OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW TYRE FACTORY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26917, 1 November 1948, Page 7

OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW TYRE FACTORY

FIRESTONE ENTERPRISE IN NEW ZEALAND In the presence of a large number of the company’s guests, the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer, on Friday last declared “ officially open ” the new £600,000 factory of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of New Zealand, Ltd. The factory, at Papanui, Christchurch, is favourably situated for road and rail traffic. The plant, which is capable of producing between 90 and 95 per cent, of the tyre sizes required in New Zealand, covers a large area of ground. Open spaces are laid out in lawns, garden and drive, thus maintaining and furthering the Christchurch “ garden factory ” tradition. The main factory building is 580 feet long and 120 feet wide. This houses the production units which are so arranged that the raw materials enter at one end of the factory and finally emerge, as finished tyres and other products, in the warehouse. This system avoids bottlenecks and unnecessary handling and is in keeping with the modern trend of speeding production and, at the same time, facilitating the work of operatives. A separate boiler plant and power station provide electricity, steam, compressed air, carbon-dioxide and hot or chilled water for the different processes of manufacture. Railway sidings are arranged so that raw materials and finished products can be handled without undue delay of railway trucks. The administration block is a modern structure which by careful architecture, was adapted from two old buildings. This work has been so cleverly carried out that it presents the appearance of an entirely new structure. This was done to conserve the use of critical building material. Staff amenities are excellent. Also a modern cafeteria provides meals for the staff, which now exceeds 150. A casualty room, supervised by a trained nurse, permits instant attention should the need arise. A covered bicycle stand and a heated room for drying overcoats are added amenities for workers. The president of The Firestone International Company, Mr S. Broers, who travelled by air from San Francisco for the opening, stated that New Zealanders will have opportunities for advancement with the company. At the present moment, the factory is under the supervision of a group of production experts who arrived some months ago from overseas. Mr H. G. Miller, managing director, states that all raw materials that are available from sterling areas will be imported from such sources. He cites as an instance, the important commodity of natural crude rubber which has been, and will be, imported from Malaya. Mr Miller also advises that, while the first tyre was only produced in June, the factory is already operating at over half its capacity, which is on the basis of 120,000 tyres per annum. —Advt,