Evolution of Ford Motors
Evolution of Ford Motors
Evolution of Ford Motors
ADNAN AHMAD
In return for granting the use of Ford patents and drawings , the stockholders
of the Ford Motor Company received 51 percent of Ford-Canada, divided
according to their original Ford-U.S
By that point, the Company had become the most profitable enterprise in the
world
Henry Ford and his investors were millionaires
Model T was the most successful car in the industry
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Ford-Canada's operational tone and relationship to the American firm was set
very early
Company's management acted largely independently of Ford-U.S
The two companies operated as distinct entities
For example, Ford-U.S did not produce a two-door Model T in some years,
while the Canadian company produced four-door Model T's
The 1904 agreement granted Ford-Canada the exclusive right to "manufacture
and sell" Ford products in the British Empire
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By 1909, the tariff had not yet come to pass
As the original Canadian automotive "early adapter," McGregor established a
Ford operation in Canada
McGregor was in charge of the Canadian operations, Ford allow his Canadian
counterpart to continue the managerial approach of "one-man leadership
Ford had not allowed any public ownership in the European companies
His only son, Edsel, was keen to bring the company under the parent firm's
control
Campbell proposed that Ford family utilize the unissued voting shares that
remained in Ford-Canada's treasury to control a "voting trust
Campbell was in fact keen to see the Ford family have "returned to them the
voting control originally contemplated in the 1904 agreement
Campbell did not consider that Ford of Canada's independent status was
harming the Ford family, but he felt that the Canadian company would be best
served by remaining a Ford-controlled entity
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Campbell admitted, without Ford's ingenuity and the American Ford Company's
successes, the Canadian company would be nothing
"Anyone closely identified with either the American Company or the Canadian
Company knows that the Canadian company can only carry on business provided
the Canadian company has the full co-operation of the American Company and
those associated with it
By 1930, Edsel had purchased another eleven thousand voting shares, bringing
his control over the voting stock of the Canadian company to 47 percent.
The Canadian company was quite receptive to the new arrangement, which
substantially curtailed its operational independence in a host of areas
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In early 1950 Roberge informed the Canadian management that "under the
new relationship agreement dates as of May 1, 1949, it will, of course, be
necessary for to supply the Associated Products organization with information
concerning your company's activities
Established Ford International in New York, to "give coordination, advice, and
assistance to all Ford international activities" and to streamline the company's
international organization and control
Ford-Canada, as a unique entity within the Ford Empire that exported
products to its "exclusive territories," did not easily fit into the new
organization
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The Canadian company's managers were opposed to this idea
Ford executive offices settled the matter: Ford-Canada would report to Ford
headquarters in Dearborn, and the company would remain outside the Ford
International hierarchy
Henry Ford II himself soon became a key player in efforts to integrate the
North American industry, a move that meant the final end of Ford-Canada's
operational independence.
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Henry Ford being an advocate of free trade, although had often held his
tongue on the issue of Canadian Ford company, which needed tariff
protection in order to avoid being overwhelmed by American imports
Trade treaty, reduced Canadian auto tariffs, prompted Campbell to implore
Edsel Ford to tell Washington that the Big Three auto companies were not in
favor of this measure, as it would impact their Canadian subsidiaries
Ford II's Canadian officials had kept him informed of the latest developments
on the negotiations between the industry and the Canadian government
The new arrangement allowed to import parts and autos duty free, as long as
they maintained a minimum 50 percent North American content
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Ford officials had explained that they foresaw difficulties meeting the
Canadian value-added requirement, due to rationalizing engine production so
Canadian-made vehicles would no longer contain Canadian-built engine parts
The president of Ford-Canada, now reported to the head of the sales group
for North American operations, while the director of the Canadian Overseas
Group was responsible to the parent company's executive vice president in
charge of overseas operations.
Formerly an independent company with its own hierarchy and structure, Ford
of Canada had become a mere division within Ford's North American
operations.
CONTINUE
For Ford, this meant that, by the 1980s and 1990s, its Canadian plants were
the sole production source for its Windstar/Freestar minivan and its
important Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis midsized cars, which form a
significant element of fleet sales and are used throughout North America as
police vehicles and taxi cabs
Ford had reorganized its North American concerns into the North American
Automotive Operations (NAAO), consolidating the United States, Canada, and
Mexico in 1972
By 1984 the parent company, had gobbled up all but 11 percent of its
Canadian subsidiary
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In April 1995, Ford announced that as part of this global "Ford 2000" strategy,
the company would buy out the remaining 1,250 Ford-Canada shareholders at
$150 per share and take the company private
The plan was to cost the company C$76.6 million and end Ford-Canada's eight
decades as a publicly traded company
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
Weaknesses
Threats
Weak USD
Increase in steel and resin pricing
Increasing gasoline prices
Stricter CO2 emission standards
Increasing mortgage rates
NEW OBJECTIVES
Reduce manufacturing expenses by 15-20%
Introduce new small fuel efficient vehicles
Enter Latin American and Asian market with hybrid vehicles
Develop affordable electric car for US market
Increase market share
Build up strong financials (increase net income and EPS by 15%)
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THANKS!