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 Morris Motors detailing the man-hours to machine and assemble a 25HP engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\1\ scan0331 | |
| Date | 23th May 1938 | |
| 1104. BY APPOINTMENT TELEPHONE: COVENTRY 4051. TELEGRAMS: MORENGINES, COVENTRY. MORRIS MOTORS LTD. MORRIS (Regd Trade Mark) ENGINES BRANCH GOSFORD STREET, COVENTRY. LORD NUFFIELD CHAIRMAN OLIVER BODEN, O.B.E. VICE-CHAIRMAN J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} SHAW MANAGING DIRECTOR YOUR REF: OUR REF: WRB/RJE. W.A.Robotham, Esq., Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., DERBY. 23rd May, 1938. Dear Robotham, Many thanks for your letter of the 14th May. I think we can give you a figure for the number of man hours taken to machine and assemble a 25HP engine which will be sufficiently accurate for the purpose for which you require it. To make this figure of value to you, however, it will be essential to explain with some care how it has been arrived at. The average hourly rate of our operatives is 1/6d. If we take the total labour cost of machining and assembling an engine and divide this by 1/6d, we get the figure required, and the answer is 60.5 man hours. The operations included in this total labour charge are as follows:- (1) Machining of component parts which are not bought out finished. (2) Final assembly. (3) Final assembly labourers. (4) Painting. (5) Testing. (6) Final inspection. (7) Incidentals. (8) Inspection of bought out parts only. (9) Rectification and scrapping charges. As a matter of interest the machining, assembly, and test charges represent 96.5% of the total, so that if you neglected all the other items you would not be far out. -contd- | ||