Complete Automation a Dream
Page 53
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ALTHOUGH America is farther advanced than this country in the development of automation, it is applied to only about 25-30 per cent. of production processes. The introduction of automation by British manufacturers involves a high capital expenditure and is of necessity gradual, but it is essential. if the motor industry is to compete in world markets,
The idea of building a fully automatic factory is, however, " a complete dream.' Automation is, in practice, a production process intermediate between automate control of all operations and the older methods of manufacture.
.these comments were made by speakers at the annual conference of the institute of Production Engineers last week, which was held in conjunction with a visit to the works of the Austin Motor Co., Ltd., at Longbridge. ,Automation was the subject of the three papers read at the conference.
Mr. H. J. Graves, a director of the Austin company, gave an outline of the
British Motor Corporation's developments in the field of automation. Mr. IT. W. Holbeche, chief production equipment engineer of B,M.C., reviewed design and manufacturing problems. A paper read by Mr. F. Griffiths dealt with processes, assemblies and material movement, Other observations made in the papers included the statement that automatic assembly was being closely studied, that automatic gauging was essential to optimum production efficiency, and that " automating" of material flow would be immediately possible as soon as capital became available and labour problems could be resolved. Over 60 transfer machines were employed at the Austin works and there was close physical control of material stocks.
During discussion, it was claimed that the efficiency of machines was 90-98 per cent, and that the amount of scrap was very small. Special training of operators was not needed.