Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-01-03
JOHN RUD WRITES
ABOUT TOLEDO TR
Was Recent Visitor to G
Overland Plant at Toledo W.
5000 Other Dealers.
SAW THE CARS
IN THE MA
The Factory Plant. Occupies
Acres, With 4,4S6, $50 Squar
Feet of Floor Space.

Acres, With 4,4s6, $50 Squar
Feet of Floor Space
John Rud, of Rud Bros, Wi
Overland dealers of DEBORAH,
was one of the 5000 dealers visi
the great Toledo plant in connect
with the immense convention
there, recounts his experiences in
entertaining letter to the editor:
Some action! Nothing was
so impressive as our tour
great plant that turns out
Overland cars. Our Pullman
parked in the company yards.
was room enough, for there ar
en- and three-quarter miles of
within the plant Each man
card containing picture of
Willys and an autographed me-
of welcome from him. Next thl
knew we were lined up on the
of the stunning new administra
building, getting photographed.
vators shot us to the company's
restaurant on the sixth floor. Tn
We had a corking breakfast At es
plate was copy of the live NJ
Willys-Oyerland house organ IT
Starter. 1t mapped our days pr
gram. Then started our tour of t
plant. Our guides were careful
picked men. They knew the plan
from end to end. and the partie
were small so that each member o
the party could have his question
answered.
Nobody ought to try to sell Willys
Overland produces without knowint
this plant. gou can't grip the I'M
mensity of the proposition till yoG
do. NN
|. 1t is no piker business.
|, $25,000,000 are tied up in land,
buildings and machinery, lot to say
a word about the stock OF parts and
raw material.
From the roof of the wonderful
administration building, whicf
stands out like d state capital, yc
get great pano-.ss,sssss pf the plsI
Yon cam then ress EvTe tina
occupies l03 acres, with 4.4S6,6S
square feet of floor space in daily
use and production "a Qaeity OF
1000 cars per day.
You can appreciate the growth
from go employees in 1908 to IT,
800 in 1916.
1000 persons, more than the en-
tire manufacturing force of many a
company, work in the administration
building alone. This structure, 375
feet long, has every facility for raj
work, including dictaphones, its
telegraph and telephone system
a mail handling department
does about everything but write
letters. ...
3SS persons can be fed in the
taurant at one time.
But this is nothing to what
when You cross into the shops. It-iS
a whirl of action, yet all is system.
Parts by the untold thousands are
here, with a value into the millions
of dollars. There are lines of mo-
tors. l never saw SO many crank
shafts together. Our guide said g.
0OO-Pd have believed $4,000.
There is stock in bins, stock in
yards, stock along the walls, con-
meeting rods, frames, Tenders, mud
guards, hoods, rims, springs, axles,
torslon tubes, transmission gears
shafts, brake parts, steering rods,
pedals-it is an unendlng process
sion.
Every thirty days sees an average
of 1000 tons of steel come in. It is
handled by a magnetic crane that
enables two men 10 do a work that
formerly required thirty.
These are amazing machines.
The toggle press, for exa
held us all. This monster. wit
pressure of 1000 tons, shapes
steel like cardboard. A piece OF
tai fed to it comes out as
frame. 1t can make 1000 OF
in an eight hour day.
Other mighty machines stamp
radiator shells, tenders, cowl das
and doors.
You take off your hat to the d.
forging machines. Down comes
hammer and the fiery piece of ir
is beaten into shape. The compile
drop forging of the front axle can
accomplished with one heat.
Every kind of part requirir
strength was drop forged while W.
looked on, aXles, crank shafts, brake
ASSEMBLY rods, brake and coPf"~'
rods, spring shackles, gear bla
and brake rod sectors.
We saw the company's acciu
system OF die making. 1t calls 70
special workman on each detail.
works on the shaper, another on
planer and a third on die sinking
We looked-on While-whait, e.
of lumber were being turli
bodies in the wood work depa
This lumber comes in by carlo
PA feet of wood is requireS
small touring car, we could
see why so much was requirc,
But what impressed me M
all was the department in WI
terials are tested. They
know thing is right beforc
into a Willys-0yerland car
how they safe guard the pr
We followed the whole
We began at one end
frames and rear systems
place. By the time the
the conveyor is reache'
(Contti.as.sseed &c ~