Edison In Commerce And Manufacture - 4

Edison In Commerce And Manufacture - 4

 There was no narrowness in his views in designing these buildings, but, on the contrary,

great faith in the future, for his plans included not only the phonograph industry, but

provided also for the coming development of motion pictures and of the primary and

storage battery enterprises.

In the aggregate there are twelve structures (including the administration building), of

which six are of imposing dimensions, running from 200 feet long by 50 feet wide to 440

feet in length by 115 feet in width, all these larger buildings, except one, being five

stories in height. They are constructed entirely of reinforced concrete with Edison

cement, including walls, floors, and stairways, thus eliminating fire hazard to the utmost

extent, and insuring a high degree of protection, cleanliness, and sanitation. As fully

three-fourths of the area of their exterior framework consists of windows, an abundance

of daylight is secured. These many advantages, combined with lofty ceilings on every

floor, provide ideal conditions for the thousands of working people engaged in this

immense plant.

In addition to these twelve concrete structures there are a few smaller brick and wooden

buildings on the grounds, in which some special operations are conducted. These,

however, are few in number, and at some future time will be concentrated in one or more

additional concrete buildings. It will afford a clearer idea of the extent of the industries

clustered immediately around the laboratory when it is stated that the combined floor

space which is occupied by them in all these buildings is equivalent in the aggregate to

over fourteen acres.

It would be instructive, but scarcely within the scope of the narrative, to conduct the

reader through this extensive plant and see its many interesting operations in detail. It

must suffice, however, to note its complete and ample equipment with modern machinery

of every kind applicable to the work; its numerous (and some of them wonderfully

ingenious) methods, processes, machines, and tools specially designed or invented for the

manufacture of special parts and supplemental appliances for the phonograph or other

Edison products; and also to note the interesting variety of trades represented in the

different departments, in which are included chemists, electricians, electrical

mechanicians, machinists, mechanics, pattern-makers, carpenters, cabinet-makers,

varnishers, japanners, tool-makers, lapidaries, wax experts, photographic developers and

printers, opticians, electroplaters, furnacemen, and others, together with factory

experimenters and a host of general employees, who by careful training have become

specialists and experts in numerous branches of these industries.

Edison's plans for this manufacturing plant were sufficiently well outlined to provide

ample capacity for the natural growth of the business; and although that capacity (so far

as phonographs is concerned) has actually reached an output of over 6000 complete

phonographs PER WEEK, and upward of 130,000 molded records PER DAY--with a

pay-roll embracing over 3500 employees, including office force--and amounting to about

$45,000 per week--the limits of production have not yet been reached.

The constant outpouring of products in such large quantities bespeaks the unremitting

activities of an extensive and busy selling organization to provide for their marketing and

distribution. This important department (the National Phonograph Company), in all its

branches, from president to office-boy, includes about two hundred employees on its

office pay-roll, and makes its headquarters in the administration building, which is one of

the large concrete structures above referred to. The policy of the company is to dispose of

its wares through regular trade channels rather than to deal direct with the public, trusting

to local activity as stimulated by a liberal policy of national advertising. Thus, there has

been gradually built up a very extensive business until at the present time an enormous

output of phonographs and records is distributed to retail customers in the United States

and Canada through the medium of about one hundred and fifty jobbers and over thirteen

thousand dealers. The Edison phonograph industry thus organized is helped by frequent

conventions of this large commercial force.