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).
Supply chain difficulties with spring suppliers Firths and Woodheads.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 52\2\ Scan049 | |
| Date | 9th August 1922 | |
| -2- this matter and Wd. {Mr Wood / Mr Whitehead} and I have advised their Officials from time to time of developments. We were in hopes that no trouble would have arisen under this head and probably such would have been the case but for the fact that two firms who had placed large orders with Firths suspended deliveries recently and so brought their Spring Shop virtually to a stand-still. I have advised Ry. from time to time of the difficulties we might experience with Firths and he agreed in the circumstances we had no alternative but to place our orders with Woodheads in small numbers until such time as the Technical Staff reported that Firths had met their requirements but to keep up our pressure on the Experimental Shop to expedite such report, the orders placed with Woodheads to be so arranged that we should not expect Firths to give us bulk delivery at a moment's notice. Woodhead's Agreement expired last April. I have no doubt he will be disappointed to lose our business partly on the score of prestige, although I understand he has big orders from the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq Combination and other firms. At the same time I have advised him on various occasions that we are not satisfied with his prices but I have been unable to press the point unduly as we are only placing small orders with him pending result of the Firth's Spring trial. ROY. {Sir Henry Royce} | ||