Deployment of the Ford System

This chapter discusses the deployment of the Ford system, the rollout of the mass production system, and Japanese and German manufacturing. The Ford system, an American-style production system, played an important role in the realization of mass production as well as in the development of the Japanese and German economies after World War II. This chapter first analyzes Japan’s deployment of the Ford system in relation to the characteristics of its domestic market, the synchronization of manufacturing processes, the features of work organization, and small group activities in the workplace. Then, the chapter examines the deployment of the Ford system in Germany in connection with the European market structure, characteristics of workers’ skill, and industrial relations. Furthermore, on the basis of Japanese or German and European market characteristics and the role of skilled workers, it examines the manufacturing, as well as the characteristics of the rollout of the mass production system, in both countries. The overall purpose of this chapter is to clarify the Japanese and German characteristics regarding the deployment of the Ford system and the significances of the Japanese-style and German-style manufacturing.