“Describe the life of industrialist Henry Ford and access his significance in the car manufacturing industry”.
In the early 20th century, Henry Ford was a successful engineer who became significant in the car manufacturing industry. This is due to the assembly line technique which produced the first affordable car, the way he treated his employees, his belief in the importance of educating children and his role as the founder of a successful multi – million dollar company.
Henry Ford was born on July 30th, 1863 in a farm located in Dearborn Michigan. He was the eldest of his 6 siblings and his parents were Irish immigrants. His family were in fortunate circumstances financially and he helped his father regularly on the farm. His education included working as an apprentice in a mechanic shop at the age of 16, working as a mechanic in the Edison Company and being a supervisor for the Detroit Automobile Company.
When Ford opened his new company in 1903, car manufacturing was improving and increasing around the world. Karl Benz, who is known as the inventor of the modern automobile had created the first internal combustion flat engine while Rudolf Diesel had made the first ever Diesel engine. Competition was also fierce for Ford as big companies began to emerge such as Maybach Motorenbau GmbH and Daimler Motor Company.
On October 1st, 1908, at the Piquette Plant in Detroit Michigan, Ford had revealed his new innovation which was the Model T car (nicknamed Tin Lizzie). This car was significant because most car companies at that time were making cars for the wealthy, but Ford saw things differently and wanted everybody to own a car, no matter if being rich or poor. He said “I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for families, but small enough for the individual to run and care for it. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be able to own one”. This quote is significant because it reveals his intentions of...