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Wendell Whipp of Monarch Machine Tool

jlegge

Stainless
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Location
Grayslake, IL
Since I on a history kick. Here is a short I did of Wendell Whipp, the man I feel made Monarch what it became. I submitted this to the Machine Tool builder's Hall of Fame, which I believe he should be included, for I believe he drove the development of the modern engine and tool room lathes, machine tool sales methods and production methods.




Wendell E. Whipp
1884 – 1957



The Monarch Machine Company first opened for business on October 4, 1909, in a newly constructed 9,960 sq. ft. factory located on North Oak Avenue in Sidney, Ohio. The shop employed between 15 and 20 men, and was able to ship their very first lathe by months end. Nevertheless, for the next few years, the company struggled to survive. In 1912, I. H. Thedieck, Monarch’s president, turned to his son-in-law, Wendell E. Whipp, to take over as General Manager and Head of Sales.

At 28, Whipp was an experienced businessman coming from the National Cash Register (NCR), but knew little of the machine tool industry. Yet, he took over with the task of establishing Monarch as a builder of quality lathes. He quickly learned the odds he faced. The lathes Monarch was producing at the time were indistinguishable from the multitude of lathes being manufactured. Worse yet, the designs originated from the defunct A. P. Wagner Tool Works of Detroit, Michigan, which Thedieck had previously foreclosed on to provide the resources to start Monarch. Whipp worked for the next 45 years to build an environment where a skilled and motivated workforce would manufacture high quality lathes.

Whipp learned that their worst enemy was the design of their very own machines, and that to combat this problem Monarch would have to be innovative in both lathe design, and the process used to manufacture and sell them. Whipp also realized that ‘high quality at an affordable cost’ would establish a loyal customer base that would sustain the company through difficult times.

Whipp, as a salesman and businessman, did not design lathes, but surrounded himself with talented engineers, pushing them to design with increasing skill and innovation. He witnessed Monarch lathes evolve from flimsy belt driven machines to robust helical geared motor driven lathes that pushed ‘state of the art with’ every new generation. Monarch engineers pioneered most features that are common on lathes today: forced feed lubrication, flame harden cast iron bed ways, harden gears ridding on shafts supported by anti-friction bearings, helical geared 16 speed headstocks with all shafts riding on anti-friction bearings, and all wear parts harden, cone clutch apron controls for easy engagement of both longitude and cross feeds, quick changed gearbox with all gears and shafts harden and riding on anti-friction bearings, high strength cast iron beds with flame harden ways, and flanged spindles made of forged steel in a helical gear headstock, are just a few of the leading innovations coming from Monarch during Whipp’s leadership. Monarch pioneered the taper attachment, along with electrical, hydraulic and tracer control for lathes, all combined in an efficient and eye appealing way. By the late 1920’s, Monarch Machine Tool was producing some of the best lathes in the world. Many features of today’s lathes trace their roots back to the Monarch developments of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

His employees also knew Whipp for his sincere dedication to them. He learned the name of every employee, walked the floor daily discussing their problems at work and home, and listened to their suggestions. He worked hard to build trust and loyalty, and it was not uncommon to find three generations of families working there at once. He introduced profit sharing in 1916, and in 1919 established the first life insurance program for employees in the state of Ohio. About this same time, he instituted the annual picnic, and saw to it that all employees got a half days wage to insure attendance.

Whipp worked hard to provide a safe and productive working environment. He turned the Monarch plant into one of the most modern manufacturing facilities in the country. He insisted that employees have adequate lighting, thus new additions had large windows, and in the 1920’s, installed electrical lights that provided superior lighting. Whipp saw to it that the plant had the most up-to-date machinery, and if it could not be found elsewhere, would instruct Monarch to design and build the required equipment. Whipp built a cafeteria and classroom for the employees, and in 1939 a new office addition was completed that provided modern engineering and office space befitting a company producing high quality machine tools. By 1939, Monarch Machine Tool Company had the largest factory dedicated to the production of quality lathes, and a quality work environment with a total 133,900 square feet of floor space.

All this paid off during the Second World War. Sidney, Ohio only had a population of about 10,000 and was home to Sidney Machine Works and several other important factories, which meant Monarch would have to find non-skilled workers and quickly train them to build large numbers of precision lathes. Whipp and his management team quickly solved this problem by being the first machine builder to introduce large numbers of women into their work force, and to go to three shifts working seven days per week. Monarch employment would peak at 2700 in 1943. Production peaked with 8,116 lathes shipped in 1943. From 1940 thru 1945, Monarch shipped a total of 19,345 lathes, and at the same time adding 48,880 square feet of floor space. From 1943 thru 1945, Monarch produced non-lathe parts to fill some thirty different contracts. The two largest contracts were for parts for 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and for 2,2328 Rotol power take-off units for British Lancaster bombers. Several orders also were for the Manhattan Project for which Monarch made special lathes and parts. These accomplishments were resulted in Monarch being the first Ohio machine tool company to be awarded the Army/Navy E Award. By wars end, Monarch won five of these awards, the highest of all machine tool builders in the state.

Wendell Whipp’s most lasting legacy is the thousands of machines built during his time that are still found in machine shops around the world. World War Two vintage lathes, like the models CK, CBB, M, N, NN, the famous EE, the Keller controlled Monomates, and post war Series 61, 62, 71, 80, 90, are all living examples of how well engineered, well built machines keep on turning. In addition, his legacy includes the numerous, highly skilled engineers and managers that followed him, allowing the company to survive. Machine builders hired many of these managers and engineers, thus spreading Whipp’s influences to other companies.

Wendell Whipp was a national leader of the machine tool industry, holding the office of Vice-President of The National Machine Tool Builders’ Association in 1938, and President in 1939. Whipp worked the rest of his life in pursuit of his goals, becoming President of Monarch Machine Tool in 1932, and Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1947, a position he held until his sudden death in 1957. All that knew him agree that The Monarch Machine Tool Company would not have survived infancy with out Wendell Whipp, and the company was a reflection of the man.
 








 
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