3 ms·

Mass production and factories had already been a thing for almost a century when Ford started his factories. It is like saying that the new innovation "computer

Mass production and factories had already been a thing for almost a century when Ford started his factories. It is like saying that the new innovation "computers" was behind Facebooks success.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
nine_k 5y ago
No, the Ford's innovation is division of labor while producing a complex thing, a car. Instead of a team working on various operations, Ford's system introduced workers who each did a very simple operation, without having to change or readjust. The need for coordination between workers was largely removed, replaced by the conveyor, seriously improving production speed.
- PeterisP 5y ago
  Division of labor while producing a complex thing was a concept well established and documented during the industrial revolution before Ford. E.g. Adam Smith had a lot to say exactly about "Instead of a team working on various operations, [...] introduced workers who each did a very simple operation, without having to change or readjust.", it's misleading to call it "Ford's system" because Ford applied it extensively, but he did not invent it and wasn't the first to use it. Conveyor lines also wasn't an invention of Ford - he applied them a lot on scale, but they were widely used in different industries long before he was born. He also wasn't the first to apply continuous assembly lines specifically to the production of cars, as far as I understand the founder of Oldsmobile had been doing high-volume series-production of cars with strong division of labor a couple years earlier, though eventually not as successful as Ford. He can and should be credited with applying these innovations at scale and ironing out various kinks in the process and popularizing these concepts, but it would be a lie to call it "Ford's innovation", all these things you mention were initially invented by others, although Ford did manage the practical implementation of all these innovations in combination unusually well.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  No, that was pioneered by Ransom E. Olds. That doesn't stop Ford from repeating this at every opportunity but it isn't really true. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds
  - fighterpilot 5y ago
    Which car company was using division of labor before Ford?
    - zaroth 5y ago
      Olds-mobile, of course.

Mass production and factories had already been a thing for almost a century when Ford started his factories. It is like saying that the new innovation "computers" was behind Facebooks success.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

nine_k 5y ago

No, the Ford's innovation is division of labor while producing a complex thing, a car. Instead of a team working on various operations, Ford's system introduced workers who each did a very simple operation, without having to change or readjust. The need for coordination between workers was largely removed, replaced by the conveyor, seriously improving production speed.

PeterisP 5y ago
Division of labor while producing a complex thing was a concept well established and documented during the industrial revolution before Ford. E.g. Adam Smith had a lot to say exactly about "Instead of a team working on various operations, [...] introduced workers who each did a very simple operation, without having to change or readjust.", it's misleading to call it "Ford's system" because Ford applied it extensively, but he did not invent it and wasn't the first to use it. Conveyor lines also wasn't an invention of Ford - he applied them a lot on scale, but they were widely used in different industries long before he was born. He also wasn't the first to apply continuous assembly lines specifically to the production of cars, as far as I understand the founder of Oldsmobile had been doing high-volume series-production of cars with strong division of labor a couple years earlier, though eventually not as successful as Ford. He can and should be credited with applying these innovations at scale and ironing out various kinks in the process and popularizing these concepts, but it would be a lie to call it "Ford's innovation", all these things you mention were initially invented by others, although Ford did manage the practical implementation of all these innovations in combination unusually well.
jacquesm 5y ago
No, that was pioneered by Ransom E. Olds. That doesn't stop Ford from repeating this at every opportunity but it isn't really true. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds
- fighterpilot 5y ago
  Which car company was using division of labor before Ford?
  - zaroth 5y ago
    Olds-mobile, of course.