Quote:
Originally Posted by OntarioVanMan
I am picturing a dedicated rail line maybe 500-1000 miles long leading to auto plants running on electricity....with most parts suppliers on the rail line...they could run up and down all day at a fraction of the cost
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Yep you are getting the idea.
Ford actually started to build a rail infrastructure in the 20's, starting with his purchase of one rail road but the government imposed so many regulations that he said forget it and contracted with the rail companies to do the work.
His idea wasn't new, actually came from one of his main investors who had a huge coal company here in Detroit which in fact was one of the sources for his Just In Time methods he used and is still used today as the model for beer distribution in some parts of the country because of the effectiveness in controlling cost.
It is all about costs and controlling it. Be it a Owner Operator or Toyota/VW.