Ford’s moving assembly belt met the increased demand for automobiles, which greatly increased from year to year.  Increased production meant that Ford could charge less for his cars and still maintain his profit margins.  Sales passed 250,000 in 1914 and by 1916 they were over 450,000 because of the drop in price. 

Ford’s business practices paralleled his inventions.  He was a strong advocate of corporate paternalism and wanted to create cars which his workers could afford.  This meant building cheap cars as well as paying his worker $5 a day to discourage worker turnover.  Ford’s ideas for local business and gas stations also changed the American landscape.  By 1912 there were over 7,000 Ford dealers across the country to deal with their local concerns and populations. 

Ford’s planetary or epicyclic transmission also promoted sales.  The system had many advantages over other gear systems including that it was a simple and direct form of speed control.

Inventor Bio

Born in Wayne County, Michigan, Ford showed an early interest in mechanics, constructing his first steam engine at the age of 15. In 1893 he built his first internal combustion engine, a small one-cylinder gasoline model, and in 1896 he built his first automobile. In June 1903 Ford helped establish Ford Motor Company. He served as president of the company from 1906 to 1919 and from 1943 to 1945. In addition to earning numerous patents on auto mechanisms, Ford served as a vice president of the Society of Automotive Engineers when it was founded in 1905 to standardize U.S. automotive parts.