Porsche moving head NA headquarters to old Ford plant

[engatwork]

Within a stones throw to the airport.Porsche news

I assume the state/county/city made them a deal?

[benhogan]

this is interesting because wasn't the B-24 built in the Ford Plant?

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by benhogan

this is interesting because wasn't the B-24 built in the Ford Plant?

I believe you are thinking of the wrong Ford plant.
Ford built Willow Run to house the mile long assemble line for B 24 Bombers in WW2. Willow Run is about 20-30 miles NW of Dearborn--if memory serves me well.
The plant to be occupied by Porsche is in Atlanta.

[dynalow]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

I believe you are thinking of the wrong Ford plant.
Ford built Willow Run to house the mile long assemble line for B 24 Bombers in WW2. Willow Run is about 20-30 miles NW of Dearborn--if memory serves me well.
The plant to be occupied by Porsche is in Atlanta.

Yep. Construction of Willow Run began before Dec. 7, 1941.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlt6rNciTo

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by dynalow

Yep. Construction of Willow Run began before Dec. 7, 1941.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlt6rNciTo

Almost a year before

[MS Fowler]

Thanks for posting that video. I had not seen that.
It somewhat overstates the case. Yes, when it was running Willow run produced a plane every 55 minutes. But there were a lot of teething problems, including Consolidated not wanting to share blue prints!
The big advance by Ford was the design, and building of a single jig that aligned the fuselage with the inner wing sections. Consolidated did this mating outside where the sun warped the components while they were trying to align them. Ford's method changed what had been a 36 man, 1500 man hour job of skilled men with transits, and making delicate adjustments, to a simple job, done by assembly line workers--3 men in 26 minutes!

[layback40]

Originally Posted by engatwork

Within a stones throw to the airport.Porsche news

I guess the conclusion that can be drawn from this is what some have though for a long time; VW is nothing more than a German Ford!

[benhogan]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Thanks for posting that video. I had not seen that.
It somewhat overstates the case. Yes, when it was running Willow run produced a plane every 55 minutes. But there were a lot of teething problems, including Consolidated not wanting to share blue prints!
The big advance by Ford was the design, and building of a single jig that aligned the fuselage with the inner wing sections. Consolidated did this mating outside where the sun warped the components while they were trying to align them. Ford's method changed what had been a 36 man, 1500 man hour job of skilled men with transits, and making delicate adjustments, to a simple job, done by assembly line workers--3 men in 26 minutes!

I would love to read this book if you have the title. PM me the title if you can. thx.

[dynalow]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Thanks for posting that video. I had not seen that.
It somewhat overstates the case. Yes, when it was running Willow run produced a plane every 55 minutes. But there were a lot of teething problems, including Consolidated not wanting to share blue prints!
The big advance by Ford was the design, and building of a single jig that aligned the fuselage with the inner wing sections. Consolidated did this mating outside where the sun warped the components while they were trying to align them. Ford's method changed what had been a 36 man, 1500 man hour job of skilled men with transits, and making delicate adjustments, to a simple job, done by assembly line workers--3 men in 26 minutes!

I'm reading "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich.
Polar opposite of a "Plane every 55 minutes"
Excellent read btw.