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).
Secret internal memo comparing the production costs of B.11 and B.V. car bodies.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\2\ scan0203 | |
| Date | 12th February 1940 | |
| C O P Y. SECRET. To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}14/MH.{M. Huckerby}12.2.40. BODY COSTS. Mr. Ward and Mr. Green paid a visit to the Factory on February 12th to submit cost figures they had so far obtained in response to your letter of January 18th. It was at once apparent that, whilst they had sorted out the cost figures obtained on their pre-war bodies, and on the batch of B.V. bodies they are at present building, they had done very little outside these particular items. However, the work done sorting out from existing figures was extremely useful as it gave us the answers to the following questions:- (1) How the actual cost of the B.V. body compares with the cost of the previous standardised B.11 Park Ward body as produced in pre-war time. (2) How much of the reduction is due to putting in hand upwards of £7,000 worth of tools with Motor Panels. 1. COMPARISON OF B.11 AND B.V BODY COST. A comparison of the B.V. and B.11 body comes out as follows:- B.11 B.V. Material £142 - 10 - 6 £121 - 9 - 0 Labour £120 - 7 - 6 £ 52 - 0 - 0 Overheads £120 - 7 - 6 £ 52 - 0 - 0 Tools - £ 15 - 5 - 8 (spread over 500) Total Factory Cost £383 - 5 - 6 £240 - 14 - 8 10% Profit £ 38 - 0 - 0 £ 25 - 0 - 0 Selling Price £421 - 5 - 6 £265 - 14 - 8 In each case the figure represents a body produced with our existing quality of head cloth, leather, etc., etc., and painted and trimmed in any colour to suit the customer's requirements. It will at once be observed that the very appreciable reduction of £155 has been brought about on the B.V body. That we may proceed logically with further economies, it is necessary to know how this saving has been effected. | ||