Results of Standardization of Supplies
| Author | P.G. Agnew |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271622411300136 |
| Published date | 01 May 1924 |
| Date | 01 May 1924 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
269
Results
of
Standardization
of
Supplies
By
P.
G.
AGNEW
Secretary,
American
Engineering
Standards
Committee
BY
standardization
is
meant
the
concentration
upon
specific
prod-
ucts
and
materials,
both
in
production
and
in
use,
to
the
end
of
bringing
about
the
greatest
possible
industrial
e~-
ciency.
In
the
standardization
of
sup-
plies
for
purchase
by
governmental
bodies
this
means
primarily
the
selec-
tion
of
the
optimum
number
of
types,
sizes
and
grades
required,
and
their
definition
by
means
of
adequate
specifi-
cations
upon
the
basis
of
which
bids
are
requested.
It
must
be
said
at
the
outset
that,
while
standardization
in
public
pur-
chasing
has
shown
extremely
impor-
tant
results,
these
results
can
be
stated
only
in
general
terms,
since
there
is
a
striking
dearth
of
authoritative
nu-
merical
data
on
the
amount
of
savings
that
have
been
brought
about
through
such
standardization
work.
As
a
mat-
ter
of
fact,
very
few
of
the
states
or
cities
keep
their
accounts
in
sufficient
detail
to
show
even
the
total
amounts
spent
for
materials
and
supplies.
In
general
this
has
been
in
the
past
also
true
of
the
Federal
Government,
al-
though
the
Director
of
the
Budget
has
stated
that
in
19~~
the
federal
expendi-
tures
for
supplies
and
equipment
were
approximately
$258,000,000.
Even
in
private
business
there
is
a
great
paucity
of
such
numerical
results.
In
fact,
so
far
as
I
am
aware,
no
publi-
cations
are
available
showing
the
re-
sults
of
adequate
studies
of
typical
cases
which
would
give
accurately
the
relative
costs,
either
to
producer
or
to
consumer,
of
standard
and
non-stand-
ard
products.
CLARIFYING
AND
SIMPLIFYING
PURCHASE
ROUTINE
There
are,
of
course,
well-known
examples
of
the
enormous
benefits
that
have
accrued
through
standardization
of
products.
The
automobile
industry
has
officially
estimated
the
annual
savings
through
its
general
standardi-
zation
work
at
$750,000,000.
How-
ever,
in this
case,
as
in
others
such
as
the
incandescent
electric
light,
it
is
a
real
question
as
to
whether
the
results
can
adequately
be
expressed
as
eco-
nomic
savings.
Has
not
standardi-
zation
made
possible
the
actual
ex-
istence
of
the
automobile
industry
on
the
scale
in
which
it
has
now
de-
veloped ?
As
another
example,
there
may
be
mentioned
the
interesting
experience
of
a
manufacturer
of
office
equipment.
Some
years
ago
the
company
had
de-
veloped
a
very
considerable
side
line
of
its
business,
in
providing
special
features
in
its
products
to
meet
the
tastes
of
the
individual
customers.
This
special
manufacture
became
so
important
that
a
separate
factory
was
built
for
it,
to
prevent
its
interfering
with
regular
production.
This
led
to
a
much
more
careful
cost
analysis
than
had
previously
been
made,
although
the
cost
of
production
of
the
special
material
was
much
less
in
the
separate
factory
than
it
had
been
in
the
general
factory.
Nevertheless,
it
was
found
that,
in
order
to
make
the
special
ma-
terial
stand
on
its
own
legs,
instead
of
being
as
it
formerly
had
been,
largely
parasitic
on
the
regular
production,
it
was
necessary
to
increase
the
prices
on
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