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anizing and Maintaining THE] 4PIRE'S LARGEST FLEET

6th April 1940, Page 31
6th April 1940
Page 31
Page 30
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Page 31, 6th April 1940 — anizing and Maintaining THE] 4PIRE'S LARGEST FLEET
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

What was Revealed which is Responsib of all Mechanical

a Visit to an R.A.O.C. Depot, )7. the Supply and Maintenance

'tides for the Imperial Forces at e and Abroad

0 NE day last week .a representative of this journal inspected the largest Store of spare parts he has ever seen. This fact is mentioned because the quantity, of spares carried ,is, a reasonable indication of the size of any business. We have been told that, in one of the largest motor-vehicle factories, the stock comprises supplies of something like 25,000 different items, but the stores visited last week topped the 140,000 mark.

This is just part of the R.A.O.C. depot and its size is not surprising when one learns that it is responsible for the supply and maintenance of all mechanical, first-line and fighting vehicles for the Imperial Forces at. home and abroad, so that deniands must be met for replacements to machines of every British make and type. This was a lightning tour and, although lasting three hours, the programme neeeisitated hurrying from section to section and travelling by bus from point to point in the depot.

• Chance for Manufacturers to Learn . • There was, a time when the organization of military .

store's. fell-far below the efficiency of the ordinary cOrnmercial undertaking, but this R.A.O.C. depot is a place where almost any manufacturer might discover some branch in which the methods are more productive than

his own.

Quite frankly, those responsible must have picked the brains of various large concerns, particularly in the motor trade; and adapted the arrangements to-suit army requirements. . Internally, the whole depot is modern in its conception...

When the organization was first set up, experienced civil serVints • were brought from .other parts of the country to initiate the varibus-•:4sterris:. Now the staff, comprises Soih'e thousands of Civitsers-rantS, Soldiers, and . girls -c5f he Aiitilidry-Territorial–SeiViCe.;•iii l'aa,' the -total number employed is something like 10 times as great is it wa-s a year ago. Naturally, the declaration of war necessitated the removal of a large number of trained staff, but the remaining key-men have been supplemented by many officers from commercial life, often directly from important vehicle-manufacturing concerns.

This depot is a distribution centre for the smaller depots in the various Commands, which carry stocks for issue to units and different establishments. They rnare the retailers, with the main depot acting as the wholesaler. Of course, no vehicles are made there; they all come from the manufacturers, the resources of which must, at present, be severely taxed-1)y military demands-.

• Vehicles and Spares for Many Sections • The R.A.O.C. supplies vehicles and spares to all sections of the army, except the R.A.S.C.—everything from -motorcycles at one end of the scale to the tankrecovery vehicle at the other. The latter machine is probably the most effective line in breakdown wagons yet devised, and its unladen weight is a little matter of 10 tons.

The main functions of the depot are the receipt, equipping and issue of all mechanical first-line transport and fighting vehicles; the purchase, storage and issue of spare parts and components for the repair and maintenance of all vehicles; the repair and overhaul 'of a proportion of army vehicles and the central repair of assemblies; the issue of vehicles and spares to British forces overseas; the training of R.A.O.C. artisans, storemen, clerks and other specialists in the duties which they are likely to be called upon to perform.

To Make this vast machine run smoothly, careful staff work is rt-quired, and the main clerical section is housed in a late separate building. An endless belt runs the entire length of a huge room, dividing the control branch from the buying department. Both departments are split up into " cells," each of which deals with a particular make, or makes, of vehicle parts, or groups of general stores, and they are so situated along each side of the belt as to enable them to maintain close co-operation.

After a requisition from a unit has arrived in the office a slip of coloured paper'or tab is affixed to it, denoting. its order of priority. It is then gitren a control number and certain details of the requisition are extracted on to a cardboard strip, which is inserted in a special' visible file to enable the progress of the order to be checked. The requisition is then placed on the conveyor and held down by a weight bearing the relevant cell number and, by means of a press-button that lights a lamp and sounds a small buzzer, the receiving cell is warned that the document is on the way.

After checking and making any correction that is necessary, the requisition is again placed on the conveyor and carried to another part of the office for the preparation of an issue voucher or invoice. A vacuum tube then carries the voucher to the distribution stores. Various mechanized accounting systems are utilized.

Hundreds of vehicles of different' types leave the depot every day and proceed to, perhaps, France, Egypt, the Near East, China or elsewhere. In these circumstances, it is no light task to maintain a record of the location of each machine, and the work in this connection is minimized by efficient recording with Cope Chatterson Paramount Card Indexes, the methods being modelled on those in use at Scotland Yard.

• Working of the Card Index System •

This application of the Cope Chat system, as it is known, provides for every possible detail regarding the vehicle to be indicated by a system of clipping on the edge of each machine's individual record card. Cards are then filed away in cabinets appropriate to the division with which the motors are working. On the reverse side of the card, details are entered to show movements from .division to division and times when the machine has been returned to workshops. For the purpose of keeping these records, advices are sent in on special army forms from the various units. A pink record card is used for fighting machines and a yellow card for the load or passenger-carrying vehicles. By means of the punched holes already mentioned, it is possible to insert a patent needle through these apertures, so as to ascertain, at a few seconds' notice, the number of a particular make or type of vehicle in the possession of any unit.

New vehicles are ordinarily delivered by manufac tarers and are taken over by the Vehicle Reception Store, where they are inspected and serviced. Here, there is most up-to-date maintenance equipment, including hydraulic hoists, pressure washing plant, separate battery-storage facilities a.qd such valuable auxiliaries as automatic engine starters.

From time to time unexpected demands are received for the speedy despatch of a large number of vehicles and, to provide for such contingencies, a sub-section of this department packs equipment in readiness. All necessary tools and certain other items of the vehicle's kit are made up into sets, carefully checked and packed in boxes that are marked with the name of the vehicle and the contract number, so that they only require placing in position before the vehicle is sent away.

Women Undertake the Delivery of the Lighter Machines

The men deliver machines direct to the home units requiring them, or, in the case of overseas orders, drive them to the appropriate port. In the case of -smaller types, say, up to 30 cwt., delivery is frequently under-• taken by women drivers of the A.T.S.

The vehicle manufacturer, dealing with only one make, has usually an extensive store of components and spares, but the R.A.O.C., with almost every known British vehicle on ,its books, has to be prepared for demands that no commercial concern could possibly tackle. This is particularly apparent in the component store. This section has for its customers all the units in the British Army, and they must be supplied just as quickly and efficiently as the motor trade supplies its customers in civilian life.

The whole arrangement is controlled by a central index, which enables any item to be found without delay. Every component in the stores has its allotted bin and a bin card, which is connected with the main index. Extensive use is made of modem adjustable steel racks, and among the interesting devices are the special selectors' trucks fitted with shelves, trays and steps, the last-named serving as a ladder and acting as a brake when in use.

In addition to all the regular fixtures of the ordinary commercial stores, there are inspection benches fitted with roller runways and packing benches, each of the latter being for four packers and having receptacles for wood wool, nails, string, paper, and so on. By the side of the storage racks are Roneodex files, which tell precisely what supplies are available.

6,000 Engine Units Constantly Available for Replacement

In a separate section are complete engines of all types in. use, these standing ready for packing and *mediate despatch to any establishment that -'needs replaCenients. Some 6,000 units are constantly available; Before being packed in cases they are " bagged'! in waterproof paper and, later, are loaded straight into the rail trucks that are run right from that shop, across to the ports and, maybe, into France.

In the extensive workshops fighting machines and passenger vehicles of every known type are constantly being *reconditioned. The plant includes modern machines capable of dealing wit li any possible class of repair. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that the increased efficiency of the engine units in fighting machines has brought with it a need for additional tuning. For instance, the Liberty V-12 engine of aircraft type, used in the modem cruiser tank, enables the machines to do much that was impossible in the past, so that it is popular with the crews but presents decided complications in the matter of maintenance.

B6 The performance of these cruiser tanks on demonstration was certainly impressive, not only on the score of speed, but in respect of the manner in which they ploughed over rough ground and made light work of crossing deep trenches. In this department, again, there are facilities for dealing with vehicles of all kinds, from the despatch rider's motorcycle to private cars and heavy transport vehicles.

An apparently inanimate scene was formed by the vehicle shed, where vast numbers of machines stood ready for delivery. There was little sign of life—only hundreds upon hundreds of every type of fighting vehicle used in the army, as well as of all the passengercarrying machines known in civil life—and a lot more besides.

A type that attracted particular attention was the little water wagon, which is a compact, but powerful, vehicle carrying a tank and pumps. Where necessary, this can be run across-country to any lake or pond and a hose with filter nozzle dropped into the water, which is then pumped up into the container.

Fitting Recruits for Tasks for Which They are Most Suitable Military training, of course, is the first essential for the recruit, and he gets plenty of exercise, gas and arms drill, and the like, before reaching the stage of preparation specially applicable to the R.A.O.C. So that they can be allocated to a branch of activity where they stand the greatest chance of making good, recruits ate given a questionnaire which brings out their experience and particular abilities.

After the normal military and physical training, they are segregated into their respective trades and become artisans, storemen or clerks, later passing through various departments, so as to gain practical experience in preparation for their probable tasks while on active service. Hundreds of men are under constant tuition in engineering and general repair work.

The increased number of soldiers has, naturally, thrown some strain on the military cooking facilities, and to prevent difficulties that would arise if all men had the same meals at the same time arrangements have been made so that various dishes are available for different sections of the troops. Thus, one half of the soldiers will have bacon and egg one morning whilst the remainder has an alternative dish, and the following day the first lot will have the alternative meal whilst the second take their turn at bacon and egg. Numerous• recreative facilities have been developed for the men.

Productivity of the Depot Increased Several Times Over Although, so far, the war has been conducted on different lines from those originally expected, this particular R.A.O.C. depot has had to meet heavy demands for mechanical-transport supplies, and it says much for the organization that, since September last, its productivity has been increased to three or four times its peace-time level.

Up to the present, men other than those in the age groups being called up may have found some difficulty in entering the corps which does all this work, but it is understood that, in future, a proportion of technical men who are qualified for the particular sphere will be recruited from among volunteers. Generally speaking, motor-trade workers are particularly required, especially those with knowledge of road-transport storekeeping and accustomed to clerical work in the various branches of the automobile industry.


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