I just finished touring “The Rouge,” the factory with the original automated assembly line conceived by Henry Ford. Now it pumps out Ford F-150 pickup trucks. You cannot take photos as it is a working assembly plant but you can tour from the catwalks above.
First, there is the strangely honest film chronicling Henry Ford’s foray into automobile manufacturing. He went bankrupt a few times before he hit big with the Ford Motor Company. They also mentioned how Henry Ford fought the unions, sometimes violently, and the very dangerous working conditions at the plant in the early days. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette!
And smellevision is alive and well during part of the film. Heat and a metallic smell are pumped out as images of molten steel hit the screen.
The tour is the real highlight. Not because of the assembly line of pickup trucks. The F-150 is the most popular pick up truck in America and we see them all day long. It’s all the hot guys working on the assembly line. And there are pretty ladies too. I saw a young woman who looks like Rihanna with safety goggles on. There might be plenty of robots but it’s people who put these trucks together and they do a lot of heavy lifting. These men and women need to be in good shape to do their jobs. I suggest you visit the “box build” area. The two guys who lift up the tailgate and bolt it on to the back of the truck bed have beautifully wide shoulders and rippling backs. They can build my box any time. I don’t know what that means but I think you know what I mean.