As an average we have used a labor rate of $35 per hour, which includes wages and benefits. And we have taken a hypothetical shop floor workstation that requires a worker to spend about one hour out of the day using clamps during set-up … 5 hours per week. This worker uses 6 clamps in the set-up. We have estimated the average cost for six industrial quality, 8 inch, drop-forged, C-clamp at $40 each or $240 for the workstation. We have used the full list price for a Bessey 8 inch, 2400 series all-steel, sliding arm clamp with a Morpad of $75 each or $450 for the workstation. The results can be seen in the charts above. Ordering a half dozen $40 clamps to replace broken, lost or worn-out clamps is easy. In fact so easy, that productivity is not part of the buying process. However, as a business proposition … saving over $1200 on a $75 investment in one year should make an impact.

Cost of Clamping (6 Clamps)
C-Clamp	$8750.00
Bessey Clamps	$1422.22
Total Savings	$7567.78
...or $1261.29 per clamp

To look at the impact of clamps on productivity, we commissioned the engineering school of a large university
to conduct tests comparing the speed of a sliding-arm steel clamp with a conventional C-clamp. Sliding-arm clamp performance was consistently 9 times faster than C-clamps. Let’s look at an example of how ‘speed’ translates into productivity.

6 C-clamps: one hour per day
INPUT COSTS	End of WEEK1	End of MONTH 1	End of the YEAR
Labor	$175.00	$700.00	$8750.00
Clamps	$240.00	$240.00	$240.00
Total	$415.00	$940.00	$8990.00

6 Bessey sliding-arm clamps @ 9X faster
INPUT COSTS	End of WEEK1	End of MONTH 1	End of the YEAR
Labor	$19.44	$77.77	$972.22
Clamps	$450.00	$450.00	$450.00
Total	$469.44	$527.77	$1422.22

THERE ARE ALSO ADDITIONAL ‘VALUE-ADDED’ CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BESSEY CLAMP DESIGN.
The spindle, pads and sliding arm are all replaceable. That not only extends the life and investment value of the tool, but has safety implications as well. Using a C-clamp with a broken or missing pad or a bent spindle can pose a serious risk of injury to the user.

Bessey clamps have a ‘deep reach’, which reduces the need for buying regular and deep throat C-clamps. And the Bessey spindle is a benchmark of quality. Roll-formed, heat
treated, tempered and quenched, high-carbon Acme threaded screw design for greater load capacity and longer life … PLUS it resists weld spatter eliminating the need for soft copper coatings prone to early wear.

THE DESIGN OF A C-CLAMP CAN INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT OF RISK TO THE OPERATOR.
The weakest point of a C-clamp is the spindle, and yet by design the bulk of the pressure centers on the spindle. As more of the spindle is exposed during clamping (especially on larger clamps), the risk of failure increases due to walking, bending or breaking. With the sliding arm configuration, designed and engineered by Bessey, the ARM travels to the pressure point … clamping is done by the cast-iron arm, not the spindle.

FATIGUE IS ALSO AN ISSUE.
A 12 inch drop forged Cclamps with a 5 1/2 inch opening can weigh over 13 lbs. … by comparison, a Bessey 2400S-12 (12 inch opening and 5 1/2” throat) weighs less than 7 lbs. That’s a big difference over a day of hard work … especially if you’re the person slugging the clamp repeatedly all day.

For more than 50 years, James Morton has been offering products that help industry trim cost through time and labor saving products. Henry Kerr, the company’s first president traveled across North America working with managers and shop floor personnel. Henry learned first hand an idea that he expressed often, “No one ever made a dime from set-up time.” And every penny manufacturers save in production goes straight to the bottom line.

Bessey vibration-proof lever clamps stay firmly and safely in place even when using power tools such as grinders.

Take another example from the James Morton product line up. Welder’s Magnetic Squares are a simple, tough and easy-to-use answer for quick set-ups. Whether its preset angles of 450, 900 or 1350 with a single magnet or an infinite variation in between using a double magnet … costly, tedious set-up time can be slashed.

Anyone who has ever witnessed a maintenance mechanic pounding a cold bearing onto a shaft knows the force needed to complete the task. Reco Bearing Heaters are safe (no open flame, torches or oil bath), quick (ready in minutes) and a fraction of the cost of other higher-priced units. These workhorses will save time, save money and most important save wear and tear on expensive new bearings … bottom line productivity.

Reco bearing heaters will save time, save money and most important save wear and tear on expensive new bearings ... bottom line productivity.

From machine shops to welding shops; from maintenance foreman on automated assembly lines to lead hands in custom fab shops the key issues stay the same …work place safety, improved productivity and better bottom lines. That’s been James Morton’s business for over fifty years. But don’t settle for taking someone’s word for it … take the first step and take a test drive yourself.

The Bessey Challenge is a program from James Morton to help your shop discover ways to improve productivity. A Bessey rep will visit on-site to let you test Bessey sliding arm clamps head-to-head against C-clamps right in your own shop. The representative will also conduct a free survey on your shop floor and calculate the contribution Bessey can make to your bottom line. Bessey believes their products can improve safety and productivity. Here’s your chance to see the evidence and it won’t cost you a dime.

© Copyright 2005 Bessey Tools North America. All rights reserved.