New-York tribune., 1912-01-07
NOWSTANDARD|zED
Extreme Accuracy the Watch
word of Cadillac Company.
USE SPECIAL MACHINERY
No Trouble or Expense Spared
to Develop Efficiency Of
Automobile.
By n. r. Drysdsle (CadiIIac).

There is perhaps no single feature I'm
motor car construction the value Of which
is so little understood and given so little
consideration, both by manufacturers and
buyers. In proportion to It's importance. as
is the thorough standardization OF every
individual piece entering into the car. II is
easy. however. to understand the reasons
for this From the manufacturers point
of view there are TWO very obvious rea-
sons why true Standardization is rare.
First, Il requires an expert knowledge OF
what kinds of machinery. tools, fixtures.
etc, are necessary to accomplish this and
how to use them correctly when installed
Second It Is a matter OF cost. the initial
outlay being something enormous. Third,
II is something for which an organization
OF men and equipment cannot be perfected
In day. or month, or even year.
1t requires knowledge and experience, to-
gether with long and arduous labor In de-
signing and manufacturing the necessary
appliances With the hurry and furry meth
DDS which too often prevail in the rush 10
get out cars. the makers are disposed 10
ignore the essentials of quality and rerma-
nency. From the point OF view of many
purchasers IL is the absence of an under
standing Of it's value. and is one Of the
things that cannot be discerned by even the
most critical examination OF an individual
car
Standardization means making every
piece an exact duplicate OF every other
piece of its kind. It does not mean simply
| making them approximately alike, so that
no difference can be detected by the eye,
laak lie
not variation of the one-thousandth or
even the half Of one-thousandth, Of an inch
where accuracy 10 these degrees is essen
tial. A hair from a persons head averages
from two to three one-thousandths Of an
inch in thickness. When IL is remembered
that in the properly standardized car there
Is large number Of parts whose dimen-
sions are not permitted TO vary to exceed
from one-fourth TO one-half the thickness
Of a hair It is possible then to form some
conception of the extreme accuracy which
obtains
While the installation OF the right kind Of
special machinery, tools, jigs and fixtures
together with the plug and snap gauges
necessary 10 produce standardized parts, re-
ouires a large initial outlay, the expense is
more IMAM OFFSET DN tit SdNlis III
featuring cost, provided the maker Is pro-
ducing a sufficiently large number Of cars
I'm fact, manufacturing cost Is sufficiently
diminished 10 permit Of the cars being sold
fo- an sppreciably smaller figure than that
AT which It would be possible 10 sell an ap-
parently similar car made under less scIen-
tihc methods, AT the same time In the cor
rectIr standardized car the purchaser is re-
ceiving vastly better car in every respect
To the automobile owner the advantages
~ Standardization are numerous. In the
first place. It means the thorough inter
chanzea bity OF parts. It means that
when for any reason It becomes necessary
10 replace any part the new one will
fit exactly in It's place without altering in
the slightest degree. II means that the
parts will work in perfect harmony. and,
! consequently, that friction will be reduced
10 the minimum. These, in turn. mean the
maximum Of the motors power being de-
iivercd.