40 



Hardwood Record — Veneer &c Panel Section 



June 10, 1921 



Many Executives Overlook Equipment Needs 



By "Traveller. 



Andrew Carnegie, in his autobiography, aays: "It is sur- 

 prising how few men appreciate the enormous dividends deriv- 

 able from investment in their own business. There is scarcely 

 a manufacturer in the world who has not in his work some 

 machinery that should be thrown out and replaced by improved 

 appliances; or who does not for the want of additional machinery 

 or new methods lose more than sufficient to pay the largest divi- 

 dend obtainable by investment beyond his own domain. And yet 

 most business men whom I have known invest in bank shares 

 and in far away enterprises while the true gold mine lies right 

 in their own factories." 



1 think every plant executive should have this paragraph printed 

 in large type and framed over his desk, for undoubtedly a great 

 many of them entirely overlook the necessity of replacing their 

 machinery periodically with newer and more up-to-date types. 

 If anyone doubts this statement all he has to do to prove it is 

 to make a trip across the country and visit a number of plants. 



The writer recently visited the plant of a piano company whose 

 instruments are well and favorably known. He expected to see 

 something up-to-the-minute in a piano factory but w^as very 

 much disappointed. The manager of the company, who is also 

 president, was at the factory at the time and took me in hand 

 to show me through the plant. 



He took me through the various departments, showing me their 



pianos in course of construction and pointing out their superior 

 features. When the inspection was finished and we were seated 

 in his office he asked what I thought of their plant. I asked him 

 if he wanted my candid opinion. He looked rather surprised and 

 then answered yes. "Well then," I said, "your plant is just about 

 twenty-five years behind the times. With the exception of a veneer 

 jointer, a taping machine, Whitney surfacer and a couple of belt 

 Sanders, practically your entire machine equipment should be 

 written off and replaced with modern machinery." 



In the course of our conversation before going through the plant 

 this executive said that a year ago, when business was better than 

 it is now, they were unable to fill their orders. He wanted to 

 increase their production to about four thousand pianos a year, 

 their normal output being about twenty-five hundred. And, judg- 

 ing from his remarks to me, he was not at all pleased with his 

 organization when they failed to produce this number. 



IVIy criticism of his machine equipment hurt him, as he is a man 

 who thinks there is nothing about him or his institution to find 

 fault with. He seemed disposed to argue the matter, but before 

 he could get an argument started I suggested that v^'e go back 

 over the plant and I would point out the most obvious defects. 



The first thing I called his attention to was the hopelessly 

 inadequate size of his machine room. I showed him where one 

 (CoiititturtI on pagi: 42) 



c 



f^/\/ L- y*^^ Y ^/ a / /r a 



An Efficiency Arrangement of Woodworking Equipment 



