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 procedures, comparing UK and US methods, and considering the in-house production of specific electrical components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 39\3\ Scan036 | |
| Date | 10th December 1920 | |
| RG{Mr Rowledge}/G15.3121. -3- Contd. only, and avoid entirely a staff of fitters. It must be a question of expert tool-makers, semi-skilled machine hands and assemblers. We must thank Mr. Hives for pointing out the entirely dissimilarity of our procedure with reference to this work on this side of the Atlantic compared with the practice adopted in the States. I am sure that the points mentioned above, the careful avoidance of hand-work, and the realisation that the cost of hand-work is at the rate of 1d. per minute, will enable us to do much towards getting on a better foundation. Unless I think we can obtain the support at the Works to adopt this up-to-date means of obtaining a creditably finished piece of work without hand finishing, I cannot possibly recommend the management to go in for the production of our own electrical equipment. I am, however, very encouraged by the vast improve-ment we have made in the equipment of our 40/50 H.P. as judged by the examination of 6 EX, compared with the Lucas equipment which was put on the first early post-War cars. I am not considering for a second the manufacture of electricalparts which are not particularly designed for our chassis, that is, we should not think of touching lanterns, magnetos, accumulators, lamps, cables, Klaxons, but I do believe that providing we have only a smaller number of models, we can successfully and profitably make starter motors, dynamos, and ignition equipment, and suitable switch-boards and distributing boards. R.{Sir Henry Royce} R.R. 'S'DEPT (T.S.) 100. 10-12-20(C). 2947 | ||