4 ms·

Detroit invented both the assembly line and also related mfg. process efficiency. (In WW2, Detroit made weapons 3x or more cheaply than the Germans, who clung

Detroit invented both the assembly line and also related mfg. process efficiency. (In WW2, Detroit made weapons 3x or more cheaply than the Germans, who clung to individual craftsmanship. For example, if you watch period films, you can see Detroit machining several parts in parallel. They also redesigned all the sample parts provided by the military with cheaper materials and less parts or machining.) Kaiser pioneered modular construction of ships in WW2, making a new Liberty cargo ship every few hours and a new aircraft carrier weekly (!), totalling 120 carriers by he end of the war. Britain thought he wouldn't even finish one. (His first shipyard was in SF Bay.) Toyota adopted mfg. ideas from Deming, but obviously he influenced companies before then. Ironically, it was Detroit that got leap-frogged. It should be interesting as Japanese companies move en masse from China to other countries in the region. The CCP is pushing them out to recover land, especially in port areas, and they blocked capital outflows in 2016, meaning foreign investment is a one-way trip.

sofixa 5y ago
No, the assembly line was popularised in the UK during the industrial revolution, but was used in Venice for shipbuilding in the 1100s. The moving assembly line for manufacturing was created by Ford, and inspired by the Chicago meat industry. > (In WW2, Detroit made weapons 3x or more cheaply than the Germans, who clung to individual craftsmanship. For example, if you watch period films, you can see Detroit machining several parts in parallel. They also redesigned all the sample parts provided by the military with cheaper materials and less parts or machining.) Germans didn't cling to individual craftsmanship, especially post ~1942 manufacturing was heavily automated. > Kaiser pioneered modular construction of ships in WW2, making a new Liberty cargo ship every few hours and a new aircraft carrier weekly (!), totalling 120 carriers by he end of the war. Modular shipbuilding has been a thing for a long time. Post-1942, Germans built submarines with blocks constructed in different places and brought together for assembly.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  The above post is almost comically false. > Germans didn't cling to individual craftsmanship They did until they ran out of men, and started to use unskilled slave labor. German industry and leadership so valued craftsmen that they built socialized housing for them. > Post-1942, Germans built submarines with blocks constructed in different places and brought together for assembly. My understanding is that of the ones built that way, all but one sank leaving port due to not being watertight. The reason American was called the "arsenal of democracy" was because it really was, and my post explained why.

sofixa 5y ago

No, the assembly line was popularised in the UK during the industrial revolution, but was used in Venice for shipbuilding in the 1100s. The moving assembly line for manufacturing was created by Ford, and inspired by the Chicago meat industry. > (In WW2, Detroit made weapons 3x or more cheaply than the Germans, who clung to individual craftsmanship. For example, if you watch period films, you can see Detroit machining several parts in parallel. They also redesigned all the sample parts provided by the military with cheaper materials and less parts or machining.) Germans didn't cling to individual craftsmanship, especially post ~1942 manufacturing was heavily automated. > Kaiser pioneered modular construction of ships in WW2, making a new Liberty cargo ship every few hours and a new aircraft carrier weekly (!), totalling 120 carriers by he end of the war. Modular shipbuilding has been a thing for a long time. Post-1942, Germans built submarines with blocks constructed in different places and brought together for assembly.

redis_mlc 5y ago
The above post is almost comically false. > Germans didn't cling to individual craftsmanship They did until they ran out of men, and started to use unskilled slave labor. German industry and leadership so valued craftsmen that they built socialized housing for them. > Post-1942, Germans built submarines with blocks constructed in different places and brought together for assembly. My understanding is that of the ones built that way, all but one sank leaving port due to not being watertight. The reason American was called the "arsenal of democracy" was because it really was, and my post explained why.