166 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



December 1. 1920 



ccssive. The lact remains that cost data on the production and 

 departmental usage of water, steam, electric power, electric 

 light, gas and air can only be obtained by the aid of technical 

 engineers versed in making tests and investigations, that most 

 of the plants in the larger industries have been obtaining this 

 information for the past ten years, that the expense is very 

 modest for smaller sized plants and that competition can be 

 met by such methods. 



INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING'S FIELD 



Certainly industrial engineering covers a broader field than 

 that indicated. With the aid of the accountant it will cut out 

 wastage in every department of our modern factory. Emphasis 

 has been laid especially on analysis of equipment needs and on 

 securing true cost data because therein lies a great opportunity 

 for economy which is sadly neglected, for, though most industrial 

 engineering firms are prepared to systematize factories and cor- 

 rect production errors by time and motion study, very few are 

 equipped to make the necessarj- tests and investigations into the 

 usage of those fundamental elements of manufacturing mentioned 

 before : water, steam, electric power, electric light, gas and air, 

 But there are many reasons why factories should do this work 

 themselves when possible and thus reduce the expense. In such 

 cases it might only be necessary to employ competent engineers 

 to make the fundamental tests and investigations, to lay out a 

 method of procedure and to supervise the installation of the 

 system. 



That engineering is a broad subject is seldom appreciated by 

 factory managers. The civil, electrical, mechanical, industrial, 

 chemical and mining divisions have subdivisions such as struc- 

 tural, sewage, electro-chemical, etc. It is, therefore, unfair to 

 expect one engineer to have adequate training and experience 

 oyer the whole field. Furthermore many mechanical, industrial 

 or electrical engineers in factory work have had little or no 

 practical o.\|ioricnce in tests, investigations and research work. 

 For this reason they are not competent to pass on many prob- 

 lems that arise and, in such cases, an engineer familiar with 

 the problem should be employed. 



THE MANAGER AND THE ENGINEER 



Before we proceed it is best to point out that the factory 

 manager and the technical engineer must each view industrial 

 engineering in a broader light. The executive must realize that 

 price alone ought not govern the purchase of equipment but 

 that quality, delivery and maintenance cost should be considered ; 

 that there is as vast a difference between operating engineers, 

 draftsmen and technical engineers as between surgeons and 

 practicing physicians and that the safe harbor between low and 

 high priced labor or equipment, while indefinite, can be found 

 only by means of technical aid and analysis. The engineer must 

 understand money values; have a wide experience with ma- 

 chinery and equipment; reject as unworthy of consideration 

 propositions which will not secure prompt returns in profits; 

 comprehend the ratio between income and investment and re- 

 member that his special value to industry is in his ability to 

 analyze, to systematize and to effect economies. 



The regulative principles of industrial management are as 

 follows : 



(a) The systematic use of experience. 



(b) The economic control of effort. 



(c) The promotion of personal effectiveness. 



The author would broaden the third principle to include ma- 

 chinen,' and equipment. Industrial engineering must be em- 

 ployed to give business the full benefit of the principles enunciat- 

 ed, as the engineer's experience covers a field unknown to those 

 ■who have not had such training; the control of effort, or time 

 and motion study, has been developed by the engineering profes- 

 sion and the effective use of the human being as well as of the 

 machine reqtiires the aid of engineers. 



ADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERING 



Some of the advantages of engineering which can be had by 

 various departments oi a rubber factory are: 



M.\N.\CEMENT AND Gener.m. Office : (a) Reports, estimates 

 and analysis of conditions and equipment set forth in simple 

 language and illustrated with curves and graphic charts. 



Cost Dep.vrtment: (a) Aid in obtaining true costs on pro- 

 duction and distribution of electric power, light, air, water, 

 steam and gas by means of tests and investigations, (b) ad- 

 visory capacity on special costs; (c) rate fixing and bonus 

 setting advice; (d) critical analysis, from an engineering view- 

 point, of cost reports; (e) time study; (f) motion study; (g) 

 systematic methods of recording data. 



Purchasing Department: (a) Technical advice as to rela- 

 tive merits of various classes and makes of machinen- and 

 equipment; (b) tests and inspections of new and second hand 

 machinery before purchasing; (c) analysis of bids or proposals 

 on equipment. 



Stores Department: (a) Modification of the perpetual in- 

 ventory to meet local needs; (b) systematizing records and 

 methods. 



Shipping and Recei\ing Dep.^rtments : (a) Systematic rec- 

 ords and methods. 



Production Department: (a) Reduction of machine-hour 

 losses by better maintenance; (b) elimination of losses due to 

 grounds, improper maintenance, imperfect alinement, excessive 

 friction and poor lubrication; (c) proper routing; (d) unit 

 systems of control and inspection; (e) air conditioning and 

 humidity control to increase efficiency of employees and to re- 

 duce power required for milling; (f) light distribution to in- 

 crease production. 



Mechanical Department: (a) Estimates for building and 

 equipment repairs or replacements; (b) establishment of daily 

 log in power plant and monthly report on same; (c) tests and 

 investigations of all kinds; (d) research work; (e) analysis 

 of factory conditions for the management; (f) systematic su- 

 pervision of maintenance vvork and power plant operations ; 

 (g) fire prevention, sanitation and safety engineering; (h) 

 analysis of daily reports on percentage of "seconds" with a view 

 to improvement of core and mold equipment or methods of pro- 

 duction ; (i) design of special machinery and equipment for 

 production to reduce labor costs. This includes such items as 

 special gearing to reduce power costs in milling; (j) building 

 and equipment inspection; (k) improved methods of tempering 

 and grinding tools; (1) design of special jigs and fixtures. 



COST OF INDUSTHIAX ENGINEERING 



The increased overhead burden of installing an adequate en- 

 gineering department or of hiring an outside engineer will be 

 oflfset by the economics effected. Just how much the return may 

 be depends on the ability of the engineers entrusted with the 

 work, the condition of the plant, and the willingness of the 

 management to make expenditures. When such work has been 

 neglected for years it ought not to be surprising if the expense 

 of rectifying mistakes should be large. One cannot remove 

 from a business profits which should have been used for im- 

 provements and then expect to have results. Where such condi- 

 tions exist it is very often possible to institute great savings on 

 slight expenditures. In one case of this kind an investment 

 of $9,000 for equipment represented a saving of $75,000 yearly; 

 but this can be considered as an exceptional case and part of 

 these savings were made with little or no expense whatsoever. 



Exports of automobile tires from the I'nited St.\tes to 

 Ilollaiul during the first six months of 1920 were valued at 

 $760,000 as against $59,600 for the corresponding period of 1919. 

 Imports of crude rubber from Holland to the United States 

 during ihe first half of the current \ear amounted to $1,807,200. 



