DETROIT -- Before rock and roll and Motown, Detroit gave us the auto industry. The city has faced dire economic challenges through the years but stands proud enough to hail its automotive heritage, even in times of transition.
Detroit is synonomous with auto giants like Ford Motor Company, founded in 1903; General Motors, founded in 1908 in Flint; and Chrysler rounding out what we would call the “Big Three”, founded in 1925. Much of the rich history also belongs to unionized labor, such as the United Auto Workers, launched in 1935, but finding prominence with the famous Flint sit-down strike one year later.
Sadly much of the Detroit automotive history has been left behind. In our video report, you will see images of the old Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, founded in 1904 as the second location of Ford production. The site is marked as a National Historic Landmark, but draped in graffiti as well.
The same is true for the old Packard plant. In the video, you will see images of broken glass, graffiti and trash laced on the ground. Packard was one of the many companies, that did not last.
“If you look at the history of the auto industry, originally there might have been as many as 600 manufacturers. More than half of them were here in the State of Michigan,” said Dr. Keith Pretty, president of Northwood University.
He sits on the Automotive Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors.
“Many of (these companies) turned into huge strong companies that have survived these many decades, but they have transformed throughout the history. You’ve seen companies come and go. You’ve seen very cyclical economics,” he said.
But what is behind the recent downturn in the industry? We brought that question to Dr. Tim Nash of Northwood University.
“Management saw that the unions wanted to much,” Nash said. “In the minds of organized labor, they thought management had too much.”
*Tune in for part 2 of our series where we explore the future of the Big Three, the global market, and what it means for MidMichigan.
