LIGHT VANS FOR RETAIL DISTRIBUTION.
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Suggestions and Criticisms Made at the Convention of the Incorporated Association of Retail Distributors at Olympia.
ONE of the most interesting functions which took place last week was the second biennial conference of the Incorporated Association of Retail Distributors, the papers being read by Mr. W. J. Hopton, J.P., of H. Holdron, Ltd., and vice-chairman of the I.A.R.D., on "The Body Construction of a Light Delivery Van," and by Mr. J. Wall, of Harrods Ltd., the subject in this case being "The Comparative Costs of Running a Commercial Fleet." The chairman was Mr. Eric M. Gamage, of A. W. damage, Ltd., who, incidentally, is chairman of the I.A.R.D.
Amongst many interesting points raised by Mr. Hopton, he said he was amazed that some of our biggest stores paid so little attention to the appearance of their vans. What was wanted was something distinctive, something with a design that would be known to the public immediately, without the necessity for a second glance to find the name of the owners; an illuminated sign to be read either by day or night was important, and red on black produced a most striking effect.
As to price, his company had not yet found an entirely British chassis which compared with the Ford tomer. By running a number of these and obtaining new parts from time to time the operating cost proved comparatively low.
A considerable sum could be saved by having worn parts treated by the Fescol process, metal being deposited on them to make up for wear.
As regards the size of the body, he considered that the most convenient dimensions for a stores handling mixed merchandise were r--Length behind driver's seat, 6 ft. 8 ins.; inside width, 5 ft.; height from floor to roof, 5 ft. 6 ins. • but with a van required for the delivery of furniture and other bulky goods, the comparative figures should be respectively :-8 ft. 6 ins., 5 ft. 2 ins. and 6 ft. 7 ins
Petrol and Electric Vans Compared.
The paper read by Mr. J. Wall proved not only long, but full of interest. He stated that Harrods divide their deliveries into "town," with a radius of 31 miles, and "suburban," with a radius of approximately 35 miles. For the lira, electric vehicles are used, each van making four deliveries daily, whilst the suburban trips were made daily by petrol vehicles. His company are in a specially favourable position as regards electric vehicles, because they manufacture their own current, and during the slack hours it is charged to the vans at Id. per unit.
The electric van scores because it is quiet, simple to drive and not off the road for so many days for repairs; it starts work instantly, wastes no energy when stopped and takes less space in the yard, garage and workshop. On the other hand, it is limited to approximately 40 miles on a full charge; it is slow, requires a night staff for charging and is expensive in first cost.
Comparison between the electric vehicle and the petrol type is difficult. The total upkeep, including depreciation, overhead charges, garage, etc., for the electric chassis is £369 per year, against £476 for the petrol, and the running costs are £177 for the electric against £204 for the petrol.
The gross mileage of the petrol fleet in 1924 was 1,283,051, or an average of 12,831 per vehicle. The total upkeep costs worked out at 8.93d. per mile, made up as follow :—Petrol, 1.19d.; oil, .23d.; tyres, .57d.; repairs and garage, 1.28d.; licences and insurance, .44d.; depreciation, 1.87d.: body maintenance, .53d.; driver's wages, 2.82d.
Recently the company invited an American expert in transport to overhaul the working of the despatch c28 department. Only two suggestions resulted, and both these proved impracticable. One was to dispense with the second man; but this is quite out of the question, as heavy loads are not only delivered to the customer's door, but to the cellar or store cupboard, and even up several flights of stairs to fiats.
In a discussion which followed, Mr. Wall was asked whether his company employed two men on small machines of 10 cwt. to 20 cwt., and he replied that this was found advisable because of thegreat number of small parcels which had to be dealt with.
In reply to another question, he stated that the petrol van working within 35 miles of London made during normal times 70 to 100 deliveries per day, and in busy times, such as during sales and Christmas-time, as many as 250 per day.
Co-operative Transport—a Hint.
Mr. Wall mentioned that it was impossible to compare American and British methods. For instance, London stores dealt very largely with perish Ale foodstuffs, whereas in America this was practically never done. He made the interesting suggestion that it might pay to form a subsidiary company to run a motor cooperative fleet to deal with the transport of the various companies, and this was the only practicable method of reducing costs.
A point that came out in the discussion was that the income tax authorities took into consideration depreciation at either 15 per cent. on the first cost or 20 per cent, on the falling value, but the latter method means that the vehicle is never really written off.
After the luncheon which followed the convention, Mr. J. Maughlling, the chairman, following the toast of "The King," gave that of the "Incorporated Association of Retail Distributors." He mentioned a convention at the Commercial Vehicle Show of 1923, when a type of vehicle was suggested to the manufacturers, and he pointed out that they had gone a long way to meet the requirements then given, that there had been enormous improvements in design, resulting in a considerable reduction in running costs, and he had no doubt that every niember of the Association would find in the Show something to meet all his requirements.
The toast was responded to by Mr. Eric M. Gamage, who thought that the Exhibition was confined rather too much to the heavy vehicle, and that the choice in light vehicles was limited. He thought that much could be done to develop types of body which would permit Improved loading and unloading, and suggested the employment of a quickly detachable body which could be removed for loading by night, and gave this as an idea for future development.
An Annual Show Advocated.
In toasting "The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders," Sir Sydney M. Skinner, J.P., of John Barker and Co., Ltd., began by commenting upon the lapse of time since the last Show, and said he could not understand why there was not one every year, as in such a young industry developments of a most important nature might occur between Shows separated by a matter of years. He thought the motor industry was in a very live and alert state, and did not appear to suffer from depression, and this he believed to be caused by the capabilities of the men behind the business. He believed that the British manufacturer need have no fear of foreign competition, providing he did not diffuse his energies too much, and he gave it merely as a suggestion that it might be advisable to go in more for specialization.
He deprecated the retrograde attitude of some
distributors who had returned to horse traffic, but he admitted that for very close deliveries it might be more economical, and he suggested that the ideal vehicle for the drapery trade, and one which would meet with great success, would be the 15-cwt., built in such a way that it would be unnecessary to carry about a great weight of useless metal. It should have a moderate tax, be economical to run and have excellent service facilities, including a supply of cheap spare parts always obtainable. He would prefer a British product, as, in his opinion, the ability of our engineers was second to none in the world.
Sir William M. Letts, KB.F., president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, in his reply, said that the Society was always prepared to receive any suggestions for the advancement of the motor trade. He pointed out that the motor trade is not like the retail business, and that before entirely new designs are brought out it is always a question of getting rid of obsolete stock. It was not possible to have sales in the motor industry as they had in the.
retail trade. He asked the Association what they
would be prepared to pay for such a vehicle as that required.
Following this, lie pointed out that horses must be swept off the road as quickly as possible. Great efforts, said Sir William, are being made to obtain standardization in chassis frames, springs, weights, etc., but one of the greatest difficulties was to standardize bodies, and he would like the Association to draw up a specification for a body which would fit 90 per cent. of their business; at present every house wants something different.
His final plea was for assistance in the fight against the possible diversion of the Road Fund. This was not a selfish request, the problem being one most vital to industry and national in its importance, quite apart from the fact that increase in road construction and improvement in maintenance would cause a great increase in employment, and that the housing and slum questions would be greatly helped by the cottages which are bound to spring up along new roads.