DIRECT I LIVERY from FACTOR o RETAILER
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By Tom Walkerley Fortnightly Consignments of Hoover Washing Machines . are Dispatched to England and Wales from Modern Plant in Merthyr .Tydfil
THE policy of Hoover (Washing Machines), Ltd.. is to supply the thousands of their dealers all over Britain within two weeks of the receipt of their orders, and is implemented by the use of a large fleet of ancillary
vehicles, reinforced as necessary by hired transport. Routes are worked in alternate weeks in the north and south of the country.
Hoover washing-machine production is concentrated on a group of factories in South Wales. The largest is at Pentrebach, on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil. This is a fine, modern factory of about 284,000 sq. ft., to which a further 110,000 sq. ft. are .shortly to be added. Just across the road there is a smaller works, and in the neighbourhood there are two more, •at Dowlais and Aberdare.
Since production began here in 1948, more than 4m.
machines have passed through the dispatch bay for destinations at home and abroad. The company do not publish current production figures, but hundreds of thousands of machines are produced annually, although restrictions on hire-purchase facilities are reflected in somewhat lower output today. • •
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Matters of.policy and administration of the South Wales fleet are the province of the Hoover head office at Perivale, Middx, Much of the work involvedin costing, purchasing and maintaining records is delegated to the office of Mr. J, E. R. RapleY, assistant transpori manager at Perivale. Here, the activities of the entire Hoover fleet of nearly 300 units are co-ordinated., • . .
That head office control' of 'this kind is essential is indicated, perhaps, ,by the •fact that the company have factories at Perivaie (vaeuum cleaners and polishers). High Wycombe (steam-irons and commutators), and Cambuslang, near Glasgow (fractional horse-power motors), as well as in South Wales*. , Moreover, there is a fleet of some 85 sales and service vans operating from nearly 5Ia offices throughout the country. With one exception, at Carlin, near Cambuslang, the company have no ,distribution centres, preferring to deliver direct to the dealer from the manufacturing unit.
The company's distribution' system allows the actual operation of the Merthyr fleet, and the provision of hired transport, to be in the hands of Mr. J. I. Plenty, the man on the spot at Merthyr. The transport depot and workshops are situated at Cyfarthfa. This is a 30,000-sq.-ft. building of modern design on the opposite side of the town to Pentrebach and about two miles from the main factory.
Mixed South Wales Fleet
Based here are 39 prime movers, of which 28 are A.E.C. Mercury, models and the remainder Albions and Commers. There are also 11 rigids of 6-7-ton capacity, of which six are Vulcans, four Thornycrofts and one Albion. In addition, there is a 12-14-ton Thornycroft, a 6-ton Albion breakdown truck, four Thames vans of between 10 cwt. and 4 tons, a Coles 8-ton mobile crane and two staff cars.
Long-distance loads are carried mainly in B.T.C. and nyson semi-trailers, with box bodies by Samlesbury and, more recently, Reall. There are 56 of these, all with hydraulic tailboard loaders by Service Engineering. Northampton. There are also six Dyson drop-frame semitrailers and four B.T.C. flats which carry containers.
All the covered semi-trailers are specially designed for the loads they carry. They are 27 ft. long and 12 ft. 4 in. high, dimensions which permit three-tiered loading. This is achieved by stacking the washing or Spinarinse machines on the floor and on two false floors. These are made up, as loading proceeds, from extruded-aluminium sections, about 9 in. wide, arranged transversely on supports on the
body sides. A full load of standard machines is 210, with slightly fewer in the case of the larger Hoovermatic washer.
Hoover transport statistics are based on the "Unit," the standard machine counting as one unit, the Hoovermatic two and the Spinarinse 0.8. The covered semi-trailers are of composite construction, with a light-alloy exterior skin, attractively finished in the fleet colours of stone and "Hoover blue," embellished with two Royal Appointment devices. The rear doors are protected by special locks.
For somewhat smaller loads, the company employ 35 light-alloy lift containers made by the Duramin Engineering Co., Ltd. They are 17 ft. 6 in. long and 7 ft. 6 in. wide, giving a capacity of 110 standard units, a 4-ton load.
Cyfarthfa depot also operates an inter-factory service between Pentrebach, Dowlais and Aberdare. This is run on a strictly timed basis. Loads from each production unit are required to be ready for the shuttle service at regular intervals: holding a vehicle for a small consignment is not tolerated, because the interchange of parts and materials between factories at known times is regarded as more important than securing a full load.
Inter-works Service
These local inter-factory vehicles are Taskers semitrailers drawn by Thames tractors. The bodies, by Palmer Coachbuilder, differ from the long-distance versions in that they have roller shutters along the whole of the off and near sides and at the rear. All loads, mostly component parts, are carried in wire baskets or on pallets. There are three tractors and 10 semi-trailers, which are interchangeable with those operated at Perivale and Cambuslang. These depots operate a further four tractors and nine semi-trailers.
Another form of inter-factory service concerns the supply of electric motors from Cambuslang. These arrive at Pentrebach in contractors' vehicles, which are provided with return loads of complete washing machines for distribution from Carfin. Maintenance at Cyfarthfa is based on service at intervals of 5,000 miles. The premises are fully equipped to deal with anything up to and including a major dock. There is an 8-ton hydraulic hoist, washing plant (used at the end of each trip), fuel-pump room, bodyshop and paintshop. In most cases, engines are due for replacement at about 150,000 miles, when the manufacturers' reconditioned-unit service is used.
The South Wales fleet covers about 1.8m. miles annually, individual vehicle journeys averaging something less than 700 miles a week. Particular pains are taken in routeing the vehicles. The clerk concerned collates the delivery orders, divides them as between north and south, groups them in convenient order and makes out a detailed list of addresses for the driver, so that the last machine loaded is the first off.
Routeing Difficulties
This is by no means as easy as it may sound, for there are such snags as early-closing days to be considered. In practice, the system works extremely smoothly and vehicle movements are under strict, albeit remote, control.
The loading bay at Pentrebach can deal with six vehicles at a time. Ample staff is available to bring the machines forward, and they arc marshalled on power-driven roller conveyors in the correct order for unloading. Each machine is handled in a protective canvas jacket: export models are further protected by polythene covers. The returnable jacket has a pocket in which the appropriate delivery note is carried: the driver's paperwork is reduced to the minimum. Unloading at the dealer's premises is carried out with the aid of the tailboard loader.
Although it is unusual for a manufacturer to deliver to his customers on the Hoover scale, the transport operation which has been evolved meets requirements with commendable smoothness and, indeed, economy. It is a service which is of the greatest value to the distributor, for it eliminates doubts as to delivery dates. It is of equal value to the manufacturer because he can gear his production to demand with little difficulty.