WPB Issues 1944 Rubber Report PtoducUup ti*e& to, meet tke t&vuftc miUtatof tLenmul i4> HO44A dLefc- perience dictated as absolutely essential. Production estimates were obtained tUteLf, a ma&t critical pAO&iem. *7Jte frUlauMUup e*ce*pti. from, tke from the tire and tube industry t o reflect i&p&U off f. 4*. Glc&h, 3bi*ecta% of tke Hu&Me* Bureau,, i/m* ike their maximum production by size and 4M*4o44& net^4une4ne&Udfr*.the pszoductUu* o£ suttee* foods. a*td cam,- type from installed facilities, including additional equipment then on order due f*o*ie**U. SetoiouA psio/Ue#U cvte nuutfuuu&i a*uL camfUHtentmate*laU: to be delivered in the near future. T h e Summary of Report 1. Increased production of tires and tubes represents the number one war production problem. T o meet this problem t w o specific actions have been taken. First, a concentrated drive to man fully the industry and, second, expansion programs which will increase the potential capacity of the industry from approximately 4,000,000 truck tires per quarter t o approximately 7,000,000 truck tires per quarter. 2. The translation of the increased tire and tube program into crude and synthetic rubbers has again made crude rubber the most critical of all strategic materials. 3. T h e greatly increased synthetic rubber requirements for the tire and tube program can be m e t by comparatively small additions to the synthetic rubber plants plus the necessary increased amounts of feed stocks and chemicals, -with sufficient manpower t o operate the plants at the increased production rate. 4. T h e impact of a greatly increased tire and tube production schedule has -created shortages in certain important components—namely, rayon and cotton tire cord, carbon black, and beadwire. T h e production of each of these components must be increased, if the production goals for tires and tubes are t o be realized. 5. T h e machinery and equipment required for t h e tire and tube expansion program must be given the highest priori t y , must be expedited t o every extent possible, and the pool and other orders covering same liquidated with the equipment and machinery delivered on or before June 30, 1945. 6. Production of other short supply rubber goods must be expedited by supplying manpower where manpower is needed, or textiles where textiles are needed, and through the expediting of such expansion programs a s may pertain to the individual item. Amongst these other rubber products are included hose, belting, footwear, soles and heels, etc. 7. The manpower drive must be continued with all impetus, a thorough followup continued on Army and N a v y personnel furloughed t o the program and the problems of draft deferment geared to t h e over-all problem. 8. There must be a continuation and an extension of t h e conservation policies
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designed to obtain the last mile from every existing tire. This obviously includes a coordinated policy of factual information release and an avoidance of misleading statements as t o the availability of tires t o the public. 9. T h e tire program for 1945 calls for tremendous effort on t h e part of the Industry, labor, and many government agencies. Close cooperation and a mutual understanding of the tasks ahead are essential, if production is t o meet or exceed schedules. Current Situation. Military requirements for the fourth quarter of 1944 substantially exceeded t h e estimate projected for the period. T h e Rubber Bureau recognized that these totals could not be met in the fourth quarter but felt certain that upon completion of the scheduled programs, minor additions and full manpower would provide t h e production necessary t o meet the levels required should demand continue in t h e first quarter of 1945 at*fourth quarter levels. In N o v e m ber of 1944 new requirement figures for the first quarter of 1945 were filed with the Rubber Bureau. These requirements represented totals that bore little relationship to prior estimates. It was obvious that drastic action would have t o b e taken t o provide the United Nations with tire and tube facilities which the war ex-
estimates assumed that manpower would l)e made available to operate production equipment at full capacity. T h e y also assumed that new equipment would be delivered as scheduled and that there would be no shortages in the component materials required for production lines. An analysis of these figures indicated that the facilities of t h e industry were inadequate to meet t h e latest stated needs of war. Industry meetings were held and a new tire expansion program was developed. This program falls into two specific parts: 1. Expansion within-existing-walls or with minor additions to floor space. 2. N e w plants. T h e expansion within-existing-walls or with minor additions to floor space balanced the facilities of the industry to produce tires and tubes. It represented an actual maximum production which could only be exceeded by the addition of e n tirely new plants t o the industry with due allowance for t h e present efficiency of production from existing equipment. T h e completion of t h e first phase of the program would give an industry potential of approximately 5,600,000 truck tires per quarter. As this amount was inadequate to meet requirements, it was determined t o obtain at the earliest possible date 1,500,0 0 0 additional truck tires per quarter through the building of such new plants
Exhibit A . Total production from truck tire building facilities by years, 1936-1946.
Exhibit B. Finished milled stock required for tires built on truck tire facilities
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as might be required to bring industry capacity t o a total of 7,100,000 truck tires and tubes per quarter. T h e n e w program included a reasonable insurance factor beyond the number of tires and tubes actually stated as required during t h e first quarter t o do the essential military and civilian job of conducting an all-out war. Requirements for the second quarter have now been presented. They are considerably higher than had been anticipated. If the expansion program needed further justification, the new statements of requirements prove the necessity for t h e program. Whereas the meeting of requirements for tires and
Crude Rubber and Conversion to Synthetic Rubbers During the summer of 1944 new supply and consumption of crude rubber were approximately in balance. Relatively small net withdrawals were made on the stockpile during 1944. Last year the production schedules for 1945 contemplated only minor drains upon the stockpile and i t was believed that the supply would be adequate. Present production schedules have changed this picture and crude rubber once again becomes the most critical of all strategic materials. The conversion program from crude to synthetic rubbers has progressed t o a
truck tube requirements for military and essential civilian needs. The Rubber Bureau does not feel justified in requesting new Butyl plants to meet the requirements for tractor and implement, industrial, passenger and bicycle tubes, but has asked that all within-plant expansions be made to achieve maximum production. We are advised b y Rubber Reserve Co. that the required quantities of GR-M (Neoprene) and GR-S can be produced provided the plants are supplied with adequate feed stocks and additional manpower for the much larger tonnage t o be turned out in 1945 and 1946. Production in 1944 and the requirements for 1945 and 1946 are shown below:
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t materials required for the products ?.- j)f rubber products. Rayon and Cotton Tire Cord. I t is obvious that the high-tenacity rayon tire cord programs previously authorized did not contemplate production schedules such as those n o w projected for 1945 and 1946. The potential of rayon tire cofS for 1945 is presently estimated at approximately 245,000,000 pounds, and for 1946 at approximately 296,000,000 pounds. To increase these totals would involve th?
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ENGINEERING
NEWS
construction of entirely new plants which present estimates indicate would require a minimum of twelve months and a maximum of eighteen months. The requirements of the Rubber Bureau for high tenacity rayon tire cord are estimated at approximately 292,000,000 pounds for 1945 and 368,000,000 pounds for 1946. The Rubber Bureau has, however, tempered its true requirements by filing with the Textile Bureau minimum requirements. T h e difference between true and minimum requirements represents the substitution of cotton for rayon tire cord with the expenditure of approximately 500 tons of crude rubber per month and some sacrifice in the quality of the tires produced. A rule of thumb measure indicates that approximately one pound of crude rubber is required to offset a pound of rayon tire cord shortage. Exhibit E shows in graph form the requirements and supply of high-tenacity rayon tire cord. Cotton Tire Cord. There is a close relationship between the availability of . rayon tire cord and the requirements for cotton tire cord. Exhibit E also shows requirements and supply of cotton tire cord. The anticipated shortage of rayon tire cord is translated into pounds of cot-
Left. Exhibit E. Rayon and cotton tire cord requirements and supply, 1 9 4 5 - 1 9 4 6 , b y quarters. Right. Exhibit F. Channel and furnace carbon black requirements and supply, 1 9 4 5 - 1 9 4 6 . (Requirements d o not include rebuilding of producers' and consumer!1 inventories.)
ton tire cord in the approximate ratio of 1 to 1.3. Carbon Black. Future requirements for carbon black are greatly in excess of anything envisioned heretofore due, first, t o the use of synthetic versus crude rub-
ber, and second, to the greatly expanded size of the tire industry. Carbon blacks are divided into two general types— channel ajid furnace—and whereas they can be used somewhat interchangeably, present technological knowledge shows a depreciation in quality in some specific applications, if blacks of the furnace type have to be used to substitute for those of channel type. Exhibit F shows channel and furnace carbon black requirements and supply. Requirements d o not include rebuilding of producers' ajid consumers' inventories for which provisions must be made. T h e Chemicals Bureau of the War Production Board is fully cognizant of this problem and we are assured that all steps are being taken to provide the rubber industry with an adequate supply of carbon black and, to the degree possible, the particular types which the industry needs to produce the quantity and quality of products required. Beadwire. This important component is in short supply. Requirements have been filed with, the Steel Division of the War Production Board. It is believed that with minor expansions in t h e industry and a careful scheduling of production that shortages which would handicap or curtail production can be averted. Miscellaneous. There are many other component materials required for the rubber industry. The Rubber Bureau has compiled requirements for approximately 2,000 miscellaneous chemicals and textiles. Each one of these plays an important part in the program. With the exception of two or three cliemicals and certain types of textiles no real problems are anticipated. Requirements for textiles essential to the production of footwear, conveyor belt, and various types of hose do, however, present problems which can only be resolved by a determination of relative essentiality in the over-all demand for textile products.
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