Alfred Herbert Ltd and the British Machine Tool Industry, 1887-1983 by Roger Lloyd-Jones M.J. Lewis

Author:Roger Lloyd-Jones, M.J. Lewis [Roger Lloyd-Jones, M.J. Lewis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, General
ISBN: 9781351959568
Google: E803DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-09-29T01:31:08+00:00

Source: PEP, Report on 'The Machine Tool Industry', p. 189.

Note: a included for 1945 under other British.

As was shown in Chapter 5, the SMTC was a large exporter of machine tools to the Soviet Union before the outbreak of hostilities. In 1939, 82 per cent of the Corporation's exports were destined for Russia, a large trade that was seriously affected by the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of August 1939, the Board of Trade denying the company an export licence. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the company received extensive Russian orders, totalling £482,178 in March 1943, representing 43 per cent of total sales valued at £1,041,191. On paper, this was a lucrative trade but the Corporation's business with the Soviets reflected both the constraints of dealing with the highly bureaucratic Russian planning system, and the shortcomings of the Corporation to meet delivery dates. For example, in 1943, complex Soviet procedures for payment, together with rigid inspection of machines, led to delays in delivering Russian orders, a factor which retarded the corporation's own capability to supply domestic machines, especially to the Admiralty. By April 1944, Soviet orders amounted to £2 million, Russian officials threatening that they would cancel all pending orders if the SMTC did not meet delivery targets. The Soviet action was not unwarranted, the Corporation admitting that it was stretched to the limit to meet targets, a result of shortages of skilled labour. Moreover there were claims that machines destined for Russia were of low quality, and were under investigation by an internal sub-committee. Emphasising the importance of Soviet trade to the Corporation, the sub-committee concluded that they should appoint a new director of production and inspection to oversee Russian contracts, while at the same time, and insisted upon by the Soviet officials, the SMTC replaced the managing director of the Loudon Works. The Corporation's involvement with Soviet exports was constantly fraught with difficulties, the management complaining in July and November 1944 of the constant changes in specifications for Soviet machines, but also admitting that they could not meet their requests for the quality of castings used in the building of the machines. This, in turn, related to problems of centralising and co-ordinating activities between the various works of the company, and especially in supplying quality castings from its foundries.65

The Soviet market, of course, was to be restricted after the war, but by the last two years of the conflict British makers were looking ahead to a post-war environment in which they would compete successfully in international markets. During the war, British makers had adequately supplied the war effort with quantities of standard general-purpose machine tools, a product range which was deemed essential to meeting competition in traditional post-war markets. As the PEP report of 1948 concluded, the aim of British makers was to return to normality and compete in its traditional product lines. The report, however, contained a note of caution. Special gap machines, 'usually of the newer types', were, 'in most cases' imported, British alternatives being delivered 'more slowly and expensively'.

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