KEEPING THE WHEELS TUR1 \TG UNDER WAR CONDITIONS
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How Coaches and Components, Ltd., has Adapted its Organization to Meet Operators' Emergency. Requirements REPUTATIONS of the right sort cannot be readily made, but are easily lost. Good work and helpful advice are admittedly remembered, but they do not react to the doer's advantage so rapidly as does a failure to his damage. Reputation has been described as a bubble, but it is probably built up on a basis of solid and sturdy merit and by a slow process. •
Those who appreciate this and who have established themselves as possessors of goodwill, avoid risking its loss by departing from the methods and practices that have achieved them their fortunate status.
This philosophizing is .prompted by a visit to a prominent London repairer and bodybuilder—Coaches and Cornponents, Ltd., 469, Holloway Road', N.7, which concern exemplifies the worth of a good name, and is fully aware of the value of a reputation-for quick and efficient service and of the importance of guarding it.
An inspection of its premises and the work in hand brought to our artention many points of interest. Although it ,has always specialized to a considerable extent on passenger vehicles, the company by no means confines its activities to this field.
It is main Dennis distributor, Bedford dealer and Gifford specialist, holding big stocks, of spares for all three, notably the last-named, for which a national service is maintained. Roughly, the work it undertakes can be dissected into these groups: body building and repair—a comprehensive class including painting, trimming, etc.; overhaul—meaning stripping chassis right down and reconditioning throughout; servicing—to the extent of decarbonizing; fitting new rings and doing-up bearings; and breakdoWnsrepresenting salvaging crashes on a big scale.
Of these, the first and second seem to comprise together the service with the biggest appeal at the present time. Operators are glad to avail themselves of this particular facility. Instead of following what would be the practice of normal times and scrapping -the vehicles Which have_ completed their useful life and reached the end of the period over which their depreciation has been calculated, they can, for a cost not greatly different from that of a new machine, havi4 them completely reconditioned in respect of body and chassis.
When a machine has been through this comprehensive overhauling process in the hands of Coaches and Components, Ltd., it is good for another period of life probably equal to that which was ahead of it when it first left the works of its maker. Naturally, Bedford, Dennis and Gilford machines are those which the company is best equipped to recondition in this way.
Associated with the overhauling and servicing groups is the company's component reconditioning scheme. There are, in point of fact, two systems— exchange and loan. They embrace engines (notably Bedford, Dennis and Gilford). axles, gearboxes, universal . joints, Brake-shoe assemblies, engine aUxiliaries, magnetos, dynamos and starters and batteries.
In some cases, the customer's' old unit is replaced by one that has been reconditioned and the charge made for the work found to be necessary • to renovate the former; in others, a. unit is loaned while that of the .customer is being overhauled and the latter is subsequently replaced in the chassis.
Whilst the latter scheme involves two removing and installing operations; the former means that the customer loses his original unit. Iii so far as engines are concerned, it is usual to apply the exchange plan to units of the mass
• produced type, whilst those commonly described as "hand made" are reinstalled in the chassis to which they belong after overhauling. The loan system is also adopted in connection with batteries, a replacement being lent while. the •customer's accumulator is on charge. Considerable business of this nature, we understand, is done with the Lorfdon County Council, which has a big fleet of auxiliary ambulances.
Operations such as cylinder, boring and sleeving, bearing remetalling, etc., are entrusted to a specialist, and, unless otherwise specified, they are done by the Clemshill Motor and General Engineering Co., Ltd., Glacier bearings or bearing metal being employed. All ordinary jobs, of course, are executed on the premises, valves and valve seats, for example, being trued with Black and Decker apparatus.
Coaches and Components, Ltd., is well equipped for electrical repair work, employing two expert electricians and having a Hobart test bench incorporating a variable speed motor, adjustable spark gaps, etc., a Newtons charging board and remagnetizer and an A.C. appliance for testing sparking plugs under compression. Mr. Smith, the service manager, remarked to us that this device was " worth its weight in gold."
A Dennis .5-6-tonner is the basis of the company's heavy breakdown lorry which, with its breakdown squad, is said to be capable of tackling practically any crash, however awkward. We were informed that it is in frequent demand as the company is well known as a salvage specialist. It is equipped with a powerful Minn Egerton crane and an extensive selection of other gear, including crowbars, timber baulks, etc.
It is well worthy of mention that several pairs of waders feature among this tackle, and a story was related to us of a tipper, carrying a load of ballast, that had to be got out of a river. It was in several feet of water and the ballast was unloaded on to the river bottom to reduce the depth and provide foothold for the men. Only the day before our visit the breakdown wagon had been out into Hampshire and had brought in a vehicle found standing on its radiator, having run down a practically vertical 10-ft. bank.
We saw in the shops 21 commercial vehicles undergoing repair, among which was a number of Gilford military coaches. Six of the 21 were complete overhauls, comprising one Bedford, two Dennis vehicles, a Morris-Commercial and two Gilfords.
The average maximum time allowance for a big overhaul is 14 days, unless body repainting, which cannot he done until after the other work is finished, is involved, when the period is three weeks.
Overhaul and service each has its own place in the works and its own indeperdent staff, with separate charge hand. Thus there is a degree of specialization which promotes efficiency, and to get .a job out quickly in this works comes second only to doing the work well..
The army vehicles referred to above are representative of a considerable field of activity on the part of the company. They are largely impressed machines--Gilfords and other makes— which come in for a 20,000-mile docking, falling, therefore, into the servicing group. The operation occupies seven days and usually includes taking off the head and sump, doing up the big-ends, inspecting the mains, fitting Cords rings to the pistons, removing and stripping both axles, checking, but not dismantling the differential, dismantling springs, refacing the brake shoes and the clutch, if necessary; inspecting the gearbox, fitting a new centre propeller. shaft bearing, if required; overhauling universal joints and attending to the brake system, Lockheed or otherwise.
Even if extra jobs are found to be needed they can generally be included in the time. Iii the case of Gifford chassis, the Gruss air springs are overhauled—a highly specialized operation, involving the use of certain special took.
In practically all cases estimates are based on road tests, the experienced testers being abl to determine with remarkable accuracy from a run on the road and a few simple further investigations, what work will be involved.
Not the least impressive section of the works is the stores, which are well stocked with Bedford, Dennis and Gifford spares, in addition to articles of n more general nature. Then there is the paint shop, well protected from dust and provided with curtains and screens for light control, heating apparatus and B.E.N. -paint-spraying equipment.
In the trimmer's shop an interesting machine tool is a dual-purpose band saw. It has two blades, one for wood, the other for metal and mechanism for affording the widely differing cutting speeds for these substances. Yet another interesting department is the panel shop, equipped with rolling and shearing machines, forge, welding plant and, of course, panel-beating apparatus.
There is also cleaning and ..greasing equipment, the latter being. of Tecalemit make. For lifting engines out of forward-control chassis a modified HarVey Frost portable crane is used with low lifting arms. For general garage use, there are 10-ton girder hoists.
Work now in progress further to improve the establishment includes the installation of air lines and compressing plant and additions to the system of pits. For the benefit of employees there is a commodious air-raid. shelter furnished with coach seats and adequate messing arrangements.