Henry Ford’s Assembly Line Henry Ford may not have invented the assembly line; however, he drastically innovated it by coupling the assembly line with scientific management. By envisioning an affordable car available to the masses, Ford strived to reduce prices and increase market share. Ultimately, the Ford Motor Company revolutionized the production of automobiles and the assembly line would serve as the catalyst for mass production.
The Ford Motor Company was established in Highland Park in 1903. Henry Ford envisioned a reliable and affordable automobile that could be produced “for the great multitude” (SOURCE 3). In 1908 his company released the Model T, which was priced at roughly $850. This was relatively affordable at the time, but not to Ford’s standards. For this reason, he continually strived for a more efficient company and price effective product.
The Model T was originally built using a station-build technique. Skilled work crews would complete entire cars at one time. Generally, each car would require roughly 12 hours to build. As a result, the Model T …show more content…
By doing so, they managed to increase the output of Model T’s to over 500,000 by 1916. Their maximum output would reach 2,011,125 cars produced in 1923 (SOURCE 1). This output resulted from cutting assembly time from 12 hours to 2.3 hours within the first two years of assembly line use. It is also notable that task specialization simplified the construction process. While the first Model T’s were built by workers with high levels of mechanical skill, simple and specialized tasks could be taught to nearly any worker (SOURCE 1). Furthermore, increased efficiency would lead to reduced prices. The Model T became the highly affordable car Ford envisioned when its price declined to $360 by 1916. Correspondingly, Ford dominated the market share, reaching 96% by 1918 (SOURCE
The Ford Motor Company was established in Highland Park in 1903. Henry Ford envisioned a reliable and affordable automobile that could be produced “for the great multitude” (SOURCE 3). In 1908 his company released the Model T, which was priced at roughly $850. This was relatively affordable at the time, but not to Ford’s standards. For this reason, he continually strived for a more efficient company and price effective product.
The Model T was originally built using a station-build technique. Skilled work crews would complete entire cars at one time. Generally, each car would require roughly 12 hours to build. As a result, the Model T …show more content…
By doing so, they managed to increase the output of Model T’s to over 500,000 by 1916. Their maximum output would reach 2,011,125 cars produced in 1923 (SOURCE 1). This output resulted from cutting assembly time from 12 hours to 2.3 hours within the first two years of assembly line use. It is also notable that task specialization simplified the construction process. While the first Model T’s were built by workers with high levels of mechanical skill, simple and specialized tasks could be taught to nearly any worker (SOURCE 1). Furthermore, increased efficiency would lead to reduced prices. The Model T became the highly affordable car Ford envisioned when its price declined to $360 by 1916. Correspondingly, Ford dominated the market share, reaching 96% by 1918 (SOURCE