Deutschland über Alles (Chapter 2 - NSU Factory, Germany)

Where the rivers Neckar and Ulm meet stands, aptly, the town of Neckarsulm. And on the cold, rainy morning of our arrival we had no difficulty in locating the NSU factory. For Neckarsulm is NSU, as one of the directors pointed out.

Little blue-and-white signs led us through a pleasant township, across an ungated railway line, and up to a very imposing, remote-controlled entrance. We waited until the large double gates withdrew smoothly and then drove across the threshold, past a reception block, over a wide flower-bordered forecourt and on to the ultra-modern, beautifully designed main building. The little Prima had, temporarily, come home.

From that moment until our departure three days later we were encompassed by the most efficient organization in the world. Smoothly, from the word 'go', the wheels clicked into gear. No frustrating, interminable periods of waiting here, and not once did we hear the word' can't'.

We were introduced to the representative for Asia, Herr Krieg, who gave us comprehensive information about the spare parts and repair situation in Pakistan and India. Hot coffee and sandwiches (always welcome to two-wheeled travellers) appeared (and disappeared) while I filled in a large sheet of everything I felt needed attention on the Prima. There wasn't much but it was extremely satisfying to write such items as: strengthen pannier frames, reserve fuel-warning light not working, heavy-duty rear tyre required, etc., and to know that when we again saw our scooter (which was then being wheeled carefully away by a white-coated foreman) these faults would be rectified.

Herr Stoll, Export Manager, who spoke excellent English with a slight American accent, had us and our equipment smoothly transferred from the factory to the nearby Hotel Post, in which we were luxuriously housed and fed. Not a hitch, and nothing was too much trouble. We decided to send some surplus baggage home. 'Just make a pile of everything you don't need and leave it in the office,' said Herr Stoll. We left it. A week later it arrived home, registered and perfectly packed. There was absolutely nothing one could criticize during the three-day respite-which so far as I was concerned was unique.

The whole place had an air of quality. Not one shop in the township displayed shoddy goods. Not one scruffy workman; all were neatly dressed with their personal bits and pieces stowed away in good leather brief-cases. Not a sign of litter fouled any of the gutters. In the post office we were served without having to wait, during any time of the business day. And always that brisk air of purpose about the people. Our stay in Neckarsulm was stimulating.

We wandered through the older part of the town, where new buildings were being erected, and where Nita remarked in wonderment: 'That's the first time I've seen all the workmen on a building site working at once.' Then into a Schuhaus, where a fine old craftsman handstitched my footwear while I waited. 'Very good boots,' he appraised, looking over the Simpson riding boots with an expert eye. Somehow I felt glad those boots were English made.

We visited the NSU museum which was in the town itself and where were housed some of the earliest of motorized cycles, a few dating back to the turn of the century. But it was the factory which impressed me most vividly. Having not long before spent a week at one of the largest car factories in England, I was able to make comparisons and see just how the Germans gained their superiority.

It was not through technical achievement that they were overtaking us as primary exporters, but by human effort. They work harder than we do, and are more zealous. There had been a detailed time and motion study at Neckarsulm. No one walked a single step without purpose. During two days on a conducted tour and wandering round at will, we never saw a production line held up for lack of parts, a not uncommon occurrence in our own country. Not that one could reasonably compare Neckarsulm with the British car factory I had visited, but I couldn't help feeling that the Volkswagen factory would be little different in operation from NSU's. The foundry was amazingly clean, when normally a foundry is fume-laden and filthy. And the assembly mechanics, immaculate in white overalls, had hands as clean as the clerks' in the offices above them. There was cotton waste in abundance. We never heard the equivalent of 'Where's that blasted rag!' They worked like surgeons with superbly forged spanners, spotless and shining in their quick-release holders, dexterous to a degree, using their screwdrivers like scalpels. No swearing, grunting, or furrowed brows: the job went like clockwork from start to finish.

We watched twelve engine units being tested, and twelve times they roared into life and ran faultlessly. It was all highly impressive.

I happened to mention to Herr Stoll that the Prima air-filter did not seem to be fully efficient in the matter of air intake. Six months later in Melbourne I was to see one of the new models, with modified air filter snugly fitted. Only a small point raised by one person, but an indication that any complacency over a product spells loss to those who would compete in the everlasting race for the capture of world markets.