 |
| 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.
 |
| Click to see our 2012 Ford F-150! |
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
