THE STANDARDIZATION AND QUALITY OF PRODUCTS OF SOVIET INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160303-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 303
• Publication Date: February 25, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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STAT
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THE STANDARDIZATION AND QUALITY OF PRODUCTS
OF SOVIET INDUSTRY
The directives of the 19th Party Congress concerning the'Fifth Five-Year
Plan include the following instruction: "A further marked improvement of the
quality of products in all branches of industry must be guaranteed. The assort-
ment of goods must be expanded and improved, and the production of types of com-
modities which are in short supply must be increased in accordance with the
needs of national economy. State standards conforming to modern requirements
must be enforced."
Standardization involves the establishment of state all-union standards
compulsory for all branches of national economy; these standards provide in-
dices determining the quality of industrial and agricultural products, and also
provide for a more efficient utilization of raw materials, other materials,
electric power, and fuel. By establishing more advanced technical and economic
indices, standards tend to lower production costs, reduce planning periods, and
aid in mastering new types of production.
State standards are established after taking into consideration all the
latest achievements of science and technology and the most advanced practical
experiences and are designed to help industrial enterprises in determining the
best possible consumption norms for raw materials, fuel and other materials, and
norms for utilization of equipment. Thus, the dimension, parameter and type of
material established by state standard for the production of a certain product
provides the basis for determining an advanced norm for the consumption of mate-
rials necessary for production. This inner connection between standards and ad-
vanced production norms reflects the importance of state standardization in the
planning of national economy.
The establishment and introduction of state standards also helps to disclose
and utilize reserves for raising labor productivity and increasing the total vol-
ume of output. Especially, the introduction of standards facilitates the use of
mass and constant-flow production methods.
At present the chief types of products of large-series and mass production
are manufactured in conformance with technical specifications established by
standards. For example, over 90 percent of all rolled octal products are manu-
factured strictly in accordance with established state standards. More than 95
percent of all petroleum products for engines, machines, and mechanisms are pro-
duced according to standards. More than 70 percent of all food products are pro-
duced according to specifications contained in state standards. In the case of
products for which no state standards have as yet been established, technical
specifications are being worked out, which are approved by the producing minis-
tries, by agreement with the consumers. This makes it possible to manufacture
products with fixed quality indices which correspond to the present level of pro-
duction techniques and the demands of national economy.
There are more than 8,000 state standards in the USSR. These standards are
revised periodically and are renewed in accordance with the latest achievements
of science and technology and the growing demands of national economy. This
:_lps to expand the assortment of goods, improve the quality of the goods, and in-
crease its strength and wear resistance. For example, a large Group of -'aLuards
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STAT,
was recently revised on tractor spare parts, cylinder liners, crankshafts, and
piston rings. The introduction of these standards does not require additional
consumption of materials or changes in designs and sizes of the mass-produced
parts.
In the field of machine building, standards have been established to deter-
ni ne the necessary types and essential qualities of machines and equipment; these
standards provide for the output of improved types of machines with increased
productivity and an improved coefficient of efficiency.
The new standards and general technical specifications for measuring instru-
ments place much higher demands on the quality of the instruments and increase
the number of high-precision instruments. Values of permissible error of the in-
strumenta have been reduced 50 percent. Guarantee periods have been established
and the requirements for finishing quality have been raised. The quality of
radio receivers has been greatly improved, the basic power and acoustic param-
eters have been strictly defined, and the indices for the width of frequency
bands and background noise have been improved.
The standards for consumer goods, in addition to raising quality require-
ments, provide for a larger assortment of products in order to satisfy the grow-
ing demands of the people. Such standards include factory-made footwear, cloth-
ing, and individual types of cotton, sil%, and woolen fabrics.
Over 200 standards for products of light and food industry have recently
been examined and approved. For example, the standard for cotton fiber has
raised the requirements for purity of cotton and has established maximum norms
for the content of impurities; if these norms are exceeded, the cotton fiber is
placed in a lower grade. The new standard guarantees an improvement in the tech-
nological process of primary cotton processing, increases the output of high-
grade cotton, and raises labor productivity and the productivity of cotton in-
dustry equipment. The standards for wool establishes new quality indices and
permissible deviations for the thickness of the fiber; in the case of fine-fleeced
wool, the norms for length have been raised 10 percent and norms have been estab-
lished for moisture content and residual fat, thereby improving the quality of
wool.
The standards for textiles introduce new improved types of fabrics and raise
the requirements for physicomechanical indices, resistance to tear, thickness of
the fabric according to warp and weft, and also a number of indices to improve
the color fastness of textiles, which did not exist in previous standards. The
new standards provide for improved physicomechanical indices of threads, espe-
cially resistance to tear and uniformity; the third grade of thread, which did
not satisfy the consumer, has been taken out of production.
Particularly important are the new standards for sewn products. A higher
quality of sewing is required to improve the appearance of garments. The require-
ments for determining high-grade quality of sewn products have been raised con-
siderably.
The standards for knitwear provide for a larger assortment of styles to be
manufactured and an improvement of their outer appearance. Special attention is
given to color fastness.
By increasing the yarn count in the manufacture of hosiery, the amount of
yarn required for the manufacture of one pair of hose is reduced. The fourth and
fifth grades of yarn, which do not satisfy customers' demands, have been with-
drawn from production.
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tione "'- -"" """? ~'+ improving the quality of confec-
ry goods. The assortment of high-grade kinds of chocolate, khalva, caramels,
marmalade and other confectionery products has been considerably increased. New
requirements have been established for the packing and wrapping of these products.
The quality of dairy products has been increased considerably, especially
creamery butter, cheese, milk, sour cream, and ice cream. The assortment of new
types of soft cheeses has been increased. The standards for nonalcoholic bever-
ages, such as kvass, lemonade, cranberry juice, and fruit beverages, have been
revised in order to improve their quality. The consistency of these beverages
has been increased, the content of carbonic acid has been raised, and the raw
materials used in the production of nonalcoholic beverages have been standardized.
The new standards for fish products provide for improved quality, enlarged
assortment of fish products, and a reduction of the salt content for many kinds
of fish. Rules have been established for storing and transporting fish and fish
products.
The purpose of standardization is not confined to the establishment of qual-
ity indices for various products. Standardization also plays an important part
in the economical utilization of material resources. Among other things, the
directives of the 19th Party Congress for the Fifth Five-Year Plan call for a
stricter economy in the use of material resources by eliminating excessive con-
sumption of materials and equipment, cutting out waste, introducing economical
types of materials, and using full-value substitutes and advanced production
methods on a wide scale.
One of the most important tasks of standardization is the discovery and
mobilization of reserves for the economical use of metals. It should be noted
here that the current designs of machines do not prescribe the use of the most
economical and the lightest shapes of rolled metal. Ferrous metallurgy is still
not producing a sufficient assortment of shaped profiles, and not more than 30-40
new shapes per year are being put into production. Meanwhile the use of special
profiles would considerably reduce the weight of machines and mechanisms. Only
by redistributing special profiles would it be possible to reduce metal consump-
tion by 20 to 30 percent, and the use of hollow profiles would produce a saving
of up to 50 percent. In addition to saving metal, the use of economical shapes
also reduces labor expenditure in the machine-building industry..
Until now, many designers and scientific research institutes have failed to
show the necessary initiative in developing and using new improved shapes of
metal. In this field, state standards have been inadequate. So far, only a few
standards for special shapes in agricultural machine building and in construction
have been approved. This is only the beginning. The Ministry of Metallurgical
Industry and the Ministry of Machine Building must devote more work to the intro-
duction and standardization of new economical shapes of metal products.
One of the principal ways of saving metal is by increasing precision in the
rolling process. Much work has been done in this field during 1952. For most
standards, the positive allowances have been lowered 30-50 percent as compared
with previous standards.
Equally important work has been done in improving the mechanical properties
of steel and alloys. The revised standards contain higher indices of mechanical
properties, such as indices of strength, plastic properties, etc., thus making it
possible to reduce metal consumption 5 to 8 percent.
Unification of parts in machine building is extremely important in reducing
the consumption of metal and labor. Unification makes it possible to use the
same parts in different machines and mechanisms without impairing their value.
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in improving the -", ooviet industry has made considerable progress
However, individual enterprises still con-
quality of products. established standards
inue to put out low-quality products, which do not meet
and technical specifications. There have been cases where second-grade products
have been released as top-grade products. A number of machine-building enter-
prises have been producing low-quality machines and equipment, violating existing
standards and technical specifications. The technical control divisions of these
enterprises have been exercising poor control over the quality of machine parts.
Some plants are not using modern measuring methods and are slow in introducing
automatic production methods and mechanic supervision.
Violations of standards and technical specifications have been discovered in
enterprises of the Ministry of Light and Food Industry. For example, the Mar-
gelan Silk Combine has tolerated defects in the appearance and strength of fab-
rics, which did not conform to any standard; however, the technical control divi-
sion and the management of the enterprise released this fabric as a top-grade
product. At the Ozery Cotton Combine, 85 percent of the flannel produced did not
conform to quality indices established by state standards and technical specifi-
cations. Several factories in Minsk have produced footwear of low quality. A
number of Belorussian factories have produced poor-quality confectionery by dis-
meat combines he produced nonstandard regarding prescribed recipes and production techniques. The Tambov and Saratov
st
sage produced by the Saratov Meat Combine ahadga moisture contentxofp13 Perc the
above norm.
13
ent
As a result of measures taken by the Ministry of Light and Food Industry,
the combines have made serious efforts to improve production techniques and tech-
nical control.
Until now, the technical divisions of main administrations of ministries
have taken little part in the work on standardization. Many main administrations
restrict themselves to transmitting the standards and technical specifications of
their ministries, without analyzing the contents of these standards which have
been worked out by organizations under their jurisdiction.
The Administration for Standardization under the Gosplan USSR has not been
exercising sufficient control over the observance of state standards and techni-
cal specifications. Until now there have been many branches of industry where
not a single enterprise has been checked, even though individual enterprises have
violated existing state standards.
It would greatly increase efficiency if special scientific research insti-
tutes and design bureaus were entrusted with the task of working out new state
standards, as has been done in the Ministry of Machine Building. Such a base
organization should consider the demands of consumers, correlate materials from
all enterprises manufacturing a certain product, and work out suggestions for
raising the quality of this product. Only a correct technical and economic anal-
ysis of indices contained in the standards would make it possible to avoid errors,
which unfortunately are still permitted in the preparation of standards. All
enterprises, organizations, and individuals involved in the introduction of a new
standard, as well as the consumers of the product, should be able to convince
themselves by practical experiment that the planned indices are useful and prac-
tical. An approved state standard is an obligatory document for all enterprises,
organizations, ministries and departments, both for producers and consumers.
In working out drafts of new standards, provisions must be made for all the
important indices characterizing the quality of a certain product. For example,
a further improvement in the quality of metal should be guaranteed by developing
and introducing special shapes of rolled sections and pipes, more efficient shapes
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for machine building and construction, and for replacing allot/ elements in short
supply by those more readily available. The drafts of standards should provide
for the introduction of new types of st
eel and alloys with improved mechanical
and physical properties, mainly such indices as strength, viscosity, wear resist-
ance, weldability, and cold resistance. Improved methods for testing the physi-
cal properties of steel and alloys should also be provided.
In the coal industry, a higher quality of fuel should be provided by lower-
ing the content of ash, sulfur and moisture, and by a more efficient utilization
of different types of coal depending on their physical properties and the size
of the pieces. All the principal coal basins should be completely covered by
the standards establishing quality indices for the quality of coal and anthra-
cite, depending on its use. This will make it possible to lower the norms for
consumption of fuel in various power installations.
In the petroleum industry, the improvement of quality indices for liquid
fuel, oils, and lubricants should lead to the development of new types of oils
and fuels, so as to reduce the wear of engines and mechanisms, and prevent scale
formation, o?iidation, and corrosion. In establishing certain indices of stan-
dards, one should also consider the operation of modern engines and mechanisms
at high and low temperatures.
In the field of machine building, particular attention should be given to
precision, reliability in operation, and length of service of machines and mech-
anisms. Provisions should be made for improving the coefficient of efficiency
and lowering the weight of machines, thereby reducing the amount of material re-
quired. Special attention must be given to raising the carrying capacity and
speed of transport vehicles, reducing consumption of fuel and lubricants, length-
ening the service period, and, in the case of passenger vehicles, making them
more comfortable.
One of the most important tasks of standardization is to improve the qual-
ity and develop a large assortment of consumer goods. According to the Fifth
Five-Year Plan, the output of enterprises of light and food industry is to be
increased by 70 percent and the output of local and cooperative industry, by 60
percent.
Special measures have been taken recently to ensure the production in 1953
of a large quantity of manufactured and food products over and above the origi-
nally approved plan. Branches of industry manufacturing consumer goods have been
given large supplementary production quotas. Many new enterprises of light and
food industry have been built; the existing plants and factories are being
equipped with modern machinery, high-speed automatic machines, mechanisms, and
instruments.
The organizations entrusted with working out state standards and approving
them must revise the outdated indices of existing standards which tend to retard.
the improvement of quality. The development of new standards must include all
types of consumer goods. For example, in addition to the existing indices for
strength and wear resistance of fabrics, new indices should be established to
improve the quality of dyes, wetting agents, and fixing agents used in the tex-
tile industry, so as to improve the color fastness of fabrics when'exposed to
light, moisture, and washing.
Standards for sewn products must be improved considerably. Some enter-
prises of the sewing industry do not follow existing standards. Many of the
best styles and designs, worked out by fashion centers, are not produced by in-
dustry, and some enterprises cut down on the finishing operations, thereby im-
pairing the quality of the goods.
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ma
quently good raw material deteriorates and it adis organized,
y ficu trto
lyinclincre singl SO
produce high-quality leather which would satisfy standard requirements. The to
quality of wool raw material is also often below the established standard. The
quality of raw materials delivered to light and local industry must be greatly
improved.
The work of standardization is furthered considerably by the consolidation
of ministries and also by the transfer of the Administration for Standardization
to the Gosplan USSR. This has created favorable conditions for a closer coor-
dination between the work of standardization and the planning of national econ-
omy.
The quality of products of light industry depends to a large extent on the
quality of raw material supplied by enterprises of the Ministry of Agriculture
and Procurement. However, many types of raw material do not completely conform
to requirements of current standards. For example, the cotton-ginning industry
has obtained poor results in the cleaning of cotton and during the past few
years there have been many cases of impurities in the cotton delivered. The
processing and storing of leather raw
t
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