| The Ford Motor Co. is a well-known | | | | Friday. |
| international player in the automotive | | | | Ford's tactics worked. Employee turnover |
| industry. It is noted for models such as | | | | significantly dropped, and production |
| the Lincoln and Mercury, as well as the | | | | increased significantly. Sales also |
| Jaguar and Land Rover automobiles. | | | | increased, which meant Ford can now sell |
| The company is based in Dearborn, | | | | more units at lower prices. Ford also |
| Michigan. The company was first | | | | established the Ford brand name more by |
| established in June 16, 1903 by Henry | | | | coming up with a system of dealers that |
| Ford. It has been controlled by Ford's | | | | franchised the Ford name. |
| descendants for over a century since its | | | | The Ford Motor Co. officially expanded |
| founding. | | | | internationally when it established Ford |
| Early Years | | | | of Canada in 1904. Seven years later, in |
| Ford began his venture into the | | | | 1911, Ford opened several plants in |
| automotive industry with only US$28,000 | | | | Europe and in Australia. By 1920, Henry |
| as capital, which he gleaned from | | | | Ford's firm controlled 50% of the market |
| several investors. Interestingly, the | | | | share with its Model T cars. Henry Ford |
| founders of the Dodge Brothers Motor | | | | himself contributed to the rising fame |
| Vehicle Co. - John and Horace Dodge | | | | of his brand name by joining other |
| -contributed to Ford's capital. | | | | pacifists in 1915 when they tried to |
| Ford gave his products a designation of | | | | stop the First World War in Europe. |
| letters, with the first one designed | | | | Developments During and After World War |
| Model A in 1903. Ford's first | | | | I and World War II |
| six-cylinder car was designated as Model | | | | Although he had earlier stated that he |
| K, which had a price of US$2800. The | | | | did not want to make profits from war, |
| Ford model was the most expensive | | | | the Ford Motor Co. eventually handled |
| automobile at that time, as its rivals | | | | production of the B-24 Liberator bomber |
| sold for prices significantly lower than | | | | for the war effort, prompting it to |
| that. For example, the Success | | | | build the Willow Run plant in April |
| automobile sold for a very low US$250. | | | | 1941. Beginning August 1943, Ford's |
| Ford did not have his own factory when | | | | assembly lines worked 24 hours a day to |
| he produced his first automobiles. He | | | | roll off one complete and functional |
| soon acquired his own factory in | | | | B-24 in just an hour, with pilots |
| Piquette Avenue in Michigan, from which | | | | waiting for takeoff in costs while the |
| he produced about 18,000 units of Model | | | | bombers were rolled off the production |
| T automobiles in 1909. High demand for | | | | line. |
| the Model T prompted Ford to move his | | | | The stress of the situation would |
| operations to a larger plant in Highland | | | | ultimately lead to the death of Edsel |
| Park, from which over 69,000 units of | | | | Ford, who was named as Henry Ford's |
| the Model T were made and sold to | | | | successor in 1919, in the spring of |
| buyers. | | | | 1943. Henry once again assumed control |
| Ford also came up with a moving assembly | | | | of the company during these trying |
| line in 1913, the first of its kind in | | | | times. |
| the whole world. Ford had his engineers | | | | In 1956, Ford went public under the |
| build up on the basic techniques of | | | | leadership of Henry Ford II, the son of |
| assembly line and mass production in a | | | | Edsel and Eleanor Ford, who was |
| bid to increase production and make | | | | appointed president in 1945 by Henry |
| improvements to assembly processes. | | | | Ford himself. Despite being public, the |
| Because it now only took 2 hours and 40 | | | | Ford family acquired enough Special B |
| minutes to assemble a chassis, the | | | | preferred stocks to keep a controlling |
| company was able to output more than | | | | interest of 40% in the company. |
| 200,000 units of the Model T in 1913. | | | | Current Years |
| Workforce Problems and Rise to Fame | | | | The Ford family still controls 40% of |
| Ford's improvements to the assembly line | | | | the company through the preferred |
| caused high turnovers within his factory | | | | stocks, and about 5% of the ordinary |
| workforce, because it became strenuous | | | | shares of the company. |
| to the employees who were used to the | | | | The company is currently under |
| earlier processes to adjust to the | | | | restructuring. In fact, the company had |
| faster-paced assembly line processes. | | | | announced the mortgaging of all of its |
| However, Ford found a way by increasing | | | | assets in 2006 in order to earn about |
| the workers' pay to twice the original | | | | US$23.4 billion to refinance the |
| sum, and cutting down on work hours by | | | | rehabilitation until 2009. |
| an hour. He also limited work days up to | | | | |