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$100K Worth of Forgotten Leather Hides Is Too Much for Ford, Gives It All Away

When you’re incredibly wealthy, you tend to lose track of all the things you own. That goes for individuals and businesses alike, and Ford’s recent announcement that it donates $100,000 worth of unused leather is proof of that. Either that or this is one fine publicity stunt.
Ford finds a hide fortune in one of its basements. 11 photos
Photo: Ford
The official story goes a bit by this. On Wednesday, March 24, the Blue Oval said it is giving away $100,000 worth of unused leather hides to two local Detroit businesses, Pingree Detroit and Mend on the Move, because of their commitment to “social responsibility in the community,” as they are helping veterans and women survivors of abuse, respectively.

The fine print is that Ford didn’t go out of its way to get its hands on these materials. The company just happened to stumble upon them as it was cleaning up the Ford Product Development Center's basement in Dearborn before demolishing it to make way for the future Ford campus.

“This is a unique situation where we are able to donate bundles of real, automotive-grade premium leather to small businesses in Detroit,” said Jim Conner, 3D process director. “We’re excited to see these leather hides that were collecting dust in the basement be put to good use by impactful businesses in the community.”

Apparently, according to the Detroit Free Press, we’re talking about 250 cowhides, which were to be used on the high-end seats in the likes of Ford F-150 King Ranch and the Lincoln Navigator. Ford says the hides came in a variety of colors, from Ebony to Cashmere.

Curious how the carmaker justifies such a large quantity of leather being all but forgotten? Well, the carmaker says that those in charge with purchasing always order extra when sourcing such materials. You know, in case someone screws up and something needs fixing, or new ideas for the use of leather pops into someone’s heads.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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