Analysing and Planning the Work.

Methods of work will be treated in a subsequent article, but the main thing is to analyse the “job” into units. Each process in the manufacture must be shewn graphically. Moreover, there must be a continuous stream of labour poured out the moment the initial process is set in train. As an example, consider the manufacture of a passenger coach. This falls into three aspects, namely. steel work, woodwork, trimming. These again make a schema, involving considerable thought, something likes this:-

This is but an outline of the labour involved. The next work is to “plan” the details so that labour on Sections A, B and C can be commenced concurrently. The time involved for each operation is known, so that while the steelwork is carried on the work of preparing the trimmings is in very active preparation. In point of fact the new Rotorua “de luxe express,” the construction of which I was privileged to see last January, through the courtesy of Mr. Sampson, Workshops Manager at Otahuhu, was built on these lines. At the same time as the bodywork was proceeding apace the brass-finishers, upholsterers, and painters, were all working at the job.