MILLIONS OF ELES A YEAg
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from a fleet on a r kwide delivery service
FORESIGHT, which visualized York as a future important road-transport centre, resulted in the establishment, in September, 1919, of a carrying business that has since become one of the most important in the country. It is that of Northern Motor Utilities, Ltd., more often known by the familiar abbreviation N.M.U.
The vision of the founders resulted in the creation of an entirely new business with 90 ex-War Department machines, mainly Dennis 3-ton and 4-ton lorries, From that confident beginning has grown a fleet that now numbers 350 and is composed of vehicles ranging in capacity from 15 cwt. to 12 tons.
• Contract Work a Speciality • From the start, special attention has been devoted to contract work, and, at present, practically half the fleet is engaged in this form of carrying. Quite early in the history of the company an extensive mileage was being covered, for in 1922 it was recorded that the fleet had covered 258.000 miles, but during the financial year just ended the mileage total was no less than 7,158,625. The wage bill now comes to :6109,500 annually. During the past financial year some £39,000 was paid out in respect of licences and indirect taxation.
Right from the early stages activities commenced to spread over a wide area, and, as a resultof the heavy traffic in the district, a Manchester depot was opened in October, 1923, to be followed by a branch in London in January, 1924, and a further London branch in January, 1926. The Birmingham depot was added in June, 1928, one at Hull in April, 1933, a depot at Liverpool in May, 1934, and a further branch at Leeds in July of the same year. Another base has been opened at Cambridge, and there are smaller establishmeets.ateight.othertowns:4.. Every endeavour is made to give service on a national basis, a representative of The Commercial Motor was told by Mr. John Newton, A.M.Inst.T., who is responsible for the central control of the company. In furtherance of this policy, extensive permanent build
ings have been erected in London and Birmingham to the company's special designs, and at these there are adequate facilities for handling traffic, storing goods and carrying out maintenance. Naturally, emergency conditions have involved certain re-organization, but the
various long-distance services have been well maintained and, with the exception of foggy periods, deliveries have been made, in most cases, with normal regularity.
The traffic department is in the hands of Mr. J. E. Rayson, and, as already mentioned, in addition to general carrying, various contracts are operatedin connection with the supply of vans to hirers requirements. A. speciality is made of service for the confectionery trades, although leading concerns in other industries also use that facility, whilst important military contracts. are held.
• Oilers Prominent in the Fleet • For lighter work Fordsons, Bedfords and Austins are operated; but Foden Gardner-eng-ined oilers of the 7i-ton, 10-ton and 12-ton classes bear the burnt of the
heavy haulage. Altogether, there are 77 oil-engined machines in the fleet, and it is of interest to note that the N.M.U. organization was among the first to develop this type on a large scale, having converted nearly 20 machines to the use of Gardner engines in 1931. Excellent service has been received from the. older types, but an inspection of the fleet shows that it now consists of practically 100 per cent. modern equipment.
The N.M.U. personnel totals about 600. The employees enjoy the benefits of welfare work of various kinds, a group life insurance being operated, with optional pension funds, sick club, and benevolent fund. A number of houses adjacent to the main garage is .owned by the company, these being tenanted by
employees who form the bulk of the works fire brigade.
Incidentally, the company has developed a specialized department for dealing with insurance and actually operates its own accidental-dauaage cover, which, among other advantages, obviates the loss of use that normally. occurs .,:the..operappr, . .waiting.... for
authorization.. National wage agreements have been recognized, and it has been the endeavour of the company to apply them throughout. As the schedules laid down by the National Joint Conciliation Board are being, and have been, paid, the new proposals will have relatively little effect on the organization.
Maintenance and buying throughout is under the supervision of the chief engineer, Mr. E. J. Ryde, and all necessary repair work can be carried out on the premises at the headquarters in York. Generally speaking, maintenance work is dealt with on a mileage ba,sis, but there are deviations from this plan from time to time, as the policy provides for completing any other work thought desirable on occasions when the machine is docked for repairs.
All major overhauls are dealt with at York, and, normally, at this stage of a vehicle's life the engine is replaced by a unit reconditioned in the N.M.U. workshops, although, at times, advantage is taken of certain manufacturers' exchange plans.
Each depot, of course, carries the necessary staff of mechanics, but major items are sent in to the headquar ters for reconditioning service. As there is constant vehicular contact between headquarters and the areas, there is a minimum of delay in effecting the transfer. This contact is also valuable in enabling the branches to call upon headquarters for raw materials and spares, extensive etocks of which are maintained.
Despite the fact that supplies of materials for bodybuilding, and all spares for the various types of commercial vehicle and private car, are stacked in carefully arranged racks, they necessarily occupy considerable floor space, but the effect is to make provision for needs
throughout the N.M.U. organization. Apart from other requirements, heavy tyre stocks must be carried, and these are, exclusively, by foremost British manufacturers.
A spacious shop is available, with equipment, for the building of vehicle bodies and many interesting types are produced, among them being specialized exhibition vans with the interiors fitted up for display purposes and including a powerful system of inside electric lighting. Among the work going through, whilst our representative was in attendance, was a special producer-gas van which is to be the subject of experiments in forthcoming months. Adjacent to the body shop is the paint shop, which is equipped with cellulose-spray plant.
Further features on the engineering side are an oxyacetylene and electric welding shop (for dealing with • panels, cylinder blocks, gearboxes and other parts), a modern machine shop, electricians' shop, cylinder boring and sleeving plant, test plant for oil-engine injectors, and a running-in bed which operates on town gas.
In such an extensive organization it is essential that the executives shall have all relevant information at their finger tips, and to this end a highly organized accounts department has been set up. Here, economy of labour has been effected by the employment of Powers-Samus machines for mechanical accountancy purposes and they have proved a valuable aid in concentrating the requisite information at the nerve centre of the business.