Baldwin Locomotive Works: Highly Competitive Gilded Age

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Baldwin Locomotive Works successfully navigated the highly competitive Gilded Age by deliberately avoiding standardized mass-production techniques, contrary to other companies at the time that had relied on standardization and bureaucratic centralization. Due to Baldwin’s customized building techniques, the company developed systematic managerial controls earlier than most other companies. As the locomotive technology advanced, railroad officials sought to gain significant control over the development of such technology, and this power struggle, combined with varied railroad conditions, led to increasing demand for customized locomotive designs. This movement basically made standardization and mass production virtually impossible for steam

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