Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-04-15

WE HAD HOPED that this season the usual spring
scramble for automobiles would be averted in the case
of Studebaker cars at 1east-but alas for well laid
plans!
NOT THAT WE ARE CoMPLAINING-not in the least.
So far as we ourselves are concerned. Far from being
unpleasant the condition that confronts the Studebaker
Corporation this spring of 1912 is well nigh ideal.
IA IS SPEAKING from a manufacturers point of
view.
RIFT FROM YOUR sTANDPoINT-it is different.
That's what we wanted to talk about-and to advise
you how best to go about it TO meet the conditions
that obtain and ward off disappointment.
HERETOFORE AS YOU KNOW there has always been
a tremendous-one might almost say a hopeless-short-
age of Flanders 90 and Emil 80 cars in the spring
months-the rush season.
ONE OR TWO OTHER MAX that we're popular with
BUYERS shared with us to an extent this pleasurable
overIdemand. Pleasurable, but disheartening at that,
For one dishkes TO ~dsappoint SO many good friends.
Then too, when you know you make the best auto
mobiles for the money you hate to see good friends
forced to accept second bests.
THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN H CASE. We were
powerless to remedy it. The EMF Company was
Young. Had made tremendous progress, but there was
a limit to financial resources. And, anyway, factories
can be equipped only about so fast. Machine tools
can't be wished into form.
BUT THIS YEAR it was different. This big forty-hve
million dollar Corporation felt equal to the task of
supplying the full demand lot us TWO hooeiS-
culean tho it was.
WITH UNLIMITED CAPITAL at its command; with the
largest and best equipped plants in the world; with
an engineering and manufacturing organization second
70 none; contracts for material placed and deliveries
assured: it seemed as if even our splendid sales force
would be unable to keep ahead of the production de-
partment.
AND WE HAVE DONE ALL we set out TO do. That
;s 70 saw we estimated that $4,000 cars divided into
10000 Flanders POS" and 10000 EMF "30s), would
surely supply the demand.
WE FELT SURE WE HAD NOT underestimated the
demand. We knew the unparalleled popularity of these
famous cars not only throughout the length ana oreaotn
of America, but in all other civilized countries, but
WE HOUGH $4,000 CARS would do. Some of our
competitors warned us il was too many-the rest of
Them didn't believe we would or could make that many.
WELL, WE'RE UP to schedule few cars ahead OF II
on April 1st and we carried over from March TO April
orders for 4,722 cars. Most of them Flanders EOS.
LOOK AT THIS Records almost unbelievable. In
December. when would-be competitors were subsisting
on snowballs and waiting for the season to open up,
the Studebaker plants shipped $500 cars. In January
Inventory month";, 1000.
IN FEBRUARY, 1900; in March, 4,6o1, and the schedule
for April is 6,000-and, as we have said, we are a little
ahead of the schedule.
IN THE wICKEDEST WINTER in fifty years, you'll
recall. You'd have thought that would help us by re-
tarding the demand-it did leave other makers cars on
their floors. But seems as if the harder the conditions
of roads and weather the more careful people are about
selecting their automobiles.
5000 A MONTH is THE SCHEDULE for April, May,
June, July and August, and we'll make them, but as
the little boy said, that's our almighty darndest.
WORKING OVERTIME NOW-and men can stand only
about so much of that. We don't like overtime at all.
But we're doing our utmost to keep up with the demand
and we are still in sight of it, tho ~breathless.
THERE'S THE CONDITION as it stands today. 1t is
up to you. What are you going to do about it?
ANALYZE 1T: 1t means that a lot of people are going
to have to wait for deliveries and a lot more will be
sappointed-compened TO accept some other car
second best value-for all will not be able TO get Flan-
ders go" or EMF 800 cars.
1T ISN'T so BAD as it looks, in a way. The shortage
of Flanders "20s" is more apparent than real-for our
capacity is so more EOS per day than sos. But its
bad enough. And it shows We have again fallen short
of our ambition, hard as We have tried TO realize II.
WE ARE TELLING YOU THIS because We have re-
peatedly asserted to dealers and the public that We
would surely avert the spring scramble. Now that We
know that we have failed we feel that we owe you a
frank statement of the facts.
OF COURSE IN TELLING YOU we cannot help telling
our competitors also-and very naturally they will use
it against us--try to persuade you to buy their cars
on the same grounds as former years, you can't get
Studebaker Cause.-The model" And thatll be true
unless you beat some other buyer to it.
WE FELT SURE we would be able TO supply every pos
sible customer with a Flanders "20"-but remember
Of course ron are coming TO Detroit for Cad9aqaa, the gt