Our Despatches from the Front (No. 55).
Page 11
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Further Interesting Particulars of Up-to-date Shop Organization as Existing, in Overseas M.T. Repair Bases.
These niessages from Our Own Special Correspondents have been submitted to and censored by the Press Bureau, which does not object to their publication but tak,. s no responsibility for the correctness of the statements contained therein.—En.
KT, Repair Shops, Unit Shop Methods.
Although the actual methods of overhauling units at the Mechanical Transport Repair Shops are similar to those. practised in the better-class repair shops at home, the question of supervision receives, more than the ordinary amount of attention.
In civil life when a repaired lorry breaks down owing to defective workmanship, it merely entails a re-overhaul at the repairer's cost, but here a similar Set of conditiona often entails the loss ,of the lorry, together with the lives of the drivers and a valuable freight, the non-delivery of which might make all the difference between gaining or losing an important strategic i position n the campaign.
The Spares Question.
Realizing the supreme importance of reliable workmanship, the fitters in the unit shop are divided into gangs, and each bench is placed under the direct control of one man or N.C.O. who is made responsible for the quality of the work of the men forming his gang. This arrangement provides a chock on the details of the overhaul, each one of which cannot obviously be inspected by the senior N.C.O., who has as many as 30 or 40 jobs under way at the same time. The system also considerably facilitates the work of indenting for spare parts required on each unit and avoids delays in this direction. Say, for example, six fitters are at work on six engines of the same type, one man from the section may possibily overlook the fact that a certain part requires replacement, only to find, on subsequent rebuilding operations that the completion of his unit is delayed several days while the defective part is replaced. As now arranged, the examination is carried out by one man in each gang who makes out the order for all parts required by the men of his gang. The actual indent for stores is signed by the 0.1.0. Unit Shop, after which it is sent into the Repair Shop Stores Officer for attention.
Specialized Work.
The system of specializing on different jobs is carried out so far as is conveniently possible, as, for example, in the case of the truing up of worn or oval crankshafts. One turner confines attention to straightening and lapping all the crankshafts, and, while this is being done, the fitters are proceeding with other parts of the overhaul. The same applies to the re-metalling of bearings ; a jig for pouring a complete set of engine bearings at one " pouring " is used, and one man is responsible in this case. With regard to carburetter wark, each carburetter is removed from the engines on arrival in the Unit Shop, to be handed over to a carburetter specialist for re-adjustment. The latter process includes the testing of the petrol level on an appliance consisting of a petrol tank supported on a suitable pedestal attached to which is a vice capable of holding any make of carburettor; when the needle valve does not seat properly the former is replaced or trued up by grinding in a machine.