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).
Difficulties in sourcing high-quality springs from various suppliers, leading to the decision to manufacture them in-house.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\2\ Scan074 | |
| Date | 28th October 1925 guessed | |
| -2- We had considerable trouble with these people but they continued to turn out the springs we required, until business became better, and their factory became full. Our work then became less attractive and they told us they did not care to make any further quantities of our springs. We then went to the Spring Perch Company at Bridgeport and had an enormous amount of trouble with these people in educating them to make springs of the quality which we had established at the Sheldon Company. By the perseverance of Mr. Allen and by keeping McMurtrie there at the plant, we obtained very satisfactory springs from them. They, however, have become very much busier than they were and they have found the work more troublesome to produce than the usual run of springs. As they became busier the inclination was to push our work aside and fill their plant with less exacting requirements and larger quantities of other manufacturers. We were, therefore, compelled to seek new sources of supply, and went to the Penn Spring works at Baldwinsville, New York. These people required the same course of education that the Sheldon people, and also the Spring Perch, had required. The same factors which caused the Sheldon and Spring Perch to decline our work are now acting in their case. They find that they can fill their factory with springs in larger quantities than we can ever hope to order, on which the inspection requirements are easy. They are, therefore, hinting that they would like us to take our work away. Thus, we are faced with the problem of having nowhere to obtain springs of the high character which we feel is necessary to maintain our reputation. We cannot afford to forego any of our exacting requirements, as regards the inspection or tests, and at the moment the only alternative is to make our own springs. We have studied the methods employed in three plants mentioned, and also in another plant, the New England Mutual Spring Company at Ashland, Mass., where springs are made, very much in the way which we wish to employ, for the Luxor Taxicab Company. The equipment required and the operations are briefly as follows:- 1. Cut off spring plates in an alligator shear. 2. Drill center holed on upright drill. | ||