribution of office appliance equipment. The application of Addressograph and Multigraph equipment wherever letters are written in quantity has be- come almost universal. It was not until about ten years ago that it be- gan to be realized that there was no difference in principle between writ- ing a man’s name and address on an 502—The Iron Age, March 30, 1933 By CHARLES H. GETZ am & HE Addressograph - Multi. gtaph Corpn., Cleveland, te. cently adopted a production con. trol system in which it uses its own equipment for filling out all the factory forms required. Much hand writing has been eliminated, time has been saved and greater accuracy has been assured, — oe oe Addressograph plate, and using this plate every time a piece of mail was sent to him, and writing a part num- ber and a part name on an address plate and using that plate to fill in the information on factory forms wher- ever a part was in process of manu- facture. As a matter of fact, in most manu- facturing plants where Address- ograph plates are used for filling in factory forms, the individual plates are used oftener than it is generally customary to use them in mailing. ograph-Multigraph Corpn. has con- pleted and is now occupying a new modern factory in Euclid, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. System Used in New Plant The filling in of all factory forms used for controlling production in the new plant is handled on Address ograph - Multigraph equipment. The method of handling information o this kind is known as Addressograph- Multigraph Form Writing. The fol- PRODUCTION TRAVELER ORDER Grovue caraat 26-4041-3 STOP LOCK Brine ' ans 21410 — 21410 PANT LOL®X1-1/16"X2-7/6°H.H.C.R.S.S. eines DEC. 12 1932 on * sree, 100 PCS. PER 100 P-2888 aie cuwes = DEPT. 107¥-1070-105 ones 50 8 OPER. Se ———————— ————— = ———SS lll OPER oerr L START conan QUANTITY QUANTITY QUANTITY | QUANTITY OPERATORS INSPECTORS bere} N 0: RE-OPERATED | GENT AHEAD CLOCK NO CLOCK NO, | al tne eoutben —_+— MO. OAY MO. bay GOOD P'c's SCRAPPED ne One +——— Sh — —_ A poo pn —— + —— —P —+ — + —_—__ —_-__ 4 _ een ——+ —_ iensienniemanninemmnnigl ens . . Se FORM NO. | During the last year the Address. Productidon lowing on this An terial quan piece made neces In : tion ( plate, that datin; them these press ogra} Wi ducti ctidontrol System Employs Addressograph Equipment vided for that purpose. When these orders have been written, a Produc- tion Traveler Card, Form No. 1, a Production Material Requisition, Form No. 2, and the Identification Tag, Form No. 4, are sent to the Raw 12 1932 ~ dO Hd VYDIL INW-HdVYHOOSS 3ay¥00 Stock Department. The raw stock properly tagged is sent to the depart- ment having the first operation as shown in the heading of this order. The tag is attached to the material and the Production Material Requisi- 21410 TZ = lowing is the procedure for carrying tion numbers, the department in which ot on this work: the operations are performed and the An Addressograph plate is prepared time or number of days _— to the for each item manufactured, known as date (on the upper portion of the plate No. 1. The plate has on it the card) on which this work is to be part number, the part name, the stock performed. Thus, the time opposite room in which the part is kept, the ma- terial from which it is made, the quantity of material per hundred pieces, the department in which it is PRODUCTION MATERIAL REQUISITION M Iti made, and the number of operations ula. necessary to make it. 26-4041-3 STOP LOCK nd, te. 21410 on con- In addition to printing the informa- -101°X1-1/16°X2-7/8°H.H.C.R.S.S. 1Ses its tion embossed on an Addressograph 100 PCS. PER 100 P-2888 out all plate, these machines are so arranged DEPT. 107#@=-107D-105 that printer’s numbering devices, 8 OPER. . Much ' . ; ; d dating devices, etc., can be inserted in inated, them and impressions taken from greater these devices at the same time im- red, pressions are taken from the Address- ograph plate. When it is desired to issue a pro- duction order to manufacture a lot of FORM NO. 2 A ddress- as com: r a new hio, just 26-4041-3 STOP LOCK 82410 21410 lant 6 -101*X1-1/16"%X2-7/8°H.H.C.R.S.S. DEC. 12 1932 y forms 100 PCS. PER 100 P-2888 n in the DEPT. 1O7M-1070-105 8 OPER. A ddress- nt. The ition of sograph- The fol- 26-4041-3 STOP LOCK FORM NO. 3 100 PCS. PER 100 e : 8 OPER. parts to the shop, the following forms are filled in from this plate on an Addressograph machine: Form No. 1—Production Traveler Or- der Form N Production Material Requisition : Form No, ; Production Order Notice to Cost Ds partment Form No. 4 the first operation is 13 days, the time Identification Tags to Be Fastened to Material Traveling opposite the second operation, 12 days, " ig Shop | the third operation, 11 days, ete. t Stock Tracing Sheets on Which a Record of Progress of Time of Starting Indicated the Parts Through the Shop Is Made This means that these operations must be performed that number of days prior to the date shown in the heading of the card. From this in- formation it is a simple matter to fill in the starting date for each opera- tion as called for in the column pro- Form No. 1, the Production Trav- eler Order, in addition to carrying the information shown on plate No. 1, is filled in in the lower section of the card by a second plate. The im- Prints from this plate show the opera- .101°X1-1/16°X2-7/6°H.H.C.R.S.S.- DEPT. 107M-107D-105 21410 DEC. 12 1932 30 P-2888 FORM NO. 4 tion, Form No. 2, is properly filled to give the exact number of pieces or the exact number of pounds applied on the order. This form is then sent to the cost department to be used for tabulating cost information. The cost department notice of order is used as an index ecard in the tabulating file to keep cards on the same order together. The Stock Tracer, Form No. 5, is retained in the Production Department and as The Iron Age, March 30, 1933—503 } ‘ : j ; various operations are performed, they are noted on this form. The Time Ticket Plate A third plate, Form No. 6, is made for each one of these parts, giving al! the information necessary to be used in making out the time ticket. The heading on this plate gives the part number and in addition to that the permanent order number used in the manufacture of this part. The first re-Loe rial, but the Production Traveler Order and envelope are delivered to the clerk’s desk. The clerk, on re- ceiving the time ticket plate, makes an impression from it on Form No, 6 with a small hand-operated machine that he has on his desk and enters on this time ticket the date that the oper- ation is due to start, as indicated on the Production Traveler Order. He then draws a ring around the piece work price on this card for the first STOCK TRACING SHEET 26-4041-5 STOP LOCK 21410 101 "X1-1/16"X2-7/8°H.N.C.R.S.S. 109 PCS. PER 100 P-2888 DEPT. 107€@-1079-105 21410 DEC. 12 1932 Due Date Emp. No. Form 6 (Rear Side) column on this plate shows the de- partment in which the operation is to be performed. The second column gives the operation numbers in se- quence, the third column gives the piece work price for setting up the operation, and the fourth column gives the piece work price per hundred for performing the operation. The sec- ond half of the plate is a continuation of the first; thus there is room on this eight line plate for a heading and 14 operations. Where there are more than 14 oper- ations on a part, a second plate is made to carry the additional opera- tions. When the Production Traveler Card, tags and Material Requisition are sent to the stock room they are inclosed in a manila envelope with a window in it so that the heading in- formation can be read without re- moving them. The time ticket plate is also inclosed in that envelope. When the raw material is delivered to the department having the first operation the tag is left on the mate- 504—The Iron Age, March 30, 1933 26-4041-5 5 8 -98 inserts this plate in the hand machin and prints this information in th place provided for it on the tin, ticket. On the majority of orders or par manufactured by this company it; not necessary to have more than oy order for a given part in the factor at one time. Thus this one time ticke plate, following the order through ty factory, is sufficient to take care ¢ all requirements. However, on a Ver small percentage of these parts jt; necessary to have possibly two » three jobs in the factory at the sam time. On these parts, duplicate plat, are made, each duplicate plate havin a plate number following the reguly order number. Thus, if there ay three plates for a given part thee plates will be marked with the ore number, dash 1, dash 2, dash 3, e& Where this is done there is no eg. fusion in the cost department segr gating the time for the various order as these orders are completed an closed out long before it is necessary to use the same plate over again, Writing the orders on time tickets in this manner has many advantages 1. The element of saving time: One operator on an Addressograph cap easily take the necessary plates from the file, issue all the forms necessary for an order and return the plates to the file at the rate of 25 complete or- ders an hour, or at the rate of 20 FORM NO. 6 operation to be done in that depart- ment and files this card in the se- quence of the starting date against a file of orders for each group of similar machines or individual machines on which this job will be done. As operators are given new jobs, they are always assigned the first job in the rack, which is a job having on it the earliest starting date. Thus, if this date is not over-due all other jobs filed against this machine or group of machines are not behind time. This offers a very simple method of following up production and elim- inates the need of a large number of stock tracers trying to find orders in process. At the time a job is assigned, the clerk again imprints the time cards with a plate on which is embossed the man’s clock number and name. He part orders per day. Department time clerk can handle as high as 500 or 600 orders per day, whereas he could not hand write more than 200 t 250 tickets a day. 2. Accuracy: Ags all information ap pearing on these various forms is em bossed in metal and always appears the same, there is no possibility of error in filling in these forms, thus eliminating the need of several check- ers in the cost and payroll depart: ments to be sure that piece-work prices ire properly entered, etc. 3. These records being in metal are fireproof and practically indestructible and, therefore, afford a safe, permanent means of keeping this information al- ways available. . The cost of this equipment, and oeote required for it, is so low com pared to the ultimate savings that it will pay for itself within a very short time. orders dressog Asse Bill of for eac of cou! as are requiré numbe! of this bering order ! per rif tif or OQcrcmnwoet ep eset oes CO WO Assembly orders and sub-assembly be made at the rate of approximately plate and forms which are to be print- and machiy orders are also handled on the Ad- 500 an hour. Variable information, ed on them. It is, therefore, neces- tion in the dressograph-Multigraph equipment. A such as order numbers, quantities, sary to have some slight differences n the tinM pill of Material, Form No. 7, is issued _— dates, etc., may be printed with the in each one of the machines on this for each assembly order. This form, proper devices provided for that pur- order on the final assembly. In order TS Or pane of course, consists of as many pages pose, and standard headings may be to take care of the records of these npany jt ,™ as are necessary to cover the parts printed from electros set in the ma- differences, 12 sets of sheets, Form re than oy required on the assembly order. The chine. No. 8, furnished in duplicate, one the factonf number at the upper left-hand corner Two copies of this sheet, Form No. green and one white copy, one set for time tice of this form is printed from a num- 7, are printed, one on green paper each machine on the order, are sent to through (hfe bering device and is the assembly and one on white. These two copies, the foreman with this order. ike care yf order number. The number in the up- attached to the Production Travel When he receives the sales order for ', ON averm per right-hand corner is printed from Order, Form No. 1, for the assembly one of these machines he indicates on parts it jj bly two 0r it the Sam icate plats late havin 30968 12 99999 the regular there are e ART NO MA-LIL=-6A MODEL 200 GROUP INDEX #4 PART NO MODEL 100-200 0g ah : . ODEL 100- GROUP INDEX #8 part thes NAME GED STANDARD PARTS SHEET #1 OF 1 NAME ADJUSTING MACH $00 SHEET #1 OF 1 1 the orde OPEk ws t ASSEMBLE DATE JUNE 18-1932 UPER NU. 2 ASSEMBLE CHECK SHEET DATE JUNE 20-1932 lash 3, ep oePt wil4 ALL STYLE PLATES DEPT. #114 ALL STYLE PLATES is me ie REC BY BILL OF MATERIAL POSTED By REC BILL OF MATERIAL POSTED BY 1 » ‘ r ; > . ent segre. QUA PART NO COST QUAN: PART NO. QUAN. PART NO. QUAN. PART NO. Ous orders pleted an( WA-354-1A HA-5089 #658 RIBBON - necessan HA=1030 HA-5081 #100 RIBBON GUIDE - again, HA-3850 HA-5120 SPOOL GUIDE : HA=LL31 HA-5121 #52 RIBBON SUPPORT me tickets HA~1152 HA~5160 RIBBON GUARD Ivantages eras HA~S1Ol COUNTER , HA-1141 EJECTOR time: One raph can HA=1L145 HA=5502-A GAUGE ates from HA=$027 HA-5505 #106 CHECK GAUGE necessary ae HA-3520-1 CHUTE plates to : HA~5507 PLATEN . HA-3407 HA-S6O01-A PLATEN HEAD nplete or- HA-3408 te of 200 “ HA=OONS 9335 LISTER 200 HA-3409 HA=6006 #362 NUMBER ATTACHMENT jartment as 500 reas he 1 200 to tion ap- | is em- appears ility of s, thus check- depart: < prices ‘tal are ructible manent ion al- it, and vy com- that it y short HA-=4736 HA-4737° HA-4740 HA~-4741 HA-4742 HA -S004 4#A-SO73S-A HA-SO7T4G-A FINAL INSPECTION & COUNT STOCK FORM NO. 7 a numbering device and is the quan- uty of machines authorized on the order, _ The remaining information on this is printed from an Addressograph plate and numbering device on a Dupligraph machine, as _ illustrated. These machines are arranged so that they will print complete information covering any standard size form from 3x5in. up to8%x13in. A plate is embossed with the information. This plate with an impression from it shown on the index in back of it, is a permanent material record file for all assemblies, As impressions are required from a the plates are simply laid in the upligraph machine. Impressions can HA-50432 #255 HA-50610 XM-87 #41 XM~114 EF-7331 #229 HG-2082 #106 F2-2962 #646 HA~3961 P367 UP INDEX #4 job are sent to the stock room The stock keeper detaches the first copy as a requisition and sends the mate- rial with the Traveler Order and the green copy to the assembly depart- ment as a notice of the material sent out. Taking Care of Variations in Attach- ments In the particular case of the Model 200 machine as shown in Form No. 7, there are two pages of parts covering the parts entering into the basic ma- chine. These machines, however, are made with quite a variation of attach- ments, some of which are built into the machine. They must be arranged to suit the proper Addressograph GROUP INDEX #8 FORM NO. 8 this sheet for one of the machines the variations in that machine from stand- ard and sends the sheet in duplicate to the stock department. The stock department supplies him with the necessary parts as indicated on this sheet, retaining the white copy as their requisition and sending the parts out to him again accompanied by the green copy. With this arrangement it is possible to order out easily and rapidly all parts ordered for the basie machine and also to supply exact lists for all variations from the standard that exists in the machines for specific order. In many plants where a similar problem develops it is customary to (Concluded on Advertising Page 8) The Iron Age, March 30, 1933—505 Needless Transportation in Industry By RALPH H. SWEETSER Blast Furnace Consultant, Stevenson Co. Wellsville, Ohio SELESS moisture, removable sand and extraneous ash in amounts hitherto regarded as normal components of industry’s raw mate- rials, exact in the aggregate a heavy transportation toll. The author urges that the time has arrived to eliminate these “useless volumes.” In the matter of iron ore, the lower iron content of today’s supplies (which means also increased amounts of silica and moisture to be freighted from mine to furnace, let alone passed through the furnace) requires 400 excess cargoes for the Lake ore boats and 68,000 excess car loadings in a normal year over what would be needed were the ore still of the character that was obtainable 30 years ago. N his address before the Metal- [ vereicat Advisory Board of the Carnegie Institute of Technology at Pittsburgh last October (The IRON AGE, Nov. 10, 1932), Editor Van Deventer certainly presented a tough outlook for the steel industry. He admitted that the industry itself is tough and that “there are no hazards facing the industry that can- not be overcome through earnest and honest cooperation * * * by a distribu- tion-minded industry.” But this must be done by “shaking off the shackles of tradition.” It is true that the whole steel in- dustry in this country has been “pro- duction-minded” ever since the ’90’s, and in that period we surpassed all nations in steel] tonnage and we be- came truly a world power. It was ex- hilarating to have a part in that con- tinual breaking of tonnage records; evidently it is now Asia’s turn to enter that “phase of expansion” in which the steel industry runs to great and still greater annual tonnages, and production-minded Americans will help to break records in Russia and India. Freight Paid in Useless Haulage Whether or not the steel industry has passed its production peak in pig iron and steel ingots, and must be readjusted to volumes less than the business of 1928 and 1929, there are tonnage volumes within the industry itself that must be decreased because they are not only needless, but they have become an unprofitable burden on the whole steel-making system. I refer to the transportation of excess moisture and silica in iron ores and of 506—The Iron Age, March 30, 1933 excess moisture and ash in coal. A unit of iron and a unit of fuel are the double foundation of the whole steel industry. It is the extraneous mate- rial that accompanies these two items on their way from the mines to the steel plants that is adding such a heavy burden to the cost of assem- bling the materials for a ton of ingots. Thirty years ago non-Bessemer Mesabi ore was $2.75 per ton, f.o.b. Lake Erie ports, compared with $4.50 today. The base unit on which the price per ton was applied was 52.80 per cent iron in 1902, and is now 51.50 per cent. The average analysis of Lake Superior ores of all grades then and now may be expressed as fol- lows: 1902 1930 55.39 51.33 5.69 7.75 10.92 Iron, per cent Silica, per cent Moisture, per cent.... 8.71 With the decrease in iron content of 4.06 points in the average ton of ore there has been a corresponding in- crease of 0.14 ton of ore required to make a ton of pig iron, which amounts to 7.91 per cent more ore required now than was needed 30 years ago. On a total movement of 34,000,000 tons per year (approximate annual average for 10 years ending with 1930) this means 4,760,000 tons of excess ore required to be hauled to furnaces over and above the amount required on the basis of the analysis of 30 years ago. This means about 400 excess cargoes for the Lake ore boats, and 68,000 excess car loadings (of 70 tons) for the railroads. It certainly is “tough’—to quote Mr. Van Deventer—to think of still further reducing the traffic on the Great Lakes and on our ore carrying railroads by 4,760,000 tons per year for iron ore; but something of this kind must be done. It is needless transportation. The steel industry will do well to squeeze out this use. less water and silica in its iron ores, Just how far beneficiation can go in restoring the former high percent- ages of iron in the ore shipped is an engineering problem and a matter of net savings. The state of the art of enriching iron ores has advanced far enough so that the final product, sin. tered ore, has passed through the period of doubt and resistance from blast furnace operators. It has be- come recognized as one of the stand- ard sources for iron units. The nat- ural iron content of sintered ore is generally higher than the average of Lake Superior ores 30 years ago, quoted above. Points to Ore Beneficiation When the chemists, engineers and cost accountants have presented the data showing the extra cost of benefi- ciation at the iron ore mines and showing the savings in transporta- tion and smelting costs, then the ex- ecutives will decide whether it is bet- ter to continue the practice of big vol- ume on the Great Lakes and on the railroads and through the blast fur- naces, or to acknowledge the need of eliminating 8 to 10 per cent of use- less volume of ore and make adjust- ments accordingly. History of obso- lescence in the iron industry shows that excessive assembling costs due to transportation of useless volume will eventually drive steel plants to seek more favorable conditions. Use- less volume in steel making must be accompanied by very short hauls in order to be profitable. Cheap water transportation is again playing a strong part in re- ducing assembling costs, but that is no reason why full advantage of re- duced bulk should not be included also. It is more necessary for the blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh region and in the Mahoning Valley to enrich their iron ores than it is for Lake Front furnaces; they are already reducing the amount of use- less ash in their coal supplies. Beneficiation of iron ores in the Lake Superior region is on the m- crease but not yet far enough ad- vanced to make a decided decrease the volume of iron ore required per ton of pig iron. The progress beneficiation in the Cornwall district of Pennsylvania, in the Adiron region of New York State, and in northern New Jersey is more striking. These enriched magnetic iron ores are finding their supremacy areas; they mean less railroad freight, but it is volume reduction that will prove helpful to the steel industry. The coal industry was forced some ten years ago to squeeze out useless (Concluded on Advertising Page 8 ) n the rrying ' year f this edlegss lustry 3 use- - ores, an go rcent- is an ter of art of d far t, sin. 1 the from Ss be- stand. > nat- re is ge of ago, 3 and d the enefi- and orta- @ ex- 3 bet. y vol. n the fur- ed of use- ljust- obso- hows ; due lume ts to st be Is in 1 Te- at is f re- luded - the urgh alley it is the > in- ad- se in | per ; in trict 1 in reas; but rove ome eless 3) Rustless Steels Employed in Fan Construction WO reasons for selecting other [em ordinary steel for fan con- struction arise from the re- quired movement on the one hand of corrosive gases, and, on the other hand, of gases at elevated tempera- tures, that is, above 750 deg. F. By rustless steel is meant one or the other of two types, one, contain- ing from 14 to 30 per cent chromium, and the other, the well-known “18-8” alloy containing on the average 18 per cent chromium and 8 per cent nickel. The word “rustless” means that the metal does not rust when exposed to ordinary atmosphere un- der conditions of rain, wind, snow, smoke, sunshine, salt air, etc. It does not mean that the metal will resist the action of all acids, alkalis, and salts. There is no commercial alloy or metal that has this priceless quality. However, rustless iron fair- ly successfully resists corrosion of most commercial materials except hydrochloric, sulphuric, and sulphur- ous acids. It is particularly resistant to nitric acid. In this article, the term “fan” will be used to designate either a blower or an exhauster of the housed type, and not the propeller type commonly called the disk fan. The latter, how- fan wheel (below) By M. S. KICE, JR. Assistant Chief Engineer American Blower Corpn., Detroit OTH high-chrome and 18-8 alloy steels are utilized by the fan designer for parts exposed to the drastic action of corrosive gases or of very hot gases. Con- siderations influencing the appli- cation of these materials for each of these service conditions are outlined in this article, the first of a series of two. vrvyv ever, is sometimes made of rustless steel for various reasons, where the cost of the metal can be justified. Generally, the fan consists of two parts, the stationary parts, that re- quire little strength, and the rotating parts, the fan application limit of which depends fundamentally upon a mm & IG. 1—Special heavy-duty Sirocco 1G. 2—High-speed fan wheel (above) vrvyv the strength of the material used under the condition involved. Ease of Fabrication Considered Rustless steel fans to resist cor- rosion are built in the same general manner as fans for handling ordinary air, such as ventilating fans, except that all parts, even down to rivet heads and welding fillets have to be made of rustless steel, that is, all parts coming in contact with the cor- rosive gas. Outside parts, such as stiffeners, bedplates, bearings, etc., can be made of ordinary material. Selection of the alloy has to be considered not only from the stand- point of its resistance to the gas handled, but also as to whether the metal is suitable for ordinary fabri- cating operations such as die form- ing, rolling, punching, machining, welding, etc., whether it can be ob- tained in castings that are machin- able, and whether it is available com- mercially at a reasonable price and prompt delivery in the usual plates, rods, rivets, etc. As a rule the par- ticular rustless steel structural shapes suitable for fan construction are not (Continued on Advertising Page 10) The Iron Age, March 30, 1933—507 HE modern twist drill began to take form from the old style flat drill along in 1860, for it was about this time that the milled flutes with helix angles and more efficient made from cold-drawn bars and butt welded to the drills. Shank stock of two analyses is used, first, carbon 0.40-0.50 per cent, manganese 0.50- 0.80, phosphorus 0.045, and sulphur are hot forged from hot-rolled bars and there are about 14 major opera- tions including the heat treatments, These are as follows: Manufacture and Heat Treating wi Re : 7 : 1. Cut off shank and drill stock forms of point grinding were first in- 0.05 per cent maximum; and second, to proper lengths. troduced. For years the twist drill carbon 0.15-0.25 per cent, manganese 2. Butt weld together. 12. was made from carbon steel and heat 0.30-0.60, chromium 0.45-0.75, nickel 2. Normalize 18. treated, but its field of usefulness and 1.00-1.50, sulphur 0.045, and phospho- 4. Forge the “flutes. speed of operation were greatly aug- rus 0.04 per cent maximum. 5 Aened 1h. mented when high-speed tool steels 3 . 6. Teslet end vail and alloys were introduced. Fourteen Operations on Hot Forged re ests psc Fo At the present time small drills, or Drills 8. Saw off to correct length. s those from 3/64 to 11/64 in. consti- Drill sizes from 11/64 to % in. are 9. Point turned to proper angle. _ tute about 90 per cent in number or made from rough drawn bars. These 10. Shank end center-drilled. me 30 per cent in tonnage of the entire are milled, point ground, etc., by the 11. Diameter and shank turned to : d twist drill production. These are drill manufacturer. Those over 1-in. dimensions. a called straight shank wire drills and of hy are milled on the spiral in special ma- - | chines with a series of lead screws, ace each corresponding to the lead of the oe spiral of the drill being milled. Sta- we tionary revolving cutters mill the full sned depth and width of each groove or th flute in a single cut. The thickness aa of the web between the flutes is in- d creased from point to shank at the pr rate of 0.012 in. per linear inch by a - gradual dropping of the bed of the T machine, which widens the distance typ between the center of the drill and the Of cutters. are This method is employed at the ae plant of the American Twist Drill Co., the Detroit. Most of the drills made there bur are of the following analysis: Carbon ons 0.68-0.73 per cent; tungsten 18.00; aut chromium 4.00; vanadium 1.00; man- vid ganese 0.25; silicon 0.20; and sulphur fue and phosphorus 0.015 per cent each. tai In the larger sizes the shanks are Ot us Large gas-fired furnace he for hardening large high- ra speed drills is shown at hi right. The vertical gas- in: fired furnace at left is ve for hardening drills rang- f ing from 1/16 to 1% in. a in diameter (above) st J 1 le 8) h c ¢ I h i t View of American Twist ; Drill Co. plant showing circular gas-heated lead | pot and two gas oven | ‘ type furnaces used for annealing. 508—The Iron Age, March 30, 1933 J Wwist Drills bars )pera- nents, tock l to nace n at gas- t is ing- » in. :) By J. B. NEALEY American Gas Association 12. Grooves milled or ground. 18. Clearance milled with form cutter or end mill. 14. Heat treat. Forging of the flutes or grooves is accomplished in a