[Trade Journal]
Publication: Engineering Bulletin Purdue University
Lafayette, IN, United States
vol. 15, no. 1, p. 1,3-15,30, col. 1
A REPORT
OF
FOREMANSHIP CONFERENCES
SEVEN YEARS' SERVICE
TO THE INDUSTRIES OF INDIANA
1923 to 1930
by
G. F. Buxton
Professor of Industrial Training
ENGINEERING EXTENSION DEPARTMENT
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
PUBLISHED BY
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
JANUARY, 1931
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A REPORT OF FOREMANSHIP CONFERENCES
SEVEN YEARS' SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRIES
OF INDIANA
INTRODUCTORY
University Extension Service Is Carried Directly to the Factory Office. This report is written to give briefly the story of seven years' service to the industries of Indiana in the field of foremanship conferences which have been conducted by the Engineering Extension Department of Purdue University.
The service has been a little unusual, varying from the older conception of University instruction as campus instruction, and also from the later developments in the conduct of "extension classes" in which people from varied lines of employment meet as a composite group.
In the Purdue University Foremanship Conferences, the usual practice has been to carry the service directly to a single factory at a time, and to hold a meeting there with the heads of the various departments.
Foremanship Conferences Include Lectures and Demonstrations. These meetings are sometimes held in the office of the president or of the factory manager, or in a factory conference room easily accessible to the members of the group. Besides offices and conference rooms, meetings have been held in drafting rooms, production shops, warehouses, coat rooms, the plant restaurant, the boiler room, the shipping department, and the back yard. The meeting becomes distinctly a plant meeting, under University leadership. In this way, it has frequently been possible to consider problems which are special to the particular factory, suggested by a lecture and followed by a round-table discussion or demonstration.
State-Wide Activity Is Representative of the State's Industries. This report explains briefly how arrangements are made for the series of plant conferences. It indicates the pioneering of the State of Indiana in this type of University activity. It lists some of the policies followed in making the service as nearly state-wide as possible, and its groups so well representative of Indiana's industries. It shows the nation-wide influence through contact with many Indiana branches of larger national organizations. In the list of companies served, it may be noted that 68 of these companies operate in Indiana and in at least one other state also. Some of the companies have many branches operating in several states.
This Report Is a Directory of Many Indiana Manufacturing Plants. The report is, perhaps, more a directory of Indiana industries than it is a description of the Purdue service for factory foremen. While it tells how arrangements are made for these meetings, and tabulates the sizes of groups and numbers of meetings per group, it gives more space to the list of companies in the 58 cities where the service has been carried on.
The list of companies is an interesting list. It includes the very large plants of the state and many of the smaller ones; those located in the larger cities and in the smaller ones; those engaged in the manufacture and selling of their own product and those making parts for other companies. It includes companies making 140 different classes of goods, summarized in this report under 12 headings in Section IV. Some of these goods require highly developed special tooling and some of them are produced through a skilled hand process with simple tools. Some of the production is highly seasonal while many of the companies maintain a steady employment throughout the year.
Invitation Is Extended to Manufacturers to Request a Place on the University Schedule. Purdue University tries, as this report shows, to serve all of the industries of the state in this way, so far as it may be possible. It invites any manufacturing or other industrial establishment in Indiana to request a place on the schedule for this service. It builds its schedule, in part, around these requests.
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| Fowler Hall and Engineering Administration Building — Purdue University. |
I
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MEETINGS
Purdue University Foremanship Program Has Reached 400 Companies. Since 1923, Purdue University has carried on a program of foremanship conferences with 400 industrial establishments in Indiana. A representative of the University goes directly into the factories of the state and holds meetings with heads of the various departments. Discussions are carried on in a series of meetings, which are usually scheduled for each week or for alternate weeks. There are, as a rule, six meetings in a series. Arrangements for the meetings are made with the management of the company, and one or more of the officials usually attend the conferences, which are from an hour to an hour and a half in length.
Foremanship Discussions Emphasize the Training of Factory Employes. While the subject matter for discussion may cover any part of the foreman's job, the principal emphasis has been placed on the responsibilities for training workers in the department and for developing their special shop abilities.
The general scope of topics which have been discussed centers around an analysis of: (a) The work of the foreman as a whole and as related to the management of men. (b) The needs of the worker in an understanding of his job and in an ability and interest in handling it. (c) Some of the ways. of training new employes and of improving older employes. (d) Control of departmental costs and quality, especially as related to labor efficiency. (e) Ways of providing for initiative, building morale, making the department safe, improving production methods.
In planning for a series of six meetings with the foremen at any plant, the point of view is shifted each year. During the first year, the six meetings may suggest "Ways of Training Workers". The second year, they may provide "An Examination of the Foremen's Responsibilities". For the third year, topics may develop the idea of "Studying Machine and Man Efficiency". For other years, the discussions in different plants have centered around: "Factory Operation Analysis," "Production Analysis for the Foreman," and "Self-Analysis and Improvement".
Mimeographed material has been put into the hands of foremen, and charts and drawings have been used to illustrate points of emphasis. Each meeting is in part a lecture, and in part a general discussion of topics and their application in the various departments. Wall charts and demonstrations are used for illustrative purposes.
Purdue Furnishes the Service and Companies Provide the Meeting Place. No charge has been made by Purdue University for this off-campus university extension service. Federal "Smith-Hughes Act" funds received through the Indiana State Board for Vocational Education have partially reimbursed the University for its expenditures in carrying on this work. The management of the factory where the meetings have been held has provided a suitable place for the discussions; and when the meetings are held during working hours, it has made it convenient for the men to attend. These Foremanship Conferences have been conducted at all hours of the day and during the evening. Many of them have been arranged in connection with a luncheon at the plant or with a dinner. Sometimes a dinner is planned at a local club house or at a hotel or a church. A number of companies have arranged for a series of such dinners. Frequently it is planned to get the foremen together at the close of work in the afternoon. But the most usual plan is to have the foremen leave their work for a conference during working hours.
In the Seven Years, 322 Series of Meetings Have Reached Over 6,000 Foremen. During the seven years, 238 different groups have been organized for 322 series of meetings, 84 of these series being follow-up meetings as indicated under the next heading, with 69 of the groups. In all, 6,112 foremen have attended these meetings. While the general practice has been to meet with individual companies at their own plants, there having been 209 of these groups, 29 other groups have been formed as composite groups representing two or more companies as follows:
2 companies meeting together..............15 groups
4 to 10 companies in a group.................7 groups
11 to 20 companies in a group................6 groups
Over 20 companies in a group.................1 group
In this way many of the smaller industries of the state are being served. It may be noted above that 15 closely related companies have found it convenient to meet together. On the other hand, a few of the larger companies have found it desirable to separate their foremen into two or three groups for these meetings.
Two or More Series of Meetings Were Held with 69 Different Groups. Sixty-nine groups have met for two or more different series of meetings during different years. The distribution of series of meetings is shown below:
169 groups have met for 1 series of meetings.
57 groups have met for 2 series of meetings.
9 groups have met for 3 series of meetings.
3 groups have met for 4 series of meetings.
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238 groups have been organized (total).
Numbers of Foremen Per Group Have Ranged from 4 to 178 Persons. The number of men attending these meetings varies according to the size and character of the plant. Sometimes the group is mostly division superintendents or heads of large departments. Usually it is made up of foremen in charge of departments having from 10 to 30 workers. Occasionally the group is one of assistant foremen or straw bosses with supervisory responsibility over fewer workers. Frequently engineering apprentices and prospective foremen are members of the conference group. Heads of non-productive departments also attend most of the meetings.
The 276 industrial establishments listed in Section V of this report have been represented in the conferences as follows:
84 companies represented by 2 to 10 foremen each.
155 companies represented by 11 to 40 foremen each.
37 companies represented by over 40 foremen each.
Many of the companies having but 2 to 10 foremen have been reached in composite groups with other small companies, and most of the 124 companies not listed (see additional statement on page 54) are in this class. It will be seen from the figures above that 155 out of 276 listed companies are represented by from 11 to 40 foremen. The average number of foremen representing these 276 listed companies is 22.
The size of these conferences has varied greatly, the smallest series of meetings having but 4 members and the largest 178. Counting all of the groups reached through this Purdue service, both individual plant meetings and composite groups, we find the enrollment divided as follows:
10 persons or less in a group.........15% of all organized groups.
From 11 to 20 persons...................41% of all organized groups.
From 21 to 30 persons...................17% of all organized groups.
From 31 to 40 persons................... 9% of all organized groups.
From 41 to 50 persons................... 7% of all organized groups.
From 51 to 60 persons................... 4% of all organized groups.
From 61 to 70 persons................... 3% of all organized groups.
From 71 to 80 persons................... 2% of all organized groups.
Over 80 persons............................. 2% of all organized groups.
Most of the Companies Reached Employ from 100 to 1,000 Workers. The size of each company is constantly changing; so it is possible only to estimate the usual number of workers employed by the company. A careful estimate shows a total of 145,000 employes in the Indiana plants of the 400 companies served. This makes an average of 362 employes per company.
The number of employes in these plants varies as follows:
75 companies have less than 100 employes.
302 companies have from 100 to 1,000 employes.
23 companies have over 1,000 employes.
II
UNIVERSITY FOREMANSHIP CONFERENCE POLICIES
The following general policies in promoting this work have been in mind at Purdue University since 1923:
To include each geographical section of the state, as far as the size of its industries warrants. This aim has been realized by reaching 58 cities in 45 counties in Indiana. While manufacturing activities have tended to concentrate in certain sections of the state, all sections have a considerable amount of such activities.
To include the larger manufacturing plants first, when conditions make this at all possible. This aim has been realized by serving 45 companies having over 1,000 employes each, 23 of them having over 1,000 employes in the State of Indiana.
To include some of the smaller factories and shops by means of composite groups from several plants. This aim has been realized by conducting 29 composite groups, including 191 companies.
To include varied industries working in many ways with many different materials and processes. This aim has been realized through holding meetings with companies making iron and steel products, railroad equipment, automobiles, factory tools, farm tools, chemical products, glass, textiles, paper products, foods, household furnishings, and many miscellaneous products .
To include highly specialized plants and general jobbing shops making parts for other companies. This aim has been realized through reaching plants with no set-up changes, those whose set-ups last from an hour to a few days, and those with a constant change in set-ups or requiring largely hand work without standard gages and tools. Railway maintenance shops have also been included.
To include building trades and service trades as well as manufacturing trades in these conferences. This aim has been reached in the plumbing trade directly and in other trades incidentally in many of the factory groups. Many men in plant maintenance departments have attended the conferences.
This Foremanship Service, Started in 1919, Has Been Carried on by Purdue Since 1923. The Foremanship Conference service in Indiana was a pioneer in this field of University extension work in the United States. It was started at Indiana University in 1919 with the aim of helping industry to do the training of its own workers more successfully. In 1923 it was transferred, both the service and its personnel, to Purdue University, with the idea that it is a more normal part of an engineering program that aims to train leaders for manufacturing and related technical interests. The service has been continued by Purdue since 1923. It has broadened its scope to include the various aspects of foremanship.
Other States Have Followed Purdue University's Lead in Recent Years. Many other state universities have followed this lead in the last few years. Foremanship conferences have become a fixed institution in the educational programs of the states where manufacturing is important. Much of this tendency has been promoted through the co-operation and leadership of the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Chambers of Commerce have also shown an interest, especially the National Chamber of Commerce, and a considerable number of private companies have organized correspondence and extension courses in foremanship.
The Need for Studying Foremanship Problems Is Now Generally Recognized. The need for amore careful study of both the technical and the human problems in manufacturing is now very generally recognized. Regular foremen meetings, either as self-directed clubs, as company directed schools, or as conferences led by specializing agencies, have established themselves. Engineering colleges have taken up this newer responsibility of helping industry at the heart of its active problem, with the foremen who are in immediate charge of actual production.
III
THE FIFTY-EIGHT CITIES
A List of the Cities Served, Showing Number of Companies Reached Per City. The 58 cities mentioned in Section II are listed below. The list makes clear that it is the purpose of Purdue University to serve the entire state with this feature as far as possible. Companies served from 1923 to 1930 are as follows:
NO. OF NO. OF
CITY COMPANIES CITY COMPANIES
1. Albany................ 1 30. Jeffersonville............ 1
2. Anderson........... 11 31. Kendallville.............. 2
3. Auburn................ 1 32. Kokomo................... 11
4. Aurora................. 6 33. Lafayette.................. 2
5. Batesville............ 7 34. LaPorte..................... 6
6. Bedford...............12 35. Lawrenceburg.......... 2
7. Beech Grove........1 36. Logansport............... 8
8. Bicknell ...............1 37. Marion...................... 2
9. Bloomington.......11 38. Martinsville.............. 2
10. Bluffton..............1 39. Michigan City..........10
11. Brazil..................4 40. Mishawaka............... 2
12. Carbon...............2 41. Mitchell................... 2
13. Clinton...............2 42. Muncie.................... 13
14. Columbus...........2 43. New Albany........... 18
15 . Connersville.... 4 44. New Castle.............. 4
16. Crawfordsville.. 1 45. Peru.......................... 8
17. Dunkirk ............ 1 46 . Richmond ............. 16
18. East Chicago..... 9 47. Rising Sun................ 1
19. Elkhart.............. 7 48. Seymour................... 1
20. Elwood............. 2 49. Shelbyville.............. 17
21. Evansville....... 39 50. South Bend............... 5
22. Ft. Wayne......... 8 51. Spencer.................... 1
23. Frankfort.......... 2 52. Terre Haute.............. 12
24. Gary.................. 8 53. Tipton...................... 12
25. Greencastle....... 2 54. Vincennes................. 2
26. Hagerstown...... 1 55. Wabash..................... 4
27. Hammond........ 4 56. Washington.............. 6
28. Huntington....... 6 57. W. Terre Haute......... 2
29. Indianapolis.... 66 58. Winchester............... 1
A Grouping of Cities According to Population Shows 34 in the 10,000 Class. In the 1930 United States Census, Indiana is credited with having 34 cities with a population of 10,000 or more. Purdue Foremanship Conferences have been held in 32 of these 34 cities. The complete figures for the smaller cities in the 1930 Census are not available as this Report is made, but in the 1927 Census Estimate, Indiana is credited with 175 cities having a population of 1,000 or more. The population of these 175 cities is classified below, with that of 154 other cities having a population between 500 and 1,000.
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A Summary of the Table Above Shows Most of the Service in the Larger Cities. As factories tend to locate in the medium size and larger cities, more of these cities have been reached than the smaller ones . It may also be noted that many of the industries in the smaller cities have but one or two foremen each , and it is sometimes difficult to combine these into conference groups.
Thirty-two of the 58 cities served have 10,000 population or more. This represents all but two of the cities of this class.
Twenty-five of the 58 cities served have from 1,000 to 10,000population. There are 150 cities of this class which have not been reached. Some of these will be reached during the next few years.
One of the 58 cities served is in the smaller class , from 500to 1,000. There are 154 cities in this class. But few of these will be reached during the next few years.
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| Meeting of Association of Master Plumbers in Indianapolis (See Page 18). |
IV
VARIOUS PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED
A few of the meetings have been held with representatives from the Building Trades as shown in the illustration above, but most of the meetings have been held at manufacturing plants.
Some of the variety of products and kinds of industries rep-resented in this Foremanship Conference Service, as suggested in Section II, are indicated below:
Iron and Steel Products. Twenty-four companies operate blast furnaces, or manufacture rolling mill products, steel foundry products, malleable or gray iron castings, drop forgings, or cold drawn steel.
Railroad Shops and Equipment. Twenty companies manufacture railroad equipment, or maintain steam and electric railroad rolling stock.
Automobile and Automobile Parts. Forty-four companies manufacture passenger automobiles and trucks, motors, bodies, tires, stampings, and small parts and accessories .
Machinery and Factory Equipment. Nineteen companies manufacture machine tools, engines and electric motors, power transmission devices, conveyors, and other factory equipment.
Excavating and Farm Equipment. Seventeen companies manufacture excavating and farm equipment, road graders, tractors, threshers, seeders, plows, hand tools , windmills and pumps, and mining machinery.
Mineral and Chemical Products. Fifty companies manufacture mineral and chemical products, acids, cement, clay products, coal, coke, gas, and by-products, limestone, oil, zinc, and electric power.
Glass Products. Thirteen companies manufacture glass products, including bottles, preserve jars, tumblers, lamps ,table glassware, plate glass , flat drawn glass , mirrors, lenses, and insulators.
Clothing and Textile Products. Fifteen companies manufacture clothing and textile products: men's clothing, overalls, underwear, gloves, men's and women's shoes, rubber foot wear, women's frocks, uniforms, burlap and cotton bags.
Paper and Printing. Ten companies manufacture corrugated board, paper boxes, paper bags , lithographs, books ,magazines, and general commercial printing .Food Products. Twelve companies manufacture, prepare, and pack food products: bottled milk and cream , butter andcheese, crackers and cakes , bread and rolls, preserves and canned goods, candies, corn products, and hot-house grown vegetables .
Household Furnishings. Seventy-seven companies manufacture household furniture, porch furniture, chairs, cedar chests, radio cabinets, refrigerators, enameled kitchenware, stoves and ranges, furnaces, and washing machines.
Miscellaneous Products. Ninety-nine companies manufacture miscellaneous products, including baby vehicles, baskets,bolts and nuts, brooms , building specialties, blowers and air compressors, casters, coffins, cough drops , desks, electric lighting devices, electricity meters and gas meters , enameling and plating, fibre conduit, fireproof doors, fishing equipment , goldfish and aquarium supplies, hot-house flowers, lawn mowers ,leather, lumber, meat slicers, metal alloy castings, musical instruments, rubber goods, school and hospital furniture, tanks ,tin cans, toys and play ground apparatus, varnish and lacquer, vending devices, veneers and panels, wire and wire nails.
V
LIST OF 276 COMPANIES SERVED — 1923 TO 1930
On the following pages are listed 276 of the 400 companies served through Foremanship Conferences conducted by Purdue University during the seven years from September, 1923, through July, 1930.
As stated in Section I, 209 of these companies have been reached individually in their own plants. The 67 other listed companies have been reached in 29 composite groups.
An attempt has been made to have the explanatory data as nearly correct as possible. Some companies are constantly taking on new lines of product. Mergers and reorganization and change of name are constantly taking place. Mistakes and incomplete information are inevitable. Any corrections in the printed details for these companies, to keep the University files up to date, will be appreciated.
Alphabetical List of 276 Companies Served Through Foremanship Conferences. Each of the listed companies is de-scribed according to:
(a) Number-In alphabetical sequence.
(b) Name Its present name, latest changes being indicated where possible.
(c) Location-Two different cities mentioned in a few cases.
(d) Years-Time shown when meetings have been held.
(e) Foremen-Number of foremen and others attending the meetings.
(f) Product-Principal articles manufactured or service rendered by company.
(g) Control-Larger corporation controlling the company information regarding Indiana branch plants, general information regarding the company.
1 . J. D. ADAMS MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY (Indianapolis) 1926 (22 Men)
Road Graders, "Leaning Wheel" Graders, Road Maintainers,
Dump Wagons, Other Road Equipment. Company operates another plant at Paris, Ontario.
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107. HEMINGRAY GLASS COMPANY (Muncie) 1929 (24 Men)
Glass Insulators and Bottles.
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