Ford Claimed It Could Build a Car in 28 Hours. Here's What the Chart Left Out

In 1940, a Ford flow chart claimed that a complete car could be built from raw ore in just 28 hours. That was Ford's own claim, and the Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan was built to make it look possible: more than 100,000 workers, 100 miles of railroad track, its own steel mill, its own glass, and a car leaving the line about every 49 seconds. But the number hides the people. In 1937, at the Rouge's Gate 4, the Battle of the Overpass showed how far Henry Ford would go to keep unions out, and it took until 1941 for Ford to sign its first union contract. This is a short archival documentary about the Ford River Rouge complex, told with original footage from the 1930s–1960s. CHAPTERS 0:00 The 28-hour claim 0:23 1917: building the largest factory on Earth 0:39 From iron ore to a Model A 0:57 The numbers behind the Rouge 1:26 The flow chart 1:43 What the number hides 2:11 1937: the Battle of the Overpass 2:41 1941: the first union contract 2:56 Two things were true at once ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE (Internet Archive, rights status on page: A, Ford Motor Company films): The Rouge (1962) (Internet Archive ID: TheRouge) The Ford Rouge Plant: A Story of Men, Methods & Motor Cars (1941) (Internet Archive ID: FordRougePlant) A Trip Through the River Rouge Plant (Internet Archive ID: TripThroughTheRiverRougePlant) Ford River Rouge Plant ca. 1936 (Internet Archive ID: RiverRougePlantCa1936) An Introduction to the Ford Rouge Plant (1936) (Internet Archive ID: AnIntroductionToTheFordRougePlantCa1936) SOURCES FOR FACTS The Henry Ford, artifact 33887: flow chart "Complete Car Can Be Built in 28 Hours" (1940) The Henry Ford (AskUs) and MotorCities: Rouge workforce, area, rail track, daily materials Wikipedia, "Battle of the Overpass" (1937 events; cross-check with the Reuther Library recommended) Narration is AI-generated. Footage is archival and colour-graded. Dates and numbers are cited above. #FordRouge #Ford #1930s #History #Industry #Vintage #ArchiveFootage