Ford. Putting the world on wheels
Information about the Ford logos and the reason to paint cars in black has been added. You will also find out who was the first in the world to apply a conveyor assembly line to the cars (it was not Henry Ford).
Ford Motor Company is a US company, founded in 1903, headquartered in Detroit, producing cars under the Ford brand. In 2020, Ford Motor Company celebrated its 117th anniversary. Throughout this time, it has been controlled by one family!
Throughout its existence, Ford Motor Company has owned multiple car brands, such as Lincoln, (luxury cars are still produced under this brand), Mercury (cars of the medium price category are produced under this brand), the magnificent British Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Swedish Volvo Cars. Ford Motor Company is currently one of the largest shareholders of Kia Motors and Mazda Motor Corporation.
The success story
Ford Motor is one of the oldest car companies in the world, its cars made a cultural revolution and changed the USA as a country. The founder of the company, Henry Ford, who received $28,000 for business development from 5 investors, has set a task – to construct a simple and reliable car affordable for most people. And he did it! Ford has been the fourth largest car manufacturer in production volume throughout its existence! And his legendary car - black Ford Model T - in just one year, was built in more than 1 million cars! Why exactly black? Because the founder of the company said: ‘A customer can have a car painted any color he wants as long as it’s black’. From 1908 to 1927, 15 million cars of this popular model, called “Tin Lizzie”, were sold. And only 20 million Volkswagen Beetles sold worldwide could beat Ford’s sales record. But no other model showed such a phenomenal success as the Ford Model T did. In 1921, 56.5% of all cars registered in the world were Ford Model T! Only in 1976, Ford started attaching logos to their cars. Before that, it was clear to every customer what car brand it was.
Attention! The information was updated.
Ford has always had logos, but after the second world war, models of Ford of Britain, Ford France, and some others had their own logos. Up to 1976, all the Fords received a blue oval logo. The real reason why Ford Model T was only painted black was the paint itself. At that time, only one quick-drying paint existed (it was a varnish called Japan black). This paint was good to use in assembly line. Other quick-drying paints appeared later, that's why the last Model T cars were painted in multiple colors. But this is not such a common knowledge. Ransom Eli Olds (the very founder of Olds Motor Vehicle Company) was the first to implement a conveyor assembly line inautomotive production. Before Olds, similar conveyors were used for carving in some meat factories.
Only in 1976, Ford started attaching logos to their cars. Before that, it was clear to every customer what car brand it was.
How did Henry Ford manage to achieve volume production of cars back in the early 20th century? It happened because of Ford’s ingenious invention, which turned the whole automotive industry upside down! The conveyor method, invented and launched by Ford in 1913, significantly accelerated the entire process of car assembly. Before Ford, one person assembled the entire car from the beginning to the end. Ford made one worker responsible for only one part attached to the body, so that this worker masters it until he can do it perfectly. All he had to do was roping the chassis of future models, putting workers in line along the rope, and make them gradually reassemble the car as it moved along the rope.
Such a simplified assembly accelerated car production dozens of times! The result was a record – at the Ford factory, a new car on its own went off the assembly line every 10 seconds. But the most important result is a decrease in the cost of a car! The price of Model T decreased from $850 in 1908 and to $250 by 1925. In 1908 an ordinary American had to spend his earnings for 2 years to buy Ford Model T. In the 1920s to buy such a car, putting aside only three monthly earnings was enough!
That’s how Henry Ford, son of ordinary Irish immigrants, fled from his parents' house to Detroit in the age of 16, joined Edison’s company as an engineer, assembled his first combustion engine in his own kitchen, and made his dream of ‘putting the world on wheels’ - come true!
Our days
In our days, Ford Motor produces a wide range of cars and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand. In 2019, about 5 million cars of this brand were sold. Popular in Europe Ford Focus is steadily among the top ten best-selling cars.
Ford never stands still. The company’s latest developments include a lighting system to detect pedestrians, cyclists, and large animals at night. The swivel lights, installed on the bumper of the car, illuminate pedestrians, recognized by the on-board system.
In 2019, Ford developed a new system called EcoGuide, which advises the driver by helping him save fuel through properly designed braking. This program predicts braking necessary in advance, considering the road environment. It is aided by satellite navigation, through which it ‘sees’ curves, gradients, junctions, and local speed limits.
Throughout more than a century, Ford Motor has been committed to its core principle - to produce cars that are high-quality, reliable, and as affordable as possible. Make Henry Ford’s dream come true - get on wheels! :)
