HN 2: The British and their Works

A lack of tools, repairs to machinery and bottlenecks in
the workforce impaired Volkswagen assembly.
If these and other quality defects were to be removed, a wellorganised
inspection programme was essential. It was mainly
thanks to Major Hirst that a functional quality control programme
was set up at the Volkswagen plant in 1946, under the
supervision of the REME. However, the search for a suitable head
of inspection proved difficult, as qualified personnel were also
thin on the ground at that time. A team of non-commissioned
officers, sent to the Volkswagenwerk by the British army at
Hirst’s request, was therefore entrusted with inspection duties
on a temporary basis. The leading officer, a metallurgist by pro-
fession, contributed some good ideas for improving the quality
of the vehicles and, together with Hirst, developed a defect
reporting system. The role of inspection manager was finally
given to Helmut Orlich, who had previously worked at Opel in
Rüsselsheim. 161
Despite the inspections, the overall quality of the Volkswagen
could not be improved overnight, as it was the result of improvised
production processes hampered by material and
labour shortages, which continued to cause a whole series of