Music Trade Review
Issue: 1925 Vol. 81 N. 19 - Page 4
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
NOVEMBER 7,
1925
Shop Organization of the Piano and
Player Service Department
System Used by the Service Department of the American Piano Co. in the Metropolitan District Which Pro-
vides for Seventeen Retail Piano Warerooms—Close Records of Work in Hand a Necessity
to Give the Customer Proper Service and Also to Show a Profit
S is the case in all lines of merchandis-
ing the financial success of a service
department in the piano industry depends
in chief measure upon the efficiency with which
not utilized to the utmost means just so much
loss. It is interesting to learn, therefore, the
actual experiences of the service department of
the American Piano Co. in building up and man-
aging an efficient or-
ganization and the de-
OUTSIDE ESTIMATE
velopment of s h o p
REPAIR SHOP
practices which have
NEW YORK,
been found to work out
most satisfactorily.
Gentlemen:
In the first place in
, for work to be done to
We estimate ( —
.
BOW a t .
s u c h a department
Piaao N»..
_, as per items checked oa the foDowiax Hat:
nothing can be left to
n» mttltm
chance, so an accurate
Bring »ctio» f k » f _
and easily checked rec-
ord must be kept of
_P«U1
every operation, of the
CUmm k«y«
activities of the me-
chanic, and of the ma-
ew Irrtlt ltri»f
Irimf
Cle»»l»t i»rl»f»
terials used. The human
"
l l
element, of c o u r s e ,
ranks first, a n d t h e
o
basis of the successful
c * S»»«>»P«*t
Block d»wB
service department is
Cwnt
the caliber of the men
Dill «nbt
employed in it. In the
American Piano Co.'s
service department, for
instance, no repairman
or tuner is employed
on his own say-so re-
garding his abilities,
OTHER ITEMS:.
but goes to work on
trial and demonstrates
Kindly tend us your Instruction* as to proceeding with this work, and oblifc
just what he knows
REPAIR SHOP.
Yours very truly,
about the mechanism
of the piano and repro-
New York...
ducing piano. If he fails
REPAIR SHOP:
to measure up to his
Proceed with work a* per your Outside Estimate No.
own estimated ability
when completed.
he is through. If, on the
Itt.-
Customer experts this work completed by—-
contrary, he is modest
Collect $
Charge f
—
(Sifted)
in his claims and shows
General Outside Estimate Sheet
that service is sold to the public, or, in other aptitude, he is carefully trained over a period
words, the owners, for it is the selling of the of weeks until he is competent to go out into
service that brings in the income. The manner the homes and service instruments. No expense
in which contact with the owner can be de- is spared in connection with the training of
veloped and maintained was explained in a mechanics to measure up to the demands of
previous article. And now comes the ques- this particular service department, and for that
tion of the organization designed to make the reason, every effort is made to keep them fully
employed right through the year, in dull times
service itself efficient and satisfactory.
If any service proves profitable, that profit as well as in busy ones.
Compensation, of course, depends largely
must be made through the medium of com-
upon the ability of the individual, but it has
been found practical to make it possible for the
S T Y I X ii FIN.
I
mechanic to earn a little more than he first
expected and to pay him for all work done after
hours even though it represents traveling time
from a distant job. Careful checking serves to
eliminate the overtime of the greedy fellow
who might be inclined to travel slowly at the
expense of the house.
Special care is taken in the selection and
Time Curd
Tim. C d
W C»,d
training of employes for the reason that they
Co.
No.
No.
No.
» < j ~
must represent the service department in the
J
homes and show efficiency to win the confidence
f
of the owner. This, of course, applies to the
\ jj
outside man, for his work is a reflection of the
system established inside the shop.
1
A standard form of time clock is used for
Office Record of Job
checking on the employes in reporting and quit-
petent workmanship and the elimination of ting work, but the system is extended to include
waste in both time and material, for every a battery of small time clocks operating through
individual, every machine or every inch of space the master clock which are used to check up
A
C
'"
'••
!
:
..
••
1 '
*on the time of each particular job. When the
mechanic reaches his bench he starts on the
first job of the day, stamping his card with
the time and inserting thereon the make of in-
strument and the number of the job. When the
particular job is finished he again stamps the
card with the time and inserts in the proper
place, as indicated in the accompanying cut, a
description of the work that has been done.
This work time card is carefully checked and
is used as a basis for paying the men who
work on time. If the job at hand covers more
than a day, as often happens, two daily time
cards are used to record it.
Most interesting is the system that has been
devised for providing a permanent record of
the work done on each instrument, as well as
a daily check on the progress of the work for
the use of the office. A large card is provided,
divided into appropriate sections, for noting
the various facts regarding the instrument, such
as make, finish, style, ownership, etc., together
with a summary of the work to be done. Then
come spaces for piano work, player work and
varnish work, which are to be filled in in detail.
The outstanding feature, however, is the per-
forated section at the bottom of the card which
PHOPMTV OF
.
DATE WANTED.
_»UTMOmTY I W C .
WORK TO BRDONF
WOIWM4N
WOHKMAM
| M * I 1 ML
PIANO
WORK
WOUKMAM
|MTI 1 • *
WS." W{-\*-.°S
TOTM. T I M
PLAYKH
V O R K !"A~ " VPi"* ."•
TOTAL T I M
VAKNIHII WORK
V"S»"^"" A i .°S
TOTAL MB* .
• T o m NOTirao
MTC WANTID_
Master Job Ticket
consists of tags covering each detail of the
work.
When the job is put into the shop the bottom
section of the card, giving details of the instru-
ment and its ownership and the date wanted,
is torn off and placed on a hook on a produc-
tion board which hangs in the office, while the
card itself is hung on the instrument. The in-
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
NOVEMBER 7,
1925
Shop Organization of the Piano and
Player Service Department
System Used by the Service Department of the American Piano Co. in the Metropolitan District Which Pro-
vides for Seventeen Retail Piano Warerooms—Close Records of Work in Hand a Necessity
to Give the Customer Proper Service and Also to Show a Profit
S is the case in all lines of merchandis-
ing the financial success of a service
department in the piano industry depends
in chief measure upon the efficiency with which
not utilized to the utmost means just so much
loss. It is interesting to learn, therefore, the
actual experiences of the service department of
the American Piano Co. in building up and man-
aging an efficient or-
ganization and the de-
OUTSIDE ESTIMATE
velopment of s h o p
REPAIR SHOP
practices which have
NEW YORK,
been found to work out
most satisfactorily.
Gentlemen:
In the first place in
, for work to be done to
We estimate ( —
.
BOW a t .
s u c h a department
Piaao N»..
_, as per items checked oa the foDowiax Hat:
nothing can be left to
n» mttltm
chance, so an accurate
Bring »ctio» f k » f _
and easily checked rec-
ord must be kept of
_P«U1
every operation, of the
CUmm k«y«
activities of the me-
chanic, and of the ma-
ew Irrtlt ltri»f
Irimf
Cle»»l»t i»rl»f»
terials used. The human
"
l l
element, of c o u r s e ,
ranks first, a n d t h e
o
basis of the successful
c * S»»«>»P«*t
Block d»wB
service department is
Cwnt
the caliber of the men
Dill «nbt
employed in it. In the
American Piano Co.'s
service department, for
instance, no repairman
or tuner is employed
on his own say-so re-
garding his abilities,
OTHER ITEMS:.
but goes to work on
trial and demonstrates
Kindly tend us your Instruction* as to proceeding with this work, and oblifc
just what he knows
REPAIR SHOP.
Yours very truly,
about the mechanism
of the piano and repro-
New York...
ducing piano. If he fails
REPAIR SHOP:
to measure up to his
Proceed with work a* per your Outside Estimate No.
own estimated ability
when completed.
he is through. If, on the
Itt.-
Customer experts this work completed by—-
contrary, he is modest
Collect $
Charge f
—
(Sifted)
in his claims and shows
General Outside Estimate Sheet
that service is sold to the public, or, in other aptitude, he is carefully trained over a period
words, the owners, for it is the selling of the of weeks until he is competent to go out into
service that brings in the income. The manner the homes and service instruments. No expense
in which contact with the owner can be de- is spared in connection with the training of
veloped and maintained was explained in a mechanics to measure up to the demands of
previous article. And now comes the ques- this particular service department, and for that
tion of the organization designed to make the reason, every effort is made to keep them fully
employed right through the year, in dull times
service itself efficient and satisfactory.
If any service proves profitable, that profit as well as in busy ones.
Compensation, of course, depends largely
must be made through the medium of com-
upon the ability of the individual, but it has
been found practical to make it possible for the
S T Y I X ii FIN.
I
mechanic to earn a little more than he first
expected and to pay him for all work done after
hours even though it represents traveling time
from a distant job. Careful checking serves to
eliminate the overtime of the greedy fellow
who might be inclined to travel slowly at the
expense of the house.
Special care is taken in the selection and
Time Curd
Tim. C d
W C»,d
training of employes for the reason that they
Co.
No.
No.
No.
» < j ~
must represent the service department in the
J
homes and show efficiency to win the confidence
f
of the owner. This, of course, applies to the
\ jj
outside man, for his work is a reflection of the
system established inside the shop.
1
A standard form of time clock is used for
Office Record of Job
checking on the employes in reporting and quit-
petent workmanship and the elimination of ting work, but the system is extended to include
waste in both time and material, for every a battery of small time clocks operating through
individual, every machine or every inch of space the master clock which are used to check up
A
C
'"
'••
!
:
..
••
1 '
*on the time of each particular job. When the
mechanic reaches his bench he starts on the
first job of the day, stamping his card with
the time and inserting thereon the make of in-
strument and the number of the job. When the
particular job is finished he again stamps the
card with the time and inserts in the proper
place, as indicated in the accompanying cut, a
description of the work that has been done.
This work time card is carefully checked and
is used as a basis for paying the men who
work on time. If the job at hand covers more
than a day, as often happens, two daily time
cards are used to record it.
Most interesting is the system that has been
devised for providing a permanent record of
the work done on each instrument, as well as
a daily check on the progress of the work for
the use of the office. A large card is provided,
divided into appropriate sections, for noting
the various facts regarding the instrument, such
as make, finish, style, ownership, etc., together
with a summary of the work to be done. Then
come spaces for piano work, player work and
varnish work, which are to be filled in in detail.
The outstanding feature, however, is the per-
forated section at the bottom of the card which
PHOPMTV OF
.
DATE WANTED.
_»UTMOmTY I W C .
WORK TO BRDONF
WOIWM4N
WOHKMAM
| M * I 1 ML
PIANO
WORK
WOUKMAM
|MTI 1 • *
WS." W{-\*-.°S
TOTM. T I M
PLAYKH
V O R K !"A~ " VPi"* ."•
TOTAL T I M
VAKNIHII WORK
V"S»"^"" A i .°S
TOTAL MB* .
• T o m NOTirao
MTC WANTID_
Master Job Ticket
consists of tags covering each detail of the
work.
When the job is put into the shop the bottom
section of the card, giving details of the instru-
ment and its ownership and the date wanted,
is torn off and placed on a hook on a produc-
tion board which hangs in the office, while the
card itself is hung on the instrument. The in-
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).