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The Cost of Dirt
Page 45
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WHAT is the cost of a few small specks of dirt---£60, EN, £100? It depends, of course, on their location. In the back garden they have no value; in a gearbox, however, their value could, indirectly, easily run up to three figures if they result in vehicle downtime with its consequent loss of earning power. Vehicles off the road, as has been said so often before, do not earn money.
Dirt can get into running components in a number of ways. Some of these cannot easily be avoided, some can. Some should never happen. One such way is during repairs. It is quite astonishing how some quite large operators and repairers will pay careful attention to the cleanliness of the engine or pump test areas and then carry out component repairs in conditions which are not far above the primitive level.
This lack of thought, where it occurs, is particularly serious for the many smaller operators who rely on outside repairers for major work, especially where it is the type of repair which is more likely to be " mending " than unit replacement. If a fitter is sent out to do a repair at the roadside, he might spread out a newspaper to work on. It is regrettable, but true, that this often forms a cleaner working surface than he uses at base.
It is not unknown for a vehicle to be off the road for repairs, come back into service, and then be back off the road because the repair has broken due to being reassembled in a dirty condition. How pitiful that it should happen!
The moral is surely obvious. A little thought, a little care -and reasonable cleanliness.