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 discussing the cost of components for a Rationalised Programme and defending design choices against cost criticisms.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\2\ scan0162 | |
| Date | 26th April 1939 | |
| 1260 SECRET. Cost Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /Gry. {Shadwell Grylls} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /FD. {Frank Dodd - Bodies} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /AFM. {Anthony F. Martindale} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /Wym. {G. Harold Whyman - Experimental Manager} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /NRC. {N. R. Chandler} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /JBD. {John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /FJH. {Fred J. Hardy - Chief Dev. Engineer} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /CTS. {C. Trot Salt - Carburation} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /RC. {R. Childs} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /GR. {George Ratcliffe} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /Swdl. {Len H. Swindell} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /Ed. {J. L. Edwards} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 6/R.26.4.39. Cost of Components to be used for Rationalised Programme. We consider that the attached note from Leslie dealing with costs should be taken very seriously. We should like those whose sections are mentioned in this memo to reply to Leslie and deal with his criticisms in detail. It is not sufficient to say that the extra pieces we have are just nuts and bolts, but some justification must be given as to what a customer gets out of the additional complication. We still think that testers do not take sufficient interest in designs which are made as a result of the work done in the Experimental Dept. As an example, we say that fundamentally our air silencer is as simple as anything which is being made to do this work to-day. In detail, however, it is quite unnecessarily expensive to make. It is only necessary to look at the cost of the various pieces to appreciate that they have been drawn by someone who does not understand where costs arise in sheet metal bits. We say that this silencer has been in existence long enough for the development engineer to have had the drawing revised according to a more reasonable cost specification. The alternative, of course, is to try a standard proprietary silencer, which we are doing at present. In some cases, the answer to this memo will result in a criticism of the factory cost of producing parts. If we can show that fundamentally this labour cost is altogether too high, and this is why the bits cannot compete on price, this should be brought out in the reply to the memo. Shock absorbers and exhaust systems seem to us to come under this heading. | ||