In the early 1900’s Henry Ford owned a sawmill producing parts for his Model A. Ford hated waste so he and a friend started manufacturing “Ford Charcoal Briquets”. For many years, Ford Charcoal Briquets could be purchased only at Ford automobile showrooms around the country.
In 1951 The Ford Motor Company closed the sawmill and chemical plant and the plant was sold to a group of local investors. They renamed the new company Kingsford Chemical Company. E.G. Kingsford was Ford’s original partner producing the briquets. The new group sold the briquets as "Kingsford Charcoal Briquets".
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This one I knew. I saw the story on Discovery, or History awhile back. Interesting though.
I saw this on Discovery, PBS or some other remote educational channel, too.
Interesting note: when I worked for a major local business, (to remain anonymous, but you know who) Kingsford was owned by P&G, a direct competitor. We were told at one meeting by some bigshot, that to be loyal to the company, we should not use Kingsford, despite the fact that we didn't manufacture anything similar.
Is there anything Ford wasn't involved in?
Ford had his ‘Mile Long” building. All raw products came in one end and cars out the other. He manufactured his own steel, he own thousands of acres of woodland and had his own foundry.
None of the white people wanted to work in the foundry so he personally went into the black neighborhoods and donated lots of money to the churches and paid the blacks a little more money to do the nasty work; and the blacks loved him!
kk, I hate when the employer imposes his/her will on the employee's personal life.
Orbs, when I was working and the company had one of their top customers or a potential customer come in they gave them plant tours.
When you got your check on Friday there would be a notice with it stating, (example) Wednesday the 10th Madame Zoltar Products will be touring the plant, NO ONE is to wear “T” shirts with any advertisement such as a Harley Davidson or some bar shirt. It will be plane or an official company shirt. If you wear a nonconforming shirt you will be sent home to change.
And the unwritten rule was if you didn’t come back...you paid the piper in more ways then one!
It might be worse nowadays. Jobs are at a premium. Your boss says, "Jump!" you say, "How high?"
I know that Ford wanted complete control over his workers, like the coal mines did theirs. Workers were more or less disposable back then. Maybe some things haven't changed that much.
Btw, why can't I come up with something like turning sawdust into charcoal briquets? What's going to be the next Veg-O-Matic?
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