THE ASSEMBLY LINE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 132, 7 June 1930, Page 27

THE ASSEMBLY LINE

'QUICKER AND BETTER ELECTRIC WRENCHES Production methods have progressed during the last ten years as much as, if not more than, automobile engineering itself. Take the assembly lino, for example. > That one big plant in 1920, the as- ' ..•° * ■ i sembly chain, winch moves all the ears , down tho lino together, ran at the rate J of about four feet per minute. To-day < tho assembly chain runs at sixteen J feet per - minute. The greater speed of ( the assembly chain is possible because tho, parts are being moro carefully - made, with less .variation allowed than in the old days, so that they slip right 4 in place without the need of hand fit- , ting- . ' ' g Along the entire assembly lino arc electrically .operated socket wrenches .. that quickly tighten the nuts to the de- jj sired degree.- • Back in 1920 hand ( wrenches .and. hand tools of other vario- ~ (ties were very much in evidence. Tiiis and the'fact'that the men work in three f crews along. the assembly line, each 0 man . taking every third chassis as it t comes along and doing his special job, are the reasons for the gain in speed. The result is clearly a better automo- s bile in spite of the faster work. j, This particular assembly line is 1300 « feet long, and travels at the rate of sixteen feet per minute. A chassis takes n just eighty-one minutes' to traverse the \, length and become a finished oar. t)