The purpose of the Credit and Collection Office is to canvass the financial standing of customers and prospective customers; to make collections when necessary to do so; and generally to advise the Sales Manager on these important matters. The official in charge of this office is frequently called the Credit Man, and must be a person of peculiar ability in his special line in order to protect the concern from fraud, imposition, and financial losses when dealing with customers of commonly unknown or doubtful financial ability and standing.
The Production Division is under charge of the Factory Manager, who has for his personal assistant a Production Engineer or Superintendent, who plans the productive scheme of the factory and supervises the departmental distribution of the work and the shop operations necessary for the routine work upon it. In a large manufacturing establishment, the Production Engineer will be at the head of a considerable force of draftsmen and clerks comprising what is sometimes called the Planning Department, which arranges all operations, shop routine, time schedules, premium rates, and similar matters. The Factory Manager will also have the usual office assistants, and have direct control of the Purchasing Department, the Time and Cost Department, the General Store-Room, and the Shipping Room. In some concerns the Time and Cost Department is a part of the Planning Department, as the records of this department cover nearly every kind of information required for the Time and Cost systems.
All other departments of the factory are divided into two general classes. The first comprises the general departments, as follows:
The Engineering Department, or Drafting Room.
The Experimental and Development Department.
The Power Plant, for both the generation and the distribution of power.
The Iron and Brass Foundries.
The Forge Shop and Cutting-Off Rooms.
The Carpenter Shop (including sometimes the Flask Making and Repairing Departments).
The Paint Shop and Painters' Supply Room.