Walter Flanders
Encyclopedia
Walter Emmett Flanders was a U.S. American
industrialist in the machine tool
and automotive
industries and was an early mass production
expert.
Flanders was born March 4, 1871 in Waterbury, Vermont
, the son of Dr. George Flanders and Mary (Goodwin) Flanders, the oldest of three children. He was a highly knowledgeable salesman of machine tools (who was also an expert in their development and use) when he was recruited by the Ford Motor Company
in August 1906 to be what Charles E. Sorensen
variously described as "a cost-cutting production manager" and a "roistering genius" "with the entirely unofficial rating of works manager" whose "hiring arrangement included an understanding that he could continue to sell machinery elsewhere with an organization of his own." During his rather short (20-month) tenure at the young company, he helped tremendously to orient its production operations toward the coming era of mass production. This included introducing the concepts of fixed monthly output and of transferring some of the carrying of parts inventories from the Ford company to its suppliers. It also included rearranging the layout of machine tools in the plant with a view to the orderly sequence of operations. This work formed a foundation on which others at Ford would build as they spent the next five years (1908–1913) developing the concept of a true modern assembly line
.
Flanders left Ford Motor Company in April 1908 to co-found the E-M-F Company
, which was acquired by Studebaker
in 1910. Later he founded the United States Motor Company
, and he reorganised Maxwell
after the fall of the United States Motor Company.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist in the machine tool
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
and automotive
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
industries and was an early mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
expert.
Flanders was born March 4, 1871 in Waterbury, Vermont
Waterbury, Vermont
Waterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, in the United States. It is also the name of a village within that town. The population was 4,915 at the 2000 census.-Economy:-Industry:...
, the son of Dr. George Flanders and Mary (Goodwin) Flanders, the oldest of three children. He was a highly knowledgeable salesman of machine tools (who was also an expert in their development and use) when he was recruited by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in August 1906 to be what Charles E. Sorensen
Charles E. Sorensen
Charles Emil Sorensen was a Danish-American principal of the Ford Motor Company during its first four decades. Like most other managers at Ford during those decades, he did not have an official job title, but he served functionally as a patternmaker, foundry engineer, mechanical engineer,...
variously described as "a cost-cutting production manager" and a "roistering genius" "with the entirely unofficial rating of works manager" whose "hiring arrangement included an understanding that he could continue to sell machinery elsewhere with an organization of his own." During his rather short (20-month) tenure at the young company, he helped tremendously to orient its production operations toward the coming era of mass production. This included introducing the concepts of fixed monthly output and of transferring some of the carrying of parts inventories from the Ford company to its suppliers. It also included rearranging the layout of machine tools in the plant with a view to the orderly sequence of operations. This work formed a foundation on which others at Ford would build as they spent the next five years (1908–1913) developing the concept of a true modern assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
.
Flanders left Ford Motor Company in April 1908 to co-found the E-M-F Company
E-M-F Company
The E-M-F Company was an early American automobile manufacturer that produced automobiles from 1909 to 1912. The name E-M-F was gleaned from the initials of the three company founders: Barney Everitt , William Metzger , and Walter Flanders .- Everitt...
, which was acquired by Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
in 1910. Later he founded the United States Motor Company
United States Motor Company
The United States Motor Company was organized by Benjamin Briscoe in 1910 as a selling company, to represent various manufacturers. It had begun life as the International Motor Company in 1908 in an attempt to create the first major consolidation within the industry with Maxwell-Briscoe and Buick,...
, and he reorganised Maxwell
Maxwell automobile
The Maxwell was a brand of automobiles manufactured in the United States of America from about 1904 to 1925. The present-day successor to the Maxwell company is Chrysler Group.-History:...
after the fall of the United States Motor Company.