Evening star., 1941-02-01
Machine Tool Priority
Status Indicates Few
Auto Model Chances
o. P. M. Request as rs
Defense Measure Becomes
Effective February 28

Automobile models for 1912 prob
ably will have fewer major me-
chanical changes from those OF
l94l than has been the case In any
single year in the mass production
history of the industry.
Farm equipment and other ma
chinery requiring machine tools
likely will retain substantially the
same standard models that they
have now for several years.
These were among the more i'm
mediate results foreSeen by repre-
sentative authorities of those indus
tries here today, following q re
quest" issued yesterday by the Office
Of Production Management that ma
chine tool builders deliver their
products only to customers who have
obtained a priority rating. The
request. tantamount to an order.
is effective February %.
To Cut Advance Orders.
Another effect of the request,
made by E. r. Stettinius, jr., direc-
tor of the o. P. M. Division of Prior
tiles, was expected to be a decline
in orders piled up far in advance.
This would be a natural develop
ment, machine tool experts pointed
out, since all machine tool build
erS have been asked to require
priority ratings and the o. P. M.
Priorities Division would see to it
that orders were filled strictly on
the basis of national defense need
regardless of the time that other or
ders might be received. In other
words, seniority in the matter of get
ting orders on record would be un-
important.
1t was pointed out, too, that Mr..
Stettinius' action would make dou-
bly, sure that there would be no
storage of badly needed machine
tools for plants not yet completed
while plants ready to operate stand
idle for want of such tools.
Bodies Can Be Restyled.
Automobile industry representa-
tives stressed that changes in body
style and interiors of cars. aside
from the engine and chassis, can
be made without new machine tools
and that 1912 models will not nee
essarily look like those of 194l.
Many of the body parts, like fen
derS and interior plastics, are made
from stamping devices rather than
cutting" or machine tools. A ma
chine tool, in technical terms, is a
manufacturing device with a cut
ting edge that literally chips out
parts of desired size.
In statement issued by the Auto
mobile Manufacturers Association
it is emphasized that:
Insofar as production of motor
vehicles is concerned, the automobile
industry is out of the market for
new machine tools. And the estab-
lishment Of priority for machine tool
delivery, as announced by the Office
Of Production Management, will not
AFFECT either 1941 or 1912 models" /"
The statement mentioned, how
ever. that the automobile companies
have on order and are obtaining
deliveries on many machine tools
for carrying out urgent defense con-
tracts. These tools, of course, will be
on the priority list.
Action Anticipated.
Plans for removal of motor We
hicle plants from the machine tool
market have been under way for
several months, and the associations S
statement asserted that this action
'is in line with the industry's pledge
of last October to subordinate all
model change work to the defense
program"
K. T. Keller, president of Chrysler
Corp. has pointed out recently that
production of defense materials
quite likely will affect the volume
of new passenger car and truck pro-
duction for domestic use. The vol
ume of motor vehicles produced
will depend more on available raw
materials, it was understood, than
on availability of new machine tools.