Discussion on "Mechanisation in a works" at the London Section of the Institution

MR. W. F. DORMER, section president, who occupied the chair : You have heard what Mr. Hurford has had to say about conveyors and how they assist production. From what I have heard I should imagine the lecturer has given a considerable amount of study to this subject. We are aware that mechanical conveyors are time-savers, but to me it is doubtful whether conveyors in many cases justify their costs. In the conveying of completed articles or bulk goods I think they are an advantage especially when manual fatigue can be eliminated. I was interested in the lecturer´s remarks about fitting machines above ground level, and also his point regarding the fitting oi shock absorbers, I would be interested to know what shock absorbing material the lecturer has found most suitable. One point I did not understand was why a terminal strip which previously took three to four weeks now takes only one day. Surely this difference was not solely due to the fact that a conveyor was in use? With regard to motorisation, this is always a debatable point, and I believe a combination of belt and direct drives will always be found necessary. As to the question of equipment being portable, this I think depends upon the article which is being made, and I do not think we are all so fortunate in being able to have machines which can be moved about at will.