Shovel Test

The shovel test, also known as the iron sand and coal excavation experiment

　The shovel test is known as the father of scientific management One of the three major experiments studied by Frederick Winslow Taylor, in 1898, while Taylor was employed by the Bethlehem Steel Company, he conducted the famous “Spade Test.” After systematically studying the loads of various shovels, he studied the shape and specifications of shovels that can meet the standard load of various materials, as well as the best way to load shovels with various raw materials, and improved the work of workers.

Because of this experiment, Taylor came up with a new idea: introducing experimental methods into the field of business management. Separating the planning and execution of work and using standardized management methods to make the best use of people’s talents and resources is the best way to improve efficiency.

The “shovel test” is a typical example of tool standardization. Bethlehem Company has a job of shoveling pulverized coal and iron sand. In the early days, workers in the factory had to bring their own shovels. The sizes of shovels are also different. There are iron ore, coal powder, coke, etc. in the stockyard. The same tools are used when shoveling these different raw materials. This results in the appropriate weight when shoveling coal and sand. , it is too heavy when shoveling iron and sand.

At that time, whether it was shoveling iron or rock or moving coal, shovels were used for manual handling, and as many as five or six hundred porters were employed. The daily workload of each worker is 16 tons. When they shovel iron sand, the average weight of each shovel is much higher than the weight of each shovel when shoveling lighter coal powder.

In one investigation, Taylor found that porters could shovel 3.5 pounds (about 1.6 kilograms) of coal powder and 38 pounds (about 17 kilograms) of iron ore at a time. . In order to obtain the maximum handling capacity per day, Taylor began to study the most reasonable shoveling capacity of each shovel.

Taylor observed that due to the different densities of materials, the weight of each shovel is also different. If it is iron ore, a shovel weighs 38 pounds; if it is coal powder, a shovel weighs only 3.5 pounds. So, what is the appropriate load for a shovel? After repeated trials, it was finally determined that a 21-pound shovel was most suitable for workers. Based on the test results, Taylor designed shovels of different shapes and specifications for different materials. After realizing this, Taylor conducted a systematic study of shovels and redesigned them so that the load of each shovel could reach about 21 pounds, when shoveling work was most efficient.

Taylor found two excellent porters to experiment with shovels of different sizes, using a stopwatch to record the time each time. Finally, it was found that when a shovel scoops 21.5 pounds (about 10 kilograms), the maximum amount of material handling in a day is achieved. At the same time, we also came to the conclusion that it is best to use different shovels when transporting iron ore and coal powder. In addition, production plans are launched to improve the scope of management of grassroots management cadres. Furthermore, a standard workload for a day was set, and employees who exceeded the standard were given subsidies other than salary. Employees who did not meet the standard were required to conduct homework analysis and guide their working methods so that they could also meet the standard. .

Later, Taylor stopped letting workers bring their own tools. Instead, they received special standard shovels from the company based on the material conditions, which greatly improved work efficiency. Instead, a number of different shovels are prepared, each of which is only suitable for shoveling specific materials. This not only allows the worker’s load per shovel to reach 21 pounds, but also allows different shovels to be suitable for different situations.

Through training and using new operating methods, the average handling volume of workers per day increased from 16 tons to 50 tons, and labor productivity doubled. ^[1]Based on the test results, Taylor designed 12 shovels of different shapes and specifications for different materials. To this end, he also built a large warehouse where various tools are stored, each with a load of 21 pounds. At the same time, he also designed a card with two labels, one indicating the tools the worker received in the tool room and where he should work, and the other indicating his work situation the previous day, which recorded the work income. When workers get white paper cards, it means they are doing a good job. When they get yellow paper cards, it means they need to work harder, otherwise they will be transferred. Distributing different tools to different workers requires prior planning, requires someone to be specifically responsible for this work, and requires additional management personnel. However, despite this, the factory has benefited greatly. As a result, after three years, the original A job that requires five to six hundred employees can be completed by only 140, and material waste is greatly reduced. The number of workers in the stockyard dropped from 400 to 600 to 140, the average daily operating volume per person increased from 16 tons to 59 tons, and the workers’ daily wages increased from US$1.15 to US$1.88. It is said that this change can save the factory US$80,000 per year.

Before the experiment:

• Do different jobs and use the same shovel
• The weight of each shovel is different for shoveling different things.

During the experiment:

• There should be a weight that is most efficient
• The experiment found that 22P is the most efficient

After the experiment:

• Shovel different things and use different shovels
• Production efficiency is improved

Frederick Winslow Taylor also explained to everyone The precise timing of sets of movements was studied, and the amount of work a “first-class worker” should complete each day was derived. The results of this study are very outstanding. The labor force in the stockyard has been reduced from 400-600 to 140 people, the average daily operation volume per person has increased from 16 tons to 59 tons, and the daily wage of each worker has increased from 1.15 US dollars. to $1.88. The metal cutting test lasted for 26 years, and more than 30,000 tests were conducted. 800,000 pounds of steel were cut into chips by the test tools, at a total cost of about $150,000. The test results discovered high-speed tool steel that can greatly improve the output of metal cutting machinists, and obtained information on appropriate rotation speeds, feed amounts, and cutting dosage standards for various machine tools.

The shovel experiment laid a solid foundation for his scientific management thinking and made management a A true science, this has played a great role in promoting the maturity and development of management theory in the future.