Business Leadership Biographies: The Ultimate Box Set on Business Leadership by History Hourly

Author:History, Hourly [History, Hourly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Ventures in Later Life

“If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.”

—Bill Gates

In 1929 it was relatively easy to provide technical aid to the Soviet Government in building the first Soviet automobile plant. The technical assistance agreement had been concluded for nine years and had been signed in Dearborn, Michigan by Henry Ford on May 31.

This contract involved the purchase of $30,000,000 worth of knocked-down Ford trucks and cars for assembly for the first four years of the plant's operation. After the four years, the plant would start to switch over to Soviet-made components.

Ford sent his best technicians and engineers to the Soviet Union to help train the working staff and assist with installing the equipment. One of those crackerjack tool and die makers was none other than Walter Reuther, who had joined the Ford Motor Company in 1927. His socialist leanings and his union career would become one of Ford's worst nightmares in the 1930s.

In Detroit and Dearborn, there were over one hundred Soviet engineers and technicians learning the processes of manufacture and assembly in the company's plants. Ford was quoted as saying, “No matter where industry prospers, whether in India or China, or Russia, the more profit there will be for everyone, including us. All the world is bound to catch some good from it.”

Way back in 1903, the Ford Motor Company had debuted its first automobile, the Model A. This original car came with a price tag of $800 to $900. It came as a two-seater runabout, a popular version of early cars, which meant it had no windshield, top, or doors. It was a well-liked car up until 1915. There was also a “tonneau” model, which was a hard or a soft cover used to protect the passenger seats and could be removed. There is an old song from the Broadway musical Oklahoma which is titled “The Surrey With The Fringe On Top.” That would be a Model A.

This version of the Model A only lasted from 1903-1904. Even though Ford advertised the Model A as the “most reliable machine in the world,” it suffered many problems which were common to all early automobiles. Things like overheating and slipping transmission bands were regularly causing the car to break down. Of course, if you were stuck on the side of the road, you were sure to be seen in your shiny red car, as that was the color of all Model A's.

By 1926, believe it or not, the Model T wasn't doing so well. Competitors, especially those from the various General Motors divisions were catching up to Ford's numbers with all the cars they were now selling. In fact, some of these divisions offered more powerful engines, convenience features, and cosmetic customizations.

When Ford executives brought this revelation to Ford himself, he didn’t act on the news at first. Before long he came to realize that perhaps a new model car would be the answer. In October 1927, the first new Model A's rolled off the assembly line.

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