The New Bean Chassis Makes a Good Impression.
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TRE new 30-cwt. Bean commercial motor chassis was submitted to a "christening at the Tipton works of Bean Cars, Ltd., on Tuesday last; Sir Robert Hadfield, Bart., chairman of Hadfields, Ltd., with the help of Mr. P. B. Brown, managing director of that company, Major A. B. H. Clerke, chairman of Bean Cars, Ltd., Mr. H. Kerr Thomas, and Mr. S. J. Egerton Banks, directors of the latter company, receiving a number of the leading agents in the country and representative members of the Fourth Estate. A tour of the machine shops and an inspection of the new foundry, now nearly completed, and of the bodybuilding shops in course of erection, gave the visitors an insight into the methods, facilities and capacity of the company. The offices and body-building shops at Dudley have been sold and the whole of the administration and production are being transferred to Tipton, which offers much greater facility for producing and distributing the, large output which the directors have in view.
The site area of the Tipton factory is 281 acres, the total floor area when completed in a few weeks' time being 398,000 sq. ft, and very shortly 2,500 workpeople will be employed there. The foundry at Smethwick, in addition, has a floor area of 76,300 sq. ft., and em ploys 500 men. '
The direbtors of the company are proud of the fact that the concern has an unbroken history in engineering of 101 years, and now that Hadfields, Ltd., own the whole of the ordinary shares and the majorportion of the . debentures, there is nothing to check the development of what has become an important unit in the motor car and commercial motor industry. Mr. Kerr Thomas, who is the President of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, has aimed at excellence and economy of method of production and of high quality of product, and the record of the Bean Commercial vehicle chassis shows that the mark has been hit.. In the new chassis, which was fully described in last week's issue of this journal, there is evidence of a complete knowledge of the requirements of the user and of a determination to give
him a vehicle which shall do itsjai' well 'and economically and which • shill . be a constant advertisement -for the name of Bean. . The price has been brought as low as is possible, for of the increase of /50 over the• price 'of • the 25-cwt. chassis, £30 has gone in providing the larger tyre equipment.
We were much impressed with the " lay out" of the machine shops and with some of the maeline tools; -Which were unique in that they had either been devised by the staff Or had been altered or modified and improved so that better results would be attainable. For instance, nearly all the, holes in the cylinder block are drilled at one operation, the top and three sides being attacked simultaneously by four gangs a drills. It takes less than a minute to remove a finished block . and to set • the next one in the jig, and the drilling of the holes with unswerving accuracy occupies 2 rains. 50 secs., so that the machine can deal with about 16 to 18 cylinder, blocks an hour.
Preeision appliances to ensure accuracy . and balance of parts, silence in operation; etc., are numerous, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the works and plant are entirely up to date, whilst the staff work finder good conditions and have every encouragement to give of their best.
The works when the extensions are completed will be capable of turning out 10.000 cars and commercial motors per annum—at present the figure is about 100 vehicles per week, and that figure will be rapidly increased as the facilities mature. The Dean lorry is greatly appreciated overseas, as -we 'know from our own sources of information, and just recently a very" lafte order has been received from Australia which is an earnest of more to come from that continent and our other overseas possessions.