Precision Machining figures from History - Henry Leland

 

Henry Leland (1843 – 1932) was an inventor, engineer, and automotive who created the businesses and brand Cadillac and Lincoln. Henry Leland learnt Precision Machining and engineering at the Brown and Sharp plant in Rhode Island. Leland took his knowledge and expertise of Tool Making, Precision Machining, and manufacturing and created magnificent changes to engines for motor vehicles. 

 

A big step for Leland was in 1902 when William Murphy at the Henry Ford Company hired him to appraise the company’s precision machining equipment and machinery for liquidation. Leland advised Murphy and the other partners that he thought it was a huge mistake letting the company go into liquidation and said they that they would be better off creating a new car with a single cylinder engine that Leland had originally designed. The directors followed Leland’s advice and the company was later renamed to Cadillac and became a worldwide success. Seven years later Leland sold Cadillac to General Motors for $4.5 million. 

 

Leland won 2 Dewar Trophy’s, one in 1908 and the second one in 1913. The first trophy was awarded for the Cadillac and the second was given for Leland’s self starter engine for the Cadillac. Leland left the General Motors Company over a dispute with the founder of the company and set up the Lincoln Motor Company. Using his precision machining expertise he built V12 Liberty engine. In 1922 the Lincoln Company was bought out by Henry Fords Company. Leland was set to carry on working at the company thinking he would be able to run it as he saw fit but Henry Ford had other plans. He implemented other engineers to work with Leland and monitor his wok to avoid any loss of money which made the company go bankrupt in the first place. The relationship between Leland and the other workers continued to worsen resulting in Leland resigning from the company he had created.