ONE OF the fundamentals in accomplishing things is a knowledge of “how to go about it.” The other day we talked with a plant operator who was having difficulty in obtaining materials for repair work. He is in an industry which by itself had no priority rating, but he is furnishing machinery for secondary defense jobs. The head of this firm made application through a local Priority Office and obtained a rating which enabled him to proceed with his production.
In the Used Machinery Industry the pinch of priority regulations for parts and materials has not been felt until recent months. Why? Because the Industry has been able to operate on priorities furnished them by customers
There are many machines in dealers’ stocks today or machines which dealers would purchase for resale to defense contractors if the necessary replacement parts could be obtained to recondition these machines. The materials and parts requirements of the Used Machinery Industry are small. Compared to the importance of placing needed machines in vital defense jobs it is negligible. We have often stated a machine can be reconditioned in a fraction of the time it takes to build it. So now we wonder why the hesitancy about awarding the Industry a Priority Rating commensurate with its importance?
An Industry with an almost 100% all out Defense effort deserves more than ordinary consideration. Recent figures indicate that 90% of the shipments made by dealers in used and rebuilt machine tools have been going to Defense contractors.
We wonder how many other Industries can match this record.
