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