Henry Ford

1
Henry Ford

• By Paul Yamane

2
Why is Henry Ford is one of the most important
Americans of the 20th century?

• He did not . . .
• Invent the horseless carriage or automobile
  (Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot did in 1769)
• Invent the internal combustion engine (Jean
  Joseph Etienne Lenoire patented it in 1860)
• Invent the mass production of commodities through
  specialization and division of labor (see Adam
  Smiths Wealth of Nations in 1776)
• Invent the automobile industry (Daimler and Benz
  did in 1885)
• Invent the mass production of cars (Oldsmobile
  did in 1901)
• Invent the use of interchangeable parts in the
  car assembly process (Cadillac did in 1904)

3
Henry Ford was an inventor . . .

• Was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of
  Fame in 1982 for his invention of the
  transmission mechanism
• Google Patent Search finds 50 patents under his
  name

. . . but he is not best known for any particular
invention.
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Why Henry Ford Is Important

• He revolutionized production by implementing the
  moving assembly line
• In doing so he made a car for the masses the
  Model T

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• I will build a motor car for the great
  multitude.  It will be so low in price that no
  man making a good salary will be unable to own
  one and enjoy with his family the blessings of
  hours of pleasure in Gods greatest open
  spaces. 
• --Henry Ford upon founding Ford Motor Company c.
  1903

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Background

• Born July 30, 1863
• Loved tinkering with things as a kid
• Idol was Thomas Edison
• Did not go to college
• Married Clara Bryant in 1888
• Died April 7, 1947

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Ford Motor Company

• Founded June 17, 1903
• Founded in Dearborn, Michigan
• Was Henry Fords third company
• Current President/CEO is Alan Mulally
• Current Chairman is William Clay Ford, Jr., Henry
  Fords great-grandson
• In 2007, sold 2.4 million cars
• Started making the Model T in 1908
• First moving assembly line was at Highland Park
  Assembly Plant (1913)

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Assembly Line Basics

• Basic principle the work moves and the workers
  stay put
• It is based on a division of labor and
  specialization many people work on a product and
  each person does a small task at a station
• Parts must be standardized (interchangeable)
• When a product reaches the end of the line it has
  gone through every station and is now a finished
  product
• This is an old idea perhaps used by Egyptians
  building pyramids, famous example of pin
  factory in Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations
  (published 1776)

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Moving Assembly Line (Idea)

• Fords innovation was not the assembly line, but
  the MOVING assembly line
• Idea of the moving assembly line is typically
  credited to a trip Ford employees made to the
  Swift meatpacking plant in Chicago, where they
  saw pigs being conveyed through a disassembly
  line of stations
• Why dont we assemble motors like they kill hogs
  in Chicago? 
• -- C. Harold Wills, Chief Engineering Assistant,
  Ford Motor Company, 1912

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Moving Assembly Line Implementation

• First moving assembly line at Ford Motor Co.
  produced magneto coils
• Later, entire vehicles were assembled at Highland
  Park plant, beginning in 1913
• Moving assembly line was so efficient that Ford
  could only use type of paint (one that would dry
  fast enough), which only came in black

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Assembly Line Efficiency

• One man hour with moving assembly line equaled
  four man hours without moving assembly line
• Though it had 1,500 parts, one Model T could be
  assembled every three minutes
• Made it possible for Ford to make lots of cars
  much more cheaply

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Model T Facts

• Predated the moving assembly line at Ford
• First introduced September 27, 1908
• Was 850 when introduced
• Was produced until 1927
• Was the bestselling car for 20 years
• Nicknamed the Tin Lizzie

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Model T Cost Pre- and Post-Moving Assembly Line

• 1908-850
• 1913-850 (pre-)
• 1915-440 (post-)
• 1916-360
• 1924-290
• A Ford worker could buy a Model T with four
  months of wage

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Model T Innovations

• Had the steering wheel on the left
• Engine and transmission were entirely enclosed
• Cylinders were in a block
• Suspension use two semi-elliptic springs

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Model T Features

• Had a top
• Had a windshield
• Had a speedometer
• Had headlamps
• Had a generator for the headlamps
• Engine was front mounted

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Model T Features (cont.)

• Had a 2.9L engine
• Engine had 4 cylinders
• Had 20 horsepower
• Tank held 10 gallons
• Had rear wheel drive
• Top speed was 40-45 miles/hour
• Got 13-21 miles/gallon
• Ran on gas or ethanol

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Fordism

• Henry Fords success implementing the moving
  assembly line at Ford Motor Co. became a model
  for production generally.
• This style of production became known as
  Fordism and spread throughout different
  industries and the world.

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Significance of the Automobile

• By making the horseless carriage available to
  the average person, Henry Ford transformed
  American society (arguably) more than any other
  person in the 20th century
• 80 of all U.S. households own at least one car
  and 30 own at least 2
• 80 of all U.S. vacations are by car
• Americans drive 2.66 trillion miles per year
• Also, makes suburbanization, fast food, and strip
  shopping malls possible
• Represents freedom and individuality core
  American values

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Bibliography

• Andrea, David J., and Michael S. Flynn.
  "Automobile."  World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago
  World Book, Inc., 2003. 946-74.  
• Askin, Ronald G. "Assembly Line."  World Book
  Encyclopedia. Chicago World Book, Inc., 2003.
  818.  
• "Assembly Line". embly_line. 
• Brinkley, Douglas. Wheels for the World Henry
  Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress,
  1903-2003. New York Viking, 2003. 
• Burgan, Michael. Henry Ford. Trailblazers of the
  Modern World. Milwaukee, WI World Almanac
  Library, 2002. 
• "Henry Ford (1863-1947)."  Who Did What. Ed.
  Gerald Howat. New York Crown Publishing, 1974.
  114.  
• "Ford Model T". _Model_T. 
• Gourley, Catherine. Wheels of Time A Biography
  of Henry Ford. Brookfield, CT The Millbrook
  Press, 1997. 
• Harris, Jacqueline L. Henry Ford. New York
  Franklin Watts, 1984. 
• "Inflation Calculator". flation/. 
• Nevins, Allan. Ford The Times, the Man, the
  Company. New York Charles Scribner's Sons,
  1954. 
• Paradis, Adrian. Henry Ford. New York G.P.
  Putnam's Sons, 1968. 
• Rubenstein, James. Making and Selling Cars
  Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive
  Industry. Baltimore, MD Johns Hopkins University
  Press, 2001. 
• Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and
  Causes of the Wealth of Nations. 1776. 
• Sobel, Robert. "Henry Ford."  World Book
  Encyclopedia. Chicago World Book, Inc., 2006.
  379-80.