Here is interesting insight into Fordlandia built by Henry Ford in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil. He planned on building a rubber plantation and creating a Utopia. It failed as you probably know. It shows how the jungle is taking over.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/w...land.html?_r=0

 

There is a book on this failed venture called "Fordlandia: the Rise and Fall of Ford's Forgotten City". Here is a link to a NY Times Review that tells you more about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/bo...anted=all&_r=0

 

We were recently required to take an APICS (supply chain management association) certification, and one of the case studies we worked on was how vertically-integrated Henry Ford wanted his empire to be. Initially his companies made all components, from the steel, to rubber, to electrical items, to finishing. He was definitely a control-freak. Obviously over the years this changed with competitive third-party products and companies, but at one point in the 30's he owned 30 companies around the world all targeted at producing the Model T.