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).
The sensitivity of sharing information regarding the lack of profitability on a complicated chassis design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0388 | |
| Date | 4th August 1938 | |
| 1266 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/MH.{M. Huckerby}4.8.38. Attached is copy of memo Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}3/D.26.7.38 which refers to the complication of our chassis. Obviously it would be incorrect to give Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} information which would lead him to tell other people that the reason why we cannot make a profit on our chassis, even if we charge a fantastic price for them, is due largely to the complicated design. I thought that he had begun to realise this. Since the works are doing their best to reduce cost you may consider that my reply to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} is unnecessarily lucid, in which case I will abbreviate it to the first paragraph and the last one. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||