EASY ON AND EASY GO FOR WASHING MACHINES
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Because the washers are 'finished in vitreous enamel, they. are very easily damaged, and internal fittings have been provided which cushion the machines and locate them firmly in position. The washers are produced in five sizes with varying castor tracks which have to be accommodated in the trunking vehicles by appropriately spaced runners.
Of the company's 14 Austin vehicles in the distribution fleet, 11 are equipped with Edbro tailboard lifts operated by hydraulic motors. The tailboards are controlled by two levers and automatically stop at the required deck level following actuation of the appropriate lever.
The upper deck comprises detachable centre sections pegged to longitudinal members. After machines have been loaded on the lower deck, the centre sections are replaced for upper-deck loading of the washers on these sections. At both levels the washers along the sides are secured by webbing straps with adjustable buckles. The machines in. the centre of the vehicle are held in position by straps arranged in an overlapping or figure-of-eight formation to contain the washers and give flexible support. In this way a mixed load of machines can be carried on the vehicle without modification of the floors or fiktures.
, According to the size of the washers, the load varies between. 32 and 64 of them (2 tons 1 cwt. to 2 tons 12 cwt.), and loading time, with one man working, from 40 min. to 1 hr. On a typical run, deliveries to shops and Electricity Board centres continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with up to 20 or more drops.
Sales and distribution depots are located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Preston, BradfOrd, Liyerpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Walsall; NorthampatOn, London (two centres), Cardiff and Bristol,. and distribtition-only depots operate in Dundee, Hull, • Norwich and Southampton.
The vehicles employed by Servis sales staff include 53 Austin 152 OmnivanS of 15 cwt capacity and 14 Austin A50 10-cwt. vans. Seven Commer Express delivery vans are also used, and together with a B.M.C.'forward-control 3-ton diesel-engined van and three Austin A50vans these an: based in Eire. The machine tool engineers of the Darlaston press -factory operate six' Austin .A50 10 -cwt.. vans and two -Austin A55 Countryman vans to provide a 24 hour service.
" Servis Service" Vehitles
Vehicles employed for " Servis service" comprise 125 Morris +-ton vans based on the Morris Minor chassis and 128 Thames 5-cwt. vans, which operate from 22 depots situated throughout the British Isles. Fifty of the Morris i-ton vans in the London area are fitted with Pye two-way radio sets, which afford radio control within a nominal radius of 25 miles of the Crystal Palace and effective control in some outer areas up to 40 miles. The nationwide service given by these vehicles is designed to cater for " washday-to-washday " requirements, but in a typical case a faulty machine is serviced within 48 hours. On average, radio-control has increased the productivity of the service engineer and his vehicle by over 20 per cent.
Packaged spares are dispatched to Ireland by the Transport Ferry Service of the Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. on the Preston-Lame and Liverpool-Belfast route, containers and transport facilities being provided by the shipping company. The light-alloy containers have a length of 24 ft.. a width of 7 ft. and a height of 8 ft., and are equipped with two decks. Mounted on an articulated
trailer, a container is available for progressive loading for 48 hours (or a longer tirrie if required) and this latitude is greatly appreciated by the company. On average one laden container leaves the works every week.
Four loads of crated spares are transported weekly to the docks for other overseas countries on Hartshorne platform vehicles. These include C.K.D. parts for assembly in Australia by Wilkins-" Servis " Pty. Ltd., who operates its own marketing and servicing organization.
Spares Vehicles The spares vehicles operated by the company comprise a' recently acquired Bedford diesel-engined 5.-h:inner, which augments a fleet of two Austin 3-ton diesel vans. The Bedford incorporates a Halco 2-ft. chassis extension and is equipped with a three-deck timber body designed for unloading at the rear and at the nearside. Some runs involve the delivery of the load in two separate consignments, and provision for unloading each part .of the load independently offers a valuable advantage. In addition to a roller shutter and tailboard at the rear of the vehicle, the two-piece door on the nearside at the front can also be used for loading, the lower section of the door being hinged to the platform rail so that it can be employed as a ramp. Hinged partitions of the centre deck can be individually lowered to form four. separate compartments on the lower deck to facilitate division of the parts and to prevent movement when the vehicle is travelling. A slatted top deck is employed to carry washer cabinets, etc.
Goodyear, Dunlop and Avon tyres are employed and have an average life of 30,000 to 40,000 Miles, the higher mileage being creditable to the larger. vehicles. New covers are invariably fitted to these vehicles, whilst MIDIfacturers' remoulds are often used for the small vans when the original covers are replaced. Drivers are responsible for a regular check of tyre pressures, and the covers of the bigger vans are changed round every 14 days. •
A high. standard of driving is required of all applicants for a driver's job. References are carefully checked and instruction is later given in form-filling, fault diagnosis and so on A mechanic's bonus is based on time keeping cleanliness and " co-operation ", Many drivers and mechanics have 'a long record of employment with the company..
Detailed documentation includes records of mileages, fuel and oil consumption; tyre replacements, routine repairs, complete overhauls (in detail), standing charges and drivers' hours. These records are considered essential to the economic operation of the' fleet as they enable the origins of excess cost to be pin-pointed exactly. Overall running costs in pence per mile are accurately assessed.
Mr. Lynam "likes diesels" and considers that the smaller type of oil engine has an important future. Ile doubts, however, whether a diesel could be produced for the 5-cwt. class of vehicle which would give a worthwhile improvement in fuel consumption.
The average petrol consumption figure of the small vans in the company's fleet is currently about 40 m.p.g., and a better average can be obtained if they are driven at a reduced speed. It is necessary, therefore, Mr. Lynam emphasizes, to compare the consumption of the engine with that which could be obtained from an oil engine of equivalent •output, A suitable diesel might well have a lower output.
The Omnivans average about 400-600 miles a week and return a fuel consumption of around 25 m.p.g. In this case, the use 'of a diesel could be justified only, in Mr. Lynarn's opinion, if it improved fuel consumption to at least 40 m.p.g.