The assembly line is an important event in manufacturing, replacing traditional artisanal methods. The concept of efficient assembly began with the industrial revolution. Ford’s moving production line divided work into segments, speeding production and requiring less training. However, assembly line work can be hazardous, leading to the development of automated assembly lines.
The development and history of the assembly line is considered one of the most important events in the evolution of manufacturing. The process, which involves the sequential assembly of a finished product in an efficient, constantly moving line, has largely replaced traditional artisanal assembly methods. Although the history of the assembly line is most often associated with the American entrepreneur Henry Ford, the beginnings of the method go back much further, to the dawn of the industrial revolution.
As humans developed machine technology, the concept of efficient assembly became a natural interest in manufacturing. Before the assembly line, production depended on the expert hands of a craftsman, who could take raw material and transform it into a finished product, completing each step himself. This method required considerable training and expertise and allowed only one item to be created at a time. While handmade items might be valuable and artistic, their production was rarely efficient or able to meet the demand for mass production.
The influences that led to Ford’s development of the modern assembly line came from a variety of innovative sources. Meatpacking plants in the American Midwest were notorious for their “disassembly lines,” where workers and machines systematically dissected slaughtered animals for their meat. Early versions of the line were adopted in factories in the UK and USA, to handle the mass production machines of the Industrial Revolution. Gunsmiths Samuel Colt and Eli Whitney may also have played a part in the history of the assembly line, but introducing the ideas of divided working lines and interchangeable machine parts.
Perhaps the best-known moment in the history of the assembly line is Ford’s introduction of the moving production line. Used to produce the popular Model T automobiles of the early 20th century, the modern line divided work into distinct segments so that each worker had to perform only one task. By installing a conveyor belt, the line allowed parts to be assembled from start to finish in a single process, using relatively unskilled labor, and producing finished cars in a set amount of time. In addition to speeding production times and requiring less training, Ford famously touted the moving assembly line as a way for workers to make more money, since factories could pay higher wages as production costs fell. .
However, the story of the assembly line doesn’t just end with Ford’s famous invention. As the process revolutionized manufacturing worldwide, problems with the system arose. Many find the tedious and repetitive motions of assembly line work to be hazardous to both physical and mental health. Advances in technology have brought about the opportunity for automated assembly lines, where most of the work is done by machines, which can reduce physical and mental strain for workers, but can also result in fewer jobs.
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