When it comes to Henry Ford, everyone means his quote: "You can choose the color, as long as it's black!" And Fordism, but we know much less anecdotes about the rationalization of its raw material and its sense of economy and business.
So we are going to tell you about how Henry Ford exploited the timber he had to the extreme.
Henry Ford inaugurated in 1913 in his factory in Detroit (U.S.A.) the first assembly line in the industry. He introduced the scientific organization of work within his company, following the principles of the American engineer F.W.Taylor. He refines the concept and creates Fordism.
The genius of this man is to be always on the lookout for the smallest details and in the constant search for solutions on the maximization of the exploitation of materials. Thus on the use of wood, the man has succeeded in setting up an unprecedented operating circuit. Thus, the wooden boxes in which the gearboxes supplied by the equipment manufacturers were placed had to correspond to very precise dimensions so that the packaging was reserved once delivered. The wooden panels of these crates were boned and the salvaged panels served as the floor for the Ford T's (he used 100 feet of wood plank for parts such as the chassis). Other woods used for Fords of the time; the wheels, their manufacturing process which was carried out inside the Ford factories resulted in loss of wood. He called upon Edward G. Kingsford, a Michigan real estate agent, to find him lumber and build his sawmill.
The genius of this man is to be always on the lookout for the smallest details and in the constant search for solutions on the maximization of the exploitation of materials. Thus on the use of wood, the man has succeeded in setting up an unprecedented operating circuit. Thus, the wooden crates in which the gearboxes supplied by the equipment manufacturers were placed had to correspond to very precise dimensions so that the packaging was reserved once delivered. The wooden panels of these crates were boned and the salvaged panels served as the floor for the Ford T's (he used 100 feet of plank of wood for parts such as the chassis). Other woods used for Fords of the time; the wheels, their manufacturing process which was carried out inside the Ford factories resulted in loss of wood. He enlisted the help of Edward G. Kingsford, a Michigan real estate agent, to find wood for him and build his sawmill, to invent the Weber barbecue and to help with marketing efforts. An investment group bought Ford Charcoal in 1951 and renamed it Kingsford Charcoal in honor of Edward G. Kingsford.
Kingsford is currently the world leader in charcoal and Ford is a major automotive player in the world. All this thanks to the vision of one man: Henry Ford who knew how to put his visions into reality and by studying all the smallest details of productivity.