From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Visit to Humber Ltd to review their organisation for correlating service troubles with design and experimental departments.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\2\ scan0168 | |
| Date | 26th July 1939 | |
| 1069 Ay. c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Mx{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer}/SB.{Mr Bull/Mr Bannister}1/MG.26.7.39 Visit by Mx{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} and Mx{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer}/SB{Mr Bull/Mr Bannister} to Humber Ltd ----------------------------------- We visited Humber's yesterday, by arrangement with Mr. Winter, their Chief Engineer, in order to see what organisation they had for correlating Service troubles with the Design and Experimental Depts. They have a most excellent organisation which enables them to provide the Managing Director, the Works Director, and the Chief Engineer with a complete visible picture of Service troubles generally, the total F.O.C. expenditure, and where and how this money is being spent. This organisation is called the Central Investigation Dept., and it is in direct contact with the Chief Engineer and the Drawing Offices. The C.I.D receive from their Service Depts. a monthly schedule of Service statistics (rather like our old Quarterly Complaints lists) together with details as to Costs from the Accounts Dept. This information is then sorted out and charted in such a way as to provide a very clear picture of every trouble which is of sufficient importance to bring to anyone's notice. Without going into details of routine, the 'pictures' which are thus made possible are:- 1. A graph which shows the general trend of F.O.C. expenditure. It gives four indications - (a) The total F.O.C.expenditure month by month. (b) The cumulative monthly F.O.C.expenditure, which ultimately gives the total annual expenditure. (c) The 'moving' annual expenditure, i.e., the total expenditure for the twelve months immediately preceding the month under review. (d) This expenditure plotted as a percentage of t annual turnover, or, in other words, an indi of the average cost of service per car. (continued) | ||