Ford Implements the Moving Assembly Line - This Month in Business History - Research Guides at Library of Congress

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Ford Implements the Moving Assembly Line

Three car frames with the base, wheels, and steering wheel on a conveyer belt in a factory Assembly line at the Ford Motor Company' s Highland Park plant. ca.1913. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

In October 1913, Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line at the Highland Park factory in Michigan. The moving assembly was inspired by other industrial companies that used similar production processes, which could be found in bakeries, mills, breweries, and meat packing plants. Ford designed the moving assembly line, which became a revolutionary method of building cars and evolved the automobile assembly process.

Henry Ford's Model T automobile was the first to be massed produced at the Highland Park factory. Workers at stationary workstations increased daily production from hundreds of cars to making thousands with the new moving assembly line. What took workers 12.5 hours to assemble was reduced to just 93 minutes.1 The significant reduction in production time demonstrated that factories could improve automobile manufacturing efficiency.

Mass production of the Model T allowed Henry Ford to cut costs significantly. In 1908, the Model T was priced at $850, but by 1914 it sold for $490, and by 1924 the price had dropped to $260 (approximately $8,200 in today's dollars).2 The innovation of the moving assembly line enabled Ford to build cars faster and more efficiently, which enabled Ford to pass along savings to the consumer. The Model T was affordable, strong enough for traveling on American roads, and accessible for more middle-class people to purchase. By May of 1927, the Model T was the best-selling car in the world, with over 15 million vehicles sold.3

The moving assembly line was later implemented by other major car manufacturers in the industry, reshaping the way cars were made.

Print Resources

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.

Call Number: HD9710.U52 F666

ISBN: 0819309532

Published/Created: 1978-02-01

A biography of the developer of the first lightweight, inexpensive automobile. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: HD9710.U52 H39 2018

ISBN: 9781476669359

Published/Created: 2018-08-14

This book tells the story of how the automobile transformed American life and how automotive design and technology have changed over time. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: HD9710.U52 F6627 1997

ISBN: 0814327044

Published/Created: 1997-04-01

With over 200 photographs chosen from thousands in the collection of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Beyond the Model T gives attention to Henry Ford's numerous ventures outside of the auto industry. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: TL140.F6 K55 1978

ISBN: 0915038080

Published/Created: 1978-01-01

This 75th-anniversary tribute book captures over 100 photographs of Henry Ford aging alongside with his most remembered automobiles.

Call Number: HD9710.U54 F5338 2002

ISBN: 1579652018

Published/Created: 2002-11-04

Marking the centennial of the Ford Motor Company, this illustrated book marking the history of Ford Motor Company from the various innovations, from the invention of the assembly line to the V-8 engine, that transformed modern transportation. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: TL215 .F8

Published/Created: 1908

A trade publication featuring Ford cars and trucks.

Call Number: HD9710.U52 F662 1994

ISBN: 0719041732

Published/Created: 1995-02-01

Henry Ford is often thought of as being the ultimate American folk hero who developed one of the most important changes to 20th-century American society - mass production. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: TS178.4 .A24 2011

ISBN: 9781604137729

Published/Created: 2011-09-30

Though the automated assembly line seems the most logical and natural of ideas, its development took place over a long period of time. It would take Henry Ford and his dream of building an affordable Model T automobile to put all the pieces together. In doing so, Ford changed the world forever. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: TL215.F75 M38 1994

ISBN: 0873412931

Published/Created: 1994-01-01

Trace the evolution of the Tin Lizzy from 1908-1927 This book by Bruce W. McCalley debunks popular myths, provides data on specific Model T parts, lists engine serial numbers by day of production, and features 1,367 photos presenting technical information. —From publisher’s description.

Call Number: HC106.3 .F53

Published/Created: 1949

The book discusses the importance of innovation, perseverance, and hard work in achieving success in a rapidly changing world. —From publisher’s description.

Library of Congress Digital Resources

The following resources created and digitized by the Library of Congress can be used to find out more about the events of the day.

This guide provides resources for researchers interested in the automotive industry covering the history, retail and car buying, company research and marketing strategies, industry associations, and regulations.

This website gives access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages. It's produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

Annual reports provide a window into how a company presents itself to its investors and the public and describe corporate performance at a particular point in time. This guide presents indexes for the vast collection of these reports at the Library.

A digital library that contains manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, books, journals, images, audio, and video.

This guide provides ideas and strategies for researching companies, with a focus on more common sources that may be of use for those looking for information on companies that are active and for those looking for current information.

This guide provides sources and strategies for those researching industries in general.

Compiled by specialists in Business Reference Services at the Library of Congress, this guide highlights stories about the people, places, and events that made their mark on business history.

Internet Resources

The links below are for content on the Library of Congress website or more generally on the internet.

The Benson Ford Research Center is the world's most comprehensive resource for researching collections and stories of American innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness--and home to the experts who maintain and interpret our collections.

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library. A search for articles in the following business and historical newspaper databases will produce relevant results. Some recommended databases are: - Mergent Online - Mergent Archives - Early English Books Online - Internet Archives - Digital Public Library - ProQuest Historical Newspapers - Digital National Security Archive

Created by the Ford Motor Company, this feature spans Ford’s production history from the company’s founding in 1903 to its centennial in 2003.

This article from Ford Motor Company shares the history of Highland Park, the birthplace of Ford’s moving assembly line, which led to mass production of the iconic Model T.

An article on the start of Henry Ford’s assembly line from the History channel.

Part of the Everyday Mysteries Series, Who Invented the Automobile

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Notes

  1. Dennis Abrams, The Inventions of the Moving Assembly Line: A Revolution in Manufacturing, (Chelsea House, 2011) 68. Back to text
  2. Dennis Abrams, The Inventions of the Moving Assembly Line: A Revolution in Manufacturing, (Chelsea House, 2011) 71. Back to text

  3. Ford Media Center, Press release. Game Changer: 100th Anniversary of the Moving Assembly Line __External September 12, 2013. Back to text

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