The Assembly Line, Mass Production, and Fordism
Interchangeable parts, continuous flow, division of labour, and reducing wasted effort. These are the four main goals that Henry Ford wanted to attain through production. Production for the masses, also known as mass production. With interchangeable parts, Henry Ford was able to create the same parts on cars so that pieces would fit the same way for every car. The assembly line allowed for continuous flow, meaning that production and completion of certain jobs could end and begin at the same time. Once a task was completed, it allowed for the start up of another. Dividing the labour amongst workers enabled them to work and specialize on certain tasks. With the Model T, Henry Ford broke down its production into eighty four steps, with each labourer trained in only one of these steps. Following the above techniques, Ford was able to reduce any wasted effort.
This assembly line technique was put into practice and use with the production of the Ford Model T, in 1913. The first automobile to be assembly line operated. The assembly line technique allowed Ford workers to have an increase in wage, which allowed them to purchase their own Model Ts. The increase in production from the moving assembly lined led to increase in sales, which led to a decrease in price, leading to affordability for the masses.
Henry Ford’s vision and construction of mass production led Italian Communist, Antonio Gramsci to coin the term Fordism. Fordism, named after Henry Ford for his success in introducing the assembly line for mass production, is a term that means just that, mass production and consumption. A system that focused on economic growth and advancement, leading to a transformation from an agricultural to an industrial economy of mass production and consumption.