Ford Motor Company, or colloquially Ford, has been around for well over a century. Ford was originally started in 1903 and has since grown into one of the largest automakers in the world. The journey has not always been easy, and the company has had a few close calls in the past, but it has remained an independent automaker, even buying out other brands at times. Here is a brief history of Ford for the next time you go check out that new Ford F-150 in Wheeling.
Humble Beginnings
Ford Motor Company was not Henry Ford’s first auto manufacturing company. Though you would not know it today, Henry Ford actually started what is now Cadillac. At the time, it was called the Henry Ford Company, but Ford left after only two years and took his name with him. At this point, Ford Motor Company was born.
When Henry Ford left Henry Ford Company and started his second car company, now just Ford Motor Company, with just $28,000 from his twelve investors. On an interesting side note, two of the investors were the Dodge brothers who would go on to form the Dodge Motor Company. For the first few years, Ford was only able to produce a handful of cars a day. This is because, at the time, each car was made by a team of two or three workers.
Moving Forward
After a few years of having small teams building cars one at a time Henry Ford created the automated assembly line. Most people believe he created the assembly line, but this is just a common misconception. He did, however, innovate it greatly.
With the introduction of the automated assembly line, Henry Ford was now able to produce cars faster than any of his competition. This caused Ford to take the lead in the auto wars. Thanks to this early lead and a knack for innovation Ford Motor Company has managed to remain a family-controlled business even after a century has passed.
If you are looking for a new Ford F-150 in Wheeling, then check out Arlington Heights Ford. You can check their inventory at http://www.ahford.net.
