3 ms·
It was actually a really successful model during WWII. A tank (or something) would be designed by one group and then 5-6 different manufacturers got a contract
by legitster 4y ago
It was actually a really successful model during WWII. A tank (or something) would be designed by one group and then 5-6 different manufacturers got a contract to manufacture it. We made tons of tanks at very competitive prices.
As the article points out, modern procurement is a different story.
- yunohn 4y agoAs far as I can tell, the defence companies we’re talking about were not public back then?
- legitster 4y agoThey were - they were just general manufacturers. You even had companies like Chrysler and IBM taking gun manufacturing contracts.
- aynyc 4y agoYes, they were. Back in WWII, pretty much every companies were in the war effort. IBM made rifles and Ford made bombers (B-24s).
- whitemary 4y agoThose were "public" as in state-controlled. These are "public" as in publicly traded. Very big difference.
- yunohn 4y agoWW2: 1939-1945 IPO years per my research - Raytheon: 1952 Boeing: 1962 Lockheed Martin: 1994 Northrop Grumman (pre merger): 1939 Hard to find clear sources on this, but doesn’t seem like the major defense contractors we’re talking about were public during WW2.
- ambicapter 4y agoWhat does that have to do with issuing stock?