Impact of Henry Ford Mechanized Assembly - Essay Sample

Henry Ford was born on 30th July 1863 in Greenfield Township Michigan, United States Of America. Much of his life in school is not known, but he is said to have studied bookkeeping in the at the Stratton business college in Detroit. His interest in the assembly industry must have started way back when he was a teenager because at the age of only 15 he could dismantle a watch that was given to him by his father and assembling it again(History p.5). In his neighbourhood, he could demolish friends' and neighbours watches and assembling them back and was nicknamed the watch repairer. The great ford was devastated by the death of his mother in 1876.Upon the death of his mother who loved farm work, he was urged to help in the management of the farm work, but he refused to claim that he loved the mother in the farm but not working in the farm (History p.7). In 1879 he left to work as a trainee machinist in Detroit in the James Flower and Bro's company and later left Detroit Dry Dock Company for a little time before going to work in the family farm in Dearborn in 1882. At Dearborn, he operated the for the Westinghouse portable steam engine. His excellent performance got him a job to service the mobile steam engine.

In 1891 he joined the Edison illuminating company as an engineer where he was promoted to become a chief engineer in 1893 a move that helped him develop his career further through the experimenting with gasoline engines. Fords career was climaxed in 1896 when he finished working on a self-propelled automobile which he named it the Ford Quadricycle. After several tests on it as he drove he devised ways of improving the vehicle. In the same year, he attended a meeting of the Edison executives where he was introduced to Thomas Edison, the owner of the company, and he approved Ford's work and encouraged him in his experimentation. The motivation made him design his second vehicle which he completed in 1898. He then resigned from Edison after being encouraged and supported by William Murphy of Detroit to open up the Detroit automobile company in 1899.

However, contrary to his desires the vehicles produced were of low quality and very expensive such that only a few people could afford this among others factors led to the winding up of the company in 1901. In October 1901 he successfully designed a 26 horsepower automobile following the success of the motor he was he was joined by Murphy and others from the Detroit Company that he had worked and together they formed the Henry Ford company, and Henry was made the chief engineer (Gutenberg p.2). Following some disagreement, he left the company bearing his name but was later changed. His next achievement was the building of an 80 horsepower automobile. The same year they formed a partnership with an old friend Alexander Malcomson and created the Ford and Malcomson Company limited (History p.11). At 1903 Ford motor company was established with a working capital of $ 28,000.Ford demonstrated a newly designed car which could move at a speed of 39.4 seconds in one mile and set a record speed of 91.3 miles per hour (Gutenberg p.5). His work was commended by motor racer Barney Oldfield who gave the name 999to the new automobile, and it was the fastest car of the time it made Ford to be known through the United States of America

Ford was a leader in the American motor industry and set a record of transforming the industry tremendously. Ford is the founder of the famous Ford motor company in America. He was the benefactor of the establishment of the assembly line method of mass production of motor vehicles. Ford did not invent the cars or assembly line but made significant contributions in the in the establishment of the first automobile that an average America could be able to get one for themselves at affordable prices (Gutenberg p.2). During his time he was able to convert the high costs of motor vehicles to something that a middle-class American could afford. His contribution to the industry became the landmark in the20th century through the production of the model T vehicles which saw America in a great industrial revolution of the time.

In the 1920s model T of the ford company begun to decline because of the stiff competition from other vehicle manufacturers who offered flexible payment plans and sold vehicles with unique features that model T did not march. Despite being advised to incorporate flexible payment plans and adding new features to model T to be competent Henry refused perhaps because he had a better idea for himself (History p.12). At 1926 Ford came up with a new model which he took time incorporating the chassis, the engine and several mechanical parts to make the vehicle better than the rest of the market. However, the body of the car was designed by his son Edsel who keenly followed his fathers footsteps (Gutenberg p.7). The hard work saw the company bring to the market the more stable and hi-tech model A' which was first taken to the market in 1927 until 1931with a total of 4million units made. With time he adopted the annual model change system that was similar to the one his close competitor general motors used and it is still in use up to today (Wilson p.766). Due to competition Ford finally accepted the credit payment plan in his company though he broke a record of managing the business without ever being audited despite the volumes of sales that it made. The ford in the assembly line intended to produce a motor vehicle that was of quality and affordable to the people of America a dream that he achieved among other reforms. Besides, the use of standardized parts that were cheap and affordable made the Ford industry to thrive and gain a competitive advantage over the others because when standard components are used the end product will be inferior the reason as to why the ford automobiles became very affordable (Wilson p.759). However this did not mean that the quality was sacrificed.

The intensified mass production is traced back to the years of Ford in the 1920's where he invented automation so that the assembling work could be made more accessible. The most celebrated steps that left a record in the assembly line is the principle that Ford put in placing concerning the lifting of heavy objects by workers during the assembly because he felt that the safety and the health of the employees come first. He argues that when they are healthy, the economy is robust because production is not hampered (Gutenberg p.9). Similarly, he had laid down instructions where he did not want his employees to stoop or bend so that they could hurt during the entire process of assembling it implies that the welfare of his employees matters a lot (Wilson p.760). Additionally, he enlightened people in the assembling industry that there is specialized training required because workers learn as they work and that tasks can only be done based on experience and therefore special instruction was not necessary, but experience and on the job training was vital in the industry(History p.16). On the assembly line, he became the best employer where his employees were well-paid workers because he wanted to reduce the high staff turnover through offering a competitive package. Ford advocated for the provision of employment to the immigrants, and he argued that as much as the natives need jobs, the immigrants equally need them. He called for equality in work in a society that racial discrimination was dominant (History p.17).Additionally, Ford enlightened the business people of his time that when the employee is motivated the output will be doubled because the workers will not be feeling underpaid and demotivated.

Ford broke a record in the 1920's through offering the most competitive wage of 5 dollars a day to his employees a trick that made him get the best mechanics from Detroit to work for him. As a result, his quality in the assembly line went high, and he continued to be the best. It is a move that put his name in the newspapers all over in America because he thrived in a time when America was going through a great depression, and he could afford to pay such a lucrative wage. He transformed the assembly line not only through producing the best cars but also having the well-paid workers in the region. The argument behind his high pay was a gimmick of obtaining the most qualified mechanics, and at the same time, he argued that he wanted his mechanics to afford driving the cars they assembled (Gutenberg p.13). Besides, he offered a profit sharing to employees who had worked for him for more than six months another move that left the entire nation surprised by the generosity of Ford. By the way, be begun a culture that did not only apply to the assembly line but also to other companies who produced different goods. Additionally, in 1926 he came up with a new working plan that was flexible and accommodative to his employees. He devised the five-day-8 hour schedule where his employees would work for 40 hours in a week. Initially, he included Saturday to be a working day, but he later changed it to be an off day (Nye p.13). He argued that employees needed some time to have leisure and go out for shopping which in a way is contributing to the economy he wrote in one of his books that entertainment is not for the class and neither is it a waste of time. He argued that leisure time boosted business when our employees go out to buy items. It worth noting that what worked for ford was shifting of production from one worker to another until the whole unit was complete to make up the final assembly line (Nye p.15). His assembly line became a line for most people because he shared what worked for him and what did not work. His assembly line was a learning platform and a leader in the assembly industry.

Ford did not only have the intention of advancing his career and making the best out of it, but he also wanted to take the assembly line to higher levels through appreciating the efforts of others who played a critical role in the manufacture of the vehicles. He believed that a well-paid and motivated employee would produce the best (Wilson p.762). Ford transformed the lives of people because it became a period of high industrial revolution where most people shifted from the rural areas to cities in search of employment whose minimum wage had been revised. The shift and growth in the minimum wage implied that the economy was growing (Gutenberg p.10). Besides, during a time when people did not hire the minority groups like the disabled, women and the non-white communities he hired them and was recognised for his kindness and consideration for humanity. It portrayed an excellent example in the assembly line which not only made the company to be identified but also made it make more sales (Gutenberg p.12). Despite him advocating for better treatment of the employee, she objected labour unions in his time terming them as ways of deteriorating the economy because as much the labour union leaders wanted the best for the employees the way through which was to be achieved was negative. It is because it involved downing of tools and that meant loss of production on that particular day which hampered the economy.

Ford considered any move that would hamper the economy as wasteful and useless he strongly condemned the entry of America to war and he termed to is as the ruin of international relations that would have otherwise have helped in bringing a good business relationship. He condemned those who financed the activities of war (Nye p.17). He advocated for amicable solving of issues instead of engaging in fights to seek a solution. Besides, during the entire years of the great depression in America, he managed to survive and still pay his workers very competitive wages because his tactic of wanting to sell quality and cheap cars applied. It made him continue sell...