GBOETCBEN
This article is the second in a series
of inside articles concerning the great
manufacturing p lants of this industry.
This series is prepared exclusively for
THE REVIEW by paid industrial writ-
ers and each article is fully protected
and the exclusive property of this pub-
lication.
•
Richard Groetchen is the Boss ... but in
spite of his responsibility, has remained
"just one of the boys". The relationship
existing between employer and employee is
such that most of the 160 workers in the
organization, will tell you, "it's a
swell place to work."
Because Groetchen came up
from the ranks himself, he has a
keen and sympathetic under-
standing of the average workers'
problems, making it easy for the
men to "talk to the boss." Mr.
Groetchen, in his quiet spoken
an.cl mild manner, is an excellent
listener. Fairness and common
sense are the keynotes governing
labor relations in this plant. Re-
wards for good work or other dis-
tinctive service, in the form of
pay increases or promotion to
more responsible jobs are quickly
passed along to deserving work-
ers without delay. Advancements
are made just as rapidly as they
are warranted. Wages in the
Groetchen plant are reported to
be above the average.
Piece work and other so called
sweat shop practices are emphati-
cally out of the picture in this
organization. The old bromide,
"not how many, but rather how
well," insofar as production is
concerned, still works to the ad-
vantage of the employer and the
man himself, says Mr. Groetchen,
who is vitally concerned with the
welfare of all his employees. As
further evidence of this, every
precaution in the form of safety
devices to protect workers in dan-
gerous machining operations, is
utilized. Educational material and
instructions, promoting health and
safety are generously provided.
Working conditions here are
among the best, as ample facili-
ties and time are provided to
make good plant housekeeping easy and
profitable to accomplish. There are 38,000
square feet of floor space, and every inch
of it is "spick and span."
Mr. Groetchen's contributions to this in-
dustry are too widely known for repetition
here. However, a few of his earlier experi-
ences, prior to his entry into the tool and
die business in 1919, are worthy of men-
tion.
In 1915 we find Mr. Groetchen in com-
plete charge of the enormous tool room for
the Stewart Warner Speedometer Corpora-
tion. In this capacity he was personally
responsible for the tools required to fill
important Government War orders. Later,
after the war was over, we find him in a
similar capacity ( tool engineer to you)
with the Bell and Howell Company. Here,
he made noteworthy contributions in the
development of sound cameras for the
movie industry.
In September, 1919, the Groetchen Tool
and Die Company came into being, as a
job shop, making special tools, dies and
fixtures, used by other manufacturers in
connection with high-speed, precision pro-
duction. The ingenuity and skill displayed
in the design of these tools quickly earned
an enviable reputation for the Groetchen
organization, and clients from all parts of
the country virtually demanded their serv-
ices. Those thus served represent some of
the largest and best known industries in
America, and include, to mention only a
few, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, West-
inghouse, General Electric, International
Richard G roetchen
Harvester, Victor Talking Machine Com-
pany, the Hoover Company, Addressograph
Company, Brown and Sharpe Tool Com-
pany, and others.
Certain technique, known only to the
Groetchen Company, has earned for them
the reputation as specialists in the design-
ing and building of "lapping" tools, requir-
ing such extreme accuracy ( within thou-
sandths of an inch) that comprehension by
the average person is practically impossible.
Even today, although the Groetchen Tool
Company no longer makes tools for outside
manufacturers, being busy with their own
requirements, Mr. Groetchen is the con-
sulting engineer for the Johns-Manville
Corporation, on tool design for the produc-
tion of acoustic tile, and also for The De-
troit Steel Products Company, as an au-
thority on metal perforating equipment.
The Groetchen Tool Company got into
the coin machine manufacturing business
quite by accident. A friend asked them to
make a supply of• machines for a third
party ... they did ... something happened
to the said third party, and Groetchen, with
about 500 machines on hand, found himself
in the coin machine business. He has been
in it ever since, and specializes in the
smaller counter type machine.
You have perhaps often wondered just
how new machines are developed and mar-
keted. It's a perfectly logical question and
the answer very interesting, so here is how
it works with Groetchen:
New machines are not gotten out hur-
riedly- to meet competition, but rather
only after careful research and
planning. Production equipment,
in the form of tools, dies, etc., is
very costly, so nothing new is
turned out until everyone con-
cerned is satisfied that the new
item is "right" from every view-
point.
Among the usual effects in the
Groetchen office is a little steel
box, known as the idea file. It
contains plans and general speci-
fications for about fifteen or
twenty machines ahead of present
production, and out of this box
come most of the new items.
After it has been decided to
bring out a new machine, a gen-
eral conference of Groetchen's
key executives is held, and the
various ideas on file are discussed
at length. The decision as to
which machine will be produced,
depends on many factors, such as
size, price, market, etc., but al-
ways, the customer's viewpoint,
its sale and operation enter heav-
ily in the final selection. The new
machine must also have features
that will put it in a class by itself.
Having determined the type of
machine, the engineering and pro-
duction problems are considered,
and here the ideas are put on the
drafting board where plans are
worked out. Several models are
made and tested and then another
meeting and discussion by the
executive staff.
By this time, a careful market
survey has been completed and
sales possibilities determined with
unfailing accuracy. The external
appearance of the machine is
now considered, and we are almost ready to
get into production, except for the type of
tooling that is to be used in this particular
case. This point may seem unimportant to
most people, but a "boner" at this stage of
the game may mean the difference between
making a profit or losing plenty. At that,
Groetchen probably invests more money in
"tooling up" than anyone in the industry.
But the precision and care with which these
machines are built is reflected in the satis-
factory, carefree service they give, making
the extra trouble and expense very much
worth while.
Our machine is now put into "work,"
and a limited number are made. These are
sent to preferred customers for further
testing. Finally, after all the "bugs are
ironed out," production and distribution
start in earnest; the final result of careful
planning and development work.
One of the more recent developments of
(See GROETCHEN, page 17)
13
COIN
MACHINI
REVIEW
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