40 Dexter-Russell
In 1969, Russell-Harrington offered two product lines: a high-priced Dexter line
and a lower priced Russell line. Even though Russell and Harrington had merged in
1933, the combined company continued to use separate machines and methods to
manufacture the two product lines. is system made no sense, since the differences
between the Russell and Dexter lines were nearly undetectable. For instance, the
rivet spacing on the wooden handles of each line differed by a mere quarter inch.
Moreover, when the lines producing the Russell products finished their run for the
day, the machines shut down and the employees went home. Meanwhile, the Dexter
product line might still be buzzing, providing overtime for the workers as they filled
orders. Dismayed by this inefficiency, Hardy combined operations, eliminating
discrepancies in the length of shifts and boosting production.
Seeking a more efficient manufacturing system, Hardy asked Richard Martin from
Hyde to conduct a time study. Experienced in assembly and modern manufacturing
techniques, Martin understood the best way to transform the manufacturing process
and purchased some semi-automatic German machines. e old grinding machines
that Russell-Harrington had been using required an entire shift to set up with new
blades; the new machines took a mere two hours.
New big press, post-Hyde acquisition, 1968
New carcass cutter, post-Hyde acquisition, 1968
