The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-01
|FQRO USES NEW
ASSEMBLING SYSTEM

The Ford Motor company. conun-
ualiy prodded by the extraordinary
growth OF Its business to speed up its
production and TO discover time ana
|jabor saving devices, recently ADOPT
"a a new system for the maj a.
|sembling Of cars which gives a visitor
Is the plant an astonish'ngly v'vad
smnressdon Of the significance of the
Ford output
when one sees thirty rear axies
grow to real motor cars WITHIN an
hnnr and what was. comparatively
few feet away, an inert piece OF metal
roll out the door n completed, com
pNcated automobile running under Ns
avn power. words fal The visitor Is
stunned. He fails to grasp all that ne
would of the real significance OF the
industrial miracle. For comparisons
he gropes around and stumoles on
chickens Matching by the wholesale IN
glass incubator.
Heretofore the final assembling OF
Ford cars wac q matter OF showing
section Of partially completed car
onto group Of men. who put IN
another part and showed the car on 60
| the next group. Cars were thus kept
moving along In four long rows me
same system now prevails. the as
sembling being done In four rows.
each goo feet long, but one or the
four rows has the advantage OF new
ARRANGEMENT in the way OF conveyor.
with the aid OF the conveyor pro-
duction il speeded UP so that the line
produces thirty completed cars IN an
hour. There is very keen rivalry
among the workmen Of the four dif-
ferent assembling tines. especially
aince the adoption Of the mechanical
kconveyor, which Is really being test
I'd out.
At the beginning Of the assembling
fine Ia q heap OF rear axies. These
are showed along from group %
rroup. until the skeleton OF chassis
With whefs Ia evolved. Then sthe con-
yavor IA reached This consists mere
~ OF two endless rows OF revolving
Wteel wheels. set in grooves on wnlcn
the car rests. Each car Is coupled
TO the one In front. and power de-
vice with attachment and starting
lever shoyes the row Of coupled skele-
ions up the line. Every few feet
stands q group Of workmen, under
their own foreman, whose duty Ia TO
40 one simple operation IN assembling.
One group fastens on the gasoline
tank: another drops In the complete
engine another fastens the steering
| apparatus In place: another puts on
q certain bolt, etc. Inc IoHs ms "
skeleton cars. always growing little
more like a real automobile every
few feet, moves just slowly enough
over the rollers OF the conveyor to
rive each group Of men time enough
+ 10 do one special Job. Naturally there
xan be no loafing. AS soon as a radi-
Al0r IL on or a gasoline tank arranged,
| the next car has crept up and Is
waiting to be similarly treated. The
| factory is 80 arranged that these
various parts Of the car are easily
accessible. Some drop from the
Moor above BY gravity Just where
/ they are needed. some are carried TO
their place In the assembling line py
pOwer conveyors.
When the upper end of the Tine Is
reached the car Is complete, every
mart in place and ready to run. The
back wheels are set spinning by the
|eonveyor on which they rest. That
starts the engine without the neces-
0tty OF cranckking 1t. A tester hops
Into the seat, There Is shove OF
lever from behind which starts the
lear off the conveyOr. The clutch Is
&hrewH In. and the ear rolls on the
3loor, the front wheels hit q swing
~ door 10 arranged that this action
I01e u automatically, and the car
~ shipping yard, where there