Henry Ford is a world famous American industrialist, inventor, author of 161 US patents, owner of automobile factories around the world. The main task of the great entrepreneur was to release a car for everyone, later this famous phrase and became the slogan of the Ford company, which successfully exists to this day. The main achievement and innovation that he came up with is the use of a conveyor for mass production. A common misconception is that mass production conveyors have never been used before. This is not entirely true: back in the 19th century, many slaughterhouses used similar technologies. Henry was the first inventor to use this technology for a technically complex product - a car.
He was born in a family of emigrants from Ireland, who lived in the suburbs of Detroit. At the age of 16, the young man made a bold and desperate act - he ran away from home and went to work in Detroit. There, a talented teenager found himself in the engineering industry. For several years he served as a mechanical engineer (later chief engineer) at the Edison Electric Company. In 1893, Henry, in his spare time, designed a car on his own. In the period from 1899 to 1902. he was a co-owner of a well-known Detroit company, which he soon left due to disagreements with the other owners. In 1903 a talented and enterprising engineer opened his own company, Ford Motors Company, which immediately faced fierce competition from a syndicate of automakers. In particular, with Selden, who patented the car he designed, containing only common features designs. The syndicate claimed a monopoly in the automotive industry, so the lawsuit was only a matter of time. The first meeting regarding the violation of property rights by Ford took place in 1903, and the case lasted until 1911. To his credit, he courageously opposed a powerful corporation. Among the ploys of the so-called "legitimate manufacturers" was the threat against buyers of Ford cars, whom the syndicate threatened to sue for using a clearly illegal product. Henry endured this blow of fate, promising all clients full protection and compensation for material losses, in the event of judicial sanctions. Initially, the court took the side of the "legitimate manufacturers", but in 1909 the case was reviewed, because. it turned out that none of his cars violated the rights of Selden, tk. Henry's cars used completely different types of engines. Henry's firm gained its greatest popularity and success in 1908, when new model cars - Ford T. In 1910, the entrepreneur built the most modern and well-lit plant called "Highland Park". The latest introduction was the use of a moving conveyor, thanks to which it was possible to reduce the time for the production of a model "T" car from 12 hours to 2. The entrepreneur's innovative views extended not only to technical side question, but also social sphere. So, he set the highest average wage for workers - $ 6 a day. However, only those who could reasonably spend their savings (for families or personal needs) could receive such a salary. Those workers who drank money away, he ruthlessly fired. In the years , Ford personally arrived in Europe in the role of a peacemaker. He tried his best to persuade the governments of the countries to start reconciliation, putting forward arguments that the war would only destroy the economies of the participating countries. In the spring of 1917, the entrepreneur changed his attitude towards the war. The plant began production of gas masks, lungs and boats. At the same time, he publicly stated that he was not going to cash in on wartime, when the country needed equipment to protect its own borders. He promised to return all the profits to the state. Whether this communion of history was carried out is unknown. Died great inventor and entrepreneur at the age of 83 in 1947.
Ford Henry. Henry Ford. Biography.
Ford Henry (Sr.) (1863 - 1947)
Ford Henry. Henry Ford.
Biography
American engineer, industrialist, inventor. One of the founders of the US automotive industry, founder of the Ford Motor Company, organizer of the conveyor production line. Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863, on a farm located near Dearborn, Michigan (USA). "There is a legend that my parents were very poor and they had a hard time. They were, however, not rich, but there was no question of real poverty. For Michigan farmers, they were even prosperous. My native home and is now still intact and, together with the farm, is part of my possessions. [...] major event my childhood was my meeting with the locomobile, about eight miles from Detroit, when we were driving into the city one day. I was then twelve years old. The second most important event, which falls on the same year, was the watch given to me. [...] This locomobile was the reason why I immersed myself in automotive technology. [...] When I went to the city, my pockets were always stuffed with all sorts of rubbish: nuts and pieces of iron. Often I was able to get a broken watch and I tried to fix it. At the age of thirteen, I managed for the first time to fix a watch so that it ran correctly. From the age of fifteen, I could repair almost any watch, although my tools were very primitive. [...] I could never be particularly interested in farm work. I wanted to deal with cars. My father was not very sympathetic to my passion for mechanics. He wanted me to become a farmer. When I left school at the age of seventeen and entered Drydock's machine shop as an apprentice, I was considered nearly dead." (Henry Ford, My Life, My Achievements, 1922)
In 1879 (at the age of 16) he received a job as an apprentice machinist in Detroit. After graduating, he was engaged in the installation and repair of steam engines on steam locomotives, worked as a mechanic in various companies for several years. In the same years, he worked part-time repairing watches (later it turned into his hobby for life) and studied mechanics and engineering on his own. "May 31, 1921, the Ford Automobile Society produced car No. 5,000,000. Now it stands in my museum, next to a small gasoline cart with which I began my experiments and which went for the first time in the spring of 1893 to my great pleasure. [. ..] That little old cart, despite its two cylinders, ran twenty miles an hour and kept, with its tank of only 12 liters, a full sixty miles. (Henry Ford, "My Life, My Achievements", 1922) From 1893 - Chief Engineer Edison Illuminating Company (Thomas Edison Electric Company, creator of the light bulb). In 1892 - 1893 he created his first car with a 4-stroke internal combustion engine (Ford brand). In 1899, he resigned as chief engineer to devote himself entirely to creating his own automobile company in Detroit. In 1899 - 1902 - chief engineer of the Detroit Automotive Company. The company went bankrupt, and Ford decided to build a reputation for his cars by participating in auto racing: he managed to become a very popular race car driver.
In 1903, with the help of a group of financiers, he founded the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford received 25.5% of the shares. Authorized capital amounted to 150 thousand dollars, of which only 28 thousand were received in cash. However, just a month later, the company's first car was produced. In 1905, Ford's financial partners did not agree with his intention to produce cheap cars, because. expensive models were in demand, the main shareholder Alexander Malcolmson sold his share to Ford, after which Henry Ford became the owner of a controlling stake and the president of the company (he was president of the company in 1905 - 1919 and in 1943 - 1945). In 1908, for the first time in the world, Ford began producing a mass cheap car - the Model T (Ford Model T) appeared, and in the first year the Ford Corporation was able to sell 10,000 cars of this model. Before the "Model T" appeared, 8 other models were created, distinctive feature which was their small price. main goal Henry Ford was the transformation of the car from a luxury item into an essential item. “When the Model T came out, most cars in the US cost between $1,100 and $1,700, with luxury cars going up to $2,500. And then there’s a pretty decent Ford Model T car that costs only $825-$850… And for those years, $400 difference is a lot of money.The average worker in the US then received $100 a month....Before, the car was considered a toy only for the rich...thanks to Ford, a person working in a plant or factory 40 hours a week, first time to buy new car." (From an interview with the editor of the American magazine "Cars and Parts" Bob Stevens). Sales in the United States were carried out by the first established dealer network: in 1913 - 1914, Ford had 7 thousand such dealers, who not only sold, but also repaired " Model T". By 1914, the number of cars sold model "T" reached 250 thousand, which accounted for about 50% of the entire US car market in those years. By 1927, when the "Model T" was discontinued, the number of cars sold in this series reached 15 million.In the entire history of the global automotive industry, only the famous "Beetles" of the German corporation "Volkswagen" were sold more.
In order to exercise strict control, he created a full production cycle: from ore mining and metal smelting to the production of a finished car. In 1914, he introduced the highest minimum wage in the United States - $ 5 a day, allowed workers to participate in the company's profits, built a model workers' settlement, but until 1941 did not allow unions to form in his factories. In 1914, the factories of the corporation began to work around the clock in 3 shifts of 8 hours each, instead of working in 2 shifts of 9 hours, which made it possible to provide work for several thousand additional people. An "increased salary" of $5 was not guaranteed to everyone: the worker had to spend his salary wisely, to support his family, but if he drank the money, he was fired. These rules were maintained in the corporation until the period of the Great Depression.
In January 1928, a new "Model A" appeared. An innovation was an assembly-installed protective windshield, which has since become obligatory element car. Glass could be colored and 17 configurations. All 4 wheels were fitted with brake pads and hydraulic shock absorbers. Although both buyers and dealers liked the new model, Ford's former position as the undisputed leader in the automotive industry could no longer be restored: by 1940, the corporation already accounted for less than 20% of the US market.
Cooperation with Russia began in 1909, when sales offices of the company were opened in St. Petersburg, and then in Moscow, Odessa and the Baltic port cities. In 1913 he was the first to introduce the conveyor into the production process. In 1919, at the initiative of the Soviet Bureau in New York, Ford entered into a deal to sell Soviet Russia Fordson tractors. Despite his hostile attitude towards Bolshevism, Ford sacrificed his political views in the name of achieving entrepreneurial success in Soviet Russia. The USSR has become the largest foreign buyer of Ford tractors. According to Henry Ford himself, his company supplied 85% of all trucks to the USSR, cars and tractors (in total From 1921 to 1927, the USSR purchased more than 24,000 Fordson tractors, hundreds of cars and trucks). On May 31, 1929, a technical assistance agreement was signed with the Ford company. Soviet Union in the construction of automobile plants for a period of 9 years. For building a factory full cycle Nizhny Novgorod (the future Gorky Automobile Plant, GAZ) was elected. By agreement productive capacity the plant was supposed to ensure the production of 100 thousand trucks and cars annually; Soviet car builders could do an internship at the Ford plant in Dearborn, near Detroit. For its part, the Soviet government undertook to purchase Ford products for 4 years total amount 4 million dollars On February 1, 1930, the first Soviet "lorry" came out of the gates of Automobile Assembly Plant No. 1. In May 1931 under Nizhny Novgorod a full-cycle plant was laid, and in January 1932 it began to produce products. In 1935, the agreement was terminated by mutual consent, because The USSR began to produce cars own production. In total, during the period from 1929 to 1936, contracts were signed between Soviet organizations and Ford for an amount exceeding 40 million dollars.
Before the outbreak of World War II, he became a fan of Hitler, published a newspaper in which anti-Semitic articles were published, and in 1938 accepted an award from the Fuhrer. In 1936, together with his son Edsel (Edsel Bryant Ford), he created the Ford Foundation (Ford Foundation; currently the largest American philanthropic foundation; the fund's financial assets at the end of 1999 amounted to about 12 billion dollars). In 1945, Henry Ford stepped down as president of his corporation. In 1945, Henry Ford's grandson Henry II (Henry II), born in 1917, took over as president of the company. Henry Ford Sr. died at the age of 83 on April 7, 1947, in Dearborn.
Among Henry Ford's books are "My Life and Work" (My Life and Work, 1922, translated into Russian - 1924; until 1927 it was reprinted seven times in the USSR), "Today and Tomorrow" (Today and Tomorrow, 1926, translated into Russian language - 1927), "Moving Forward" (Moving Forward, 1931). Books written by Ford were repeatedly published and republished in the USSR, recommended to the leaders of Soviet industrial enterprises as study guide and university students as a textbook. In the USSR, in the series "Life wonderful people", a book about Ford was published.
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Information sources:
Henry Ford. "My life, my achievements." M .: Finance and statistics, 1989 Encyclopedic resource www.rubricon.com (Encyclopedia of Russian-American relations, English-Russian linguo-cultural dictionary "Americana", Large soviet encyclopedia)
Radio Liberty ("Henry Ford and the first car for millions")
Project "Russia congratulates!" - www.prazdniki.ru
Henry Ford - inventor, founder of the Ford Motor Company automobile concern, modernizer of conveyor production. A talented and successful leader, the first to raise minimum wage workers, who reduced the working day to eight hours, and the week to five days.
On July 30, 1863, Henry's first child was born into the family of farmer William Ford. Since childhood, he showed no interest in his father's work. He saw that the forces expended on the performance of certain operations sometimes did not justify themselves, and the introduction of mechanisms would facilitate the work of his loved ones.
Henry was educated at an elementary church school, but never felt remorse for writing with errors. His developed lively mind more than compensated for this shortcoming.
At the age of twelve, the boy became obsessed with the idea of creating a self-propelled moving mechanism, after he saw a locomobile “rushing” at a speed of six kilometers per hour. And although his relatives condemned his hobby, young Ford entered the workshop as an apprentice mechanic.
Returning home four years later, he does not give up his ideas and continues to work on his inventions. Already in 1887, Henry proposes to the farmer's daughter Clara Bryant, with whom he then lived happily all his life. This woman has always supported and inspired the inventor, even at those moments in history when everyone else considered his ideas crazy. In 1991, Henry and Clara Ford have a son, whom they named Edsed.
Foundation of the company
The gasoline threshing machine was the first invention after which Ford was taken seriously. Thomas Edison acquires a patent from him and offers the position of chief engineer in his company. But even this prestigious position does not distract Henry from the idea of \u200b\u200bproducing a car that would be available to almost all residents of the country.
Soon the management of the company strongly advises young specialist stop thinking about "strange things". Then Ford quits and in 1899 becomes one of the co-owners of the Detroit Automobile Company. However, after three years he leaves it, not finding support for his idea from colleagues.
Soon, Ford independently produces its first Fordmobile, which no one was interested in. But a brilliant marketing ploy soon saves the day. Henry himself gets behind the wheel of his car and participates in nationwide races, achieving success. The first place became the best advertising, and orders poured in from all sides.
In 1903, thanks to investors, the famous inventor opens his own company called Ford Motor Company, with the help of which he realizes his dream and creates a public car.
In 1908, the Ford T was born, distinguished by reliability, convenience and an affordable price of only $850. Competitors go into the shadows, and Ford products are securely fixed in leading positions.
Major innovation transformations
Henry Ford can be called a revolutionary in the transformations introduced in his production. The main achievements that led to success include:
- Conveyor production. The conveyor is not one of Ford's inventions, he only improved and applied it in the assembly of complex mechanisms. But this opened up huge prospects for increasing labor productivity and made it possible to speed up the entire process of producing machines.
- Raising the minimum wages workers up to five dollars a day. This attracted many employees to his company, who later treasured their jobs. In addition, they, having gradually accumulated the required amount, could purchase cars of their company.
- Introduction of the eight-hour shift. Thanks to this innovation, the enterprise began to work in three shifts, thereby providing new jobs.
- Ford was the first to legalize the six-day working week, giving employees the opportunity to relax on their day off.
- Vacation pay. Previously, vacations at enterprises were not paid, and often they were not even provided.
The difficulties of the company and the way out of them
Soon, Ford buys a controlling stake from investors with
your company and becomes its full owner. In addition, he acquires mines, mines and enterprises for the production of materials for the production of cars.
But competitors do not want to give up so easily, and in 1927 the company is on the verge of collapse. But to break the will of Ford was beyond the power of even such severe trials. In the same year, the world saw an improved Ford-A model, which had dizzying success among consumers, as it surpassed competitors in terms of quality characteristics and spectacular appearance.
Henry Ford died in his homeland not far from Detroit at the age of 83. He survived the death of his only son and left his empire to his grandson Henry Ford II. His life came a prime example how the power of the human spirit and mind is capable of bringing the most fantastic and daring dreams to life, if you really believe in them with all your heart.
