How Henry Ford's assembly line changed manufacturing forever
A piece of manufacturing history is on display inside the Detroit Historical Museum. The museum showcases an innovation that revolutionized the production of cars and numerous other products.
In 1913, Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line, a system that reshaped industrial production and helped make automobiles more accessible to the public.
Today, visitors can see machinery from a former Cadillac assembly plant on Clark Street, which operated in Detroit until it closed in 1987.
"The car that Henry Ford sold in the early teens was $850," said Dave Marchioni, automotive and industrial curator for the Detroit Historical Society. "By the time the moving assembly line was working properly and producing at scale, it was $250."
Before the assembly line, building a car could take more than 12 hours. With Ford's innovation, the time dropped to about 90 minutes.
The concept quickly spread beyond Michigan.
"When something is good, and it works, it spreads quickly," Marchioni said. "As Henry Ford started putting this in, it became the industry standard."
Ford's influence extended into the workplace as well. He helped establish the eight-hour workday and the 40-hour workweek, giving workers more time outside the factory.
More than a century later, assembly lines continue to evolve, but the foundation remains the same.
An idea born in Michigan changed how cars are built and helped shape modern industry around the world.