Evening star., 1926-11-21
AUTO MAKERS GUARD SECRETS
EVEN FROM THEIR WORKMEN
Highly Specialized Labor System Results
in Only Few Engineers Knowing New
Moves in .Industry's Growth.

Whatever Ford finally does In a
way of meeting his new competition
will not be what the rumor-mongers
say. OF course. much that is rumor'
ed is circulated with a view to assist
ing competitors. To say that Ford
Is going to adopt a three.speed trans
mission helps all of his four-cylinder
competitors. To say he is going to
nut out a six helps manufacturers OF
small skies.
These experimental cars one sees In
and around Detroit are a most eff
fective camouf1age. Several years ago
d big Detroit company placed an
order for materials for an automatic
transmission. The company that got
the order told the world and the secret
was out. SO the car manufactures
swung the surprise by canceling the
order and not adopting the automatic
device.
Since several manufacturers have
done away with the yearly model
business surprises are sprung In
most unexpected way. New and clever
devices are on the cars and in use be
| fore competitors know anything about
it, Several recent changes in the
Dodge car illustrate this.
fFNc AS
Where the public or the trade Is let
in on a secret it is only because the
manufacturer knows that he needs all
the publicity he can get. One Of the
new cars to be announced very short
ly has been known to the trade for
quite some time. Nothing about the
car is designed to put competitors into
a spasm, but the public doubtless will
be impressed. Thus, the manufacturer
prefers to have rumors broadcast. To
gain the attention of the public as he
would like probably will require, In
addition, million or so spent IN ad
vertising.
One of the national periodicals re-
quires advertising copy from six to
eight weeks in advance. Thus few
in the advertising and publication
business frequently come into posses
sion of facts sufficiently early to JUS
tify the assumption that they are I'm
the know" but the manufacturer
often holds back on the big surprise
the price-thereby keeping q large
portion of the cat still. in the bag
Later. and on very short notice, he
springs the price In the daily papers
The motorist often wonders how thu
details of a new car can be kept un
sand workmen in the factory are com
ing in such close contact with 1t. Are
they all pledged TO keep mum? Il
there some system whereby they for
felt their Jobs If they tell? How woulc
the manufacturer know where thu
| leak developed?
This Is simply explained when it IL
borne in mind that though the work
men may work on the new produc
for weeks before it is divulged to the
public they do not know its innermos
secrets. They do not know what 4
will do nor why it will do 1t. All tina
Is the secret Of few engineers.
| Recently a new car was shown II
develop it's maximum torque at a sur
prisingly low car speed. This was th'
real piece de resistance. Men wht
built that car day after day did no
know anything about this engineering
| feat until the news was given to thu
public.
Work is so highly specialized at th'
motor factories nowadays that 1t !!
difficult for any one man to know
what is happening to the whole car
and it Is like putting together a Jig
saw puzzle to get the whole picture
The instructions are to drill some sin
gle part a little deeper or to hammer
something else a little harder: th'
skilled workman goes about his tasks
and may never realize until he reads
the advertisements in the newspapers
and magazines that he was within al
inch of a big automotive secret.
Copyright. 1925.)