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).
Manufacturing strategy, absorbing parts production, and improving company efficiency.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 18\6\ Scan213 | |
| Date | 2nd November 1920 guessed | |
| -2- It would be undesirable say to shut off a complete machine shop for manufacturing reasons, and difficulties which are too difficult to put on paper at the moment. We intend to start immediately to try and make the 880 parts in our Works. We think we can easily absorb a large number of these without materially effecting our present position. One or two factors will govern how far we are successful in this direction. In the first place we must be sure that the quality is as good, or better, than we can buy outside; secondly we must be sure that we can produce it either as cheap or cheaper than we can buy. Some of this work it will be readily realised is of a special nature and it has been considered advantageous up to now to obtain it outside. There are two conclusions that force themselves upon Messrs Willis, Swift and Wormald, who were appointed a sub-committee to go into this matter, and they are - firstly that an effort should be made to find other markets and maintain the present output. Secondly, if we are not able to maintain the present output, other work should be found to absorb the whole of our plant. Thirdly, a united effort should be made to reduce waste and all unnecessary expenditure right throughout the Company, and consider all possible avenues of economy, consistent with efficiency. We give these views more as a starting point rather than they should be considered definite, and in the hope that it will start a campaign that will be fruitful of many other ideas, which will ultimately result in some definite arrangement being arrived at whereby the whole of the capacity of the Works can be utilised to the best possible advantage for the Company. | ||