176 Mtitrritils and Their Handling 



pending its arrival, or the assembly must he held 

 up in an incomplete condition to await that part. 

 It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to have the 

 right balance of parts. Since this is so important 

 it might seem desirable, in order to make sure of 

 having material on hand, to get ready as many 

 parts as possible regardless of whether there is a 

 complete assortment available. That, however, 

 is unsound practice, as it would mean a needlessly 

 large stock of material in process and an expensive 

 inventory. The danger of such large stocks has 

 already been set forth. The ideal condition is to 

 have just sufficient supplies of a part arrive at 

 the assembling department to keep safely ahead 

 of the assembling requirements. 



Finished Parts Stockrooms. A condition to be 

 avoided is a congestion of parts on the assembly 

 floor, as they are likely to be misplaced or dam- 

 aged and, at best, become a hindrance. To obvi- 

 ate this, as well as for safe keeping and the avoid- 

 ance of confusion, finished parts stockrooms are 

 frequently maintained, from which the parts may 

 be drawn in small lots as needed for assembly. 



Responsibilities of the Foreman of the Assem- 

 bling Department. The foreman of an assem- 

 bling department is responsible for watching his 

 supply of parts, and he should keep well ahead 

 of his actual needs to avoid getting caught short. 

 Systematic forethought here will save a lot of 

 delay and stock chasing. He is responsible, not 

 only for the quantity, but also for the "where." 

 If the assembling process is efficient, the parts 



