My Forty Years With Ford (Great Lakes Books Series) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
In My Forty Years with Ford, Charles Sorensen-sometimes known as "Henry Ford's man," sometimes as "Cast-iron Charlie"-tells his own story, and it is as challenging as it is historic. He emerges as a man who was not only one of the great production geniuses of the world but also a man who called the plays as he saw them. He was the only man who was able to stay with Ford for almost the full history of his empire, yet he never hesitated to go against Ford when he felt the interests of the company demanded it. When labor difficulties mounted and Edsel's fatal illness was upon him, Sorensen sided with Edsel against Henry Ford and Harry Bennett, and he insisted that Henry Ford II be brought in to direct the company despite the aging founder's determination that no one but he hold the presidential reins.First published in 1956, My Forty Years with Ford has now been reissued in paperback for the first time. The Ford story has often been discussed in print but has rarely been articulated by someone who was there. Here Sorensen provides an eyewitness account of the birth of the Model T, the early conflicts with the Dodge brothers, the revolutionary announcement of the five-dollar day, and Sorensen's development of the moving assembly line-a concept that changed our world. Although Sorensen conceived, designed, and built the giant Willow Run plant in nineteen months and then proceeded to turn out eight thousand giant bombers, his life's major work was to make possible the vision of Henry Ford and to postpone the personal misfortune with which it ended. My Forty Years with Ford is both a personal history of a business empire and a revelation that moves with excitement and the power of tragedy.
Series: Great Lakes Books Series
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Wayne State University Press (January 9, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 081433279X
ISBN-13: 978-0814332795
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #787,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #154 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Automotive #302 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Transportation #546 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > History
Sorensen tells his story in a straight-forward manner. There are positive and negative aspects of this era in American history which saw the nation moving toward a better standard of living for the masses. Henry Ford comes out appearing very human. By that I mean he had some extremely admirable qualities, but at the same time he made some major mistakes that had lifelong negative consequences for his family.Thankfully Sorensen kept a diary so the material he draws upon in this book was not skewed by trying to recall events after they had long passed. He saw Henry Ford as a man for whom a sense of responsibility was one of his strongest traits. He also said Ford never appeared to be afraid of anything. Sorensen said Ford's philosophy was, "We must go ahead without the facts; we will learn them as we go along."Ford is described as a man who sought action, not theory. He wanted results and kept his executives free from unneccesary paperwork. Sorensen and Ford were so absorbed in their work that they worked in their "free time" to accomplish their goals. Work was play for them and the passion for the task showed.The war years presented new challenges for Sorensen. He provides details of how he and others did the impossible in producing air craft for the nation. He and others of his ilk seemed to thrive on challenge. They were doers throughout their whole lives.Henry Ford's biggest failure seemed to be his relationship to his son Edsel. Henry couldn't accept that fact that his son was not a duplication of himself. He never showed his son respect. Edsel appeared to be trapped in the shadow of his internationally famous dad. Ford company executives resented Edsel. He experienced physical sickness related to stress.
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