The assembly line breaks manufacturing into a sequence of small, standardized steps, with the product moving past stationary workers or stations rather than workers moving to a stationary product. Stationary assembly and disassembly lines existed earlier, including meatpacking disassembly lines in nineteenth century Cincinnati and Chicago, and the line depended on the interchangeable parts the American System of manufactures had already made practical, but Henry Ford's introduction of the continuously moving line at his Highland Park plant in 1913, to build the Model T, cut the time to assemble a chassis from more than twelve hours to about ninety minutes and became the model for large scale manufacturing worldwide.
Facts
Core PrincipleBreaking production into a sequence of standardized, sequential steps performed by stationary workers as the product moves past them. 1 Origin YearThe Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line for automobile manufacturing at its Highland Park, Michigan plant in 1913, cutting Model T assembly time dramatically. The Assembly Line
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FAQs
Did Henry Ford invent the assembly line?
No. Meatpacking lines and Ransom Olds came first; Ford developed the moving assembly line in 1913.
No. Assembly lines were in use before Ford. Chicago meatpacking is believed to be one of the first industrial assembly lines, or disassembly lines, in the United States, starting in 1867, and Ransom Olds put an assembly line to work in his factory in 1901 to build the Oldsmobile Curved Dash. What Ford developed was the moving assembly line, which began operation for the Model T on October 7, 1913, at the Highland Park plant and reduced Model T production time to 93 minutes by dividing the process into 45 steps.
Connections
Associated With
Source The Origins of TPS (Creative Safety Supply)
Mass Production, Methods Frequently used as synonyms, but distinct: the assembly line is one specific technique, a moving conveyor with fixed-station workers, that operates inside the broader mass production system of standardized parts and divided labor. A factory can practice mass production without a moving line, and the philosophy predates the line by more than a century.
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Quality Control, Methods Both grew out of the same early twentieth century scientific management movement toward standardized, monitored industrial processes.
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
In Field
Source Technology: A World HistoryDaniel R. Headrick
Preceded By
Source American System of Manufactures (Encyclopedia.com)
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Originated In
Also in History Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Assembly Line (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation20th century section
The moving assembly line was developed for the Ford Model T and began operation on October 7, 1913, at the Highland Park Ford Plant, and continued to evolve after that, using time and motion study.
In Group: Mass Production Methods, Introduction
An assembly line, often called progressive assembly, is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed.
View the Source Technology: A World History
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954View the Source American System of Manufactures (Encyclopedia.com)
Encyclopedia.comfirst paragraph
The American System of Manufactures was an innovative method for producing finished goods.
- Preceded By: Interchangeable Parts
View the Source The Origins of TPS (Creative Safety Supply)
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