Ford and its Early History in Buffalo...
As Ford was looking for an innovative way to make parts they located John R. Keim Mills located at Wyoming Street and Kensington Avenue right here in Buffalo. Keim Mills manufactured pressed steel products for automobiles. Ford felt because Keim mills had invented the machine tools that could produce a standardized axel efficiently. That led to Keim Mills becoming one of Ford’s largest suppliers. In 1912 Ford Motor Co. was so impressed with their expertise that they bought Keim Mills for over $574,000. The operations remained in Buffalo until September of 1912. When the workers went on strike Ford’s response to their grievances was to dismantled the presses and move the operations to Highland Park.
In 1913 Ford opened an assembly plant in the old Keim Mills Plant. It was in 1916 that Ford opened its second assembly plant at the corner of Main and Rodney Street in Buffalo. It was a multiple story building that employed 1400 and could produce 225 cars per day. In the 14 years of operations the workers built almost 750,000 cars.
In the 1920’s Ford fell to second place to Chevrolet. After 15 million Model Ts had been sold, in 1927, Ford decided it was time to shut down all their operations throughout the world to re-tool for a new model. In 1928 they reopened with a new model and regained their #1 spot again. The new product and their older facility did not work out well and it was time to look for new and better facilities.
In 1929, although their was the Great Depression looming, Ford still bought land to expand their operations. In 1930 Ford announced their purchase of 310 acres off Fuhrman Boulevard. A good portion of this land was under water. The plant opened 1 year after the purchase of the property. The machinery was moved from Main and Rodney Streets to the new facility.
Car sales fell so badly that the $7 a day in 1929 went down to $4 a day or less by 1932. In Buffalo alone employment went from 1400 to nearly zero when they finally closed their Buffalo operations completely in 1932.
In 1934 the plant was reopened. Workers began to organize and demand that their needs be addressed. Unlike previous years where government had no concern for workers, Ford would be challenged by a reinvigorated union movement and by a federal government committee to independent unions and collective bargaining.