The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
FIRFSTONE CAPACITY HAS HIT
$4,000 TIRES EVERY "a HOURS
New Plant Gives Akron Con-
Germ Americas Largest PO-
tentiaI Output, Asserts Of
f~iCiaI-EmpIOyeS Aided.

Firestone now has the largest tire
capacity in America. according to an
announcement made recently in Akron
from the eompany's general offices.
It's two big plants are planned to turn
OUT 50, UOU tires and 10000 tubes daily.
When production has mounted to this
figure, a time near at hand. the demand
for Firestone tires. the announcement
continues, will still exceed the supply
The new building for plant No. 2,
which was completed just at the time
the government needed dirigibles, and
which was given over to the manufac-
ture of the same. has now taken up tire
production. 1t is devoted exclusively
TO 3h-inCh tires. Its capacity is &c.
1000 tires a day.
Plant No. |, which turns out 10000
tires a day. is concentrating on the
larger fabric tires, or cords and on
truck tires.
/. Plant No. ? has been declared by en-
= AgineerinE and manufacturing experts
to be the finest example of the modern
tire factory in the world. The best
brains Of the country have been con-
centrated upon its design as a factory
building, its mechanical equipment and
the manufacturing process used there
In. In this wonderful plant every APP
propriate labor-and time-saving device
or machine, has been installed. Nothing
has been overlooked which would aid in
eliminating lost motion, promote maxi
mum efficiency and contribute to pro-
duce the finest tires ever built.
Production Is based on the recently
worked out straight line method.
That is to say, from the time the raw
materials come into the factory they
move forward. never back. from the
hands of one worker to another. on a
straight course as nearly as possible,
until the finished tire comes through.
Mechanical conveyoTs everywhere
bring the workers their material. Some
of these cOnveyors are huge frames,
such as carry large rolls of cotton fab
tic to the calendars; others are merely
lightweight hooks, such as those which
= bring to the workers chair the sidewal
q or tread of the tire he is finishing. The
Carcass of the tire is built on four-men
machines, each of which has a capacity
of a tire a minute.
That quality may be guarded on this
. quantity production, inspectors stand
at regular intervals along the tires
course. BY eve, hand or mechanical de-
vice, they check every operation of ma
chine or workers hand. When a de-
feet is noted, the tire is thrown out.
In the making, of the larger tires, in
plant No. !, machinery does not play al
t., important a role as the skill of the
workman. Yet here, too, a large force
of engineers strives constantly to inject
more efficiency into production. The
success they have is evidenced by the
fact that although cost of materials in
2 creases, the retail price of Firestont
tires is not climbing. In fact the las
change announced was a Is per cen
reduction last spring.
g.. In addition to SO, 900 tires, Firestont
can turn out 40, 600 inner tubes daily
Rims ars also manufactured in larg,
quantities by the Firestone Steel Prod
= uCtS company. a subsidiary corporation
C The present rim plant is soon to b.
housed in d new 81, 900, 900 building
ground for which was broken thii
month.
Officials declare Firestone is able t.
give extra value in tires. tubes AM
rims because of the facilities alread,
enumerated, because of careful planning
and buying of raw materials. becaus
the distribution of the finished produc
branches and AZ, 900 dealers, and las
but not least, because the advantage
and prerogatives peculiar to member
ship in the Firestone organization at
tract and hold the best workers.
Firestone headquarters at Singapor
is no mail organization in itself. !
occupies a large and attractive build
ing in the Chinese port city. Its stat
saves car owners 81, 900, 900 a year, tn
company's officials say. by getting frs
choice of rubber at low cost and ship
ping direct. Cotton fabric, the mate
rails of second Importance in the max
ing of a tire; comes from a cotton fab
ric mill in which Firestone has inVeste