Ford's Moving Assembly Line

What happened

In 1913, at his Highland Park plant in Michigan, Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line to build the Model T. Bringing the work to the worker on a moving chain cut the time to assemble a car from over twelve hours to about ninety minutes, and drove the price of the Model T within reach of ordinary families.

Why it matters

Mass production slashed the cost of the automobile and became the template for modern manufacturing across every industry.

Sources

• Library of Congress. Ford Implements the Moving Assembly Line · Primary source