Ford is known by many as the man who invented the automobile. This is not true. Ford invented an ingenious way of making the automobile cheap and affordable to most people. Before Ford, everything was produced by hand, with little help from machines. It required skilled craftsmen with experience, and lots of time. Ford realized that being so inefficient could not yield the low-priced automobiles he envisioned; so Ford and his team came up with the assembly line.

The assembly line was based on four principals: interchangeable parts, continuous flow, division of labor, and reducing wasted effort (3). Interchangeable parts means that the same part will fit other parts. A steering wheel will fit onto any steering linkage. An engine mount will screw into any chassis and hold any engine. Having interchangeable

Another idea Ford illustrates is that there are two ways to make money - one at the expense of others, the other by the service to others. "The first method does not 'make' money, it only 'gets' money- and does not always succeed in that. In the last analysis, the so-called gainer loses." Ford obviously favors the second method: "It pays twice- to maker and user, to seller and buyer. It receives by creating, and receives only a just share, because no one is entitled to all." Fords' writings have many great ideas on industry, what is "right", youth, and time. He was truly a genius.

Standing in the same spot doing the same job hours on end is extremely toilsome to workers, and many quit. Ford was paying his employees the standard rate of $2.50 for an 8-hour day. He then figured that if his employees had more money, not only would they not quit nearly as often, they would buy the cars they built. So, Ford increased the pay to $5.00 a day, twice the normal rate. Ford had such a flood of applicants that at one poi

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Ford Ford, Philosophy Industry, , assembly line, continuous flow, cars built, division labor, ford invented,