Part 8

This is chiefly accomplished by anticipating our machine shop requirements or demands far enough in advance so that the majority of work passing through the toolroom can be manufactured in quantities great enough to be produced economically, and also bringing the toolroom work nearer to an actual manufacturing basis. This also eliminates a lot of down or lost time, including the unnecessary losses, such as occur between jobs on work of this nature.

It also decreases the percentage of losses due to spoiled work as workers become more skilled in performing one kind of work rather than a number of different classes of work, which is invariably the case in toolrooms.

We also find this gives us the opportunity to take advantage of present conditions and hire a man who sometimes is inclined to call himself a toolmaker, although he is not an all-around man but is still quite suitable under our conditions of working.

We find, too, that on quantity production in toolroom, we are in a position to effect some very great savings in time and money, as it permits standard jigs and fixtures, such as in ordinary manufacturing; for instance, we at one time machined all our flat tool bits made of high speed steel before hardening and grinding, while our present method is to heat bars of steel in gas furnace and then punch out with die under heavy hammer or press. This method alone in a couple of hours gives us a supply ahead that would ordinarily take one machine or more in continuous operation to produce.

The classes of work in toolroom are also segregated as much as possible; we have one gang for machine repair and reconstruction only. Another gang does all the roughing work on tools and gauges so that the finishing work only on gauges is done by the gauge-makers who are also practically a separate gang. The grinding of tools is under one skilled mechanic who is a working gang boss and leader of men trained to do this work only.

Our tool supply is never permitted to get below the fixed minimum quantity, and record of this condition is always before the toolroom foreman and maintained by his clerk. His clerk is advised hourly on this through the disbursements which he receives from various shop cribs.

We also make a daily record of these same disbursements as against operations and production, thereby keeping in close touch with this situation, obviating any unnecessary tool wastage which very quickly may become extremely expensive, and which also may cause dangerous delays in production in shop due to shortages in tool supply.

(Signed) GEORGE DE LAVAL, Vice-President and General Manager.

WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING CO.

East Pittsburgh, Pa.

Until recently we have confined our training, as such, very largely to trades apprentices. We have a four-year course for these as mechanics, electricians and patternmakers.

Until recently it has been our plan to train new employees in the section to which they were assigned, upon the machines and work with which they were to be regularly connected. The various shop departments have instructors picked from the best workmen to demonstrate machines and their operation, when necessary.

What has already been said applies to both men and women, and up to the present time we have done nothing more than this in the way of training men employees.

Recently we have inaugurated a training course for women machine operators and a department has been equipped wherein these women are instructed in the operation of machine tools, such as lathes, drill press, screw machines, grinders and milling machines. This department is also to train women who are to work on mechanical fitting.

In addition to this we have a training school for instructing women employees in electrical work, such as winding, taping, soldering, connecting and insulating.

These schools are primarily for beginners and it is the plan to obtain women for these training sections through our centralized Employment Department. Then, when any manufacturing department wishes help, it will obtain it from the training section.

The instructor from these training sections is a high-grade man assisted by women, and these instructors are carefully selected from our own best employees.

The length of the training period runs from two to three days up to three to four weeks, depending upon the difficulty of the occupation and the adaptability of the woman being trained.

We have also recently inaugurated a training school for women clerks and we have had for some time a training school for stenographers, typists, tracers and dictaphone operators.

We believe that preliminary training is very desirable for both men and women and that if equipment and space are allowable, special training departments should be established wherever the nature of the work will permit it.

(Signed) ROBT. L. WILSON, Assistant General Superintendent.

NORTON GRINDING COMPANY

Below is a list of men from the Norton Co., Worcester, taking a summer course in the Worcester Trade School to qualify in an eight weeks’ course as all round machine hands. Five other factories are sending similar groups of employees. Their wages will soon be from 30 per cent. to 100 per cent. more than ever before, which indicates in a measure their increased service in the war emergency.

Could anything indicate better than this group in training for all round machine hands, and the statement of their previous experience which follows, the necessity of bringing men like them into our factories, first giving them an intensive training which develops their latent abilities?

Name Age Previous education Previous occupation

A. B. 24 Grammar School Carpenter E. R. 32 Grammar School Laborer C. M. 30 High School, 1 year Musician, 9 years C. J. 24 Grammar School Elastic Dept. O. L. 18 Trade School, 4 years Student I. K. 24 High School, 1½ years Scraper hand C. D. 20 High School, 3 years Grocery clerk T. J. 44 Grammar School Painter A. S. 27 High School, 4 years Adjusting glasses in optician’s office D. S. 20 High School, 1 year Assembling, machine shop M. O’B. 42 Grammar School Brushmaker for 33 yrs. C. K. 32 High School, 2 years Assembling, machine shop O. G. 19 Not given Grading S. G. 31 Norwich Univ. graduate Civil engineer, in business for himself M. W. 17 High School, 1 year Turret lathe Trade School, 1 year operator, 2 years J. S. 21 Primary School Moulder, 1 year L. B. 20 High School, did not Grocery clerk graduate M. H. 18 High School Student M. T. 33 Primary School A. S. 38 Grammar School Scene shifter in Poli’s Theater I. G. 19 Grammar School, 2 years Student H. M. 20 Not given Carrying boxes, Logan, Swift & Brigham

Name Former wage

A. B. Not stated E. R. $18 per week C. M. $22 or $20 week C. J. 35½c per hour and piece work O. L. I. K. 45c per hour C. D. $2.75 per day T. J. 34c per hour A. S. 5 yrs. at $18 week 9 mos. at $25 week D. S. 34c per hour M. O’B $4 per day C. K. 35c per hour O. G. 35c per hour S. G.