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Ford assembly line in 1913
On April 1, 1913, the moving assembly line, which revolutionized production in the United States and throughout the world, was first tested at the Ford Highland Park Factory in Michigan. It was the first time that large-scale manufacturing was conducted on a moving assembly line.
At the beginning of the 20th century cars were custom-made and expensive. To make cars more affordable, greater efficiency in production was required. The American industrialist Henry Ford began improving the assembly-line methods first used in meat-packing houses in Chicago in the 19th century.
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Although highly efficient, the machinery and assembly method made routine tasks more specialized and monotonous, and required mainly unskilled workers. By 1914 unskilled European migrants comprised the majority of the 14,000 laborers at Ford.
Ford, who surpassed his competitors’ production levels, reduced the price of the Model T, and dramatically increased sales. To create more buyers for his cars, Ford increased his workers’ wages to five dollars a day in 1914. This proved successful and with greater efficiency, the price of a car continued to drop. In 1914 assembly line workers were able to buy a Model T with four months’ pay.
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