Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947), prominent American industrialist, entrepreneur, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His manufacturing process created the modern car industry, and with it, the car culture of the 20th century by making a product once considered a luxury available to a mass market. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers which was part of his global idea of consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America, and in major cities on six continents.