Ok fellows here is your time to shine. First of all let me fill you in on what I am after. I am currently attending college and I am taking a summer class called "Quality Control Concepts for the Process Industry" , this class requires me to write a LEAN paper. Basicly I have to write a paper on providing value in the most effective way possible, through a combination of the elimination of waste and a motivated and engaged workforce. I know Henry payed more than other factories in the beginning, had mass production, and (dont know how true) used the wood from shipping crates for the wood in his cars, and came up with charcoal. My wife is a college teacher and thinks Im crazy for using the all mighty hamb for my research. Please help me prove her wrong. Enough of me blabbing, so let the facts roll, I know you guys know it all. I love the hamb!
Henry Ford was a very clever man for sure, it's true that when he contracted people to supply parts in wooden boxes he wanted holes drilled at specific points. These were then used as floor boards for the Model T. There must be books available from your local library on Henry Ford.
By keeping the olny available color black, he cut down on labor costs and process changeover costs. A really good resoruce for you would be the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. I have been there a few times, it is very educational. He also owned his own power station. He had so much power available, he sold power to the city of Dearborn. This not only cut energy costs, but also was a profit center. When he opened the power plant, it fed the Rouge plant, 1/3 of the Highland Park plant and then he sold excess to Detroit Edison. I took this from the Henry Ford Museum site- Ford Motor Company owned 700,000 acres of forest, iron mines and limestone quarries in northern Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ford mines covered thousands of acres of coal-rich land in Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ford even purchased and operated a rubber plantation in Brazil. To bring all these materials to the Rouge, Ford operated a fleet of ore freighters and an entire regional railroad company The guy was a friggin' genius, there are tons these. Go to http://www.thehenryford.org/rouge/historyofrouge.aspx#numbers
Well, clarification on the pay issue is that actually he wanted to add a third 8 hour shift and needed workers. He wanted to run the factory 24 hours a day. He got applicants by the thousands, but the truth is that to get the five dollars a day, you had to live by his standards for a period of time before you got the raise. He literally had inspectors come by your house to inspect that you were living life by his standards and only about 20% actually stayed long enough to get the benefits. Henry Ford got a lot of good press but it was all to his benfit, more than the workers. He was a very complex man, both good and bad, ying and yang. Wealth allowed him a great latitude for failure and the ability to try things.
The power station is still humming along and the railroad tracks are still busy with trains going back and forth to the Rouge Plant.. I see it everyday...
Henry also set up small satellite factories in many communities surrounding the Rouge complex. Northville, Plymouth, Nankin Township, Saline, Manchester, Belleville (Michigan) and probably some others. These were component factories, usually in areas with farming and situated at a site with running water such as a river or stream tha t could be dammed and used as a power source for the factory. The hydroelectric power, that needs no explanation. The farms, the purpose was to allow farmers to work at the plant during the day and tend the farms at night. Henry felt that he was helping to keep farmers farming,and the factory job and regular paycheck to get them through the lean times.
He even had his own moonshine factory which was shut down during the prohibition,Im not sure if it was moonshine or ethanol .There was a documentary that is a must see.
He even had his own moonshine factory which was shut down during the prohibition,Im not sure if it was moonshine or ethanol .There was a documentary that is a must see.It fueled the Model t ..........
The Mighty Google: Henry Ford Facts http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/facts.asp http://www.modelt.ca/background.html Second link has info regarding the black paint myth
Black Japanese Lacquer was used because of its fast drying properties that allowed an increase in production. Ever wonder why Detroit has a large muslim population? Henry Ford brought them in because they did not drink or smoke.
The power plant blew up years ago and took a bunch of lives. The shell of an exploded power plant still stand. I worked in the Rouge Complex for years in the B.O.F. before Severstal bought it.
Henry Ford was good friends with the Renault Brothers of France who were amongst the first 'true' mass production automakers in the world at that time-earlier than Ford by a decade or more and they made several trans-atlantic trips to visit with one another and share manufacturing advice. The Renault Brothers patterned a lot of their mass production processes based upon the manufacturing of armaments which is generally accepted as the first industry to standardize interchangability of parts...once you standardize parts, then you can start to mass produce them. Once you can start to mass produce, you can start to eliminate waste, steps etc....thus-LEAN. You may wish to delve into the histories of S&W, Colt, Remington et al and his relationship with the Renault Brothers. BTW, I can't wait to read your footnotes...
Try to find "My Life and Work" by Henry Ford, in collaboration with Samuel Crowther, dated 1923. It has a lot of his famous quotes in it.
Don't forget that he was a huge bio-fuel guy. Soybean farmer. My old 42 had a dash with soy-plastic dash. Bio-plastics! Way ahead of it, but made to compete. Recycling before it was cool.
Genius.....pure genius. I'm so glad I got into early hot rods. That naturally led to an interest in Henry.....I wouldn't have the job I do if not for him... And I work at a Chevy dealer!!!!
Henry Ford provided percieved value. In the early years, no one else could offer what Ford offered at the same price. More later.
Henry also expanded production by maximizing exports. Ford was one of the first auto makers to sell to China (didn't work well, though, not many roads), and set up Ford subsidiaries in Britain and Germany (sort of controversal after Hitler came to power)...early US-made Fords had holes for the steering box on both sides of the frame to allow for right-hand drive in the UK, and the V8-60 was designed, if I remember correctly, to meet the British standard that anything below 60 horsepower was taxed at a lower rate...(someone else might want to check the V8-60 story).
He also went motor camping with Thomas Edison and the Firestone founding family, long before that was a popular thing?
I am sure in your education you have been educated on elimination of waste and value stream mapping. In general I think Henry mastered the synthensis of these two business concepts. Take Kingsford Charcoal for example, which was a by-product of his manufacturing process. This is directly off the Kingsford site And has been since the 1920s, when Henry Ford learned of a process for turning wood scraps from the production of Model T's into charcoal briquets. He built a charcoal plant, and the rest is history. The Kingsford Company was formed when E.G. Kingsford, a relative of Ford's, brokered the site selection for Ford's new charcoal manufacturing plant. The company, originally called Ford Charcoal, was renamed Kingsford® Charcoal in his honor. He understood the complete value stream from happy customer back to dirt, and what added value, what did not add value, and what could be done with waste and by products as a result of vehicle manufacturing, turning it into Cash. In the case of Energy he realized early on it was a major cost driver and he needed to produce his own power. All of this vertical integration coming together at the right place, right time, in the right quantities without the computing power and logistics tools that we have today is really quite amazing. He was criticized in early years as being was slow to change to market wants and needs (colors, features, power, safety, styling) until Chevrolet and others started taking market share. He was also criticized on his socialistic approach to employee needs (housings, education etc etc) The cash freedby operating an efficient business allowed Ford to feed the machine through innovation. As an example Ford was playing with soy based plastic body components in 1941 http://www.thehenryford.org/research/soybeancar.aspx Any guys on this forum that have torn apart a few 46/47/48 Fords will discover random parts made from aluminum (splash aprons, cowl vents, running boards, front floor pan transmission cover) Good luck a fascinating time in history, not only Ford but the industrial revolution in general.
He developed the Model T to get the farmer off the farm, and then was surprised when everyone moved to town. Interesting cat, Henry. Almost became a watch maker. He also preached what became known as ergonomics - if a tall guy was working on a short bench, and a short guy was working where stuff was up in the air - Henry made them switch jobs. He also stayed in touch with the shop floor, sometimes putting on coveralls and working alongside his men. In the 80's business guru Peter Drucker suggested CEO's do the same thing. He called it "Managing By Wandering Around", meaning you found out what happened in the plant by seeing it - not reading some lackey's report. Find Robert Lacey's book about Henry Ford. Good stuff!
In 1926, Henry Ford wrote a book on productivity called Today and Tomorrow. The Japanese auto makers "just-in-time" production methods came from this book. In 1926, Ford's production process was organized to the point that it took his workers only 81 hours to go from iron ore to finished product. I have a copy of the book and would be happy to loan it to you if you are unable to readily find a copy.
I live about a 1/4 mile east off Henry Ford's birthplace which is on the corner of Greenfield and north of Ford Rd.... For many years, that area was a soybean field up until some years ago when they built a retirement home for the rich folks.. I'll snap a photo or two for ya if your interested...
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