Chapter 29 The production line
Bob was the first to arrive at the wholesaler’s warehouse. He parked the car in the road near the side road that led to the entrance gates and waited for Ken. He arrived ten minutes later and parked behind the Vauxhall. Bob got out and found Mary in the driving seat.
“You’re looking nice Mary. Are you coming to the meeting too?”
“No I’m going to have breakfast and maybe walk around the town, in the old part, next to the town hall. When do you want me back Ken?”
“Thirty minutes should be enough Mary.”
“I won’t get much of a walk then. All right. I’ll park here when I come back. I don’t suppose the guards will let me go inside.”
“Okay.”
Ken got into Bob’s car and they drove to the gates. They told the guard who they were and were told to park the car in the small visitor’s lot then walk to Dave Posser’s office, “it’s the corner office.” They found the door, knocked and entered. The man sitting behind a desk stood up.
“Hello. I’m Dave Posser. You must be Mr. Barns and Mr. Smith. Welcome to We-Have-It Wholesalers. Have a seat. Would you like a coffee?” They both said yes and he pressed buttons on a machine on the cabinet behind his desk and, a minute later, handed each of them a mug.
“I like that,” exclaimed Ken. “What does one of those cost?”
“About nine hundred pounds.”
“Oh. I guess we won’t be buying one for our shop then.”
“Well I find it very useful. Now I understand you’d like us to be one of your wholesalers and that you make toys. Do you have a description of them?”
“Yes,” said Bob, “here, and he handed over an envelope and a memory stick. “The photos show what the toys look like, the text explains they’re made of wood. The pictures and the descriptions are also on the memory stick.”
“That’s helpful. You make just three toys?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
“Oh! Do you make any money?”
“We made nearly eighteen thousand pounds in May and we have just begun building a group of retailers.”
“That’s net or gross?”
“Gross. It’s bound to be more for June because we went from, what, twenty shops, to over a hundred during that month. We’ve over three hundred and fifty outlets now.”
“I see. These are the suggested retail prices for each toy?”
“Yes. As far as we know, everyone of our retailers sells them at that price.”
“How much do you get from each retailer?”
“I don’t see why you have to know that,” said Ken.
“Well, just curious. You know we would take thirty percent of the retail?”
“Yes, we’d expected that. Do you give better rates at all?”
“Ah, we’d have to talk about that later, when we know more about how well your toys sell but, generally, it would be when we sell tens of thousands each month. When that happens talk to me and I’ll put you in touch with the people who handle our finances. All right. We’ll give it a try. This is how it works. We’d buy the toys from you. To begin with we would only buy what we thought we’ll be able to sell, probably a hundred the first time. Once they started selling we would phone for more when we run short. Payment is net 60—you’d be paid sixty days after we received your shipment. And you have to deliver to us, here, in this warehouse. Is all this agreeable?”
“60 is too long. We want net 30,” said Ken.
“I can’t do that. Our retailers have net 30. I’ll give you 50 then.”
“Can you make it 40 Mr. Posser?” Asked Ken. “We have our bills to pay too.”
“Oh all right. My boss isn’t going to like it but I’ve got away with it in the past.”
“Thanks.”
“Then I’ll type up the agreement and we’ll sign it. That’s all it takes.”
“When do you want the first shipment from us?”
“Not for a while. The catalogue isn’t printed yet. That’ll be done next week and delivered to our shops the following week. I’ll phone you when I know it’s in their hands. That’ll be in about two weeks.”
He finished the typing and printed five copies. “Please sign here and here on each copy and I’ll do the same.” They signed and were given three copies. “There’s an extra for your lawyer if you need it.”
“Thanks.”
“Now this is about us,” and he handed Bob and Ken a sheet of paper. “Our address, phone and fax numbers are listed. You’ll need them when you tell your retailers to order from us. On this page,” and he handed Ken a sheet of paper. “I’ve given each of your toys a number. It’s the numbers that are important to us; that’s how our men locate the items ordered. So tell all your people to include that number when they place an order. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“Well good luck to both of you. I hope we’ll make a fortune!”
“I think we will,” said Ken and smiled at him. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye Mr. Smith, Mr. Barns.”
They walked to Bob’s car, waved to the guard as they passed through the gate and drove to the main road and parked.
“I was a bit surprised when he said he’d only want a hundred. A hundred of each I hope,” said Bob. “Why did he do that after we told him how many we’re already selling?”
“It’s understandable. He’s buying them from us and he only has our word that we think they’ll sell everywhere. As far as he’s concerned he might have wasted nearly four thousand pounds of the firm’s money when he buys the toys.”
“I suppose so. Well we’ll soon prove him wrong. Why did Mary come with you today?”
“We’re going to London for the night. We’re both ready for a change. Mary now says she doesn’t see enough of me!”
“Are you going to a show?”
“We haven’t booked anything except the hotel so I don’t know. Ah, there she is,” and Ken opened his door, got out and waved to her. He walked over to the car as she pulled to the curb. He turned and looked at Bob. “Have a safe trip. I’ll see you on Monday. ‘Bye.”
“‘Bye Ken. Enjoy yourselves.” As soon as the road was clear he reversed the car and headed for the highway.
He stopped for an early lunch and bought a big bunch of flowers for Sally. He wondered how she was and hoped she wasn’t in any pain. He didn’t know much about emphysema, only that it couldn’t be cured. He arrived at the residence at four o’clock, told the receptionist who he was and carried the flowers to Sally’s room. She was in an easy chair watching television.
“Hello Bob. What nice flowers. Are they for me?”
“Of course Sally. I’ll put them next to the others. Do you have a vase?”
“No. I’ll have to phone for one. Put them in the sink with some water for now. Tell me what you’ve been doing since I saw you last.”
“I’ve mostly been driving to shops across the south of England and into Wales. We now have about three hundred and sixty retailers. This morning we signed a contract with a wholesaler who’ll deliver the toys to shops all over Great Britain.”
“Then you’ll have to make lots more toys. Do you have a lot of employees?”
“We have six now and another six are joining us on Monday.”
“My, my! You know, I’m surprised you sell so many.”
“So am I. But we think it’s a fad, we think that people want to buy wooden things today because of the Green Movement. Tomorrow they’ll want to buy something else different, electronic toys, maybe.”
“So you’re making hay while the sun shines?”
“Yes. Now how are you doing Sally?”
“Well it’s quite a bit harder to breathe now. I don’t have much energy and feel tired most of the time.”
“Do you get out often?”
“I could but I don’t really want to. I don’t need to shop for anything and there’s nothing I want, except flowers, of course. Thanks. If I need something, toothpaste for instan
ce, the staff will buy it for me. Oh Bob, I couldn’t reserve the visitor’s room, someone had already booked it. So I’ve made a reservation for you at the Bentley Hotel. It’s in Boston, on Market Square. I think you’ll like it. Years ago Bert and I stayed there once or twice.”
“Thanks Sally. Can I still have supper with you?”
“Yes of course. Look, I must have a little nap now. I’ll phone for a vase first. Why don’t you check-in at the hotel and come back at seven, that’s when dinner’s served.”
“All right. I’ll do that.”
“Give me a kiss before you go Bob.”
The hotel was comfortable but dark. The wood-panelled entrance lounge and restaurant needed many more lights but his room was bright with the sunlight falling on the white bed cover. He washed and replaced his sweater with his blazer and went to the bar for a beer, guessing that they wouldn’t serve beer where Sally was.
At seven he knocked on her door. She was ready, sitting in her wheelchair. He pushed her to the elevator then down a wide corridor to the dining room.
“That’s where I usually sit Bob. Take me to the side where there’s no chair. Yes. Thanks.”
“Do you sit by yourself Sally.”
“No, not normally. I’ve two or three friends and they usually join me but they know you’re coming tonight so they sat elsewhere. Two of them are at the table near the fireplace.” Sally pointed to them and waved her hand as they sat watching her and Bob settle in.
“Tell me about Maria now Bob. How is she? When did you last meet her?”
So Bob began describing what he and Maria had been doing, all except sharing a bed in London. He’ d let her guess that, if she wanted to.
The meal was as nice as one he might have bought in a good restaurant. Of the three entrées Bob had the grilled trout. Sally asked for a small helping of the sea-food pasta. Bob found he could order wine so he bought a Sauvignon Blanc, learning that he could have had a beer if he wanted. They skipped the dessert but had a coffee and when they were ready to leave he found that he couldn’t pay for the wine. He was told that it would be added to Sally’s monthly charges.
“I’m sorry that you have to pay for the wine Sally. I didn’t know that’s the way it worked.”
“Nothing to be sorry about Bob. I enjoyed our meal together. And our conversation.”
“What time do you have breakfast?”
“Ah, they don’t serve that to visitors, just to residents and those staying in the visitor’s room. Can you come for lunch? It’s at one o’clock. Would that be a problem? You’d be late getting home if you came.”
“No of course that’s no problem. I can come before one, if you like.”
“No, that’ll be the best time. I usually have breakfast in my room then have a rest after getting dressed. Come at one. I’d like that.”
“All right Sally.”
“Take me over to my friends now Bob. I’d like to introduce you.” He pushed her across the room where he said hello and she explained that not only was he her nephew but he was about to sell wooden toys all over England! There was a little more talk then he took her to her room and kissed her good night.
“I’ll be here at one,” he said, as he closed the door.
Bob had a late breakfast then walked around the centre of Boston, looking in a few of the windows before finding a small park. He checked out at eleven, put his bag in the car and drove once more to look at Sally’s old house. Two children were playing in the garden, a boy and a girl. The boy had a cricket bat and the girl was throwing a ball towards him. It reminded him of the times he and Uncle Brian had done that. He sat, watching them for a little while then drove around the countryside until it was time to join Sally for lunch.
They ate at a small table under a canopy in the back garden. He told her about the children in the garden and that that reminded him of playing cricket with Uncle Brian.
“We, your mother and I, also played with you sometimes Bob. So did your Dad. Don’t you remember us doing that?”
“No I don’t.”
“Well we did. Of course Brian and you played more often, nearly every evening if the weather was fine.”
“I liked those holidays Sally.”
“We liked them too Bob.”
They day-dreamed for a moment then Sally said “You must bring Maria next time you come. I want to see her.”
“She’ll be in England in August, guiding the tour I’ll be taking. I’ll write and ask her if she can take a few days off and we’ll see you then.”
“When would that be?”
“Sometime after August 18th. That’s when the tour ends. She couldn’t come before.”
“All right, I’ll expect both of you then.”
“If she can get the time Sally. If not I’ll come without her.”
“Yes. But it’s her I want to see. I want to know if she is good enough for you.”
“Oh Sally. Of course she is.”
“I just want to make sure. Now I must have a rest and I think you should be going, it’s nearly two. Give me a kiss and say goodbye here. The staff will take me back to my room.” Bob got up, hugged Sally and kissed her cheek then left her sitting alone in the garden.
He wrote to Maria that evening and asked if she could take a few days holiday at the end of the August tour ‘enough to visit my Aunt Sally. She wants to meet you.’ He imagined that Sally wanted to see if Maria was a suitable lady in case he wanted to marry her. but he didn’t think he’d do that. He loved Maria but as a girl friend, not a wife.
Bob had just walked into the office on Monday morning when Ken and Lori arrived. Ken had a small microwave that he put on top of the filing cabinet in the office. Lori was carrying an answering machine and a small box. She plugged the machine in and turned it on.
“Listen Ken. This is the message I put on. Let me know if you want to change it.” She pressed a button and it said, ‘This is Small End Wooden Toys. We are unable to reply at the moment, please leave a message. Thank you.’ Is that okay?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Good. Take a look at this,” and gave Ken the box. “My aunt said she often uses a glue gun and she thought that it might work for you because the glue dries almost immediately. So I bought one. It uses heat to melt a stick of glue.”
“If it’s strong enough it might be perfect for us. Thanks Lori, I’ll try it. Pay yourself from the petty cash box.”
“Okay. I printed two notices for the Centre, one for the front door and the other for the delivery door. I’ll go and put them up and stay until the groceries arrive then I’ll come back here.”
“All right.”
“Oh yes, I bought a package of sticky labels and a marker pen. I think everybody should write their names on the labels and stick them on their shirts. At least for the first week. It’ll make it easier to get to know everybody that way.”
“That’s a good idea Lori,” said Bob. “I was thinking I might forget everyone’s name. Show me how to use the answering machine before you go.”
“You just press this button to listen to the messages,” and she showed Bob which one it was. “Don’t delete them, I’d like to do that. Here, can you put this on your overall,” and gave him a label marked ‘Bob.’ She gave Ken his, took the one she’d made for herself and left the office.
“Lori’s very efficient isn’t she Ken.”
“She certainly is. I’m very happy she’s working for us. Craig too, an excellent employee.”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“Yes. We didn’t go to a show, just to a nice restaurant. We walked in St. James's Sunday morning. How about you?”
“Sally’s finding it much harder to breathe. We didn’t go out but had dinner and lunch at her residence. She want’s me to bring Maria to see her next time I visit.”
“It sounds as if she’s got plans for you two.”
“Maybe.”
There was a knock on the door. A man entered and asked if th
is was the right place to deliver milk and the groceries.
“Yes, here and at the old Community Centre,” Bob said.
“Okay. Then this must be the stuff for you. I’ll go to the Centre next. I’ll leave the milk and groceries at the front doors if no one answers. Is that okay?”
“Er, yes. Thanks.”
Craig joined them then Luke and Jose arrived. They put on Lori’s name tags and sat in the waiting room waiting for the newcomers to arrive. Then Bert and Gerry entered together with four men and two women. “They were standing outside not quite knowing where to go when we rode in,” said Gerry.
Ken and Bob stood up and welcomed them.
“It’s too crowded for all of us to fit in here,” said Ken. “We’ll go into the workshop. Bring the chairs with you.”
Inside the shop Bob introduced Ken and himself and asked their staff to introduce themselves. Afterwards he asked the new people to tell them their names and what they had worked at before they came here. It took nearly an hour to do all this; some said little more than their names, some gave a little history of their lives and one of the new women said she knew all about their toys, “because my kids asked me for both the village and the farm sets for their birthdays.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said Ken. “This is where we make them currently but all of you will be working in our new shop. It’s the old Community Centre. Some of you might know it, it’s where the Small End theatre shows used to be given. This is Craig, your supervisor; he’s in charge if Bob or I am not here. Wave your hand, Craig, and you too Lori. Lori’s our office manager, secretary and treasurer and she also works in the shop. Okay we’ll walk over the Centre now but before we do let me see if I know all of your names,” and he called them out, pointing to each person as he did. “Jean, Ed, Frank, Ray, Diane and Alan. There, I bet you thought I couldn’t do that! But, to make it easier for everyone, please write your name on one of these labels and put it on your overall when you are given them. , Gerry and Bert, there are two already made for you. I’d like everyone to wear them for the first week. That should be enough time to learn each other’s name.”
Once they had made their name tags Ken told everyone to follow him and they walked to the Centre. Once there he showed them where the cloakroom and toilets were then took them to the meeting room.
“We might as well have our morning break now. There’s coffee or tea. Lori’s already made a big pot of tea I see. You’ll have to make your own coffee if you want it. There are biscuits on the table and more in the cupboard. Milk’s in the refrigerator. We’ll supply these but you’ll have to bring your own lunch. Help yourself.”
Twenty minutes later Ken stood up and told them that it was time to go to the Centre. “Wash your mug and leave it in the rack to dry. Tea breaks are normally just fifteen minutes and the lunch break is half-an-hour.”
When they arrived Lori handed each of the newcomers an overall and a pair of glasses, saying “You have to wear these safety glasses whenever you’re in the workshop.”
The crew sat or stood by each station while Ken took the new people along the line mentioning what was done at each place.
“Now we’ll start making them,” he said. Craig picked up one of the long wood blocks that they used to make houses and gave it to Jose who pushed it through the router jig. Ken explained what he was doing and they followed him along the line, stopping for a while at each station, watching as the block was cut into pieces, sanded and then painted.
“Now I’d like you to split up and go to any of the stations and watch what’s being done until you think you can do it then swap places and try. Take your time, there’s no hurry.”
Learning how to use the router jig took the longest time; cutting and sanding took the least. Ken told them they did not have to learn how to glue the pieces, just watch what is being done. “There’ll probably be a different way to glue soon.”
They stopped for lunch at one, everybody eating in the Centre’s tea room and talking to each other. If they hadn’t brought any food they ate the fruit Ken brought in that morning. Two of the newcomers were old school friends and talked about what they had been doing since the last time they met. The other’s talked about where they lived, how they got to work or about the morning’s work.
They continued learning through the afternoon then, at four-thirty, Ken told them to stop. “Come to this shop tomorrow. You should be ready, with your overalls and glasses on and in the workshop by nine. Craig, Luke and I will be here and we’ll help you learn. Please fill each of the stations except the gluing, wrapping and boxing ones. We’ll put the pieces in plastic boxes at the end of the line for now. Are there any questions?”
“Where do we put our overalls and glasses when we leave?”
“In the cloakroom. Leave your nametag on so you’ll know which overall is yours.”
“Will we be doing the same work each day?”
“No, you’ll be changing jobs from time to time. We’ll talk about that when we finish tomorrow.”
“Do we always stop at four-thirty?”
“No. We work from nine to five. As I said, we have two fifteen-minute tea breaks and a half-hour lunch break.”
“Do you have room for more employees?’ asked Jean. “My brothers are looking for work.”
“Not at the moment. Maybe in a few weeks,” and he looked at Bob.
“What will we be doing?” asked Jose.
“The old gang will be working in the old shop except for Craig or Luke. We’ll make the train sets there. That way we won’t have to keep changing the router jigs here.”
“Aren’t we ever going to work in the new shop?” asked Jose.
“Of course you are. Everybody will be included in the job-switching.”
“Good.”
“How about us?” asked Bert. “Will we still be doing deliveries?”
“Yes, both you and Gerry,” said Lori.
“Our wholesaler won’t be starting for two weeks so you’ll be delivering most of the time until then,” added Bob.
“I think everything went very well today,” said Ken. “Thank you everybody. We’ll see you tomorrow. Oh Lori, could I see you before you go.”
Lori walked over to Ken as the others left the shop and he said, “Bob and I signed an agreement with We-Have-It Wholesalers on Saturday and they’ll be handling our deliveries in two weeks time. Here’s their address,” and he gave her the page where Posser had written the toy numbers.
“Do they deliver to our current retailers?”
“No. We’ll have to do that until We-Have-It’s catalogue comes out. That’ll be in about a week’s time. After that they’ll look after them.”
“I see.”
“Can you send a letter to all our retailers telling them We-Have-It Wholesalers will be delivering for us starting July 16th. Tell them that each toy has a number and that they should name the toy, state it’s number and say how many they want to buy when they order from We-Have-It. They’ll all be doing that with their wholesalers so they’ll know the procedure.”
“Will their catalogue go to all our shops?” asked Lori.
“We don’t know yet. Ah yes, add another paragraph to the letter asking them to tell us, or write to We-Have-It Wholesalers directly, to say that they want to receive the catalogue in future, that is if they don’t already get it. If they write to us about it send their names to Dave Posser at We-Have-It. He’ll add their names to their list.”
“Okay.”
“And can you order another five thousand plastic boxes. We’ll need them to hold the pieces coming off the end of the line until they’re glued, assembled or boxed. Tomorrow will be soon enough to do all this.”
“Okay Ken.”
“Ask them if they supply moveable racks to hold the plastic boxes. We’ll have to move them in and out of the store rooms. If they do then order ten, that should be enough.”
“All right.”
“Well thanks Lori. See you tomorrow.” r />
“‘Bye Ken. ‘Bye Bob.”
“‘Bye Lori.” Ken turned to Bob then said, “I’m going to try the heat gun now. Want to help?”
“Of course, let’s find out if it’s any good.”
Ken picked up the package Lori had given him, opened it and looked at the gun and the box of light brown glue sticks. He took one of the sticks and pushed it into the opening at the rear end of the gun.
“This must be where that goes. Okay, so now what do I do?”
Ken skimmed the instructions, pushed the plug into an electrical socket then looked at the instructions again. “Ah, it has to warm up first.”
“The trigger extrudes the hot glue I suppose,” said Bob.
“Yes. Let’s try it on some of these rejects.”
Ken pressed the trigger and watched a thin stream of glue flow out of the end of the nozzle. “So that’s what it does. Let’s see how well it glues.”
“Wipe off the glue that’s already out before you start Ken.”
Ken did that then applied a little glue to the end of a conservatory and pressed it onto the back of one of the big houses. After a second he let go and it stuck to the house.
“Oh that’s very good, it dries almost instantaneously.”
“Try and separate them.”
Ken pulled at the pieces “I can’t. Wow, that’s very quick.”
“Holding the gun and two pieces of wood at the same time looks pretty awkward Ken.”
“Yes it is. I don’t think everybody will be able to do that. Some of the new people are a bit clumsy.”
“They’ll probably get a lot better with practice.”
“Yes, but I don’t think anyone will like manipulating three things at once. I don’t. You know, I could fasten the gun to the bench, fix a rod to the trigger and run it to a foot pedal. Then they can squirt glue with their foot and have two hands free. Yes that should work. I’m coming come back after supper and see if I can make something that’ll work.”
“Can I help Ken?”
“Yes please.”
“What time will you be here?”
“How about seven?”
“Okay.”
Ken was already in the shop when Bob arrived. He had used two metal strips and a block of wood to fasten the glue gun to the bench and was lying on the floor with a home-made wooden pedal.
“Hello Bob. Hold the flashlight would you. I’ve want to screw this pedal to the floor.”
“How long have you been here Ken?”
“Oh I finished supper early and was back by six thirty.” He emerged and grabbed a length of flexible wire. “I’m using this Bob, rather than a rod. It’s easier to run than a rod and to adjust.” He drilled a hole in the front of the glue guns’ plastic trigger, pushed the end of the wire through and knotted it. Then he drilled a hole through the bench, pushed the other end of the wire through the hole and crawled back under the bench.
“Tell me what happens when I pull on this end Bob.”
“The trigger moved.”
“Yes, but how far did it move?”
“About half way.”
“That’s not far enough. How about now, how far did it move?”
“All the way.”
“Good, I’ll fasten it. Pass me the drill, please.”
“Here you are.”
A minute later the foot pedal, wire and gun set-up was complete.
“Now let’s see how it works.” He put the old stick of glue back in the gun, plugged it in and waited until he saw the little piece of glue that was stuck on the side melt. He then held two pieces of scrap wood close to the nozzle and pushed on the foot pedal. Glue emerged and he placed it on one of the pieces then pressed them together.
“Yes. That’s easy to do. And they’ve stuck already. You try it Bob.” Bob sat down, found the pedal with his foot and pushed.
“It’s easy Ken, but I don’t like the bit of glue that’s been pushed out where they join Ken.”
“With practice I don’t think there’ll be any. They’ll soon put just the right amount on. However I’ll see if there’s any clear glue. It’d be better to use that. And I’ll ask Lori to order two more guns, one for the other side of the bench and one as a spare.”
“And lots of glue sticks too,” said Bob.
“Yes. Well that’s a good evening’s work. Fancy a beer?”
“You bet.”
Ken left his car at the centre and they walked to the Crown. He asked Bob if he could be in the old shop tomorrow. “I’ll be busy with Craig and Luke training the new-comers.”
“We’ll only make trains there?”
“Yes.”
“And Lori will be with me?”
“Yes. Ask her to make up a rotation schedule between shops, but not for this week because we’ll have to stay where we are for training. Have it start next week. She could move three of the new comers to the old shop and the other three could go there the following week.”
“What about swapping positions along the line?”
“The old group can do that anytime but the new group can start doing that after I’m sure they can all do each operation properly.”
“Okay.”
They chatted with Len and another couple for half an hour then left, Ken going back to the centre to collect his car as Bob walked up the hill to his home.