Gladly Welcome Operators' Conference
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By Sydney S. Guy (Chairman and Managing Director, Guy Motors, Ltd.) , YOU have been good enough to ask for my opinion on the views expressed in the past few weeks in your journal by the large operators', concerning the possibility of co-ordinating their requirements in co-operation with a the makers, I must admit it was with considerable surprise I read it suggested by some that vehicle manufacturers are resistant to suggestions from the operator, as it must be obvious that tilt qualified operator is bound to know his requirements better than the manufacturer, also that he has more detailed •knowledge of how the vehicles suit his particular conditions.
On a number of occasions, when contemplating the production of a new vehicle, my compIny has got together a representative group of operators to ascertain their requirements, as I know other concerns have done.
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The difficulty in the past has been for the manufacturer to design a vehicle which can meet the somewhatconflicting requirements of the variots classes of transport user, as well as the divergent needs of 'a particular type of transport.. I notice, however, that amongst. the views expressed by your contributors, even now there does not appear to be complete agreement. For instance, one says: " most operators', problems are the same the world over "; another one says: "one of the difficulties has been the variety of inclividiial requirements " and " it must be borne in mind that there are wide differences to be found in operating conditions." Another points out: " the requirements of the short-mileage operator are rather different, from those of
the trunk-road service." , I could add that, for overseas it frequently .happens, owing. to the nature of the terrain, that the vehicle required for a particular transport is entirely different from that for hard roads.
Reference has also been made to the advisability of a greater degree of standardization between vehicles. There is no doubt that a good deal can be done in the way of standardization if the operators' agree on such things as steering wheels, road wheels, lamps and other accessories; but when it comes to wearing parts the satisfactory economic design for a comparatively high-speed longdistance transport vehicle is sometimes father different from the ,design required for slow-speed vehicles on town deliveries with Their far greater number of starts and stops.
Then there are the questions of four or six cylinders; petrol or oil engines; high power-weight ratio with a high gear, or low power with a low ratio; whether the floor height is to coincide with the loading deck, or specially designed for low loading. Other conditions which affect the design are the boxvan with its high centre of gravity and the low centre of the open lorry, to say nothing of the tipping vehicle dump-loaded.
Associated with these and other problems is the question of whether the operator requires a vehicle with a few years of economic life to be replaced with possibly a more modern vehicle, or one which has a much longer .life and a lower average running cost. • ' Then there is the question of price. • The vehicles designed for particular requirements and built in individual batches are bound to cost more than the mass-produced type, ahdI do not think I can do better than quote one of your operator contributqrs who says: " The large operators, in the majority' of cases, know quite well what they would like in the way of vehicfes, but, generally speaking, do not order sufficient qUantities of any particular model to be able to impose their own specification except at a prohibitive first cost. For this reason they are prone to accept the mass-produced article."
I believe it to be a physical impossibility .to produce one type grid size of vehicle which will meet all these vaeying • conditions, and if the highest efficiency is to 'be attained and the individual operator's requirements largely met, then it .can be accomplished only by having a batch of vehicles individually built, distinct from mass produced.
Well! There are the views of a manufacturer based on 20 years' experience in produeing many (probably too many) different types of vehicle to Meet operators' divergent .requirements, and, to use a Government expression, "It is' all very difficult."
Contrary to the view expressed by one of your contributors, the primary object of most engineer-manufacturers is not to earn profits, but, like the craftsman, they take a pride in p.roducing the best for the job, and the reward for efficiency 19 that they make profits.without which they can't-lot continue to exist, 'but, as we know to our cost, the way -of the pioneer is hard. • It-may be that; in the light of the longer experience of operators and the conditions during the War, they can more closely co-ordinatetheir views and requirements, and I very 'much hope that this will prove to be the Case, although I would have thought it unnecessary to create another association for 'this purpose. When a panel of representative. operators is formed and its members have agreed amongst themselves the types .of vehicle required, think it wbuld be much better for the manufacturers to be advised, so that 'each can arrange a conference at his Own works at which the specification and prnblems can more easily and freely be' discussed With the whole of the staff and information available, than at a meeting of a body of manufacturers. Some time ago, when the Government asked us to•prOduce double-deck "buses, a technical committee of p.s.v. operators was formed, which gave us the benefit of its know:. .ledge and requirements to meet the special conditions arising from the war. These we have met as far as the exigencies of the moment allow. The outcome of this cooperation between user' and manufacturer -has been advantage and satisfaction to both.
On behalf of my company .I would say that we would gladly welcome such a, conference of transport representatives and would use our best endeavouts to meet the needs of operators—our. only customers.