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).
Policy of buying assemblies versus in-house manufacturing, using Hardy Spicer propeller shafts as an example.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0302 | |
| Date | 8th March 1938 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} c. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} * 1260 also Policy Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}6/AP.8.3.38 BOUGHT-OUT ASSEMBLIES. There is an understandable desire on the part of every-one to make every component of our chassis in the R.R. factory. Undoubtedly there are many cases where buying assemblies from outside does or would save us money. It has been suggested that the advent of greater numbers, due to the existence of B.50., will enable us to make components in the factory as cheap as we can buy them from the outside supplier who makes and has developed and has tested nothing but that component. Our recent visit to Hardy Spicer convinces us that we cannot compete on certain assemblies. The Hardy Spicer factory is equipped to do almost every operation in the manufacture of a propeller shaft by machine, including loading the needle rollers into their housings. We do not think it is an exaggeration to say that from raw material a propeller shaft would be made in a quarter of an hour, no two operations being done concurrently. Obviously we could never in this factory have the necessary equipment to make propeller shafts at such a low labour cost. If we did, it would make our year's output in about three days. Hardy Spicer can sell us a shaft suitable for the Wraith at £2. 16. 0. including their profit. It has been dynamically balanced, tested for out of truth at maximum speed, for permanent set at maximum torque, and the weld of every tube has been hydraulically tested. We have no hesitation in saying it is a better shaft than the Rolls-Royce made copy of the now three years out-of-date Mechanics Joint'. The recent trouble on Ph.III. of bad sweating where the tube joins the coupling would have shown up in the Hardy Spicer tests. continued | ||