Production line Metro-Vick, Trafford Park
One of the most notable aspects of Lancaster production was the extensive pre-production planning that facilitated high output. The Pre-Production Department, which included Progress and Schedule sections, meticulously studied every production operation. The Lancaster comprised around 50,000 different parts (excluding nuts and bolts), and approximately half a million manufacturing operations were involved.
Blueprints created in the print room from the Drawing Office were distributed to constructors, including those in Canada where the Lancaster Mk III was produced. They also went to the Progress and Schedule Sections. In the Progress Section, planning engineers examined each drawing to determine the manufacturing process, necessary tools, required floor space, and subcontracting needs. The Jig and Tool Department allocated the tools. A detailed book accompanied each job to the works, providing precise operation instructions, which could be adjusted based on feedback from the works.
The Schedule Section compiled a complete schedule of materials required for each drawing, enabling the pre-production side to gauge production program needs. Rates and the hourly output of every part were estimated. Initially, a hand-made version of each new part was sent to the works from the experimental department. This allowed the works to assess the job by the time drawings and details arrived from Pre-Production.
Approximately ten percent of the workers on the Lancaster were skilled tradesmen, and around 40 percent were women. The workforce averaged about 61 hours of work per week, alternating between 64 hours one week and 57 the next. Labour for the production program was planned with the Ministry of Labour 12 months in advance.
This meticulous planning and design optimization significantly reduced man-hours required for the Lancaster, achieving a figure about one-third of the expected time for four-engine bombers, thereby tripling the Lancaster’s striking power.
Production was divided into three main sections: fuselage, wings, and tail, further divided into 36 different assemblies. For example, the wing comprised 14 assemblies, excluding the center section, which was common to the fuselage and engines. The fuselage was divided into seven sections, including the tail turret, and the tail unit into eight sections.
Both the drop hammer and rubber press were extensively used for producing panels and pressed sections. Double curvature panels were primarily formed under drop hammers. A large 6,600-ton two-ram hydraulic press with a rubber platen, providing about 6,000 lb/in² pressure, was used to form pressed sections, significantly reducing labor hours by being loaded from both sides