The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-21
A REMARKABLE CHANGE
What the Studebaker Corporation
 Did in Single Month.

When the industrial history of the twentieth century is finally written, its most thrilling chapters will almost surely be those that tell the story of the motor car-its sudden dash to popularity, it's marvellous manufactur- ing successes. and it's costly tactical features. So say men learned in the lore of the. business world. Certain 1t is, at any rate, that no department of the worlds manufacturing history has yet furnished so great an amount of industrial romance. 1~F l., News of the latest feat of this kind comes, as one has learned to expect, from Detroit. In one week, a firm manufacturing annually an output
 marketed at $50,00o, 900, completely re- organized the executive personnel of it's system of distribution and then, scored sales success during the first month, that eclipsed all its former
 records for, a, similar period.s, How this was done, without in the least disturbing the progress of a busy
 selling season, is a story of vital in terest to every business man.
 The firm is the Studebaker Corpor-
 ation whose mammoth automobile di-
 vision, manufacturing EMF '.9O' and Flanders "20' cars, maintains a round
 dozens plants. The Studebakers mar
 ket their product through a system
 of forty branch warehouses and ser
 vice stations in the main trading cen
 ters. Each of these supplies cars di-
 rect to that part of the 2,200 Stude-
 baker dealers in its territory. The
 branch managers make all contracts
 and, to practical ends, each is the
 Studebaker Corporation in his own re-
 zion.
 A combination of circumstances made it advisable, in the Judgment of the Studebaker management, to elim- mate certain element in it's sales department. The change involved the sales manager, his assistant and the managers Of nearly a third of the firms branches.
 To the automobile world the emer- gency seemed unexpected Such was, however, far from the truth
 When Germany decided to 20 to war with France General Won Moltke took from certain pigeon-hole in his desk up months before. When; his emer- sency came General Manager Gum of the Studebaker Corporation did vir- tually the same thing.
 An experienced sales manager, Er- nest R. Benson, was already in wait ing. With him, as assistant. came Arthur I. Philip, also man peculiar ly fitted for his work. For every branch in which change was nec- eesary, there was ready the assign ment of a manager, every appointee carefully schooled for his particular job.
 The change was made during the first week of May. Almost on that exact date, the automobile buying public made a concerted onslaught on Studebaker. dealers, which disposed of virtually every car on their floors, and this despite the fact that the company had made most generous provision for the expected rush. Sew eral of the. branches where changes were made. were among the sales leaders for the month.
 Incident to the revision and harmon izing of the sales department, Sales Manager Benson announces a com plete list of the new branch manager appointments.
 All these men are now firmly es tablished in their new positions, the change having been effected without, SO far as known, interfering with the sale of single car or the disaffection of a single dealer.