Desenvolvimento de produto

Henry Ford and the Model T: lessons for product platforming and mass customization ´
Fabrice Alizon, Keyplatform Company, 91 rue du Faubourg St Honore,
75008 Paris, France
Steven B. Shooter, Mechanical Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg,
PA 17837, USA
Timothy W. Simpson, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Henry Ford is recognized as the father of mass production, but his contributions extend well beyond that, offering valuable lessons for product platforming and mass customization. In this paper, we study Ford’s Model T and its many variants in depth and describe insights into Ford’s vision and his car. In particular, we examine how the platform was built, leveraged and dynamically maintained with continuous improvements to maximize learning and economies of scale. Finally, we compare Ford’s approach to more current approaches for platforming and mass customization. October 2008 marked the 100-year anniversary of the introduction of the Model T. In some aspects this old car still outperforms us, and we can learn valuable lessons from its past to avoid future mistakes and improve current practices.
Ó 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords: design practice, automotive design, design history, customization, product development

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Corresponding author:
Fabrice Alizon fabrice.alizon@gmail. com

any of today’s industries target platform-based products tailored to customers’ needs through derivative products. This approach enables companies to increase their market share and reduce their development and manufacturing costs (Meyer and Lehnerd, 1997; Robertson and Ulrich, 1998). Even if platform-based product development is better understood and managed today, it is still far from being mastered by industry and academia (Alizon et al., 2007). Thus, the goal in this study is to examine one of the most successful products in automotive history, namely, the