It is hard to express what a joyful kick we derived from an interview with Mr. R. H. Stewart, managing director of Plastic and Diecasting Ltd., Christchurch, who supplied us with his views on design for the manufacturer of goods in New Zealand, an account of his factory and most important, samples of his wares. This company deserves the attention of every architect and of all interested in sound well-designed goods. Mr. Stewart keeps in touch with modern developments. He is the only New Zealand member of the English Institute of Plastics whereby he is kept posted with the latest information. The company was founded recently and their staff has already grown from thirty to ninety-five. They produce plastic mouldings (compression mouldings of thermo-setting bakelite type), die-castings in brass, aluminium, and zinc. Their trade mark is PDL. Their articles are mostly electrical and builders' hardware.

Views on Manufacturing For New Zealand

They consider that architects must often find that there is not electrical apparatus, to take an example, conforming to their views of design. They are therefore forced to instal goods which shock their sensibilities. Manufacturing here being in its infancy there do not appear to be first class industrial designers with adequate technical knowledge. The architects should themselves approach this problem for a solution, as it is in their sphere to demand and insist that what they instal answers their conception of how a job should be done.

Moreover it is being realized that an article made outside New Zealand is not thereby better in design or more serviceable than local products. The best approach to the manufacturer of electrical wiring accessories is to create, as far as possible, an entirely new article suitable for local conditions. In this the New Zealand manufacturer, knowing the requirements of the trade, has an advantage compared with an overseas firm which generally considers the expense of developing a particular article for this market is not justified.

One of several examples of new design where this firm was not satisfied to start manufacturing on existing patterns which were not in every instance wholly satisfactory.

An Example

The switch illustrated is one of several examples of new design where this firm was not satisfied to start manufacturing on existing patterns which were not in every instance wholly satisfactory. The matter called for new designs based on fundamental function rather than on improving existing patterns. This is one of several types of switches for which they have designed new models embodying new principles, and which are more satisfactory than those generally in use.

Some Difficulties

In one instance the time from when the idea was conceived until the article was placed on the market was eleven months. It entailed considerable capital expenditure which is not recovered until a quarter million are sold. To keep the price competitive each switch recovers a small portion of the capital outlay.

New designs present the further problem of acceptance by the authorities responsible for approval. This approval must be given before the article is marketed. These are the penalties paid by men of initiative who wish to improve on current design.

They are designed

Design is in the hands of the managing director who considers that as the services of industrial designers are not available, those people responsible for quality of housing should be consulted. His practice is to make pencil designs and, after approval, wooden samples.

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The heart of modern mass-production industry is the toolroom. Continual research into improved production methods demands an endless supply of dies, jigs, and gauges, machined to extremely fine tolerances. The two illustrations above show two views of the toolroom.
Illustrations by courtesy of Plastic and Diecasting. Ltd.

These designs he submits step by step to an architect conversant with modern design and with an active interest in the improvement of design in New Zealand manufactures.

Finish is a special concern. The dies of hard steel are polished by hand with emery and are chromium plated. The result is a plastic with a high quality finish.

From examples we inspected we are convinced that these new technical designs are of outstanding performance and efficiency, and therefore of particular interest to architects and the discriminating buyer.

Good design in the factory

The workshops where these articles are made are themselves the subject of care and planning. The machine shops are among the few, possibly the only one in New Zealand, painted to be bright and cheerful in accordance with the British Standards Institute recommendations for the use of colour in factories.

Benches, except the working area which is left plain wood, are in cream with green edging and feet chairs likewise. The worshops are not only made more pleasant by this, but also benefit by more light.

When machines are imported they are often painted grey which looks dirty and drab. So all machines are first rubbed down and then painted cream, with electrical apparatus in orange and danger points in red. Tools and equipment are kept on shadow boards.

All very expensive? Yes it costs hundreds of pounds. Does it pay? The answer is emphatically yes, for these reasons:—

Applicants for a job are told no bonus, no hot meals, no overtime, no hair-dos. But they take the job.