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Who invented the assembly line?

Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford (1863–1947) invented the assembly line, a factory arrangement in which work passes from one operation to the next until workers (who remain stationary) complete the product. In 1913, ten years after he founded the Ford Motor Company, Ford installed the first moving assembly line in one of his automobile manufacturing plants. Because this innovation allowed cars to be produced quickly and efficiently, Ford could charge a lower price for his product and still make a profit. Soon ordinary people—not just the wealthy—could afford to own a car. By the late twentieth century, however, people began to recognize the negative aspects of the assembly line, including repetitive motion injuries and the dehumanization of the worker who could not control the pace of his or her job.

Further Information: "The Arsenals of Progress." The Economist...

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