“You can have any color as long as it is black.”

Henry Ford, the creator of Ford Motor Company once said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

He was creating something that would change life as we know it, , , the assembly line where he could mass produce his Model-T automobile and make it affordable for a vast new market – middle income Americans. To do this, he kept things simple and didn’t offer a lot of options. If you wanted an inexpensive automobile, you bought what he produced, , , Ford Motor Company was “off to the races” in a big way.

Technology innovation and new processes created a whole new automobile industry and mobilized Americans like nothing before it.

Well, guess what, Ford is doing it again and using technology to reinvent itself. Last year when the US government bailed out GM and Chrysler because of the depressed auto industry and poor economy, Ford declined the help because they were already on their way to a recovery of their own making.

It’s a powerful story that is being fueled by Ford’s IT organization.

I read a great article today from CIO Magazine titled,  How a Global IT Revamp Is Fueling Ford’s Turnaround. It’s worth a quick read because you might find something that could apply to your own company that helps in this tough economy.

By the way, I drive a 2000 Ford Mustang, , , a convertible. I have had this car longer than any car I’ve ever owned. Every time I think about trading it in, , , you guessed it, , , the sun comes out and the top comes down. It’s just too much fun to drive to let it go.

Here is a photo of our son, Eddie, in my “classic” 2000 Mustang.