7. Inspection, of work in process.—In the inspec tions of the company's apparatus endeavor is con stantly made in each department to have the work in spected during the actual making as well as upon completion.
As there are 85,000 different items listed in the stock room it would be impossible to inspect every in dividual piece. When automatic and semi-automatic machinery is used, after it is properly set and working it is necessary to inspect only a small percentage of the output with a view to preventing the dies from wear ing out or getting out of alignment. On the other hand, apparatus which is made by hand with special limit gauges, templets, etc., requires frequent detailed inspection of all its parts, and this the company aims to give.
Next to inspecting the work while it is still in the workman's hands, the best method is to have the ma terial after each operation delivered, witb an identifi cation tag, to an inspector and approved before going to the next operator.
Some concerns hold each man responsible for de fects in the piece on which he works, thus causing him to examine carefully all the work he receives, for errors of the preceding workers.
8. Questions as guides.—It is of great assistance to the inspectors, especially the new men who are being trained, to be supplied with some list of ques tions such as the following, which call their attention to special points to be noted. The questions are so framed that they may be answered by yes or no; thus the amount of writing required is minimized.
9. Qualifications of inspectors.—Inspectors should be chosen from among experienced workmen and, if possible, from the department where they will serve as inspectors. They should be men imbued with a sense of the responsibility of the position and with good judgment not only in passing on materials but in dealing with men.
Judgment is essential in inspection because while some variations from drawings in no way affect the utility of the machine, others may cause serious re sults. All defects and variations are given careful consideration in order that it may be determined whether the piece should be scrapped outright, whether the imperfection may still be rectified or, if the fault be an unimportant one, whether the machine or apparatus may be passed as it stands. Of course, a full knowledge of the situation is required before an intelligent decision can be arrived at. If the inspec
tor is undecided he refers the matter at once to the department head, stopping all work thereon, pending a decision.
10. Information from the outside.—The efficiency of inspection depends in very large degree upon the aid received from the engineering, correspondence, testing and other departments. Every letter of com plaint is accepted at its face value and conditions are thoroly investigated: first, with a view to ascertaining the cause of the trouble; second, with a view to pre venting a recurrence of it. It will be found decidedly efficacious when complaints are received involving de fective workmanship, now and then to send the fore man or inspector of the department at fault to see for himself the cause of the trouble. In this way, his viewpoint will be broadened and he will appreciate more fully than he would otherwise the necessity of good work.
No matter how adequate the organizations may be, there will be certain points, particularly with new ap paratus, or new applications of standard apparatus, that can be gleaned only from actual experience. Hence, the efficiency of the works must depend to a large extent upon the suggestions of their erecting gangs and customers.
11. Various kinds of inspection.—Inspection as a means of gaining information is not confined to me chanical lines. Traveling auditors perform similar duties in a different field. Spasmodic inspection, however, unless backed by proper reports, is liable to result in erroneous impressions. Conditions are likely to be unusual and the men nervous. In fact, compa nies often waste considerable money in this kind of investigation. When it is rumored that an inspection is to take place, men are taken off their regular work and set to cleaning up, since so many officials under such circumstances confuse appearance with efficiency. This loss of time may be prevented in part by having the inspection take place unannounced; but better by the percentage system, which provides that a certain percentage of the work be examined or an established number of inspections be made, the particular lot or time of inspection, of course, being unknown. If the work inspected proves satisfactory the entire amount is passed. If any defects are found the entire lot is carefully examined for further errors.