A S C I E N T I F I C BASIS FOR P R O D U C T I O N

Modern industrial enterprises are unthinkable without definite scientific organization of work and production. The time is past when industrial problems could be solved hastily and under pressure from central administration. The new attitude to work, production, and employees requires new ways of solving the problems which Party and Government entrust the workers in industry with.

During recent years, our country has reached a degree of maturity which makes possible a more rapid econom- ic development, and as a consequence, a further and greater rise in national welfare. The measures taken by the Party provide for opening up new resources, a more efficient use of the enormous productive reserves of the country, and enhancement of the production rate. A substantial part of the solution of these problems lies in scientific organiza- tion of work and the systematic raising of production efficiency. These problems have recently received much at- tention.

Year by year, the scientific organization of ferrous metallurgy is increasingly permeating the enterprises. Af- ter the All-Union Conference on the Scientific Organication of Labor (Moscow, 1967), scientific organization in iron plants was intensified and more carefully planned, use being made of the extensive and universal scientific research on work processes, the organization of production, the esthetics of industry, and many other problems connected with all facets of scientific organization and control of labor.

About 2900 plans for the scientific organization of labor, involving approximately 18.5% of the workers in this field were worked out in more than 80% of the iron-working plants of the USSR during the past year. These measures have already saved more than 44.5 million rubles. If all these plans are adopted in production this year, the estima- ted saving will be more than 85.5 million rubies.

The All-Union Conference of iron workers, held recently at Chelyabinsk,was devoted to the generalization and introduction of the latest advancesin the scientific organization of labor and to raising production efficiency. In fer- rous metallurgy several enterprises have already succeeded in introducing scientific organization of labor. One of these enterprises is the Chelyabinsk pipe mill whose workers more than fulfill the State Plan annually. The achieve- ments of this factory in increasing production capacity and efficiency were facilitated by a scientific approach to the organization of work and the systematic raising of the technical level of production.

Rhythm is the main slogan in this enterprise. A system of hourly planning and control of production was adop- ted, keyed to the rhythm of work at the factory. Atl main shops of the factory work according to previously calcu- lated and scientifically founded production schedules which are compiled on the basis of the progressive technical processes and are in line with the general production plan and the variety of the pipes.

To fulfill the schedules is the main aim of production at this factory. Regular daily control of the work of each unit makes it possible not only to consider precisely the scheduled work but also to take measures to prevent any irregularities in the working rhythm of the units.

Scientific organization of labor is not only a technique, an ordering of the forces, a plan, but (and probably first of all) it is, in fact, the people; this is well understood at the factory. Much is being done to introduce a stimu- lating wages system which improves quality and saves valuable metal, zinc, fuel, and electric energy. A stimulating bonus system for welders and their helpers producing the weld-seams of wide pipes is used at the factory. A bonus system is atso used at the open-hearth shop in order to reduce rejects. 24~ of the workers at the factory work under a bonus system which improves the quality of production and economizes the visualized work.

The direction and public relations of the enterprise try to secure the most qualified technical engineers and foremen for direct employment in the production field, employees for the technical departments, for the prevention of accident, organization and automation of manufacture, design department, etc. The scientific organization is worked out directly at the shops by creative brigades which are specially appointed for each subject.

Scientific organization of labor is aimed mainly at "bottlenecks" of production which restrict the growth of productivity, at sites where work is still manual, and at the production stages which have a direct influence on the

Translated from Metallurg, No. 8, pp. 1-2, August, 1968.

393

qual i ty of production. Medica l workers, physiologists and hygienists are also consulted. Experience of medica l men, psychologists, and physiologists in the preparation and ver i f icat ion of plans for the scientif ic organization of labor showed that such a cooperat ion is useful.

Extensive efforts are being made in the iron works of the Ukraine to introduce scientif ic organization of labor schedules. Recognizing the s ignif icance of raising the general leve l of knowledge in this f ield, the Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of the UkrSSR organized special courses of instruction on the fundamentals of economy and sci- ent i f ic organizat ion of labor for the workers in the factories without interruption of production. More than 4000 people have a l ready at tended these courses. The institute for the technical education of workers worked out 13 typ ica l programs for courses on scient i f ic organizat ion of labor which are intended for the workers at the blast fur-

nace, open-hearth, converter, roiling, coke, and other shops. The manuals of programs and training methods are worked out by prominent scientists and specialists.

By decree of the Board of the Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of the Ukraine and of the Presidium of the Republican Commit tee of the Trade-Union, a third compet i t ion on the scientif ic organizat ion of labor was an-

nounced for 1968. The aim of such a compet i t ion is to introduce modern methods by working out complex scien- t if ic schedules which will improve the organization of labor, the control of production, the technica l procedures and equipment, the system of wages, and wilt remove organizat ional troubles, improve the u t i l iza t ion of working t ime, e l imina te unproductive expenses, etc. Together with the workers of the Donets Scient if ic Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy, the Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of the UkrSSR carried out a representative analysis of the eff ic iency of labor at the blast-furnace and open~hearth of comparable factories. For these enterprises, the in- fluence of various factors on the productivity level was revealed and est imated by means of the methods of econom- ic mathematics . The results of the analysis were discussed at a meet ing of the workers of the enterprises of the De- par tment and i t was decided to create two teams of specialists, from the blast-furnace and the open-hearth plants, to work out measures in order to u t i l ize the disclosed resources. Apart from some technica l measures they provide for a centra l ized maintenance of the refractory lining of the buckets, for a combinat ion of several jobs, for trans- ferring part of the assistant workers from the continuous to an intermit tent working schedule, for improving the working conditions, etc.

The first p rac t ica l results confirmed the high eff iciency of the complex plans for the scientif ic organization of labor in the individual fields. The Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of the UkrSSR could dismiss 180 workers with an annual wage saving of 200,000 rubles at the blast- furnace and open-hearth plants in the fourth quarter of 1967 and the first quarter of 1968. Excellent results were achieved by the Kommunar Metal lurgical Enterprise, the Nikopol' Southern Tube Mill, the Kramatorsk Metal lurgical Enterprise, the Odessa Steel-Roll ing Mills, and by other enterprises of the republic.

The scientif ic organizat ion of labor provides above al l for extensive mechanizat ion and automat ion of the manufacturing processes. Interesting work in this field is carried out at the Magnitogorsk meta l lurg ica l combine, where about 400 people are working in new departments. The chief a im in planning mechanizat ion and automation is to e l imina te heavy manual work and to dismiss assistant workers.

The mechaniza t ion of heavy work and the automation of the production processes is not only the basis for a better organizat ion of labor but also for a basic change of the labor conditions of the workers.

Mechanizat ion and automat ion have bas ica l ly changed the character of labor in many fields. This again re- quires of the workers a much higher level of technica l knowledge and general education. Without abandoning work, about 14-15 thousand people qualify annual ly in the technica l training system of the combine. About 2000 meta l - lurgists of the combine attend colleges, 1200 attend technica l schools, and more than 8000 attend young workers' schools.

Systematic research work at the combine aims at improving the organization of production. The standard re- search laboratory and other departments and shops perform more than 100 investigations each year into the organi- zat ion of production and labor and in 80-60 investigations they examine, general ize, and describe the most ad- vanced experience of the innovators of production, shock-workers, and col lect ives of Communist Labor.

To improve the u t i l iza t ion of working t ime, 8-4 thousand photographs of the working day and 12-15 thousand au tomat ic mass photographs are made in order to de tec t the losses within a shift and the unproductive expenses of working t ime.

Psychophysiological, hygienic, and esthetic working conditions are very important in raising labor eff iciency. In this context, the experience of the Kuznetsk combine is of interest.

394

Special services have been organized and are working at the combine: an industrial ventilation unit, a labor

hygiene laboratory, a group of illumination engineers, a cinematographic laboratory, a group for esthetics, and a

laboratory for the scientific organization of labor in the labor organization department of the combine. The quali-

fication of the designers and constructors in the field of hygiene, labor physiology, and esthetics is being improved

because the scientific organization of labor begins with the construction of machines, the proper placement of con- trol organs, and an elaborate technical maintenance system with minimum expenses for time and labor.

Among the measures which create favorable esthetic working conditions, the artistic design of the interior and a pleasing appearance of rooms and equipment is most important. Air-conditioning, good hygienic, physiologi- cal, and esthetic working conditions will increase the working capacity, efficiency, and health.

The scientific organization of labor is now well established in the productive life of metal-working factories. It has enthusiastic adherents. But this is not enough. The idea of scientific organization of labor should live in every worker, in every engineer. Only then will labor be a source of strength, joy, and inspiration to the people.

395