AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

A Prominent Factor's Activities

24th December 1929
Page 61
Page 61, 24th December 1929 — A Prominent Factor's Activities
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

(\NE of the essentials of a garage and I..../repair organization catering for the service needs of commercial-vehicle operators is the ability to obtain at short notice supplies of garage materials and equipment.

Most proprietors of important garages up and down the country are familiar with the name of the East London Rubber Co., a concern which, during the pasti few years, has expanded tremendously, but few of them realize the intricate organization which lies behind Its marketing arrangements. The pre mists in Great Eastern Street, London, E.C.2, occupy six floors and have an area of about 100,000 sq. ft. ; an extension which was occupied a few months ago has, alone, an area of 33,000 sq. ft. There are more than 400 employees.

The top floor of the old building, which was once occupied as a workshop, and the uppermost floor of the new building are devoted entirely to bookkeeping and office routine, and the company has one of the most up-to-date systems of mechanical book-keeping at present working in this country. Some ledger machines are actually electrically operated.

Every floor is closely packed with stocks of materials and articles required in motor garages and a comprehensive selection from the main stocks is housed on the ground floor, ready for immediate access.

Perhaps the most interesting section, from the point of view of the commercial-vehicle agent and repairer, is that devoted to the demonstration of garage and breakdown equipment. Here, electric power is available so that machinery can be shown in working order. The Harvey-Frost Hydroforce, the B.E.N.Myers and the Laycock electric washing plants, Eco, Milwaukee, B.E.N.-Myers, Harvey-Frost and other electric compressors are to be seen. Hutto electric

cylinder grinders, Harvey-Frost tyro changers, tyre inflators, jacks and garage trolleys are all available to be tried. There is a large turntable, a useful adjunct in a garage with awkward doorways, and amongst the trolleys is the Weaver "truck jack," suitable for heavy commercial vehicles. There are also presses for axle straightening, etc., the largest having a working pressure of 28 tons. Cranes, ambulances, towing poles,, lathes, pedestal drills, engine stands, hoists, grindstones, paraffin cleaning tanks, brazing hearths and forges are some of the appliances on view.

In the general sales room one obtains, from watching the deliveries made, some impression of the stocks of gaskets, nonskid chains, brake facings, wings, tyres, springs, bumpers, valves, piston rings, electrical goods, overalls, uniforms, coach rugs, leather coats, lorry sheets, etc., which are carried. On one wall, to give a single example, there are no fewer than 2,000 lockers containing engine parts, and it is estimated that on the ground floor of the new building only there are quite 13,000 lockers. The company reckons to have in stock every type of valve and piston ring for every make of motor vehicle.

A fleet of 20 Dennis 30-cwt. and Star 15-cwt., 1-ton and 25-cwt. vans delivers daily in the town area and two or three times per week in the outer roaddelivery area within about 100 miles from London. For this work Austin 12 h.p. vans are also being tried. This fleet travelled 350,000 miles in the year ended September last and consumed more than 30,000 gallons of petrol. A particularly good point is that orders received from the town area during the morning are executed the same day.

Tags

Organisations: repair
Locations: Austin, Milwaukee, London

comments powered by Disqus