The Washington herald., 1922-03-26
MOTOR ENGINEERS
ADD TO EFFICIENCY
OF AUTO INDUSTRY
s. A. E. Standardization
Responsible for Unity
Movement.
PROVES BIG SAVING
Useless Duplication of Parts
Factor in Waste Elm
inatien.
PROVES BIG SAVING

SaaNcu AOF years the DaSlC necessity OF
automotive engineering standardiza-
ton. There has been. however. som q
lack OF understanding OF the extent
ana magnitude Of the money saving
snected by Standardization and Of
the clear need for extending the
work In scope and intensity.
The actuaI work OF the American
automobile standards movement was
started by the engineering section OF
the automobile industry prior to 1910.
Only the engineers could initiate
SUCH work In q concrete constructive
way. and their continued support,
based on strong convictions. was es-
sential to the success OF the move
ment. It Is obvious, as II has been all
along, that the full force and ad-
vantage OF attainable simplifcation
and economy in the methods of de-
sign production and use Of automo-
i've apparatus are not .securable
without the whole-hearted atten-
tlon and cooperation OF the execu-
tives Of the industry.
The work has now reached a stage
where a unified movement all along
the line, in which the National Auto
mobile Chamber Of Commerce and thu
Motor and Accessory Manufacturer
tAssociation will take a more active
part than heretofore, Is in prospect
All sound work must be based upon
proper test over a sufficiently long
period Pioneering Is a thing apart
and Its fruits must stand on their
merits for inevitable though delayed
recognition. The success that has
been attained by S. A E. standard
-ization would have been impossible
without constant and ever-increasing
sco-operation Of a remarkably loyal
mature from the industry In general
The procedure Of the society is
based on the patent fact that the an
5sineers alone cannot, even bv extra
fordinary EFFORT, bring about ADEQUATE
land widespread Standardization in
actual practice, for the simple rea-
Eson that the concurrent, willing and
shearty support OF the executives of
tthe Industry is requisite. This ap-
piles not only to the use OF present
IS. A E. standards. but to a still
fgreater degree to obtaining a fur
sther measure OF Standardization in
severy practicable direction. The
full benefits OF Standardization can
not be had in the face Of executive
Opposition. Neither can thew be
had from the listless acquiescence
fof any important section Of the in
idustry. The matter is primarily
zone Of all pulling together. The
-stake is . big one.
The profits from Standardization
begin with the first operation Of
fabrication Of material or part, and
increase In amount through the vari-
sous stages OF trade and commerce,
auntil the user Of automotIve appara-
stus Is reached. He reaps the greatest
penent Of all: Resistances Of all
kinds to the sale. operation and main
enance OF motor vehicles must be
eliminated or greatly reduced. There
Us nothing more effective in this con-
snectton than rational engineering
standardization. Its invariable effect
SIS to enhance quality and decrease
seost OF product. Service, long dis
icussed in many quarters, Is vet a
LARGELY unsolved problem. Basically
snothing Is as necessary TO motor-ye-
thicle maintenance as systematic serv-
nce conducted promptly at costs fair
10 al concerned. The satisfactory
isoluton Of this problem can be great
ty hastened by more complete STAN
tdardization. The greater the use Of
tautomotive apparatus, the greater tn
sneed for Standardization.
saving I'm Dollars and Cent..
The assignment OF a definite value
10 the saving effected by the use Of
-. A E. standards in the autonotive
Tndustry is fficult. An ANALYSIS of
sestimates made by 146 engineers and
executives Of leading companies in
sihe automotive field indicates their
Fopinlon to be that this saving
amounts to Is per cent Of the total
f,nhual retail value OF automotive pro-
80 49, - II current estimates OF IS. 0oo.-
POO.eOO be accepted as correct for This
MdnnudI production In
.seen that the saving would amount
70 sI5O.O00,O0O. While this f1rur. js
ssering and may be disputed, II
neVertheless should act as a stIrnuIu-
Tor the individual to datarr,ine
Nhether full realization from the
ue or ;. x. Z. standards IL bs-
png obtained by his company.
;Ine saving specified Indicates
hat has been accomplished throupb
partial adoption in practice of
SOo standards established by
Fhese standards with the narts and
materials that might be standard
9zed will indicate the astounding
possible saving ahead. This saw
ing viii be realized, however, onIy
At the direction Of the comnany
Executives. The application OF a
standard to a design may require a
large amount of thought ana time
ON the part OF the engineer. II
may be easier for him to NOT in
corporate the STANDARD. There NAV
be no immediate returns or saving
that could be credited to the en-
lgineering department. The exec
ntives OF the company, having
primarily the responsibility for the
welfare OF the company as a whole,
can evaluate the cumulative saw
Ing in dollars and cents possible
during approaching years from the
general adoption Of standards, and
should direct the efforts Of the en-
gineering. production and sales de-
partments to this end. This state
ment is in no sense invidious to the
Engineer. He has. created and will
support the standards. 1t is an
Economic fact that where the au-
thority is, there responsibility lies.
Both are with the executive in last
analysis. This is no time to ignore
economic facts.
II must be borne in mind that the
automobile business, inaugurated
less than a generation ago. intro
duced almost innumerable engineer
Ing. manufacturing and Industrial
problems which demanded and still
demand prompt and skillful atten-
fion. Engineering is the science Of
producing with the minimum waste
effort. The Society of Automotive
Engineers has been all along a
working agency OF high efficiency
IN these circumstances. Useless du-
plication of sizes of stock parts and
tnnece3sary divergence in specifca-
ton and design have been elm