Piquette Plant
The
Piquette Plant was the second home of
Ford Motor Company automobile production. In
1904, after just 1 year of operation, the board of the Ford Motor Company approved construction of a New England mill-style building, on a lot at the corner of Piquette and Beaubien Streets in
Detroit. The structure served the new firm for only a few years, yet it played a most important role in realizing Henry Ford's dream of an affordable car for the masses.
In 1906,
Peter E. Martin was made assistant to
Thomas Walburn in active charge of all manufacturing departments.During 1907, in a room at the northwest corner of the third floor of the "
Piquette Plant", Henry Ford and a small team of dedicated engineers developed the Model T, the car that would change the world. Records at Dearborn show that much of the design and experimental work was done by
Joseph Galamb,
C. Harold Wills,
Harry Love,
C.J. Smith,
Gus Degener and
Peter E. Martin.
[Wik, Reynold M.: "Henry Ford and Grass Roots America,1972] Plans for what became the car of the century were announced in the spring of 1908.
The first production Model T was built at Piquette on
September 27,
1908.
Peter E. Martin was plant superintendent and production manager,
Charles E. Sorensen was Martin's assistant and handled production development. Only 11 cars were built there the following month. However, demand quickly grew, and it soon became apparent that the facility could no longer keep up with increasing output. In
1910, the
Ford Motor Company team consisting primarily of
Peter E. Martin, the factory superintendent;
Charles E. Sorensen, Martin's assistant;
C.Harold Wills, draftsman and toolmaker;
Clarence W. Avery and
Charles Lewis a first line supervisor began experimenting with the moving
assembly line.
[Perry, Stephen C.:Essay The Team As Hero, Gardner Webb University, May 2000]During
1910, after assembling nearly 12,000 Model Ts, Henry Ford moved production to his new Highland Park complex. There, with improved assembly line techniques, over 15 million more "Tin Lizzies" would eventually be produced.
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Piquette Plant *
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