Ford Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary of the Automotive Assembly Line

Photo Source: http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/burns/Unit_3_Industry/U3_Ford.html

Just over a century ago on October 7, 1913, Henry Ford started what we call the assembly line by towing a Model T chassis across the floor of his Highland Park assembly plant. This started the concept of the moving assembly line to the automobile production. Both Ford and its engineers throughout the years continued to refine the assembly line.

The first was with the Model T production, which had 84 steps where the car’s 3,000 parts were bolted together. Before coming up the assembly line, it took 12 hours to produce a Model T. With the assembly line and technology breakthrough, it brought the time down to about 90 minutes. By 1927, Model T cars were being made at a rate of about one every 24 seconds. The assembly line was part of the formula to made Ford’s vision to manufacture a car that would be affordable and appeal to the masses. The assembly line improved the production time and also lowered price of the Model T from $850 to as low as $260.

Now, a century later, Ford Motor Company and almost every automaker on the planet still uses the basic assembly line principle but improved with newer technology. Stated by Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman, on the assembly line’s birthday, “One hundred years ago, my great-grandfather had a vision to build safe and efficient transportation for everyone. I am proud he was able to bring the freedom of mobility to millions by making cars affordable to families and that his vision of serving people still drives everything we do today.”

Article Source: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131009/CARNEWS/131009790

Photo Source: http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/12/a_powerful_force_michigan_shou.html

 

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