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Ford Motor Company Plants and Factories

Based in Dearborn, Michigan, the Ford Motor Company is the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world (based on world-wide sales). The Ford Motor Company is also one of the biggest family-controlled companies in the world, and has been under continuous family control for more than one hundred years.

History of Ford

The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, with cash invested by twelve people (including John and Horace Dodge, who would later found a separate auto company). During the early years of the company, just a few cars per day were produced in its sole Detroit factory. Each car would be worked on by small groups of two or three men, who produced made-to-order components for a single vehicle at a time.

When the Model T Ford was introduced in 1908, the affordability of the new model put demand far in excess of supply. By 1913, however, the Ford Motor Company had developed and established basic assembly line techniques that sped up production massively, with the company introducing the world's first moving assembly line in that year. The use of these techniques allowed the company to massively increase production while reducing prices of the finished product multiple times.

After World War I the company began to lose market share to others such as GM and Chrysler, as the latter had been introducing more innovative modifications such as four-wheel brakes, while Ford had lagged behind. During the early 1920s the Ford Motor Company began to make up for its losses by expanding into the luxury car market.

During World War II, Ford produced both land and aircraft for the military, including the B-24 Liberator that was produced in greater numbers than any other WWII American combat aircraft.

Under control of Henry Ford II, the company became a publicly traded corporation in 1956 (however the family retains a 40% controlling interest), and the company began to expand further in Europe and other locations outside America.

The Ford Motor Company announced losses of $12.7 billion in 2006, which prompted major restructuring, including asset sales and consolidation to raise cash for new product development.

Asbestos Use at Ford Plants and Factories

Ford readily admits that asbestos was used in many of its automotive products, including clutches, brakes, and firewalls. However, the company also maintains that its asbestos-containing products are not dangerous, saying that "the scientific evidence confirms our long-standing position that mechanics and others are not at an increased risk of asbestos-related disease as a result of exposure to the type of asbestos formerly used in the brakes on our vehicles."

Asbestos may have also been used in Ford factories and plants, as the substance was often used in the construction of industrial facilities and machinery between the 1940s and 1980s.

The Ford Motor Company has been the target of a large number of product liability lawsuits over the past decade or two. Some have involved asbestos, and these have included both single-plaintiff and class action suits.

Most of the asbestos-related litigation involving the Ford Motor Company has been filed by automotive service workers, and other people who have worked on Ford automobile brakes. The reason for this is that asbestos was used in the company's auto brakes, and repeated exposure can cause asbestos-related disease. Other personal injury lawsuits have been filed by people who had been exposed to asbestos in Ford's manufacturing plants and factories, or aboard company ships.

What Former and Current Workers should Know about Asbestos

Asbestos exposure is a health hazard because inhalation of asbestos dust is known to cause serious diseases, including a chronic lung condition called asbestosis and some types of cancer.

Asbestosis can be a very debilitating disease. This chronic lung condition is usually the result of long-term or repeated exposure to asbestos, and develops when inhaled asbestos fibers cause chronic inflammation in the lungs. This repeated inflammation eventually leads to the formation of scar tissue that cannot properly absorb oxygen. For a person with asbestosis, the result is reduced lung function and breathing pain. Ceasing the asbestos exposure can prevent disease progression, but cannot reverse the damage that has already been done.

Mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer that can develop after relatively low-level asbestos exposure. In around 70% of cases the disease develops in the pleural lining of the lungs as a result of asbestos inhalation. Less commonly, mesothelioma can develop in the lining of the heart (pericardium) or abdominal cavity (peritoneal membrane). Regardless of where the cancer develops, it is difficult to diagnose and treat, and is almost invariably fatal.

One important thing to know about mesothelioma is that it has a long latency period, and anywhere between two and five (or even more) decades typically elapses between the first asbestos exposure and the development of noticeable disease symptoms. This means that even if you were exposed to asbestos at a Ford plant or factory thirty years ago or more, you may still be at risk of developing mesothelioma. If you believe you might have been exposed to asbestos, regular check-ups to detect early disease symptoms are essential.

What if you're diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease? The costs of mesothelioma treatment can be high, and you may also find that you lose income through being unable to work. If you're in this situation, consider consulting a mesothelioma lawyer with experience in these types of cases who can help you obtain compensation for the costs of the disease.

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