UC-NRLF 5flO |J l II HOWTO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR FACTORY 93 SHORT CUTS THAT HAVE PUT 82 FACTORIES ON A BETTER PAYING BASIS J GIFT OF Western Advertising HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR FACTORY A FACTORY MANAGER'S NOTE-BOOK OF COST-CUTTING EXPERIENCES HOW TO GET THE LARGEST RETURN FROM LABOR HOW TO INCREASE MACHINE OUT- PUTHOW NEW EQUIPMENT HAS BROUGHT RESULTS HOW BUILD- INGS HELP TO PAY PROFITS 93 SPECIFIC WORKING PLANS BY WHICH 82 AGGRESSIVE MANAGERS HAVE CUT THEIR FACTORY COSTS FOURTH EDITION THE SYSTEM COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK A. W. SHAW COMPANY, LTD., LONDON 1911 How TO INCREASE YOUR SALES How TO DOCBLE THE DAY'S WORK How TO REDUCE FACTORY COSTS How TO INCREASE THE SALES OF THE STORE How TO INCREASE A BANK'S DEPOSITS How TO SELL REAL ESTATE AT A PROFIT How TO SELL MORE FIRE INSURANCE How TO SELL MORE LIFE INSURANCE How TO WRITE LETTERS THAT WIN Others in Preparation ^COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY ' THE:SYSTEM COMPANY: CONTENTS PAST I GETTING THE LARGEST RETURN FROM LABOR Study Your Men CHAPTER PAGE I. WHERE TO LOOK FOR LEAKS 10 II. TIME KEEPING METHODS 12 An Effective Time Keeping System 12 Duplicate Check System that Proved Efficient.. 14 The Clock As a Straw Boss 16 Simple Time Card for Workmen 17 III. WAGE PAYING SYSTEMS 21 Putting the Best Man on the Job 21 Wage Payment Plan That Brought Results 22 Determining Piece Prices Accurately 24 Gearing up the Working Force 26 Reducing Non-productive Labor 27 A Simple System for Finding Costs 28 IV. EFFICIENCY PRODUCERS 29 Four Truckers Instead of Ten 29 Getting in Quick Touch with Executives 30 Supervision Basis of Cost Economy 31 How Electric Fans Increased Output 33 A Card Record History of Employees 33 PART II GEARING UP PRODUCTION Make for the Making's Sake V. REDUCING COSTS BY STUDYING MACHINES 36 Chalk Talks for Designers 36 Saving Time in Grinding Tools 39 Using the Trucking Force 40 Team System for Cleaning Machinery 41 M525975 6 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Getting the Most out of Machines 42 Saving Time in Handling Work 43 Saving Duplicate Machinery 44 Reducing Pattern Shop Breakage 45 A Labor Saving Pattern Bench 46 A Quick Method of Soldering 47 VI. HANDLING MATERIAL ECONOMICALLY 49 What Was Saved from the Sweepings 49 Cheapening the Cost of Raw Material 50 Making Non-productive Time Productive 51 A Supplies Patrol that Economized Time 52 Facts as a Basis for Buying Cheaply 53 Handling Cotton Waste Economically 53 VII. FACTORY SYSTEMS THAT HAVE CUT COSTS 59 Graphic Hurry-up System 59 Safe Guarding Order Form 60 How a Foreman Pushed Orders 62 Labor and Progress Records to Increase Output. 63 Cutting Costs in Raw Material 64 Keeping Stock in a Flour Mill 67 Keeping Output at Maximum 68 Distributing General Expense 70 System That Saved Labor in the Shipping Room. 75 PART III EQUIPMENT THAT INSURES MAXIMUM PRODUCTION Cutting the Cost VIII. PRODUCING POWER AT LOWEST COST 78 How Inspection Systems Save Power 78 What Gas Power Costs in a Textile Plant 79 Rope Drives for Quick Turna 82 A Plan for Keeping Shafting Clean 84 A Time Saving Motor Record 84 Department Power Records That Save Fuel .... 86 Saving Money on Belting 88 Three Schemes for Reducing Friction Load. ... 89 How Shafting Hangers Can be Quickly Shifted. 90 A Meter Record That Stopped a Leak 93 Keeping Up Steam Pressure 94 Holding an Engine at Work 94 CONTENTS 7 CHAPTER PAGE IX. KEEPING THE PRODUCT MOVING 96 Thirty Hours Saved by a Crane 96 Conveying Goods Cheaply by Air 97 Handling Coal Economically in Power Plants... 97 Novel Method of Transporting Grain 98 Making One Hoist Serve for Three 99 Saving Time by Department Telephones 99 Trucks That Save Steps 100 Getting Parts to Workmen Quickly 101 Narrow Gauge Tracks for Quick Service 101 Truck for Handling Varnished Parts 102 X. MAKING ENVIRONMENT COUNT ON THE BALANCE SHEET 104 Plumbing That Cut Heating Bills 104 Saving Light Cost in a Textile Plant 104 An Effective Individual Light. 105 How an Incandescent Lamp Increased Efficiency . 106 Lighting That Increased Output 107 Economical Low Pressure Steam Heater Ill An Efficient Dust Collecting Hood 112 XI. PROTECTING AGAINST ACCIDENT AND FIRE 114 Smothering Fire with Live Steam 114 Two Guards That Save Accident Expense 114 Economical Hinged Belt Cover 115 A Sprinkler System That Will Not Freeze 116 Furniture That Prevents Fire Loss 116 Organizing Against Fires 117 Inexpensive Shield for Set Screws ....118 An Emergency Engine Stop 119 PAST IV MAKING THE BUILDING HELP PAY PEOFITS Build to Fit Business XII. BUILDING PLANS THAT SAVE MONET 12fc Builders' Afterthoughts That Proved Costly 122 Putting up a Plant in a Hurry 123 Making the Most of Floor Space 124 Profits from Cement Construction 126 Penny Eegulations That Save Dollars 129 8 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XIII. BUILDING EQUIPMENT THAT INCREASES OUTPUT. ...131 Worth-while Details of Construction 131 A Foundry That 'B a Crystal Palace 132 Twenty-eight Per Cent in Storing Coal 133 Giving the Workmen Good Light 133 How Sewage is Economically Disposed of 136 A Money Saving Shipping Platform 137 Where Underground Pipes Save Floor Space. .. .139 An Inexpensive Eoof Drainage Scheme 140 Shop Floors For Good Service 140 Drying Varnish by Electricity 142 Department Arrangement That Paid 143 HALF-TONE PLATES PLATE PAGE I. FRONTISPIECE 2 II. LIFE SIZE DRAFTING 19 III. A WELL ORDERED TOOL EOOM 20 IV. A GRAPHIC PROGRESS RECORD 37 V. ELECTRIC METER ACCOUNTING 38 VI. SHAFTING ON STILTS 55 VII. ELECTRIC CRANE FOR LOCOMOTIVES 56 VIII. ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE 73 IX. A SWINGING JIB CRANE 74 X. A POWER PLANER GUARD 91 XI. A HINGED BELT SHIELD 91 XII. MERCURY VAPOR LAMPS FOR THE FACTORY 92 XIII. A MODEL FOUNDRY BUILDING 109 XIV. UNDER- WATER STORAGE FOR COAL 110 XV. AN ENCLOSED SHIPPING PLATFORM 127 XVI. AN INGENIOUS INSPECTION DEPARTMENT ARRANGE- MENT ...128 Part I GETTING THE LARGEST RETURN FROM LABOR Study Your Men OOME men have that within them which always spurs them on; while some need artificial initiative, outside encouragement. Some men extend themselves under stern discipline; some respond only to a gentle rein. Some men need driving; some coaxing. Some need the spur; some the sugar lump. Some men do their best with work piled shoulder high ; some must have it given them a piece at a time. Some men thrive on discouragement; some cannot work without cheerfulness. Study men the men over you, under you, around you. Study them and learn how to get from each the most that is in him. CHAPTER I Where to Look for Leaks A FACTORY manager was on a trip through many plants, seeking ideas that save money. Not expect- ing to find all cost-reducing plans in factories where goods similar to his own were made, he visited a diver- sified lot of shops. He was a shoe manufacturer. In a breakfast food plant he found cereal cartons being shipped in fiber containers cheaper, lighter and easier to set up than the wooden crates he was shipping shoes in. When he adopted this idea in his own plant he figured his sav- ings at $12.70 a day $10.00 on the cases, $1.00 on labor of handling and $1.70 on freight charges. This instance is typical of more than one hundred other ideas in this book, that have proved money savers for the managers in the shops where they have been installed. This book is an exchange of ideas the se- lected fruit of many trips. Each scheme has been used by some factory mana- ger has cut costs has saved money. They will do the same for you if you apply them. Because a certain method, short-cut or plan has been successfully adopted in a textile mill that fact does not forbid its adoption in a wood or iron working plant. The shoe manufac- WHERE TO LOOK FOB LEAKS 11 turer found a good idea in a breakfast food "foundry;" the built-in shipping platform that saves coal for a ma- chine tool maker, will be just as economical in a knit- ting mill. When you take a trip through a factory, there are in general four different headings you can post in your note-book : I. Getting the Largest Return for Labor. II. Economies in Production Methods. III. Equipping the Plant. IV. Building the Factory. This book leads you through a hundred factories in the same order, and points out the money-saving ideas in each. Under the first head you will find methods of hiring, directing, paying and working labor schemes of getting more output from men. Logical methods of tool arrangement, new ways of routing and grouping work, order and stock keeping systems all tried out and found to be cost-reducing are gathered under the second head. Methods that have lowered cost of power generation, distribution and utilization, methods of handling ma- terials, lighting, heating and ventilating are grouped under the third head. The schemes for cost cutting in the location, arrangement and erection of your factory appear under the fourth head. Each specific scheme and method and device prac- tical, tried-out, applicable will cut cents from your production cost, and add dollars to your profit. WATCH the little points. They spell success or failure; they are treacherous ; they will knife your profits. CHAPTER II Time Keeping Methods NOWHERE is the accurate figuring of time and costs more important than in the manufacturing plant whether it be large or small. To keep correct account of the exact time spent on each piece of work during its entire progress through the factory is a diffi- cult task for the cost department without a simple, un- involved and quick method of arriving at the desired figures. The following system for recording the exact amount of time expended on each job has been in use for some time in a large electrical manufacturing plant and has stood the test of practicability in every branch of the concern. It can be applied in almost any manufactur- ing business, with decided advantages in the way of simplicity and accuracy. Under this method the entire record of time spent by each employee on any piece of work and the material used therefor is included on one small time ticket only 4x6 inches in size. On this ticket (Form I) is printed every bit of data required for all ordinary jobs, includ- ing the name of the employee and his department; the order number; a printed list of the materials and oper- ations that the department takes care of, for checking TIME KEEPING METHODS 13 the particular work at hand; spaces for registering the time of the start and finish, and a series of numbers to check off the total time used on the one piece of work. Space is also provided for notation in case of an unusual operation. When an employee in any department starts on a job he is given one of these time tickets. He immediately goes to the time clock and stamps the slip with the time he starts the work. Then he simply draws a line through the piece worked on and its operation, and his duty so far as the record is concerned is practically done. This method is doubly valuable, as under old record systems, considerable time was spent in deciphering the illegible handwriting of some employees, which was an annoying item of expense. When the work is completed, the ticket is again stamped, to show the finish time, and after it is 0. K.'d by the department foreman, is sent to the ORDER NO. ._3..!?7._ MACHINE DEPT. NO. 3. DRAWING No. CLOCK NO. _JZ_ RATe'...>.^;;;> AMOUNT-. ^ , NAME! ^. I/I i>2 i 3 i 41 5 i 6 I 7 j 8 i 9 i 10 t 11 \ 12 : i_ 13 V 14 j 15 r 16 S IT' S 18 \ 19 y2pj 21 j 22 |23i24^| ". OPERATIONS |jttl. 14 4 P. M. 1907 Korm I: On this time card, the employee simply checks the work he is engaged at. This scheme has been found to facilitate accounting and minimize clerical errors 14 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR cost department, where the time is figured up and en- tered merely by drawing a line through one of the 24 numbers on the slip to show the hours of time consumed. To indicate a quarter or half -hour, the line is extended through one of the smaller figures. In the case of the record slip shown, the employee, whose clock number is 376, started to face a coupling according to drawing No. 17693, order No. 8794, at 11 :25 o'clock, July 14, and finished the operation at 4:42 the same day, so that the cost department in a moment was able to register the total amount of time, which was four and one-fourth hours. At the rate of 22% cents an hour the labor cost of this job was 96 cents. This amount is transferred to the regular order and added to the other cost items. By this method of record both the labor cost and the exact progress or location of the job can always be learned at a glance, without wasting the time of fore- men in answering questions. Duplicate Check System That Proved Efficient I HAVE seen the time-keeping puzzle solved in all sorts of styles, and have come to the point where I stand with the majority and favor a mechanical control worked with one or another of the clock methods. But my faith has had shocks, though I do not yet acknowledge a change of heart/' said a factory superintendent. "One of my old-time acquaintances has a check sys- tem. Two numbered checks are deposited daily by each employee. One check is deposited at the start in the morning, the other one is handed in at noon after lunch. The pair of checks can be put on a numbered board by the time-keeper or an assistant. The workmen take their checks home or not as they choose. The checks TIME KEEPING METHODS 15 are conveniently located near the door and prominently in sight. "Now, as every factory man appreciates, there is nothing new about this check system so far, but hear what the superintendent said when I hammered the idea: 'You see, this is a four-story building. Every minute counts. A man gets here on time. He could ring up if we had a clock, drop a check into a box or do anything else on the ground floor. Then he can walk upstairs or take the elevator. On any floor he may halt, loiter, if he pleases ; but the clock or the old check system takes no account of it. Superficially the system is 0. K., but it is weak when put to test. Most of our men are on piece work, but it is a pernicious plan that allows men to loaf unseen by us, even when they figure that it is on their own time. The example is bad. The factory is a workshop, first and last. Now take a look at these checks. " 'These checks are made in as many sizes as we have floors. A tube runs up to each floor, and the inlets fit these checks. A man working on the top floor can not drop his checks on any other. He has to be in sight of his work, and is ready for business when he puts himself on record. " 'The checks can all be alike for that matter. Have separate tubes and outlets to correspond with them. The outlets can lead to receptacles and the latter may be changed punctually at the starting time, thus affording a close check on the whereabouts of workmen at that mo- ment this can and should be done unobtrusively, and none but the clerk know of it. 'The fact that the clerk enters into the transaction in any way, is the weak point in all check systems in comparison with mechanical methods of keeping time 16 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR records. The infallibility of a clerk, with the best in- tentions, can not be relied upon.* ! The Clock as a Straw Boss I HAVE charge of a small machine shop where goods have to be pushed as much as possible in order to compete with larger firms," said a factory manager. * ' It is therefore necessary to see that the work is carried on at a good pace and that no time is lost on a job. "Our work is of such a nature that quality has to be standard so that in urging the men to their best efforts, it is necessary very closely to inspect the output. Few men, even among those who rush their work, even watch to see how long it takes, but the habit is easily formed. "Suppose a new man enters the shop, and he receives a bunch of fifty bearings to turn and bore; after he is fairly started, it is an easy matter to pass by his machine and ask him how long it takes to do one of the bearings. Ten chances to one he will not know, but a little later you may see him turning them out much faster. * * If you call his attention to this, he will be sure to tell you that he gets one out every ten minutes, perhaps, but that if he had a little stiffer boring tool he could turn out the job considerably faster. "In another instance, a workman will stop you when you are passing and ask whether certain bushings could be made a little shorter. If a quarter of an inch could come off of each one, they could be turned out consid- erably quicker. He knows this because he has been watching the clock. He knows it takes time to cut them, and he also remarks that the bushing is made of bronze, and that bronze costs money. His suggestions therefore not only save time but considerable metal, since the bushings are turned out in large quantities. He is a TIME KEEPING METHODS 17 specialist a consulting engineer in his little depart- ment, and his words will often mean money to you." Simple Time Card for Workmen THE problem in most time cards made out by the individual workmen to keep check of the time spent on each job, is to minimize the amount of time neces- sary for making the record and to make the record itself so simple that any workman can handle it correctly. If a time card is complicated it will do more harm than good, for the workman may make many mistakes in en- tering up his record, and it is also very easy to make the time record so full that it swallows up precious time. The time card shown in Form II is designed to meet these two problems. Its main feature is the clock face printed on it, by means of which the workman records bis time. rUHN. BORE AND FACE UNO MILL WORK Form II: A simple time card which materially diminishes clerical help in the factory 18 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR The workman makes out a new card for each job upon which he works. He fills in the requisite number or the quantity of pieces he is working on, enters his own num- ber and date of month on the face of the clock in the "check here" column opposite the operation he per- forms upon the job. Now suppose he begins work on this job at 7 o'clock in the morning and finishes it at 9 :45 ; he simply draws a line with his pencil around the outside of the clock's face from the "7" mark to the "9 :45" mark. Eight years' use of time cards has proved that workmen are less liable to make mistakes if they simply have to mark their time out in this way than if they have to figure. Every one is familiar with the clock face. The workman when he begins his work glances at the face of his watch or the clock hanging in the shop, and need simply place a mark opposite the corresponding figure and space on the time card ; he does the same thing when he finishes the job. It is almost mechanical; he need do no figuring, he need enter no figures in a sprawling hand which the cost clerk may easily mistake; in fact, he need not even know how to write at all. These cards are very quickly filled out; it takes less time to run a line around a circle than to enter two spaces of figures. Mistakes, too, are very rare. The time cards for the preceding day's work come into the factory office every morning. Each job which is going through the office has an assembly card upon which is entered all the time put upon that job; every morning the number of hours spent upon each job the preceding day is entered upon that job's assembly card. As each operation, each job and each workman have separate cards, this posting is a very quick process, TIME KEEPING METHODS 19 Plate II: Life size drawings of machines bring out the niceties of design in the drafting room of the Newton Machine Tool Works. A blackboard drawing outfit does the trick (See Chapter V) 20 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR II 6.S fl 3 " s.a II 11 i? 1 CHAPTER III Wage Paying Systems IN a big machine shop a certain piece of work had cost more than it should. The foreman was asked to explain. "I was as economical as I could be," he said, "I put a two-dollar-a-day man on it." To which the superin- tendent replied, "Next time put a three-dollar man on it, just as an experiment, and let us see how it will come out then." The results of the two jobs show the point. The first, the cheap man's work, figured as follows: Forty-two hours machine work at 20 cents per hour $ 8.40 Forty-two hours use of machine, rate 50 cents per hour 21.00 $29.40 The second, the high-priced man, resulted as follows: Twenty-seven and one-quarter hours work at 30 cents per hour $ 8.17 Twenty-seven and one-quarter hours use of machine, rate 50 cents per hour 13.63 $21.80 22 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR This shows a net gain of practically 33 per cent on the cost of the job. And that is not all. There was a saving of 14% hours in the use of the machine; in other words, the producing capacity of the machine was more than doubled. The fixed charges, or burden, re- mained the same, and does so whether machines are idle or producing useful work. Machines are paid wages (in the form of interest on investment and depreciation) just as men. To get the highest efficiency out of machines is just as important as working men to their highest speed. It is often, in fact nearly always, wise economy to employ labor of the necessary skill to permit every ma- chine to turn out work to its fullest capacity, even if 50 per cent is added to the labor rate, as above. To have a ten thousand dollar machine " loafing " is as bad as to have the workmen taking things easy. Wage Payment Plan That Brought Results WE can't pay our workmen weekly without great- ly increasing our clerical expense and shoulder- ing an enlarged volume of detail. ' ' "Yes we can. We can arrange a system which will allow us to handle the detail of weekly pay rolls just as easily, as carefully and as quickly as we now handle the rolls monthly. And the expense need be but very little more, it may even be less." A conversation along this line took place some years ago between two officials in the scale manufacturing plant of E. and T. Fairbanks & Company at St. Johns- bury, Vermont, just before that corporation changed its manner of paying employees and adopted the rule of vveekly payment of wages. This company was the first in that New England state to institute this plan. WAGE PAYING SYSTEMS 23 The system which was evolved presents one distinct feature which may hold a suggestion for any manufac- turing establishment or business house. In this plant, as is usual in any industry utilizing foundries in mak- ing its product, there are many men paid on the piece- work basis and others by day wages. Those in the former class list the number of pieces they produce daily on sheets provided for the purpose, and these sheets, when checked and approved by the foreman, pass to the pay clerks. This system is found in many foundries and other plants. However, the day-wage division holds a feature all its own. The brass check is the basis of time-keeping here. Each workman, as he enters the shops in the morn- ing, secures at the time office the brass check bearing his factory number. He proceeds to his department, hangs his check on its proper hook in the glass-covered case fixed on the wall, and, at the blowing of the whistle, the foreman of that department locks the case. The worker gets his check at the noon hour, hangs it up again after lunch, secures it at closing time and leaves it in the time office as he goes to his home with the day's work ended. Thus, a constant tab is kept on each man. No employee, arriving late at any time, can get his check in the case and secure credit for his work without apply- ing to the foreman, who holds the case key. And here the time-saving feature enters. Recourse is had to a card system. Each card a facsimile is shown in Form I bears the workman's name and his fac- tory number. The number of hours he works is punched in the card at the proper place at the close of each day. If there are fifteen, or twenty, or more men in his de- partment who have worked nine hours, or full time, on that particular day, all the cards checking their time 24 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR may be punched at once with a single pressure of the punching tool. The punch marks are of varied shape, each depart- ment being designated by its own peculiar design. Thus cards listing workmen employed in one branch have crosses punched in the hour squares, another department has a star ; another working division, a square ; a fourth, a circle, and so on. If a workman is late he must wait until the clock marks the ensuing hour before he is allowed to go to his lathe or his bench. Thus, there are no fractions of hours to bother with or to create detail. With these cards punched in the time office each day foremen, too, reporting each man who failed to serve full time or who was absent from duty the pay to which each workman is entitled at the week's end is quickly and accurately calculated. The total number of hours, as punched, is entered on the body of the card, together with the rate of wage per hour and the total wages due the workmen concerned for the week. Provided he lives in one of the houses which the company has constructed for his convenience, the rent item is entered on the card at the proper time for deduction from his total earnings. In this way a constant, accurate, lasting record is at hand every seven days of each man's hours of work and amount of pay. Detail, too, is reduced in great degree. Determining Piece Prices Accurately VERY often piece prices on a new article are named by the foreman of the department in which the operation is done. A workman runs through a lot of day work, and, from the time it takes, the prices to be paid are computed. This price is not reduced every time a lot goes through, even though the men make more than they would at day WAGE PAYING SYSTEMS 25 1 * M N- fiUNOAV, _ NMr MONDAY _ ~~ Q !>.. -; ~ TNUBSOAV CASH * , rflj'oAY. .; : SATuflOAV. WCtK CNOHMG '! Form I: In this time card the foreman punches a hole to show the number of hours put in by each man each day work. They expect to make more, they work harder in order to accomplish that end, and if the practice is to cut the price every time a man makes a good day's pay the men get discouraged and quit. In making the price, a figure is named which the firm can afford to pay, and then it is left alone, leaving something for the men to work for. Slashing piece prices or reducing wages is a confession of weakness on the part of a foreman who indulges in these practices. Cutting out unnecessary operations or combining two or more which have been done singly is a proof of efficiency and can often be done with absolute gain to firm, workman and buyer. To illustrate, a factory was putting out small bench vises, and the handles for these were made of five-six- teenths round cold-drawn steel. This was cut in an auto- matic screw machine, which knurled both ends of the piece. The balls were made in another screw machine, and were riveted onto the handle. The machine shop foreman conceived the idea of buy- ing the handles with one end formed, simply a bright round head or ball rivet. A die was made for the punch press, and, after the vise was finished, one blow rounded the other end of the handle and the job was done. Four operations gave a better appearing and no less service- 26 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR able job when finished, and the cost was cut square in two. "The fat mouse forgets he ever was thin," and men who have come up from the ranks to the position of fore- men should think twice before beginning to build a repu- tation by reducing wages and cutting prices, as many of them are doing. Better results are possible by follow- ing more up-to-date methods. Gearing Up the Working Force IT does not take a big plant and a carefully worked out organization to make use of some of the economies that go under big names, ' ' said a small manu- facturer. "I have a small tailoring factory, employing on an average only a dozen people, and I am using with very good success, what the experts call the 'bonus system.' Only I don't think of it as a bonus system; I just call it * pushing.' * * I figured out, by keeping private records over a period of several months, about what the average worker could do on each process. This was not what they did under forced pressure, but what the average output of the good workers was, under ordinary conditions. To this amount, I then added 10 per cent., thus fixing a stan- dard of efficiency for the shop. "Then one pay-day I gave each employee a note in which I stated his average day's work. I agreed that any worker who turned out at least this amount each day would receive a bonus of what amounted to 8 per cent of his week's pay. "I was surprised at the results. Of course every worker will not try to work up to the maximum, but it geared up the force and increased the output tremendously. WAGE PAYING SYSTEMS 27 Besides, the proposition had the effect of bringing the workers to the shop and keeping them steadily at their work, as they could not afford to waste any time if they wished to win their bonus. And the increased output from the same equipment reduced the fixed charges nrmnv times over the few dollars Reducing Non-productive Labor j |_ A LARGE blacksmith shop has cleverly solved the problem of keeping the workmen supplied with jobs without loss of time to the pieceworker. Near each shear or cut-off in the shop is a push button connected with an indicator in the department office. A few minutes before the shear man is through with a job, he pushes a button, which indicates to the store- keeper that shear No. 12, for example, will soon he TVHV for stock for another job. The shop is run by schedule, and the department orders are on file in the office in their proper procedure. From this job file, the storekeeper takes from pigeonhole No. 12, the operation card which indicates the next job for machine No. 12. The stockkeeper makes from this operation card a memo order in duplicate on his iron house for the number of bars required to make the parts. Then he puts the operation card back in the workman's job file so that it will be ready to go to him with the stock. The storekeeper then pushes a second button which calls the man who has charge of the iron house. To him is given the original memo order, and he de- livers the material to shear No. 12, in ample time to keep the workman busy, and prevent any loss of time on the shear. A great deal of time is saved in this manner. Usually the shear man handles many parts in a day, and, in a number of shops, by the use of push 28 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR buttons one machine's time could probably be saved. The scheme avoids much confusion and greatly assists both the storekeeper and iron house man. A Simple System for Finding Costs TO find the cost of an article, it is necessary to know the amount of material that goes into it, the amount of productive labor that is put into it, and the percentage of all the general expense of running the business that should be charged to it. Every article or job should be made out on order. An order blank may be made out, which tells the number of the article to be made and gives specifica- tions and instructions regarding the making. Space is provided for entering the amount of material to be used. This should be entered by the foreman when he gets the material from the storeroom. For the productive labor, a separate time slip may be kept by each workman, on which he enters the amount of time he puts on each job. When these time slips come into the factory office, they are entered on the reverse of the shop order. When the job is completed the shop order is returned to the office, where the cost of the material is figured out. The time costs and the expense of material are then totalled. Worse Than Wasted T)LACK smoke is unconsumed car- U bon nascent heat lost energy wasted coal. A smoking chimney registers money lost. CHAPTER IV Efficiency Producers A CERTAIN blacksmith's shop formerly required ten men at $1.50 per day to remove materials from machine to machine. The foreman in this plant thought the matter over, and now only four truckers are required, and these men are paid $2.00 a day. No material is to be seen lying on the floor in this shop. Everything is kept in trucks so that it can be moved at once without unnecessary handling. It is this elimination of unnecessary handling which has enabled the non-productive labor in this case to be cut from $15.00 to $8.00 per day. The method evolved for handling material at one ma- chine, a punch press, will serve as an example. The sketch indicates the arrangement for all trucks at this machine. When the trucker brings a loaded truck it Is placed in the position indicated at 1. The machine ten- der takes the pieces from truck 1, passes them through the press and throws them, not on the ground, but in truck 2. Truck 2 is then wheeled by the trucker to the next machine. (See Figure I.) The other plant where the system of trucking has been studied is a textile mill. The manager noticed, as did the foreman in the blacksmith's shop, that much 30 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR PUNCH PRESS igure I: One foreman saved six truckers by arranging the course of work and trucks as shown here time was lost in transferring materials from the floor to the truck when the garments might just as well be placed in the truck in the first place. Several trucks were then built which would hold several gross of garments. The storeroom boy in carting the materials from the work- room to the storeroom simply exchanged a loaded for an empty truck. Getting in Quick Touch with^ Executives BRIDGE time that is one of the two or three con- stants of the business world. Get messages, ma- terial, men, to the point of demand as quickly as modern inventions will carry them. A great manufacturing plant in Northern Illinois cov- ers 300 acres and employs 7,000 men. Its executives are EFFICIENCY PEODUCEES 31 all practical men. Therefore they are often wanted for advice or commands. A wire gearing becomes tangled in a mill. The chief electrician is wanted to repair it and wanted quick; every minute idle means tens of dollars lost. The plant is big ; he may be in any of a hundred build- ings or works of the three hundred acres. The fore- man of the department where the break has occurred, telephones to the electric station, "Send the electrician here to mill No. 6, quick break. " The engineer in the electric station pulls his whistle two shorts. It is the chief electrician's signal. And wherever he may be in a mill overseeing construction, in the laboratory experimenting, in the superintendent's office consulting he hears it. Immediately he telephones from the nearest point. " What's wanted?" he asks. "Break in mill No. 6. Rush over." In a moment he is there. The trouble is discovered and, under his able direction, soon fixed. So the system operates throughout the plant. Every executive has his whistle signal distinguished by sound and action. Every general condition fire, for instance has its signal. In each mill there is a whistle code by which communication is had; every important workman has a whistle rope at his elbow. Minutes and money are saved. Time is bridged. Supervision Basis~of Cost Economy SOME people seem to have the idea that if there is a system in a factory, the system will run itself. They do not realize that it takes just as good men to run the system, and discover the flaws which are continually 32 GETTING RETURNS FROM LABOR pushing themselves into prominence, as it does to oper- ate the factory itself. And, if it takes a capable man to keep a system going straight, it would seem as if it would require something better than the average ten-a-week man to handle the minor parts. Such a man may be, in fact is, satisfactory with close supervision of some much more capable person, but leave him alone and he will surely swamp himself. Take, for instance, an ordinary cost-system in a factory producing small piece-work. Consider an ordinary time- keeper, who is obliged to weigh out all material leaving his department, and issue transfer slips giving the order number, condition, and number of pieces, this transfer ticket merely identifying the material for the people handling it in the next operation. If he makes out the time tickets for the man who has just finished a batch of goods in question, during the day (and more often he lets the man fill out his own time ticket) he usually takes the man 's word for the number of pieces finished. The result is, that if the workman is dishonest, he sees a good chance to boost his way, which he does by report- ing a fictitious number of pieces completed. The pieces then go through several departments where perhaps the same thing is repeated occasionally, and finally are assembled and shipped. As a check on the first time-keeper the time-tickets and transfers are checked by another cheap ( ?) man, who, the same as the average time-keeper, "does not see what's the use of all this weighing up and having so many tickets, etc.," and may report any discrepancy between transfers and time-tickets, but more often will not. Now, what is the remedy? If you are operating a system, it does not at all matter whether for factory cost or a water-works, select a point from which you can EFFICIENCY PRODUCERS 33 watch and check the leaks, and at that point place a man of exceptional ability, one in whom you can trust. How Electric Fans Increased Output A STARTLING proof of the effect of working condi- JLM. tions on output was recently made in a certain factory. The factory employs chiefly girls, who work on sewing machines. While the work rooms are large and light, necessarily there are many employees in each room, and the work holds them pretty strictly to their machines. At the beginning of summer, when the hot weather came on, a proposition was made to install fans all through the factory. Some of the directors objected to the expense, which would necessarily be large. The man- ager of the factory contended that it would not be an expense, but a saving. And he proved his contention. First, he kept track of the output of one room. Then the fans were installed in that room, and for the next ten days the output was again recorded. When the returns were in and the out- puts of the two periods were reduced to exactly co-ordi- nate terms, it was found that the output was increased in the second period by sixteen per cent. Even the manager was surprised. It has made him certain that good working surroundings are not charity, but good business. They pay. A Card Record History of Employees ANY firm with a large number of employees on its pay roll knows the desirability of having in some definite and concise form a brief personal record for each individual employed. Although few employers go to the extent of having a separate card for each person, this is 34 GETTING RETURNS PROM LABOR new NCW ADDRESS TO ' .WORK RAT CHANGED DATE PATE CHA N&E P ., tEF WO NO OIS- WATO BITTER LEFT REASON NOTICE CHARGED KA1SE. JOB CITY REEM^ DATE .RECORD.,..'',',.,.,.,'. ........ LAZY NO GOOD REMARKS Form I : How one factory keeps permanent record of employees, with least clerical labor unquestionably the best system for handling the record. A 3x5 card with a printed outline, such as is shown in Form I, will answer every ordinary purpose, and when filed alphabetically under the name of the individual will be found very convenient for reference purposes. The form may be varied slightly to suit the particular requirements of the company, but usually it will be suf- ficient to show the name and residence address of the employee, his age, whether single or married, his habits, character and references. Following this should be an employment record, giving the date hired and wages paid. When wages are changed, note is made of this on the card together with date of change. If the person leaves the employ of the firm, the date and reason are noted on the card. Records of employees who leave th< firm should not be destroyed, but should be placed in a separate file, where they will prove very valuable for reference in case the same person later applies for P position. Part 11 GEARING UP PRODUCTION Make for the Making's Sake /DUALITY. The word oftenest on the lips of the ^^ man who sells things. The "open sesame" in the world of competition. jStudy the successful factories. They are built on the dea that quality in goods is the fundamental of per- manent business. Even dealers in makeshifts pay oblique homage to this basic virtue: they cry quality until found out. The passion to manufacture and sell the best has in- spired every big figure in industry. These men reach giant's stature because for once creative impulse and hard commercial sense pointed the same goal. For "make for the making's sake" is the industrial first commandment. To cut costs, to improve pro- cesses, to get an increasingly finer product from un- changing new materials; to give to customers the benefit of every automatic machine this is good business as well as the only man's game left worth playing. The prize is quality. Quality begets success. More it is success. CHAPTER V Reducing Costs by Studying Machines ONE of the difficulties, often highly important, to be overcome in the designing of machine tools, is that of determining the suitability of proportions and out- lines. Scale drawings are notoriously unsatisfactory in this respect; but full size drawings are, of course, out cf the question for any but small very small machines and the like. Often a designer is quite misled into think- ing a part well adapted to its use, ar its proportions are shown in the scale drawing, only to find, after erection, that important or desirable changes could have been made, had he been able to see a full size plan. In order to make this possible, there has been placed in the drafting rooms of the Newton Machine Tool Works, Philadelphia, a mammoth blackboard, covering most of one side of the room. On this, the designer lays out the principal lines and dimensions of his machine, using the floor as the base line. Minor details, of course, are omitted, except as it is desirable to show them for pur- poses of comparison, or to get an idea of their full size relations to the other parts. Such a full size drawing makes it possible for the designer to work out to much greater advantage than usual the location of parts and operating levers so as 3* STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 38 GEARING UP PRODUCTION STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 39 to make them most convenient for the operator. Stand- ing beside such a drawing, the draftsman gets almost as good an idea of the machine as though standing by the completed tool. (See Plate II.) The blackboard is sixteen feet high and thirty-two feet long, and is made of smooth boards so put to- gether as to prevent it from warping or otherwise get- ting out of shape. The surface is covered with rubber blackboard cloth carefully and smoothly stretched. The board is provided with two horizontal straight edges, their ends attached to cords in such a way as to keep them always parallel. There are counterbalances to keep the straight edges in place. From the straight edges hang T squares. It is seen, therefore, that the board is provided with all the customary lining appli- ances ordinarily used with small drafting boards so that the same operations are readily performed. This board is so large that it is necessary to use a ladder in drawing upon its upper portions. For this purpose a traveling step ladder is used, mounted on rollers at the floor end, and suspended from a track above. It runs so smoothly that the draftsman can push it along easily without dismounting. A suggested improvement would be an adjustable seat for the ladder. Standing and balancing one's self in doing this work must be rather tedious and tiring; and a comfortable seat would apparently be a desirable addition to the equipment. Saving Time in Grinding Tools ONE of the greatest sources of loss of machinists' time and consequent idleness of expensive machines is the time spent in grinding tools. Machinists are apt to be finicky about the way they want their tools ground. 40 GEARING UP PRODUCTION When a grinding department is established they com- plain that the tools are not adapted to the work. Several shops have lessened their tool grinding trou- bles by having the grinding expert himself go from ma- chine to machine; see that every machine has its full quota of proper tools, and that the men use them proper- ly. This is much better than caging up the grinder far away from the machinists and arguing vociferously at long range. The frontispiece illustrates one way in which economy may easily be exercised both as to break- age and tool efficiency, with regard to drill grinding. In machine shops where large pieces are handled, clamps and bolts are usually kept near the machines. Instead of allowing these to lie on the floor, it is best to provide large open-front boxes on the order of large pigeonholes for keeping these appliances in order and ready at hand. The appliances themselves should be painted a bright color, such as red or blue. This catches the eye quickly and helps in locating the pieces and in keeping them where they belong. Using the Trucking Force A WELL arranged group of machines has other ad- vantages than those gained by the saving of power. It is easier to handle raw and finished parts. Well defined aisles make it possible to organize the trucking force and cut out non-productive labor. In one shop the manager has arranged the work so that the truckmen have a regular schedule on their re- spective floors. The elevator men form a part of the trucking force and handle all material between floors. This makes it possible to do the same amount of work with one-half the force formerly needed to handle the STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 41 parts. The time lost when the truckmen rode on the elevator is saved. Team System for Cleaning Machinery THE old method of shutting down a factory or mill on Saturday to give workmen a chance to clean and overhaul the machinery means the loss of consid- erable valuable time that can scarcely be afforded in these days of close competition. Economy in this part of the factory work is as necessary as it is in any other, especially where the business requires that every machine possible be kept busy. Present day conditions must be met in every branch of industrial work, and this means that the cleaning of machinery must be accomplished expe- ditiously to help meet these conditions. The following system for keeping the machinery of a plant in good condition has been put into use with success in a big knitting factory, and it meets today's demands fully. If adopted, it will be found a money-saver in almost any kind of a factory. This method of cleaning machinery allows the fac- tory or mill to run without interruption. Only one or two machines in the whole works are stopped at a time. The cleaning is done by a specially designated team of helpers, generally consisting of two or three employees of the plant. These "cleaners," as they are called, spend the greater share of their time going from one department to another, overhauling one or two ma- chines at a time. The man working on the machine in process of cleaning generally expedites the cleaning by lending his assistance on the job. Thus in a few mo- ments an intricate piece of machinery may be put in shape and oiled for another week 's work. In the case of a large plant, two or three teams might be employed at 42 GEARING UP PRODUCTION this cleaning work. On the other hand, if the mill is a small one, the team could be put on other jobs during light days, or they could be kept in readiness to sub- stitute for other employees who might be taken ill. This matter could be easily regulated. The men whose duty it is to keep the machinery clean and in good working order are able to do the work quicker than the other mill hands, under the old system doing it only once a week. For this reason, together with the fact that only one or two machines are stopped at a time, or in large mills at the most two or three, this plan of cleaning is found to be of great benefit to quality of product and life of machines. Worn out parts of machines, stuffed oil holes and other defects are sooner discovered and attended to. Under old conditions the factory machine shop usually is rushed with work on Saturdays, and on other days work is likely to be slack. With the system here de- scribed, the work of repair is more evenly distributed over the whole week, reducing expenses throughout. With more timely attention to cleaning, oiling and proper setting of machines, breakdowns happen less frequently, and if a machine is unexpectedly stopped for repairs, the team for cleaning tackles that machine first, instead of some other, and, unless the work on repair lasts long, there is actually no time lost on account of repairs. Getting the Most Out of Machines THE proportion of time that a machine is actually doing productive work is an item which it is very desirable to know. Absolute knowledge on this point enables one to know what the hourly rate is, which must be added to the man's rate; whether or not it is neces- STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 43 sary to buy additional machines, and whether equipment and power are being wasted. A device is now being used for recording by lines and blanks through electrical contact the actual record of the running of a machine, the recorder being placed at a central location, such as the superintendent's or man- ager's office. This system has shown a Cincinnati shop manufacturing lathes that many of their machines are running only 40 per cent of the time, and that they have been able to correct this to 80 per cent. This, too, in a shop which has already largely increased its productivity by the introduction some years ago of the premium wage system, and which is considered to be one of the finest shops in the country. Saving Time in Handling'^Work HOW much time will a workman save when he knows where to reach for his raw material and just where to put the finished product? How far does he have to go to get materials with which to work? And what is the saving in material in properly handling partly fin- ished work? These are questions of importance to be considered in every manufacturing plant. Although no factory manager can state definitely just how much time and material is saved, all know that it is considerable. Yet the majority of machine-tool work- ers have material piled up under foot or partly finished thrown carelessly together in a heap. There are several ways of caring for this detail methods by which the shop will be made cleaner, the work better, and the cost of production less. Shelving the length of a room back of a row of machines is excellent. When parts come to the operator they are placed in the top tier of shelves usually only one deep, so that they do not rest on each 44 GEARING UP PRODUCTION other. The operator places his finished parts in the lower tier in the same fashion. This plan of handling small parts in process of con- struction is especially effective in shops where carriers are employed to distribute and gather up material and parts, since the operator and carrier can work without interference and no mistakes can be made. The shelves can be built any desired depth or height to fit different pieces and classes of work. When a workman is busied at a machine and has no bench, these shelves can be provided in the form of a cabinet or a portable table. Tools and work can then be kept neatly together. An- other system of shelving, useful in storing small parts, works in well where the carrier system has been adopted. This type of shelving has an advantage also in being fire-proof and practically indestructible. Metal only is used in its construction, and the complete affair can be built up from sheet iron and piping which has outlived its usefulness for carrying steam or water. The rack is made by slipping iron rings over the vertical pipes, pass- ing iron rods through a hole in the ring, and when the spacing is right, one set screw clamps the whole. The sheet iron shelving is sprung into place. Because it is made half-round in cross-sect ion, this sheet iron shelv- ing is easily kept clean, and small parts can be removed without fumbling in corners. Plate III shows a neat and workman-like tool arrangement. Saving Duplicate Machinery ON a recent trip through one of the mills of a lead ing cement company, I saw a unique application of the motor-drive to rotary kilns, which, with modifi- cations, can be adapted to a great variety of machinery. In making cement, after all the ingredients have been STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 45 crushed and mixed they are calcined in long rotary kilns. The fuel is pulverized coal, which is lighted at the mouth of the kiln and carried through the mass by a blast furnished by a rotary fan. In this particular mill there is a battery of a dozen or more kilns in operation, each with an individual motor-driven blast fan. All kilns, after having been put in operation have to be worked continuously, day and night. If a kiln stops, not only is all the material which it contains at that time lost, but it is necessary to wait thirty-six hours until the kiln becomes cool enough to remove the spoiled ma- terial and prepare it for another run. The kiln itself revolves at a slow speed, so that there is very little wear, but the fans and motor which run at high speed are apt to require repairs at intervals. Back of the row of blowers runs a truck carrying a small platform car, and this car is made an auxiliary to the fan and motor. When, at any time, it is found necessary to disconnect the regular equipment, this truck is run out opposite that particular kiln; its discharge pipe is coupled to the Y pipe in the main pipe and the auxiliary blower is started. In this way not only is that particular batch of cement saved, but there is no time lost in recharging the kiln. It is moreover unneces- sary to supply a double motor equipment with each kiln, since the single motor run on trucks forms a flexible auxiliary equipment. Reducing Pattern Shop Breakagt TELPHER systems are valuable adjuncts to a com- plete system of interfactory communication. This method of transferring material quickly is particularly applicable in the pattern and storage departments. Deli- 46 GEARING UP PRODUCTION cate patterns can be transported safely by this means, since the amount of handling is minimized and there is no liability of heavy parts being placed upon the pat- terns, as is the case when the transfer is made by trucks or cars. In practical work, compressed air and electricity are the principal motive powers for cranes and hoists. Un- til recently direct current electric motors only were available for hoist purposes, and provision had to be made for a supply of direct current electricity. On account of the saving in transmission, the adoption of alternating current for machine shop work is becoming more and more frequent. With the increasing use of alternating current for other classes of power-service, however, an alternating current crane motor has been developed, so that cranes can now be operated on the alternating current circuit. This does away with the need for transforming from alternating to direct current and saves considerable initial investment in rotary converters and transformers when the main supply is delivered as alternating current. A Labor Saving Pattern Bench A GOOD mechanic never complains of his tools." Perhaps it is for that reason that many me- chanics work under difficulties and, therefore, ineffi- ciently. The best arrangement of good tools is con- ducive to the greatest economy of output. A pattern bench designed primarily as part of the re-equipped pattern shops of the Worcester Polytech- nic Institute is adaptable as well to commercial pattern making on a large scale. The bench was built at the Institute shops, and its design was settled upon only after practical tests of its adaptability had been made. STUDYING YOUR MACHINES 47 Two strong points in this bench are the vise and the lighting arrangement. Under ordinary conditions, a pattern maker works at a disadvantage with his vise. Either he has to sit down to work and can only get at one side of the job, easily, or he has to stand and stoop over the piece upon which he is busied. Both these difficulties are overcome in this bench. The cast iron leg which supports the maple bench top has a grooved projection in which the fixed jaw of the vise is held by a bolt and hand-nut. This bolt slides verti- cally in a slot and can be secured where desired. For keeping the jaws parallel the crossed pivoted strips the lazy-tongs parallel motion device are fitted between the jaws. In this way the vise is nearly as quick acting as the trade scheme used for this purpose. Good light, where needed, is supplied by an ingenious electric fixture. The wiring is all placed on the ceil- ing of the room below, and the lamp is wired through a flexible pipe connection so that the light is available where wanted and the air is free from lamp cords and swinging shades, always in the way. A Quick Method of Soldering A MANUFACTURER of oil lanterns recently adopted electric soldering irons to do the work for which he had formerly used a gas-heated iron. By this means he reduced the leaky cans from five per cent to one-half per cent. It was found that with a flame or coal-heated iron, the workman was constantly tempted to use the solder- ing point when it was too cool to do good work. With the electric iron, the soldering copper was held constantly at the proper temperature and good work assured. With the electric method, too, it was unnecessary for a work- 48 GEARING UP PRODUCTION man to exchange irons, so that five per cent gain in out- put was possible. In making use of electricity for any heating work glue-pots, flat-irons or branding irons certain points should be observed if good results are to be obtained. An electrically heated device has a certain amount of energy put into it at a certain rate. If the work re- quired of the iron is too rapid for the rate of input, cold irons and poor soldering will result. If, on the other hand, an iron which is designed for heavy, con- tinuous work is allowed to stand with the current flow- ing into it, the heat energy is not dissipated rapidly enough from the surface of the iron, and the solder is burned off. These characteristics of electrically heated devices make necessary some engineering judgment in their se- lection. With proper investigation, however, many time- saving devices may be employed. A recent law in New Jersey demanded the stamping of butterine tubs with the name of their contents. One manufacturer started in by heating each letter in a coal fire and applying it in order to form the name. An electric butterine brand- ing iron does the work in a fraction of the time. Look Ahead THE manager of every factory whether he makes steam rollers or shoes must run his plant by a plan. To figure costs closely, each future step between buying the raw material and selling the finished product must be definitely marked. Robert Daily CHAPTER VI Handling Material Economically A SALESMAN was talking one day with the manager of a horse blanket factory. As they sat in his office, a man came in who was selling harness buckles at a very low price. The manager at once became interested and called in his foreman to find out what they paid for these buckles. When the foreman saw the goods the man had to offer he pronounced them nearly as good as those which he was already using, and offered the man a little less than the wholesale price which he had been paying. The man agreed with alacrity and the sale was effected with- out more words. When the foreman left the room, the manager of the plant asked the man where he got the buckles and his reply opened the manager's eyes to the waste which had been going on steadily in the factory without his knowl- edge. "You know/' said the bargainer, "that your foreman gives the sweepings of the factory to my brother, and I look them over and sort out anything of value which I find. I found those buckles scattered through the sweepings from time to time, and saved them up until I had a quantity worth selling. " 40 50 GEARING UP PRODUCTION Buying the same material twice is an apparent blunder; handling it twice may be as real an error. Cheapening the Cost of Raw Material IN many lines of manufacture, the source of raw ma- terials each year grows farther from the factory. This is particularly true in wood-working plants of all kinds. Shops which formerly found a source of supply in forests at reasonable distances from their incoming plat- forms, are shipping unfinished stock from longer and longer distances. The wood near most manufacturing centers, particularly in the East, was long ago stripped from the hills, and the rivers which next served to float the logs down to the mills from wooded sections at more distant points, are each spring having a shorter "high- water" season, during which the output of the winter logging camps can be floated. Forestry is striving to remedy the results of the reckless use of natural resources which has led to these conditions; but reforestation is necessarily slow, and meanwhile raw material must be obtained from long distances by rail. Freight rates, as a consequence, form a most important item in the cost of the stuff that goes to make up the product. To cheapen the cost of production several methods are in operation. Manufacturers band together in a common cause and seek some source of supply which can be developed economically. Different methods of construction, too, are being adopted more and more, in an attempt to reduce the amount of costly wood in a piece. In this connection built-up parts and veneers are being generally substituted for solid woods. A third way of solving the problem is that of carry- ing the process of manufacture to a certain point in a separate plant located at the base of raw material sup- HANDLING MATERIAL ECONOMICALLY 51 plies, and shipping the less bulky partly finished prod- uct to the old plant, where the material is worked up into form and from which distribution of the finished product is made. This method has been very satisfac- torily worked out by a large basket manufacturer in the East. Among the products of his company is a line of cylindrical containing drums built up with veneers. Formerly the logs from which the veneer was peeled were delivered at the factory. As the distance from which the logs had to come grew greater, however, the freight charges on the raw material gradually assumed pro- hibitive proportions. Consequently a large tract of timber land was pur- chased several hundred miles from the basket shops, and at this point a steam saw and veneer mill was established to work up the logs into veneer directly on the ground. In this form raw material is shipped to the mill. Since the thin, flat veneer will pack closer and is easier to handle than the logs, the freight charges have been re- duced to such a point that the plant not only pays for itself, but makes the raw material considerably cheaper. Moreover, the material is of a better quality, since the selective process can be carried further in choosing the logs. The concern is also independent of outside raw material sources and can regulate supply and demand to meet conditions of trade as it fluctuates with the seasons. Making Non-productive Time Productive THE machine operator who is tooling heavy parts should have plenty of room, and should have his work arranged around him systematically. In a large western machine shop the lathes are ranged along the entire side of a room, but on both sides of the machines 52 GEARING UP PRODUCTION are broad aisles. The parts on which an operator is to work are always deposited on his right; he places the finished parts on his left. These heavy pieces are brought on trucks. By this system the trucker runs down the right side, depositing his load; he comes back up the left side, taking on all the parts he finds. Confusion and mistakes are avoided. A Supplies Patrol That Economized Time A RAILROAD shop in the West has a very com- plete annunciator board in the tool room. A workman pushes a button and a ooy goes out to get in- struction. It may be a new file or any other needful tool that is required. Perhaps the lathe or planer tools or milling cutter needs sharpening. This shop has established standards for the angle of lathe and planer tools. The room is equipped with a grinder that is far and away ahead of the old grind- stone of funereal pace, remembered only as a good ex- cuse for gossip and delays. The new grinder gospel backs up its doctrines with devices and diagrams ensuring the repetition of such forms to the cutting tools as the best available experience has there determined. No more waits. The machinery and the men have longer spells of combined action. Another shop does not depend so much on the messen- ger system. Here there is a signal scheme. A strip of board attached to the nearest post arrests the attention of the patrol who takes a hand in tightening a belt, sup- plying oil or a bunch of waste or wipe cloth or whatever may be needed. These strips of board projecting from the posts, can be seen at a considerable distance and, as many of the supplies are indicated by the particular signal, the HANDLING MATERIAL ECONOMICALLY 53 double trip of the other system the messenger and the push button is cut to a single journey in most cases. Facts as a Basis for Buying Cheaply WHILE much depends on the business sense and personal equation of the buyer in the purchasing department, the basis of his judgment is dependent prim- arily on efficient stock keeping and proper testing. The buyer must keep his fingers, too, on the pulse of the market. Trade journals and periodicals should be sys- tematically read to give the general tone of trade con- ditions, and much can be learned from the buyer's other half the seller who is a traveling directory of busi- ness conditions. A good buyer, with a keen knowledge of men, can profit materially from his daily interview with the salesmen he meets. [Handling Cotton Waste Economically IN nearly all machine shops, factories and manufac- turing plants, the cost of consumable supplies, such as waste and oil, becomes a matter of considerable im- portance, however economical may be the methods by which they may be purchased, stored, issued and ac- counted for. The successful and economical handling of this matter depends on three factors: first, the purchase of the necessary supplies ; second, the proper method of storing them; third, their economical distribution or issue. The following system, where it is strictly adhered to, will save much time and expense in any large factory, and will, moreover, instil into the minds of employees the necessity of economy in using material. The handling of cotton waste (or such other material) offers an illustration of the methods to be used, but 54 GEARING UP PRODUCTION there is hardly any substitute for cotton waste in clean- ing high grade machinery, and a great many concerns who have experimented with substitutes have given them up after a short trial and gone back to the more ex- pensive waste. The material used for the purpose of cleaning work and machines should have good absorb- ent qualities and be convenient to handle. If cotton waste, it should have sufficient adhesive qualities to pre- vent short fibres or masses of lint from becoming loos- ened from the mass ; and it should have been disinfected. There are various grades of white and colored waste, of long and short fibre, some of sufficiently long fibre to last through several washings or other cleaning pro- cesses, and others of such short and broken fibre as to be scarcely better than ' ' shoddy. ' ' Quite naturally, the price varies as much as the quality ; it runs all the way from three and three-quarters cents for the cheapest col- ored to six and three-quarters cents a pound for the best grade, and for white waste from eight to fifteen cents per pound. In practice it will not be found economical to purchase the cheaper qualities except for large and coarse work, where quantities of waste may be used. The best colored waste at six and three-quarter cents per pound is liable to contain small, sharp bits of metal or short pointed wires that find their way into it from the machinery used in its preparation. These are very exasperating to the employees, and there is always the danger of small punctures of the hands that may result in blood poisoning. Colored waste has usually much less of the absorbent qualities than white waste. The supply of waste has been so reduced by utiliza- tion of short lengths of yarn for other purposes that various substitutes are on the market. These consist principally of washed pieces of white and colored cotton HANDLING MATERIAL ECONOMICALLY 55 u* aj cj c-S & si 9 .. . : ^, . : ^' ;,;.-;... ,--,.:.. y :-;-';; Form III: A simple card record that fixes the facts of each installation in compact form The card is self-explanatory, but a few words as to the way in which it is used will prove helpful. The cards are filed in the office of the electrical superintendent and are arranged numerically according to the horsepower of the individual motors. In some industries it would be better to file the records according to the buildings or to machines they drive. In plants where there are many buildings both of these methods are recommended. Each motor has a card. These are first grouped according to the location of the motor and subdivided according to the machines they drive. Records of this kind are particularly valuable when additions or alterations are to be made in a factory. With exact information as to the motors already in- stalled, their location and the machines they drive, the engineer can figure at once the amount of new equip- ment necessary. Often, it is possible to utilize an old 86 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCT motor for new work, or machines can be rearranged and grouped to better advantage, and rigged with power- saving individual drives. Department Power Records That Save Fuel POWER HOUSE records form one of the simplest and most effective ways of keeping tab on the cost of power. By systematizing the cost of power, the daily records show immediately whether costs are above nor- mal, so that leakage, defects and wastes can be probed for at once. The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company has evolved a simple system of keeping track of its power costs which has proved very effectual in keeping the costs low. The plant is operated by electric power, each department being sectionalized and driven by its own motors. Power and lighting are measured and charged to each department in separate cost items. The elec- trical system simplifies this subdivision since, by elec- trical measuring instruments, the power used each of the twelve power and the twelve lighting sections into which the factory is divided can be accurately meas- ured and charged up to the proper department. At the switchboard a wattmeter is devoted to each department or section in the factory, and these meters (Plate V) show by number and label the respective departments for which they measure power. Records of the actual power used for lighting and for operating the machines are filed in a loose leaf ledger, on sheets similar to Form V. Separate books are kept for the lighting and power totals. With this daily record of power consumed the cost of power per day in each department can be accurately computed, since by simply multiplying the total kilowatts used per hour by the costs per kilowatt- POWER AT LOWEST COST 87 *j o u t s f; w 5 N t (. |i; ^ H Z UJ S K OC J Z 5 I I UJ oc UJ > , m a H S25 SS s 0) i| a! a D O K |l X J 3 z z M QC bl a. Q \t < < h UJ (/) 5 UI 5 S a i 5 2 S 3 U) u z a. N JO. Jio 5 bl S *, I < w z E 0. 5 s > < E |i 1 5 la 5 s 1 a >s 1 z a. '/ CL O ^ S ^ O 5 ? 6 < U) Z 4 1 1- ^ O > W )/ s t hi K > S t s o o * _j 5 ^ \l l < O ^iE h- I I s E ii i Hit - in c II I s W . j S 2 1 B 88 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCT hour the total figure is immediately available for pur- poses of comparison. This actual cost per kilowatt-hour is made up of coal, labor, supplies and depreciation, the first three of which are daily computed from the log sheet (Form IV). De- preciation is figured as a net percentage. A summary of daily costs is compiled, which shows the itemized and total average cost of power per kilowatt-hour. By com- paring the costs of each day's power consumption, any unaccountable rise in cost per kilowatt-hour automati- cally calls attention to waste. Just what results this simple system has brought to the company can be surmised by an analysis of the daily power cost sheet for the plant. Pounds coal used 30,400 Cost coal used $41.80 Labor cost 15.35 Supplies cost 4.00 Depreciation 8.00 Kws. per day 3,389 Kws. per hour 141.2 Average cost, coal, labor supplies and depre- ciation per hour $ 2.88 Average cost per kw 0.0204 Saving Money on Belting ECONOMY in the use of leather belting can only be attained by purchasing the best grades of belting, made by firms of established reputation, and then by ap- plying it and caring for it in an intelligent and proper manner. It is an easy matter to buy belting for 10 or 12 per cent less than is usually paid for first class goods. But it will be made from the leather cut too far from the center of the hide and consequently will have thin and POWER AT LOWEST COST 89 soft spots, which, coming on the edge of the belt will per- mit it to stretch unequally. If a piece forty feet long is laid on the floor it will be impossible to make it conform to a straight line. Therefore, it will not run true on the pulleys, and if it is used on cone pulleys the edges will turn up and the belt will soon be useless. In situations when a good belt would run a year and still be in good condition, this kind of belt will not last three months. It is the poorest of economy to save ten per cent by putting in belts below the standard in quality. Bank discount is much cheaper. There are various methods of fastening the ends of belts. The most common is by lacings. These are often carelessly issued and wastefully used. They should be purchased in certain widths and lengths and issued for lacing belts of certain widths. The following table gives these figures : Width of Length of Width of Single Lacing. Lacing. Belt that it will lace. % inch 18 inches 1 to 1% inches A inch 24 inches 1% to 2*4 inches A inch 30 inches 2V 2 to 3% inches A inch 36 inches 3% to 5 inches % inch 48 inches 5% to 8 inches % inch 72 inches 9 to 12 inches By purchasing lacings of these dimensions and re- quiring them to be used according to this table, one fac- tory saved from twenty to twenty-five per cent in the cost of belt lacings for several years. Thin lacings should always be used for fast running belts, or wide double ones. The laces should be so applied that on the side next the pulley they run parallel to the edge of the belt. Three Schemes for Reducing Friction Load OMPARATIVE coal consumption is the ultimate test of the economy of power generating and transmitting machinery. Belts and shafting have been 90 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCT synonymous with power transmission for so many years that their relation to the coal pile is often overlooked. A glance at the table shown on page 79 emphasizes the importance of this feature of power production. Fac- tory No. 3, in which transmission losses were lowest, had just been overhauled. This renovation saved sixteen horsepower. Look over your plant and see if you are not wasting power in unnecessary friction. Fans, blowers, air- compressors and centrifugal pumps are apt to be over- powered. Blowers are commonly operated needlessly fast. In a small machine shop, the engineer reduced the friction loss in an air compressor by asking a few changes in the location of piping and compressor. By substituting a small portable electric desk fan for a wooden blade fan that was mounted on the end of a shaft a further reduction in friction was made. The combined change effected a reduction of 15 per cent in the amount of power required and consequently in out- lay for power. How Shafting Hangers Can be Quickly Shifted THE re-location of machinery is often handicapped by the inflexible arrangement of shafting. It takes time to figure out arrangements for a change in machine location, to say nothing of the practical difficulties often encountered. "The arrangement of shafting at our plant (the new shops of the Utica Drop Forge and Tool Company) is unusual, but has proved very satisfactory. Practically all the light comes from north-facing saw-tooth roofs, and the layout of shafting is therefore modified by this type of construction," said the superintendent of the works. ' ' Onr entire plant is driven by electricity ; 275 horse- POWER AT LOWEST COST 91 Plate X (below) and XI (above): Two devices which help reduce the accident risk. A belt shield at the Sherwin-Williams Company's plant, and (below) a planer guard at the General Electric Company's works (See chapter XI) 92 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCT 3 BT J| &* r-ji .11 1 Is II POWER AT LOWEST COST 93 power is purchased from the local company and trans mitted from Trenton Falls eighteen miles away. The machinery in each department runs on a separate motor. "All the main shafting is on the floor where it can be easily reached and does not interfere with the light. Each length of shafting is driven through a crab-clutch so that each may be driven independent of the others, except the center length to which the motor is con- nected. This construction makes it easy to oil the shaft- ing, and since wire guards six feet high enclose the shafting, no one but authorized employees can get near it. All of our counter shafts are mounted on iron frames, built up from two-inch wrought iron pipe. These counter shafts are driven where possible from the line shaft on the floor. Where it is necessary to have extra driving shafts they also are mounted on an iron frame work." (See Plate VI.) A Meter Record That Stopped a Leak ELECTRIC meters offer possibilities for power measurements which are not altogether realized. The amount of power actually consumed in a factory is difficult to measure when the electric link between coal and machine is absent, and even in plants equipped with electric motors the wattmeter often will check losses which otherwise escape notice. This point was rather interestingly shown in an iso- lated station recently. A new gas engine, operating on natural gas, had been set up and was carrying a light- ing and small power load. When the equipment had been installed the switchboard was fitted simply with an ammeter and voltmeter, so that it was not easy to get continuous power readings. The incoming supply of fuel was measured by a gas meter. 94 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PEODUCT After two or three weeks the engine had apparently "found itself " and was running well. The engineer of the installation, however, wished to get comparative data, so put in a wattmeter on the electric supply cir- cuits. When he compared the readings of gas meter and watt- meter, he found that about three times more fuel was being used than was consumed as power. A little in- vestigation showed that the operating engineer, instead of using as little gas in his mixture as would give the best results, was running his engine with a charge con- taining a maximum amount of gas. With a re-adjust- ment of the intake valves, what might have been the annual fuel bill was reduced about two-thirds. Keeping Up Steam Pressure STEAM HEATING caused considerable trouble in a brush shop employing about 300 hands. During cold weather the foreman of a department was continu- ally complaining about the heat in his room. But the engineer always clung to his statement that the steam was turned on. The superintendent installed a graphic recording steam gauge of the ordinary type and quietly con- nected it with the steam main in the troublesome shop. The instrument kept tab on just when the steam was turned on and what pressure was recorded. The super- intendent had a reliable record and the kicks w BELT LACING PROTECTED COLLAR Figure I: By lacing a bit of belting around projecting set screws The Lidgerwood Company prevents accidents time lost in following out this routine is more than made up by saving of money spent for ' ' sick leave. ' ' Couplings made with counter-sunk screws eliminate a prolific source of accidents, but a factory manager need not be deterred by expense from eliminating set screw troubles. The illustration shows how a bit of belting can be laced about a projecting set screw so that it can not catch in a man 's clothing. An Emergency Engine Stop IT 'S a long way from the third floor of a machine shop to the engine-room when a man's life depends on stopping the line shaft. Even the telephone takes time. At the plant of the A. S. Cameron Steam Pump Works, the turn of a switch shuts down the factory. 120 EQUIPPING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCT Placed with its red letter sign in a conspicuous location, the electric signal button makes a most effective acci- dent alarm. Nor has it been found essential in case of accident alone. The usefulness of the system is more frequently proved when repairs are being made on the transmission machinery. No need, then, to lose time in journeying back and forth between the department and the engine-room when a belt breaks. One ring means stop, two rings start the engine slowly, and if the belt runs in good shape, three rings in the power house send the engine at full speed. In some shops an annunciator is added to the engine- room gong so that the engineer can tell at a glance in just what department the trouble is located. Science in Using Time TO the primitive savage, time is of no importance. With the progress of civilization, however, it steadily in- creases in value. As one desires more, he must produce more. Yet time is fixed. Production must therefore be more rapid. So time has multiplied in value, be- cause it stands for amazingly greater results. To the business man most of all, time has become a huge asset his first item of capital. The wise exe- cutive invests his minutes where they will bring the greatest results in work- ing efficiency, in quantity and quality of output. Part IV MAKING THE BUILDING HELP PAY PROFITS Build to Fit Business STOP the little leaks. Take a look around your plant tomorrow with an eye for the little mistakes in building that are costing you cash each day the little monuments to careless construction that let profits dribble into loss. No plant was ever so perfectly built that daily scrutiny will not reveal new opportunities to improve. Changing conditions in your work make the old ac- commodations obsolete. Be alert to the demands of circumstance. Building to fit your business means greater efficiency, greater returns. Your factory may be old don't let that tie you down. A few dollars for lumber and a day's time will put a mezzanine floor for cases in the packing room and cut trucking expense in half. Wire glass windows in the grinding room save bills for plain glass broken by flying knives and add to the shop's appearance. These are but two out of a thousand schemes. Look for just such chances to pick up straying profits in your own plant. Keep your factory up-to-date it pays. CHAPTER XII Building Plans That Save Money THE newspapers not long ago told the story of a young man who built a steam launch in his room at the boarding house. After getting the craft finished, he discovered that he couldn't get it out by doors or windows. His landlady refused to let him tear down a part of the wall and instituted legal proceedings because the weight of the boat endangered her house. This unwise boat-builder was in the predicament of a good many factory managers who fail to plan ahead. The time to decide on the location of departments is before the factory is built. The power house in these days of electrical power should be centralized with respect to the other departments so that the transmis- sion lines will be short. If water or steam power and line shafting is employed an effort should be made to have the buildings, necessarily parallel or at right angles to each other under these conditions, logically arranged with respect to production. Don't forget that the straighter the lines of production the more efficient to the shop. The factory cost of your product often tells a story of an unappreciated waste. A cost expert recently put his system into a rubber mill. The plant was electrically driven, with the de- BUILDINGS THAT SAVE MONEY 123 partinents grouped about the power house, each depart- ment with its separate stores of raw materials. A great deal of time was wasted in handling these materials ana the scattered stores were harder to keep tab on. The power plant was moved to the rear center of the plant and all the raw stores were assembled in a big central storehouse located in place of the old power house. The change was simple and easily made, goods were received, disbursed and checked accurately and the entire course of production untangled to a remarkable degree. One of the largest electrical concerns in the country is reputed to pay a man $50,000 a year to look over the plants, re-arrange them and cut down losses due to ill- made initial plans. It pays to think ahead, when profit and loss may turn on the location of a wall or door. Putting up a Plant in a Hurry ON June 25th, 1907, the plant of the Utica Drop Forge Company was entirely destroyed by fire. Eight months later a new factory was put in operation. Some novel methods of construction were adopted by H. W. Kelleman, the superintendent, to build the plant quickly. When the plant burned, the employees were given the opportunity to remain at their old wages and rebuild the shop. Practically all the men at once elected to do this, and the second day after the fire they were set at work clearing up the ruins. To get the outside work done and the machinery under cover before fall, the most easily obtainable material and that which could be erected the quickest was selected. Wood framing, side walls and roof, and wrought iron oipe supporting columns make up the structure. Con- crete foundations are used and the wooden side walls 124 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS are so constructed that they can be replaced by concrete or brick later without interrupting in any measure the regular routine of the factory. Although the roof and partitions are of wood, they are well protected by the sprinkler system. Moreover, the floors are of concrete, and the forge department is iso- lated from the rest of the building by a concrete wall, so that excellent insurance rates have been obtained. Making the Most of Floor Space TO MAKE the most of floor space in a plant the machines must be studied as a combination of pro- ducing units. Only by relating each machine with the others in such a way that production will follow in straight lines without confusion, can the highest econ- omy of operation be attained. Figure I: In this machine shop of the Mueller Machine Tool.. Company, floorspace BUILDINGS THAT SAVE MONEY 125 If it seems best to build but one crane run-way, the heavier machine tools should be so placed, not only that the work can be turned out systematically, but that ad- vantage can be taken of the crane in handling heavy parts at the machines. Economy in construction argues for special machine foundations in as centralized a location as possible. A balance must be struck between the expense of special foundations at odd points and stretching the line of production a little in order to place the machines in the heavy foundation area. Shafting arrangement also enters into the question of economical arrangement. Considered in time, the height of the shop roof may be gauged so that belt lengths to machine tools will be correct and adjust- ment of countershafting unnecessary. All these points K&flfeSfl tsaieE&a E&SyvSSiJ t5V*::;^3 ** ^ a ilii FIRST FLOOR PLAN MACHINE SHOP FOR THE MUELLER MACHINE TOOL CO. tS-POLISMING WHIIL. 2J ,1?'SMPO 29-GBI iT-ie-xr LATHI. 24-arxi* BO 31- CMEHV WHCCL 19 -UNIVtHSAi. MILL'a MACH. 20-40 H. P. MOTOR 33~ DO 4O ' RADIAL DRILL 20 -X4'X24'XS' PLAMCft. 27 31*XI LATHC 34 36* GCAR CU7TCK 413* RADIAL DftlLU 21 3S'XJ'*ir 00 28-CWCK WMEtL 4S-et0 LATHC *2-ij ' Or WORK ( 4* || mON.OH.TINQ Jl is well utilized by arranging the machines logically with respect] to production 126 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS planned ahead mean a saving in dollars and cents when construction begins. In the shop floor plan shown in Figure I, all these points have been considered, as well as many others. A thoughtful consideration of this sketch will bring out clearly the advantages of orderly arrangement. Raw material is unloaded in the basement by a crane and reaches the machine shop floor by way of the elevator. At this point the construction work on the parts is divided; the lighter parts travel down the length of the shop, and the various operations are performed on the lathes. Cutting off and centering machines are located near the starting point. The heavier portions of the product are machined on the erecting side of the machine shop where heavy lathes and planers are set on concrete foundations. This row of heavy tools is also placed near enough to the erecting side of the shop so that the same traveling cranes serve both the erecting floor and the heavy tools. The shop is driven by a forty horsepower motor, chain - connected to the line-shaft, which is divided into three sections by clutches. In this way it is possible to run a short length of shafting without running all three. The motor in the middle of the long line- shaft also divides the strain so that a lighter construction is possible. Profits from Cement Construction /CEMENT is extremely useful building material for ^^the factory. Monolithic, brick-sheathed and cement block buildings are all suitable for manufacturing. The General Electric Company recently erected a new factory office building between two older brick struc- tures. The shell of this new building was constructed of cement and a single course of brick overlaid, to match BUILDINGS THAT SAVE MONEY 127 Plate XV: To save coal in winter the shipping platform is built inside the building that a sliding steel curtain will enclose it. (See chapter XIII) 128 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS HINGED NUMBERED DOORS FROM GRINDING ROOM I i Plate XVI: This arrangement of cupboards for the inspection department at the North- ampton Cutlery Company's plant systematizes the handling of the grinders' iobs and frees the inspectors from interruption by the work- men at all times of the day (See chapter XIII) BUILDINGS THAT SAVE MONEY 129 the trimmings and general exterior of the earlier con- struction. The effect is excellent. At the foundry of the II. W. Caldwell & Sons' plant in Chicago, a molding gallery has been built in the foun- dry. A thick cement floor has been found very satis- factory. In addition to its uses in the buildings, proper cement is being used to good purpose for many details of con- struction. Industrial railway tracks embedded in ce- ment concrete stay put. Heavy machine tools are proof against vibration on cement foundations. Either anchor bolts are set into the cement to hold the machine or the weight of the bed suffices. In a railroad shop the motors are supported on cement concrete platforms, swung from beneath the galleries on structural steel framework. This makes an enduring construction and does away with the wooden flooring generally used for the purpose. The Grand Rapids Hand Screw Company have found cement useful in a variety of ways. Lumber costs money nowadays, and all that can be saved is worth while. In piling lumber at this plant, parallel cement supports have been laid at right angles to the freight tracks. On these, lumber is stacked to dry in the usual way. The boards ordinarily lying on the ground are saved and the permanency of the construction facilitates the handling of the incoming stock. Penny Regulations That Save Dollars IN a big plant, building inspection is just as important as in a city. It probably saves proportionately more dollars than any other equal expenditure of costs. Rules as to floor and wall loads, fire protection and building- administration in the Western Electric factory 130 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS are so thorough and well defined as to amount almost to a science in themselves. If a workman leaves his overalls rolled in an oily bundle under the bench in one of the big manufactories, the watchman has orders to destroy them. In the same plant the safe load for the floor is painted on the wall just inside the door. A building inspector is responsible for the enforcement of the regulation. Out in the shops, white lines on the floors mark out the aisles so that the crane man in handling material and parts with the big electric cranes will not block a passage through the departments. To insure the carrying out of the rules, strict obedi- ence is demanded. If a watchman finds the gas burn- ing or a can of benzine in the factory, his report goes direct to the superintendent. To guard against fire, only safety matches supplied by the company can be used. Team Work E AM work, cooperation, these words are what count in football or the manufacturing game. To have every workman intent on his job, to have each foreman interested in pushing his end of production, to have every de- partment head working in a common cause without rivalry, these insure ideal conditions for the economic use of time and materials which makes the factory, large or small, a winner at production. CHAPTER XIII Building Equipment That Increases Output THE secretary of a woodworking plant in Grand Rap- ids had a unique experience in connection with build- ing his new factory. Riding home one night he over- heard this dialog between one of his own workmen and an employee of a prominent concern located in the next block. " Where are you working now?" asked the manager's workman. "Neighbor of yours,'* said his seat mate; "but I don't think I'll stay long in the shop." * * What 's the matter ? Don 't you like your job ? ' ' "Yes; job's all right, but I don't like the shop. I've lived in the country and I like to see the grass and trees. I feel as though I were in a prison with those ribbed glass windows. I wouldn't lose any time looking at the scenery, but it makes working worth while. I'm going to quit next week." To give a well diffused light, ribbed glass is often used in factories and this had been the secretary's idea. After overhearing this conversation, however, he changed his plans the upper sashes are glazed with ribbed glass, but the lower sashes are cleai. 132 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS "Good workmen are not too numerous in this town, and if the window construction will help me to keep my men, 1*11 build the windows accordingly." In the same factory the window sills are laid in cement instead of showing an unfinished brick surface. In his old shop, the manager had noticed that moisture, trick- ling down the panes, settled in the upper courses of brick and rotted the lower wooden window sill. For twenty cents additional per window, the contractor laid the last course of bricks in cement and coated the sill foundation with the same material. This not only made a smooth and workmanlike job, but gave a waterproof surface. A Foundry That's a Crystal Palace FOUNDRY lighting and ventilating, on account of the working conditions, are particularly difficult. The Michigan Stove Company's foundry construction is therefore particularly interesting. This foundry was surrounded by high buildings, and for that reason was hard to ventilate and light. As shown in Plate XIII, steel and glass are the prin- cipal materials of construction. The main structure is of steel resting on a six-foot brick wall. The building is square, 128 feet on a side, is fifty feet high to the top of the monitors and forty feet from the floor to the high- est point of the roof proper. The side walls are thirty feet high with girders spaced sixteen feet between centers. Before working out the details of the window con- struction a small model was constructed and the moni- tors finally built were the result of careful study. Three parallel monitors were built, arranged crosswise on the roof. Every second window in the monitors is arranged to be opened. All the other windows in the building EQUIPMENT THAT INCREASES OUTPUT 133 are stationary except the lower row just over the foun- dation wall. These are all pivoted to swing open. So satisfactorily does this window construction venti- late the building that fifteen minutes after the heat is off, the air in the foundry is clear. Twenty-eight PerjCent in Storing^Coal UNCERTAIN coal supply, due to strikes, lack of cars and other conditions beyond the manufacturer's control, make the problem of coal storage a vital one. At the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company, the problem has been solved by storing coal under water. Two underground cement lined storage bins, one of 4,000 and the other of 10,000 tons capacity, have been built. These pits are open at the top and are bridged by full gauge, parallel railways, as shown in Plate XIV. Coal is either dumped directly into the pits from gondola cars or unloaded by a grab bucket crane, mounted on a car and drawn by a locomotive. When coal is required in the power house, it is loaded by the same crane into dump cars and hauled on an elevated railroad to the bunkers over the boiler house. The coal in the pits is entirely covered by the water, and by keeping the bins flooded the company expects to reduce the losses in stored coal from 30 per cent to 2 per cent. Giving the Workmen Good Light SAW-TOOTH roofs furnish excellent lighting for single story buildings and for the top floors of multi- story buildings. Like all exposed areas, however, some difficulties are present with this type of roof. There is considerable trouble due to leakage, and in hot weather the " greenhouse" nature of the construction is liable 134 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS to make the floor below unduly warm unless ventilation is carefully provided for. The arrangement for heating and ventilating the buildings of the Utica Drop Forge and Tool Company's plant has been successful in conjunction with the saw- tooth roof type of construction. All windows on the side of the building are arranged to open; the roof windows are permanently closed except in the forge de- partment. Thirty-six thirty-inch ventilators are mounted on the roof of the plant, which is 300 feet long and 136 feet wide. These can be opened in summer and closed in winter. The ventilators in the forge de- partment are fitted with smoke flues which terminate in hoods directly over the forge and operator. An opening in the upper part of each flue allows the heat and gases in the upper part of the room to escape. Troubles due to saw-tooth roof leakage have been remedied in the plant of the Farr Alpaca Company's Holyoke, Massachusetts, plant, by an especially thorough arrangement of drainage gutters and drip downtakes. The details of construction are shown in Figure I. Each tooth in the roof is supported so that it pitches properly from the high points to copper bowls from which the water is taken. Water of condensation is caught by a small copper gutter connected to the roof down-takes by small lead pipes. The water in the trough outside is carried in gutters of special construc- tion, which is made clear by the illustration. To make the trough tight, unusual precautions are taken. A sheet iron gutter is laid over asbestos one- sixteenth of an inch thick. This lay of asbestos and sheet iron covers the bottom of the trough between the glazed side of one tooth and the wood-roofed side of the next tooth, extending up to within three inches of the EQUIPMENT THAT INCREASES OUTPUT 135 LEAK PROOF SAW TOOTH ROOF CONSTRUCTION Figure I: The construction of a leak-proof, saw-tooth roof in an alpaca factory is here shown glass on one side and for two feet on the roof opposite. The galvanized iron makes the roof firm to walk on and covers all defects in the planking, while the asbestos prevents moist air in the room below from condensing on the iron and dripping back into the room. A regular roofing material of five-ply asphalt is then laid in pitch over the whole. 136 MAKING BUILDINGS PAY PROFITS For carrying away the water, copper bowls are set into the roof, each connected by a copper pipe to the sewer system in the basement. The down-take support- ing column is made of channel iron. To protect this down-take pipe a galvanized iron shield is fitted over the copper pipe. How Sewage is Economically Disposed of WHEN the factory is located apart from a regular sewer system, the question of sewage disposal is often a difficult one to answer. Even if the plant is located on a river the pollution of the stream must always be guarded against and solids cannot be drained into the creek without bringing about bad sanitary con- ditions. Moreover, this course is rapidly being out- lawed by the various state legislatures. Under these circumstances the septic tank can often be adopted to advantage. Such a system has proved suc- cessful in a railroad repair shop. The tank is shown in the accompanying diagram. The closets and wash TTLgaap, n__<.2A!