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).
Letter from the American branch to the UK branch regarding the in-house manufacturing of road springs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\2\ Scan072 | |
| Date | 30th October 1925 | |
| COPY. Rolls-Royce of America Inc. 40, Wall Street, New York. October 30th 1925 Mr. Claude Johnson, Rolls-Royce Ltd., 15 Conduit Street, London, W.1., England. My dear Mr. Johnson:- Yours of October 16th, CJ3/E16/10/25, re our manufacturing our Road Springs at Springfield, received. There is not any doubt whatsoever in the minds of our principal men, viz., Messrs. Olley, Southern, Bagnall, Nadin, Allen, Ross, or the foremen immediately responsible, that we can within our own plant produce road springs of such quality and control the quantity as concerns the various sizes, which is always a problem to keep balanced, quite as satisfactorily as we have been able to buy them and it is our confident belief that we can make them better than we have been able to procure from outside sources of supply. Secondly: It is not a question of ambition with us but of downright necessity that we have thoroughly investigated and considered every phase as to the necessary equipment and each operation, the necessity growing out of the fact that there is no other satisfactory source of supply in America to turn to. It has not been a question of price. We have permitted each supplier to make his bid and then step up the price and in placing our order with our present supplier at Baldwinsville, we avoided in this particular case the fixing of a price until after they had experienced and thoroughly understood our full requirements. With them as with Sheldon and Spring Perch companies, it is not a question of price. It is a question of taxing the few best men they employ with the burden of precise work on Rolls-Royce springs, which constitute a few percent of the output, and with consequent neglect of their chief business, viz., large volume production of cheaper road springs. In order that the situation may be more clearly understood and the simplicity of the equipment and operation, herewith please find a complete report by Mr. Nadin. I feel confident that Mr. Royce will see the necessity for our going on with this work and why. Very sincerely yours, (Sgd) H.J.Fuller. | ||