Sunday, October 18, 2020
AL-history
Title isn't a typo.
Following up on this random observation a few weeks ago.
I was looking yet again at what various auto companies "should" have done to stave off failure in the '50s. I decided that Hudson probably didn't have any available options because it wasn't producing anything except sedans.
Studie had heavy trucks. Nash had Kelvinator appliances. Packard had aircraft. Willys had its own unique types of vehicles, so it returned to its own niche after sedans failed to sell. Crosley was basically an appliance company, so it returned to its day job of appliances. Kaiser was basically an aluminum company...
Wait. Aluminum.
Why didn't Kaiser use its own unique SKILLS? A mostly aluminum car would be a major selling point in rusty areas, and it would be lighter and more economical for the same size and room.
In the peculiar postwar situation, suppliers of material and parts were overstressed with demand while still trying to reconvert factories and workers to civilian needs. Kaiser famously resorted to black-market "expediters" to find steel and parts because the suppliers understandably wanted to serve their existing customers first.
Kaiser wouldn't have needed those tricks for aluminum because Kaiser WAS the supplier. No unnecessary shortages, no profit paid to others. Kaiser had its own metallurgists who knew how to create alloys for specific purposes, and knew how to manipulate and bend aluminum.
Labels: skill-estate
¶ 2:03 AM
