BUILDING A NEW INDUSTRY FOR BRITAIN.
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How a Sheffield Motor Firm has Captured Foreign Trade—Making Ingenious Machines for Cutting Files —An Interesting Enterprise in the Centre of the Steel World.
LTRING the war there was much talk about the opportunities which were presented of captur ing foreign trade, and hopes ran high that, at the conclusion of hostilities, we should find, firmly established in this country, very many industries in which we had not been able to compete before.
Somehow or other the results have, been disappointing. The enterprise. which was expected has apparently not been displayed. It is, therefore, always a pleasure to record an instance in which a successful attempt has been made to wrest a branch of industry from the hands of our competitors, and more -especially to do so in this journal when the credit of the achievement belongs to a heavy vehicle manufacturing concern.
Messrs. Durham, Churchill and Co. have. been in the heavy vehicle business for very many years; they were, in fact, amongst the earliest producers of commercial vehicles in this country. At Olympia, last October, as many readers will remember, their latest model—a three ton chain-driven lorry, which embodied manyexcelleut new features in design, attracted considerable attention, the soundness ef the construetiOn throughout being particularly noticeable. The directors of the company have always aimed at quality rather than quantity in their productions, and by so doing have built up an excellent reputation. It is not generally known, however, that in addition to lorry manufacture Messrs. Durham, Churchill and Co. lia.Nre also been engaged for many years in another important branch of the engineering industry, namely, that of file-cutting machinery manufacture.
Trades We Do Not Hear About.
Although the file is one of the most familiar objects in every engineering shop, few people probably are aware of the methods by which it is made. It is one of the things which most of us take for granted. Tot, on a moment's reflection it will be evident that, to form the teeth on the great variety of file sizes that are in use, machines of some sort are required Moreover, the nature of the work demands that the machines shall be extremely accurate and of very sturdy construction throughout in order to maintain their accuracy under the heavy strains the work imposes. Although Messrs. Durham, Churchill and Co. had been supplying local manufacturers for many years with their machines, the bulk of the world trade was in foreign hands. During the war, however, the company recognized the need for thoroughly investigating this business from a wider standpoint, and, with the co-operation of leading file manufacturers, evolved a machine that was well ahead of all foreign productions and enlarged their plant capacity to meet the world-wide demand with a Britishenade machine. • Space does not permit us to recount at length the story of what has been really a remarkable achievement, but enough has been said to convey an idea of the spirit ot patriotic enterprise by which the company is actuated.
The Precision of Machine Tool Work.
A fact, however, which is of considerable importance to the commercial vehicle user is that, as is well known, the production of machine tools of this description calls for unusual precision and accuracy in workmanship which require the employment of highly skilled labour and of first-class plant. It also calls for rigorous inspection throughout the manufacturing processes and the use of the best material obtainable. A file-cutting machine has to stand up to very heavy work. All this should have a distinct bearing upon the quality of the other machines which Durham, Churehills produce, and of their lorries in particular. Some time ago we paid a visit, to the works, and were able to appreciate that. such is the case. From the point of view of getting the best obtainable material, with a minimum of transportation expense, the works are ideally situated in close proximity to many of the world's largest steel-producing firms. This is a very real advantage, as often the company is able to be almost the first to benefit by the research which is conducted in the laboratories of those works. Thus, they are able to -ensure that as regards material, their products are always abreast—if not a little ahead—of the times.
The Advantages of Limited Production.
Mass production has become rather a fetish since the war, though it has not affected the heavy vehicle industry to the extent that it has invaded the touring car world. Doubtleas, it has its advantages in certain classes of manufacture. As regards the heavy vehicle, however, there is no doubt that the production of moderate quantities enables much closer attention to be paid to the requirements of the individual customer, and tends to improvement in the quality of the product. Moreover, improvements in design can be quickly incorporated as soon as they are evolved, and the buyer reaps the benefit. When a firm is as close to. its sources of raw material supplies as Messrs. Durham, Churchill and Co., an economical advantage is possessed vihieh should be invaluable.
In the construction of their lorry, Messrs. Durham, Churchill have been particularly appreciative of the need of interchangeability, as this feature has had to receive close attention. in connection with their filecutting Machines, which go to all parts of the world. Such a money-producing ma,chine, as a file-cutter must not he held up, on account of spare parts that will not fit. As a result, there is also an excellent spare parts service behind their lorry.
A Lorry Built to Last.
Rear axle drives are a controversial subject, but Messrs. Durham, Churchill favour chain drive, and there is no doubt that the chain-driven vehicle acquitted itself with conspicuous success under the
arduous conditions of war service. The general appearance and lay-out of the chassis is excellent. It is fitted with the well-known 45 h.p. Tylor engine, type J.B.4, which has a bore of 5 ins, and a 6 in, stroke, and is mounted on a channel steel sub-frame. The clutch is a Champion metal-to-metal cone type, which the makers have patented, and the gearbox gives four forward speeds and a reverse.
The brakes are powerful and of ample proportions, and a particularly neat design of compensating gear is fitted.
The brake actuating rods are " looped " with the object of eliminating the possibility of breakage due to vibration, which sometimes occurs when one-piece rods are used.
The countershaft differential casing is supported by two brackets from a cross-member towards the rear of the chassis and the countershaft passes through brackets bolted to the frame on either side.
Excellent features are the large lubricators on the outside of the frame, from which oil is carried to the bevel pinion housing and the countershaft brackets. The rear axle is made of nickel chrome steel, and is of extremely robust design. Robustness may be said to be the keynote throughout. Thoroughly sturdy construction, combined with accessibility and praiseworthy consideration for the convenience of the user, makes the three ton Churchill chassis a distinctive production in every way and one which should continue to gain popularity.