A Look Back At Ford

Ford Motor Company is an American company and one of the biggest auto manufacturers in the world. The company even survived the Great Depression. Great strides have been made since the early models. Imagine a crank engine so heavy and difficult to operate you could lose your finger or arm. Imagine having no option to purchase a closed car to keep rain, wind and sun off your family and car interior. Imagine that your car was made without universal parts, making it expensive to repair.

One of the great things Ford brought to the manufacturing process was the adoption of the assembly line. Coupled with universal parts production, this made everything much faster. Prior to the assembly line cars were built one by one. Production was slow. The assembly line allowed cars to be assembled in about two hours as opposed to twelve. This did cause a bump in the road for the company. Turnover rates were high, and though demand was theoretically easier to meet, without workers no cars were getting made. The company raised pay, shortened the workday, and shortened the workweek. These meant employees could afford the very car they manufactured. In 1919 the company was manufacturing half of all cars in the United States.

The blue trademark oval began on a Model A in 1928. The emblem is still being used on models made by the company today. In 1927 the company introduced four-wheel breaks on the cars. This innovative idea had already been implemented by Chrysler and GM. The company was failing to keep up with new innovations. Other companies even began offering financing. The company resisted the idea of financing at first, but eventually had to concede to consumer demands.

Ford began its ventures into the luxury market by purchasing Lincoln Motor Company. The company decided to satisfy the mid-priced market by introducing the Mercury division. They then went on to introduce such cars as the Thunderbird, Mustang, Falcon, and Pinto. They also ventured out of the United States, with factories in Canada, England, France, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Argentina and South Africa.

In 2006 the company mortgaged everything, including the blue logo, factories, and even their office chairs. The company needed to rebuild and keep up with new innovations for more efficient cars. One thing is sure, the company made it through the first depression. Hopefully it can also make it through this economic downturn. The Ford family is said to still own five percent of the company. This is nothing next to the fifty percent they once had, but it is amazing that a company from the early 1900s is still thriving. No matter what, the company has a place in history, and it is still turning out innovative vehicles for the families of today.