The overview of the history of Ford Motor Company started when Henry Ford was one of eight children of William and Mary Ford. He was born on the family farm near Dearborn, Michigan on July 30, 1863, with only eight years of schooling; he went to Detroit at the age of 16 to work in the machine shops there. Three years later he returned to Dearborn, working part-time for Westinghouse Engine Company and spending the rest of his time in his own machine shop. After marrying Clara Bryant, in 1888, the couple moved back to Detroit. On November 6, 1893 their only child Edsel Bryant was born.
A month later Ford was made chief engineer at the main Detroit Edison Company plant. His first vehicle was completed in 1896, and in a move that was to set him apart from other automotive inventors, he sold the "Quadricycle" to finance work on his second vehicle. Over the next seven years Ford continued his experiments, selling the results, until some of his backers formed the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899, which was subsequently renamed the Henry Ford Company in 1901. However, all his backers eventually deserted him because they wanted to put a car on the market while Ford wanted to perfect a vehicle before marketing it. In 1902 Ford left the company, which subsequently became the Cadillac Motor Car Company. Henry Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903 in Detroit, MI. Not only did Ford revolutionize the development of the automobile as a product, he is also the visionary behind the idea of mass production. Ford 's ability to make automobiles affordable for the masses is cited as a driving force behind both the automobile industry and the creation of a middle class in America. The first retail Ford dealership was opened in St. Cloud, MN by Stephen Tenvoorde in 1903.
In 1913, the Ford Motor Company manufactured nearly 200,000 cars. Ford could produce a Model T every forty seconds because the company 's engineers focused on "principles of power,
References: http://fordmotorhistory.com/history/index.php http://www.ford.co.za/servlet/Satellite?c=DFYPage&cid=1178857291470&pagename=wrapper&site=FMCSA http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Ford-Motor-Mission-Statement.htm http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=F+Competitors