What R&D would need occur to create a complex system or a factory like Tesla's Gigafactory or Henry Ford's Model T assembly line?

[riss99]

@mammie5 That is really fascinating. I did not know that. Any books/resources to learn more?

Additionally, do you have any good examples of people not pulling a Ford and losing out? I was reading a book about Howard Hughes where in there was a guy who made a ton of factories in WW2. I cant remember the name, but the guy was apparently really brilliant, and was brought into help out with Hughe's team's aerospace building efforts.

 

[mammie5]

@riss99 I first learned about it from Bill Brysons book One Summer 1927.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Summer:_America,_1927

 

[tamsyn]

@riss99 Being an innovator is not something g you can just research, it’s literally looking at things differently than everyone else and making it work effectively.

Now creating a business from that is a completely different story and requires an entirely different mindset.

The movie “The Founders” about the McDonalds brothers and their innovation of the fast food industry comes to mind here. Ray Kroc was the entrepreneurs who took a creative and efficient idea and turned it into a thriving successful business.

 

[riss99]

@tamsyn True. Thank you for responding . I watched Founder. It was pretty good. I wonder how often it takes an extra person like Ray to take making something big after a group of people make something interesting.

 

[anewsong78]

@riss99 You don't start by wanting to make an assembly line. You start by wanting to make a good car. Then you want to make 10 good cars. Then 10 good and cheap cars. Then 10 good, energy-efficient, and cheap cars...and 100 iterations later, you end up with an assembly line.

 

[riss99]

@anewsong78 Makes sense. Have you ever done something like that before or know anyone who has?