THE AMERICAN SHELL COMPANY
Paterson, N. J.
In reference to our method of producing toolroom outfits most economically and with a large output:
This is chiefly accomplished by anticipating our machine shop requirements or demands far enough in advance so that the majority of work passing through the toolroom can be manufactured in quantities great enough to be produced economically, and also bringing the toolroom work nearer to an actual manufacturing basis. This also eliminates a lot of down or lost time, including the unnecessary losses, such as occur between jobs on work of this nature.
It also decreases the percentage of losses due to spoiled work as workers become more skilled in performing one kind of work rather than a number of different classes of work, which is invariably the case in toolrooms.
We also find this gives us the opportunity to take advantage of present conditions and hire a man who sometimes is inclined to call himself a toolmaker, although he is not an all-around man but is still quite suitable under our conditions of working.
We find, too, that on quantity production in toolroom, we are in a position to effect some very great savings in time and money, as it permits standard jigs and fixtures, such as in ordinary manufacturing; for instance, we at one time machined all our flat tool bits made of high speed steel before hardening and grinding, while our present method is to heat bars of steel in gas furnace and then punch out with die under heavy hammer or press. This method alone in a couple of hours gives us a supply ahead that would ordinarily take one machine or more in continuous operation to produce.
The classes of work in toolroom are also segregated as much as possible; we have one gang for machine repair and reconstruction only. Another gang does all the roughing work on tools and gauges so that the finishing work only on gauges is done by the gauge-makers who are also practically a separate gang. The grinding of tools is under one skilled mechanic who is a working gang boss and leader of men trained to do this work only.
Our tool supply is never permitted to get below the fixed minimum quantity, and record of this condition is always before the toolroom foreman and maintained by his clerk. His clerk is advised hourly on this through the disbursements which he receives from various shop cribs.
We also make a daily record of these same disbursements as against operations and production, thereby keeping in close touch with this situation, obviating any unnecessary tool wastage which very quickly may become extremely expensive, and which also may cause dangerous delays in production in shop due to shortages in tool supply.
(Signed) George de Laval,
Vice-President and General Manager.