Why Not a Spare Parts Pool?
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A Suggestion That is Worth More Than Cursory Consideration in That It Would Assist in Solving a Problem of the Day
NAUCH has been written (and IVIplenty said!) about the dearth of spare parts for commercial vehicles. Every week the problem becomes more acute. Some road-vehicle operators are having considerable difficulty in their endeavours to keep running vehicles that are badly in need of new parts. More urgent still is the question of obtaining spares for vehicles that have to remain idle until such time as the required replacements become availaable.
We know that vehicle and component manufacturers are doing their utmost to meet the demands made on their resources, and we admit the priority of the require's merits of the Fighting and Defence Servies. Nevertheless, the fact' remains that there are many thousands of vehicles operating in this country on numerons jobs of vital national importance and it is 'essential that their operators be afforded every possible assistance to keep their vehicles in running order.
. Until such time as manufacturers are able again to cope with the demands made upon them for replacement parts for civilian requirements it seems desirable that all the sPare parts in the country, whether new, reconditioned or used, should be pooled and made available to those operators most desperately in need of them. What is meant by " pooling" is that the information as to what parts are available and who has them should be recorded . at a Central Information Bureau. The functions of this bureau would be to assist only those operators who are really in trouble for the want of certain spares.
Ministry of Supply Doing Good Work
As a matter of fact, the powersthat-be already recognize the need for assisting operators who have vehicles immobilized, because necessa,ry spare parts are not procurable through the ordinary channels, an a special department of the Ministry of Supp)y has been formed to cope with this task. Full details of this service can be obtained from the local office of the Ministry of War Transport. Before assistance can be given it is necessary to certify that the vehicle is engaged on work of national importance. Moredver, it is presumed that the operator or repairer has already tried to obtain the required parts from the usual sources, and the Ministry will require details of the official order placed with the manufacturer before any action can be taken. This work being done by the Ministry of Supply is good work. Numerous operators hasse been glad of the assistance afforded them, which has enabled the much-needed parts to be obtained more quickly than by the operator's own unaided efforts.
In cases where, for various reasons, the manufacturershave been unable to supply the parts within reasonable time, the Ministry has conducted a search for the components and been able to notify the operators of an alternative source of supply. But the work is hindered because, in the search for_ these other sources of supply, only the known dealers are contacted.
Unfinished Parts That Have Been Forgotten There is little information regard
ing the stocks that are on the shelves of various stores all over the country, of the vehicles in course of being broken up, of unfinished stampings, forgings, castings, etc., that rest in odd' corners of machine shops. Quite recently, inquiries brought to light a , quantity of forgings and stampings that had been in a warehouse for some years, their original purpose being long since forgotten. Somebody realized the possibility of having them machined into finished spares suitable for current models. In a short time those unfinished components ernerged as finished replacement parts and were quickly made available to operatjrs urgently in need of them.
How many similar unfinished pieces ale lying about awaiting discovery? How many obsolete parts are on the shelves of store rooms, Obsolete for their original purpose but, quite possibly, capable of being adapted to current requirements? There are probably many thousands of pounds' worth or badly needed spares lying at various depots throughout the country.
Therefore, does it not seem desirable to centralize this information and form a Spare Parts Pool, to compile a register of every business that car
ries a stock ot anything in the nature of vehicle spares, together with a summary of the makes of vehicle catered for or the specialized components stocks? Also, every. business that can undertake the various classes of reconditioning of motor components should be listed. Such a record could be easily analysed and would provide a ready reference so that it would be comparatively easy to find the must convenient source of supply.
Dealers' Policy and Managers' Needs Certain dealers who are fortunate
enough to hold stocks of " difficult " Parts prefer, quite naturally, to stir. dy requirements of their regular customers before catering for strangers who have come to them because their -own dealers are out of stock.. Simi larly, some of the larger • vehicle operators have been able to acquire fairly substantial stocks of spare parts against their future requirementseand would strongly resent -any . sugestion that they should relinquish any part of this stock.
One cannot blame these people for their policy. It is natural for dealers to study and retain the goodwill of their regular customers. It is equally natural for the transport manager of a large business to d everything to ensure that his vehicles will not be immobilized for want of spare parts.
But it is considered that the objections can be satisfactorily surmounted and the parties receive benefits that are commensurate with any sacrifice. k The operator who is asked to part with a set of pistons from his cherished stock may find that he has a vehiele broken down for want of a new axle shaft, which he has not got and cannot get from the usual dealer. The services of the central organization will get it for him, if it be available anywhere in the country. The dealer who is asked to release one of his precious axle shafts to some strange operator may, subsequeritly, be told by his best customer that an important vehicle is disabled and a new crown wheel and pinion are wanted quickly. The dealer has not one in stock and cannot get it immediately, but-the central organization will do everything possible to help him out of the difficulty. A.W.H.
[This article was written before Mr.
F. G. Smith, the M. of W.T. Adviser on Maintenance, began to co-ordinate the Ministry's work in -this connection.—ED.]