TRANSPORT
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to the ends of the earth
THE traffic department of Associated Electrical Industries (Manchester) Ltd. does not actually operate a particularly large number of vehicles, but its supervision of transport extends from the lime the workers— some 23,000 of them—set out on their journey to the plant, right up to the moment the units they manufacture (which may weigh 200 tons or more) have been placed in situ, perhaps on the other side of the world. Experts plot the comings and goings of AEI employees to the end that reductions in working hours shall not be dissipated by traffic congestion. Other experts examine ways of transferring items of plant from Manchester to their ultimate destinations. With delivery charges running into tens of thousands of pounds their work must often be completed before a tender can be submitted and even the estimates may necessitate a 10,000-mile round trip for a senior official. Because of shortage of extra-heavy transport in some countries it is by no means unknown for AEI to find that suitable vehicles must be acquired which will travel with the unit to its destination and be purchased by the customers to carry their machines onwards from that point. In addition to handling movement at Trafford Park, the traffic department also controls sections which operate at the Larne, Motherwell, Sheffield, Wythenshawe, Harlow, Willesden and Petershill factories. Supreme head of the traffic department which has a staff of approximately 350, is Mr. H. Brown.
As briefly indicated enormous problems are involved in dealing with many of the commitments, which is why the AEI traffic department at Manchester constitutes more of an integral part of the business than a purely ancillary service, which is what transport is in many similar organizations. These responsibilities of the traffic manager are fully recognized in that his position carries what may briefly be described as cabinet rank in the company.
When the factory was founded more than 60 years ago the owning body was the British Westinghouse Co. Ltd., a branch of an American organization, the traffic officer then being known as the traffic agent. The working system followed lines which in principle have continued up to the present time.
Completion of major contracts and the availability of every transport link that is necessary to get the unit to its ultimate destination must in this sphere be synchronized as closely as possible. Major electrical-generating equipment is not waiting on the shelf when customers require it. Likewise, international transport of the capacity necessary is not standing ready for call. Detailed planning of important journeys for overseas contracts must commence when the product is still no more than in the raw material stage. When work on a piece of large equipment is complete the unit is not only passed over to the traffic department but is ago charged out to it. On its charge, possibly as a six-figure debit, this item remains until the movement has progressed far enough for it to become the customer's responsibility from the financial angle.
1 n short, today's successor to the traffic agent has on his departmental books anything that is ready for delivery, even if the plant concerned still reposes on the shop floor. The situation in respect of any delays can thus be expressed by a week-to-week graph indicating the value of the stocks held. Such is the general department picture, but the traffic experts' full task starts with guiding and analysing movement within Trafford Park, a great centre of industry and of no little congestion which affects both personnel and goods' traffic.
To deal with these problems AEI at Trafford Park has a traflic congestion committee of which Mr. Brown is chairman. This committee has made its own studies of the whole matter, a great deal of time being spent in planning things so that within the physical limitations of the area the bestpossible facilities for travel" are provided. On-the-spot observations, coupled with a little homework on a computer, reveal a host of interesting facts. Something like half the workers in the Park owe allegiance to AEI. Of the latter's 23,000 or so the travel analysis reveals that 58-9 per cent move between home and work by bus, either stage or special works-gate services. The survey shows that bus travellers outnumber other transport users by nearly two to one. Car travellers represent 15-6 per cent, motorcycle, scooter and bicycle riders 15.1 per cent, train 4-8 per cent, whilst 5-6 per cent come on foot. Over recent years the fluidity of traffic in the Trafford Park area has deteriorated so that at peak periods it may take 30 minutes to travel a mile and over short distances the walker clearly wins! In the course of a week delays in the morning can cause the plant to lose working time amounting to as much as two man-years. However, it is the employees' leisure that suffers most, for in the evening delays of up to 90 minutes are not unknown. Any benefits that might have been expected from the introduction of the 42-hour week are thus frequently lost, the hours previously spent in the factory now being occupied sitting in traffic blocks. This introduction of the shorter working week in engineering brought immediate problems—reducing, as it did, the period that could be employed in the staggering of starting and finishing times. The latter are now apt to clash with the closing times of schools, other business houses, and the ending of shopping travel. This, as the recent AEI survey comments, makes it extremely difficult for bus undertakings to meet all the public's requirements. The situation is at its worst on Fridays and instead of arriving home earlier after leaving at 4.30 p.m. many AEI employees report that they get back later than when they finished work at 5 p.m. Actually it was complaints from the staff, and a fear that
traffic difficulties might have an adverse effect on recruitment, which resulted in the company setting up its traffic congestion committee. On this body Mr. Brown, chairman, is supported by the chairman of the works committee, Mr. H. Brennan, and the secretary of the staff committee, Mr. E. Halliday. Following an examination of the problems involved they arranged for the survey previously mentioned to be conducted and the results were summarized with the aid of an AEI 1010 computer which returned the figures quoted. But there is more to the matter than mere statistics.
At present only nine buses, accommodating about 450 passengers, leave from the south side of the plant, whereas 74 southbound buses start from the north side. As 3,000 employees who travel by bus work at the south end of the main plant the moving of 30 vehicles from north to south has been suggested. Altogether there are approximately 200 special buses running into and out from the AEI plant each tlay, services being provided by Lancashire United. North Western and Salford and Manchester Corporations.
To permit lull-capacity movement on the local roads, plans are being prepared to provide off-road parking. places for certain buses at present using the kerbside as a starting point. Resiting of some of the 12 main AEI private car parks. used by 2,500 cars a day, is also suggested and this would reduce the volume of AEI private transport using the busy Mosley Road. Figures produced by the survey support the evidence already provided for the provision of a new high-level bridge over the Ship Canal, connecting Trafford Park with Salford, and for a new link to M62 motorway. Altogether Trafford Park estate roads are used by more than 50,000 workers each weekday. The immense flow of workers through the three exits of the Park has an immediate reaction on goods traffic and in consequence the dispatch of heavy loads from AEI is prohibited between the hours of 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 6 p.m.
Mr. H. Brown and his assistant managers, Mr. A. E. Wiggins (Home), and -Mr. W. E. Gee (Export), clearly know a great deal about running vehicles, but in the main they are happy to use that knowledge as discriminating buyers of services made available by specialist hauliers. Thus, in addition to using contractors, the company's policy is to employ vehicles on contract hire above a certain mileage level, these in the main being used for local deliveries.
The AEI Manchester headquarters' fleet includes four Austin lorries ranging from 30 cwt. to 5 tons: also of Austin man ufac tore areseven 5-ton tippers, 16 vans from 5 to 30-cwt., two 15-cwt. pick-ups; an Austin Paladin refuse collector, two other large refuse collection units, and 17 Ornnicoach personnel carriers. There are six vans ranging from 7 cwt. to 3 tons of Ford manufacture, one Commer 25-cwt. lorry and a 7-tonner of this make. Others include four Bedford vans ranging from 10 cwt. to .3 tons. four Smith's electric vans, and an M.V. electric .15-cwt. lorry, two 7-ton Leylabds, a Morris 30-cwt. lorry and two Morris vans. This fleet is resPonsible for operations locally and within the works. For purely internal use there are also eight Fordson diesel tractors, three Stacatrucs
and 32 . electric autos. Some 46 tractor-drawn trailers are employed, plus a further 600 trailing units of various types.
Specialist vehicles comprise four fire engines (two at the main works, one at Mosley Road works and one at Wythenshawe works) and seven ambulances (three at the main works, two at Mosley Road works, one at Wythenshawe works and one in the form of a personnel carrier for general use).
The internal movement mentioned earlier includes the transfer of major units and materials from process to process so that thousands of tons of material are carried within the factory. The domestic vehicles have a variety of tasks; including the carriage of 1,200 tons of food a year for dining rooms and canteens. Altogether traffic between the various processes and departments amounts to 80,000 tons annually, probably half of this being carried by unlicensed vehicles within the plant boundaries. Extensive use is made of radio control in order to minimize. lost time. On average, 10 vehicles are taken on daily hire from local hauliers for the purpose of ferrying materials and completed units to and from the dispersed factories in the locality. The traffic-control section receives instructions for the shipment of major loads from the main traffic administrative department, the two being linked by means of a Lamson Paragon tube system, which is also used to make connection with the accounts and costs departments. When the contracts or shipping clerk has made them out, orders for forwarding can be transferred with certainty to the traffic-control section in less than 30 seconds. After completing the necessary documents traffic control can then return the notes to the administrative side by the same means. The administration is then responsible for the release of invoices and other forms to the accounts section. By use of the tube system there is a continuous flow of documentation throughout the day and no piling up of paperwork.
The traffic-control section also deals with the requirements of visitors or staff who need to travel to the subsidiary factories. WhilstOmnicoaches can usually be utilized for employees, the presence of parties of guests quite frequently necessitates the hire of coaches from outside operators.
A special unit handles the matter of extra-heavy, wide and generally indivisible loads such as steam turbines, alternators and transformers, which may involve payload weights of up to 200 tons. Although the actual transport is placed in the hands of outside specialists the department keeps abreast of developments in legislation, restrictions on loading and similar matters. Regular use is made of the services provided by Pickfords and Wynns through which operators it is now possible to obtain trailers that will carry 250 tons or more. In planning for delivery of heavy equipment to new sites careful checks have to be made to ensure that the necessary space, turning circle and surface strengths are available for the reception of the load at the destination.
AEI Manchester performs all its own packing with the exception of certain highly-specialized work which has to meet particular Government specifications. Some indication of the scale on which AEI operates is conveyed by the fact that on average 200 packers are employed. A packaging development centre provides specifications for the handling of all AEI products and includes a laboratory equipped to calculate the effects of shunting or handling shocks, also to undertake waterproof and humidity tests. Equipment that will produce the effect of a monsoon rainfall has proved of immense value to the company in determining precise requirements for shipping abroad.
Activities of the export section of the traffic department in connection with major units start when the inquiry first comes in. possibly for the delivery of a 200-ton transformer to a point. milesfrom some tropical port. Even before tenders can be submitted there is much to be done, the first task being to check upon the existence of suitable roads and the availability of vehicles of sufficient capacity in the district of delivery. Wheresuch units are not obtainable arrangements must be made for selling, acquiring and sending a suitable vehicle. Numerous countries throughout the world have become possessed of outsize low-loaders in this way. As a rule AEI prefers buying a used articulated outfit from a heavy haulief who is purchasing different units. When work is in progress on a contract of this nature advice of the expected time of completion of abnormal indivisible loads for export will be required six months in advance so that schedules can be prepared in order that the requisite hold accommodation, trains and vehicles shall be readily available for every stage of the journey.
Of the AEI Manchester headquarters' fleet nine vehicles, mainly vans, are employed for the carriage of goods to customers within a radius of about 30 miles from Manchester. Each covers some 16,000 miles annually and because of their limited use they can be held on the strength for seven or eight years before replacement. All other units in the fleet are operated on a purely company service basis. The average overall mileage, including that of the internal transport which in some instances is quite low, works out at about 12,000 a year. At this level it is shown by cost records, that actual ownership by the company is the most economic proposition, but where a vehicle is doing upwards of 14,000 miles per annum contract hire on a two-year replacement basis becomes preferable. As customary, the contractor provides the vehicle, bodywork, licence and maintenance and the company is responsible for driver, fuel and garaging. The agreement is that each hired unit shall be withdrawn by the contractor once a month for service and, if not available for return when required, a suitable substitute shall be provided.
Turning for a moment to the matter of maintenance for the rest of the fleet, service for vehicles directly owned by the company is the responsibility of the works engineer's department. Into his operational charge also fall the tippers, refuse collectors, ambulances and fire engines.
Contract hire is placed in the hands of British Road Services, Lookers Ltd., and independent hauliers. Typical of the heavier types regularly employed are two 12-ton semi low-loaders, both fitted with hydraulically operated cranes mounted at the rear of the cab. At a 14-ft. radius these give a 5-cwt. lift, rising to 40 cwt. with a shortened jib. They are mainly used for the transport of switchgear or small transformers which are delivered to roadside sub-stations where lifting facilities are not available and manual off-loading might create a high degree of congestion as a result of the time occupied.
A 12-ton articulated platform unit, hired from Robert Wynn and Sons (Manchester) Ltd., has been specially modified for AEI work with a girder reinforcement to the chassis and three trap doors in the platform, so making it practicable to carry 17-ft. high tap changers on a low-loading basis. The trap doors can be closed when the outfit is needed for general carrying. Another massive unit is a 25-ton low-loader on contract hire from McKelvie and Co. Ltd. and employed on the carriage of transformer tanks.
Failing into an entirely different class is an Austin 3-ton van which is used exclusively for the movement of computers and special scientific equipment supplied to hospitals, laboratories and similar institutions, where there are no unloading facilities. To meet this situation a Burtonwood tail-lift is used and a Siingsby truck is carried.
Reference has already been made to the activities of AEI Manchester in connection with traffic congestion in Trafford Park but others have also given time to the study of this problem and for the past few years their efforts have been drawn together by the • Trafford Park Traders' Traffic Congestion Council. On this body are represented the police, local bus operators, British Railways, Manchester Ship Canal, Stretford Corporation, Urmston U.D.C. and the Trafford Park Traders' Association. Despite most careful planning, however, the problem continues unabated.