Henry Ford – A Pioneer Industrialist

The modern world is pioneering in production of four-wheelers and the commodities to be accessible for even middle-class people. But the idea was sowed well back in the early 20th Century, by an American Industrialist, business-magnate who brought about emblematic ideas in reality that would widen around the four-wheel transport acquisition amidst people and also the productivity of his company to be doubled. He was purely responsible for the availability of cars at a cheaper rate, wherein middle-class people would too afford in the era that allowed only the riches to have cars. This sway led a strong impact in the industrialization in the world, thus being called “A Pioneer Industrialist” is none other than “HENRY FORD”, the founder of Ford Company.

This blog details about the Ford’s way of lifestyle!

HENRY FORD – A Revolutionary Industrialist :

Who was Henry Ford?

Early Life & Fidelity:

• Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in his family’s farm in Greenfield Township, Michigan to William Ford and Mary Ford.
• At 12, Ford was first exposed to a vehicle, Nicholas and Shepard road engine, which influenced him on operating it.
• When the young boy was 13, his father gifted him a watch, which he promptly dismantled and reassembled. He then fixed his friends and neighbours timepieces too, which made him expert in watch-repair. It was where the mechanic interest was born, perhaps through a watch.
• Ford’s mother was deceased in 1876, when he was 13 years old. While being asked to work in farm by his father, Ford refused and moved to Detroit to have an apprentice work as a machinist in 1879.
• Ford, in 1882 had a work to service steam engines in Westinghouse. During the time, he gained a bookkeeping course in a Business College in Detroit.

Prior Inventions:

• He joined as an engineer in Edison Illuminating company in 1891 to practice on gasoline engines. His wide adherence towards the machines gained him a Chief Engineer post within 2 years. In 1896, he pronounced with Ford Quadricycle, a self-propelled vehicle. In 1898, Ford came out with his second vehicle, forced by Edison’s encouragement.

• Ford then partnered with William H. Murphy and built another vehicle, which first led to failure. Raising back, Ford then designed 26 horsepower(HP) in October 1901, which reached to success. However, the partnership lasted only three years.

Ford Motor Company:

• Henry Ford then laid his hands to Malcomson (coal-dealer) and incorporated the Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903 with $28,000.
• Ford designed a new four-wheeler that ran 1.6 km in 39.4 seconds i.e., 146.9 km/hr, which then impressed Barney Oldfield, a car racer to opt ‘999’ model, outlined by Ford. It was the then fastest vehicle in history.

Model – T:

• Model – T was the first triumphed model in the Ford Motor Company, released in 1908 at a cheap rate being more commercial.
• Model-T was a huge success that in 1918, half of US’ cars was the T-model. The global production and sale of the model hit 15 Million in a course of 19-years.

• In 1921, Ford purchased Lincoln Motor & Co., founded by Cadillac founder Henry Leland, whose entry between Murphy and Ford, made Ford to withdraw the partnership.
• In course years, General Motors was an onerous competent with Ford. And the Model T’s sale was squabbling, that made Ford to opt for a new design of ‘Model A’. He established a vast assembly plant in River Rouge for this production of the new model.
• In 1918, Henry Ford handed over the presidency of Ford to his son Edsel Ford, but was the final decider of the company till death.

Model – A:

• Ford despite being called an adept machinist, the fact says he can’t even read the blueprint. But the desire and the definiteness to achieve helped him to supervise the team of engineers employed in the actual work of Model-A.
• Every time, the design failed, the master didn’t lose hope but sustained to give a product after 18 months of study and design, which turned to be the Model – A. Ford then became a behemoth automobile company.

• Model – A corralled sales of 4 Million in a period of 4 years (1927 to 1931).
• The company then launched a flathead V8 engine, the first ever affordable 8-cylinder V-Engine in history, that was implanted in Model – 18 or Ford V-8.

Production Strategies:

• Ford was absolute in his thinking of consumerism, that valuing the workers would help a lot in the basis.
• In 1913, Ford installed the first moving assembly line, drove on belts, that led to the mass production of vehicles. The production time was considerably lowered from 12 hours/vehicle to two and a half hours.

• Ford announced a $5 wage system for eight-hours work a day in 1914, that rendered double the wage of workers previously received in motive to preserve the best workers loyal to Ford.
• Ford then implemented five days-eight hour work i.e., 40 hours/week in the company, which instantly ensued the quality on workers as returns in production.
• The company offered profit shares to employees who had been in the company for six months and more and eminently who conducted their lives in a respectable manner. The Social Department of the company looked into the employee’s personal issues as employee’s drinking, gambling, etc., which later fed into criticism.

Ford Airlines:

• Ford begun to make airlines for US during World War I. The Ford 4AT Trimotor, often called Tin Goose was very successful to warfare. However, the airlines part shutdown after the Great Depression.

Later Years & Death:

• Henry sought the international acquittance of the models to be more fruitful for the company. The partnership with Britain, Canada, Soviet Russia had achieved it so.
• Ford laid its huge production plant in Italy in hands with Fiat. In 1929, the partnership was signed with Soviet Automobile Plant to enhance the country’s transport that accumulated $30 Million for Ford.
• Ford Franchise everywhere carried Dearborn Independent, a magazine of Ernest G.Liebold, a close pal of Henry Ford. They both was adamant in antisemitism and its views.

• Edsel Ford befouled with cancer, died in 1943. This devastated Henry Ford and made him mentally inconsistent and suspicious and unfit for Presidency of Ford. Later he handed over the presidency to Henry Ford II, his grandson.
• Henry Ford was died of cerebral hemorrhage on April 17, 1947 at his 83rd age.

Henry Ford Museum

• Ford was an avid collector of Americana, with a particular interest in technological innovations and the lives of ordinary people: farmers, factory workers, shopkeepers and business people. He decided to create a place where their lives and interests could be celebrated.

• Opening in 1933, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, displays the thousands of objects Ford collected and many more-recent additions, such as clocks and watches, an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, presidential limousines and other exhibits.

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References:

• Wikipedia.com
• Biography.com