A Quick History - Ford

Ford Logo

Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford on June 16, 1903 in Michigan. It is the 2^nd largest United States automaker and fifth in the world. It has been in family control for over a hundred years.
After its creation, Ford was instantly profitable. Within a decade, the company would lead the world in expansion and refinements of the assembly line concept. Prior to the Model T, only a few cars were made a day in the factory. However, with the introduction of the moving assembly line, production greatly increased. In 1909, 18,000 Model T's were made. By 1913, the number was up to 202,667. By 1920, over one million vehicles were produced.

1909 Model T

Although this was greatly helping company profits, the new changes to the company were proving hard on employees. Turnover rates were high and they seemed to have inefficient workers. In response, Ford doubled pay to $5 an hour and introduced the 40 hour work week. They also began to hire people with disabilities and implemented new hiring terms to only hire the best workers possible. Due to these changes, turnover went down, productivity increased, and the cost per vehicle dropped and dropped and dropped. Ford was able to slash car prices over and over. What was great was that Ford workers could actually afford their own within a few months!

Highland Park Ford Plant

In 1919, Henry's son took over the company, but sales had begun to drop. Ford Motor did not keep up with the innovations like GM and Chrysler and customers began to drift away. They also remained resistant to credit for a while, insisting that it would hurt consumers and the general economy. Another problem Ford had was they did not offer Luxury vehicles. They attempted to fix this in 1922, with the introduction of the Lincoln Motor Company, named for Abraham Lincoln.

1922 Lincoln Model L

Prior to World War II, Ford had dealings with the Nazi Regime. With factories in Germany, Ford contributed plenty to the buildup of the military. Henry Ford was very resistant about helping the Allied forces. Even after France fell, Henry refused to help and vetoed a plan to build for the Allies. One third of Germany's trucks were from Ford.

Ford Ambulance

After Pearl Harbor though, Ford was required to start building for the American military and began making B-24 aircraft. However, Henry attempted to keep up indirect communication with his factories in Germany. The Treasury Department actually investigated him but couldn't find firm proof. After the war, many of the Nazi managers were able to keep their positions.

When his son died in 1943, Henry Ford took back control, but his family was against it due to his frail health and mental state. He begrudgingly handed control over to his grandson. He later died in 1947.

1959 Ford Thunderbird

In the coming years, Ford would introduce the Mustang, Thunderbird, and several other successful cars. In 1956, the company went public and the family maintains 40% controlling. They acquired Jaguar and Aston Martin in the 90s, but later sold both in 2008. In response to the economic crisis in recent years, in 2006 Ford announced it would mortgage all property and assets in an effort to raise the money needed to save the company.

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Sources: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company; Dark Roasted Blend, http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2012/08/awesome-vintage-ambulance-cars.html; Conceptcarz, http://www.conceptcarz.com/z20482/Lincoln-Model-L.aspx; Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/110244/The-1909-Model-T; Zero to 60 Times, http://www.zeroto60times.com/blog/large-car-logos-2/large-ford-car-logo/; Jalopy Journal, http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=16390