This was taken from the USA Today on Wednesday, July 23. You probably will not want to read all this, but it is the history of Ford Motor Company up to the year 2000. If you enjoy this kind of chronological history, I think it is a good read. The main point of all this is that the business evolves and products change; what the customer wants is always a moving target. In a blog post last week, I spoke about keeping a business relevant and on point. The following read about Ford Motor Company is pretty insightful. KT
| Jun 17, 1903 | Ford Motor Company organized, with John S. Gray as President and Henry Ford as Vice President. Stockholders are: Henry Ford, Alexander Malcomson, John W. Anderson, C.H. Bennett, James Couzens, Horace E. Dodge, John F. Dodge, Vernon C. Fry, John S. Gray, Horace H. Rackham, Albert Strelow and Charles J. Woodall |
| Jul 23, 1903 | Company sells its first car, a two-cylinder Model A, assembled at Mack Avenue Plant in Detroit |
| Aug 17, 1904 | FMC of Canada, LTD. incorporated near Windsor, Ontario |
| Dec 1904 | Production begins at Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit |
| Oct 22, 1906 | Henry Ford becomes President of Ford Motor Company |
| Oct 1, 1908 | First Model T made available to the public. Continues until 1927 |
| Jan 1, 1910 | Manufacturing operations transferred to Highland Park, Michigan Plant |
| 1911 | First overseas plant established in Trafford Park, Manchester, England |
| Apr 1, 1913 | First experiments with assembly line begin at Highland Park Plant. Early trials with assembly of components like magnetos and transmissions are followed by development of chassis assembly line in August 1913 |
| Jan 12, 1914 | $5 daily wage for 8-hour day replaces $2.34 for 9-hour day for male factory workers. Adopted for women workers in Oct 1916. |
| Dec 10, 1915 | 1 millionth Ford car produced |
| April 1, 1917 | Construction begins on Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan |
| Jul 2, 1917 | First Ford truck introduced, powered by Model T engine |
| Oct 1, 1917 | Fordson tractor production begins. Only produced in North America until Feb 1928, but continues in Ireland |
| Jan 1, 1919 | Edsel Ford succeeds his father, Henry Ford, as President. They become sole owners of the company by purchasing stock of the other shareholders |
| Feb 4, 1922 | Ford Motor Company purchases Lincoln Motor Company for $8 million. Edsel Ford named President of Lincoln |
| Jan 15, 1926 | Ford Airport dedicated in Dearborn |
| May 1, 1926 | Five-day, 40-hour work week adopted for factory workers. Adopted for office workers on August 1, 1926 |
| June 11, 1926 | Ford Tri-Motor makes first flight from Ford Airport. Produced until 1933 |
| May 26, 1927 | Model T production ceases |
| Nov 1, 1927 | Model A production begins. Continues until Feb 28, 1932 |
| Mar 9, 1932 | First Ford V8 en-block engine-equipped car built |
| May 26, 1937 | “Battle of the Overpass” between UAW organizers and Ford representatives |
| Oct 8, 1938 | Mercury production begins |
| Mar 1, 1941 | First jeep produced at Rouge Plant |
| Jun 20, 21, 1941 | Ford Motor Company signs its first closed-shop contract with UAW-CIO, covering 123,000 employees |
| Feb 10, 1942 | World War II halts civilian car production |
| Nov 28, 1942 | First complete bomber, (B-24), built at Willow Run. Production continues through June 28, 1945 |
| May 26, 1943 | Edsel Ford dies at the age of 49. Henry Ford re-elected President of the company |
| Jul 3, 1945 | Ford passenger car production resumes |
| Sep 21, 1945 | Edsel Ford’s son, Henry Ford II, named President of the company |
| Apr 7, 1947 | Henry Ford dies at Fair Lane, his Dearborn, Michigan estate, at the age of 83 |
| Jan 25, 1955 | Ernest Breech appointed Chairman |
| Jan 17, 1956 | Ford Motor Company becomes a publicly-held company with public sale of common stock. Listed on NYSE on Mar 7, 1956 |
| May 10, 1956 | New Ford Motor Company subsidiary, Aeronutronics Systems, established, specializing in defense weapons and aerospace technology |
| August 24, 1959 | Ford Motor Credit Company formed |
| Jul 13, 1960 | Ernest Breech resigns as Chairman. Henry Ford II elected Chairman in addition to his Presidency |
| Nov 9, 1960 | Henry Ford II resigns Presidency and becomes CEO, in addition to remaining Chairman. Robert McNamara becomes President. He resigns Jan 1, 1961 to become Secretary of Defense for John F. Kennedy |
| Jan 1, 1961 | John Dykstra elected President |
| Oct 3, 1961 | UAW call first company-wide strike against Ford Motor Company since the first contract was signed in 1941. Strike ends Oct 20 with 3-year agreement |
| Dec 11, 1961 | Ford Motor Company acquires Philco Corp. |
| May 1, 1963 | Arjay Miller named President |
| Sep 6, 1967 | UAW calls company-wide strike. Continues until Oct 22, 1967 |
| Feb 6, 1968 | Semon “Bunky” Knudsen named President |
| Dec 10, 1970 | Lee Iacocca named President. Leaves Ford Motor Company on Oct 15, 1978. Becomes President of Chrysler in Nov 1978 |
| Oct 1, 1979 | Henry Ford II retires as CEO. He retires as Chairman in 1980. Philip Caldwell promoted from Vice Chairman to CEO and President on Oct 1, 1979, and becomes Chairman in 1980. Donald Peterson replaces Caldwell as President and CEO in 1980 |
| Feb 1, 1985 | Philip Caldwell retires and Donald Peterson becomes Chairman. Harold “Red” Poling becomes President |
| 1986/1987 | Ford Motor Company earnings exceed those of General Motors for the first time since 1926 |
| Sep 29, 1987 | Henry Ford II dies |
| 1987 | Ford Motor Company earns record profits, $4.63 billion |
| 1990 | Donald Peterson retires. Harold Poling named new Chairman. Philip Benton named President The Ford Motor Company acquires Jaguar for $2.5 billion. |
| 1991 | Ford Motor Company’s largest 1-year loss ever, $2.3 billion. Ford Motor Company’s QualityCare system is created to meet the diverse “aftersales” needs of private Ford owners and Ford Dealerships. Ford and Volkswagen embark upon a joint venture in “AutoEuropa,” an organization which will produce multipurpose vehicles at Setuba, Portugal. |
| 1992 | Ford’s F-Series pickup truck becomes the best selling vehicle in the United States for its tenth consecutive year. Ford’s Taurus is the first car to have an environmentally friendly air-conditioning system [chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) are neither created nor released]. Ford Motor Company acquires 50% of Mazda Motor Manufacturing, renaming it AutoAlliance International. |
| 1993 | Ford Motor Company is honored to claim five of the eight top selling vehicles in the United States. Ford President Philip Benton, Jr. retires. Alex Trotman, a key player in establishing Ford of Europe, becomes Chairman and CEO of the Ford Motor Company. Almost immediately, Trotman begins efforts to “globalize” the corporation. The first formal Ford Dealerships are placed inside Mainland China. Later, Ford China Operations is created, securing the establishment of manufacturing and assembly centers inside China. Development begins on a marketable natural gas-powered vehicle. Ford Motor Company is the first auto maker to have dual airbags as standard equipment in most of its cars. |
| 1994 | The first Ford vehicle assembly begins in India. Ford acquires Hertz, the world’s largest car rental company. |
| 1995 | As part of Chairman and CEO Alex Trotman’s plans to “globalize” Ford Motor Company, Ford 2000 is initiated. Ford 2000 will “combine the power, resources, and reach of a world company with the immediacy, intimacy, agility, and spirit of a small one”. |
| 1996 | The Ford Motor Company, in keeping with its globalization goals, develops a new family-car designed to fit global needs. In North America, it is marketed as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, while in Europe, Taiwan, and the Middle East, the automobile is the Mondeo. Following the launch of Ford Dealerships inside Russia , a Sales and Marketing Office is sited in Moscow . Ford is the first and only Auto Company to certify all of its plants (140 plants in 26 different countries) under the provisions of ISO 14001—the world environmental standard. The 250 millionth Ford Vehicle is assembled. |
| 1997 | Research begun in 1993, leads to the first fleet of natural gas-powered cars to be sold commercially. These automobiles were then marketed to New York City as taxis. The Ford Motor Company creates Visteon Automotive Systems to design, develop, and deliver fully integrated systems for the world market. Ford announces plans to transfer ownership of Budget Rent-A-Car to Team Rental Group. |
| 1998 | Stemming from the successful Ford Schools Construction Program, Ford of Mexico’s Quality Education Program begins to provide a myriad of educational and developmental services to students, parents, and teachers. Ford Motor Company and the Mobil Corporation ally in the ongoing search for alternative, and cleaner, fuel sources. Ford reports record $6.9 billion in earnings, thus allowing employees to earn record profit sharing at average of $6,000. Ford’s Taurus takes Winston Cup Victory. With the environment in mind, Ford rallies with Ballard and Daimler-Benz automotive groups to develop fuel-cell technology. Side impact airbags are introduced into Ford’s North American car lineup. The United States Postal Service awards a $206.4 million contract to Ford for 10, 000 “alternative fuel” delivery trucks. Ford teams with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into the automobile sector. The AI is designed to improve fuel economy by monitoring fuel combustion rates. |
| 1999 | Continuing its quest to globalize, The Ford Motor Company launches IKON, the first car specifically designed for India. Ford’s IKON is assembled at its “state-of-the-art” plant in Marimali Nagar. After six years at Ford, Alex Trotman retires and Jacques Nasser, formerly of Ford Australia and Ford of Europe, becomes President. The Ford Motor Company’s Board of Directors elects William Clay Ford, Jr., a great-grandson of Henry Ford, Chairman of the Board. Internationally recognized for the highest of safety and quality standards, the Swedish carmaker Volvo becomes a member of the Ford Family for $6.45 billion. To start an automotive e-business integrated supply chain, Ford joins with the Oracle Corporation. Ford seeks the acquisition of 51% interest in Norway’s PIVCO Industries, the maker of TH!NK, a dual seat electric-powered “city car.” Ford Motor Company combines Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lincoln, and Volvo under the umbrella of the Premier Auto Group. As a companion to QualityCare, Ford purchases the British auto-service chain Kwik-Fit for $1.6 billion. In addition to the certification of its own plants as ISO 14001-friendly, Ford requires all suppliers with manufacturing facilities to adhere to that same standard. Ford produces the first production vehicle to comply with California’s strict LEV II Emissions Requirements. The Lincoln LS is named Motor Trends’ Car of the Year. The 1914 Ford Model T is named the Car of the Century at a gala event in Las Vegas, Nevada. |