Figuring out mass production Workers began assembling multiple cars at the same time, although the vehicles remained stationary. Runners began delivering parts to the stationary cars only as they were needed. Parts production was moved close to the assembly point to shorten the waiting time. Heavy components, such as engine blocks and transmissions, were hoisted off the ground by chains to move them through the factory. Ford first attempted assembling multipart ignition systems on a moving conveyer. Ford celebrated the benefits of faster component production on moving lines, but applying the idea to final car assembly still didn't occur to the engineers for a while.
The idea of moving assembly lines didn't occur to Ford's factory engineers all at once. There were many steps to getting there between 1908 and 1913 as Ford pursued greater productivity.
How clever the world feels today when it talks about its accomplishments in the fields of manufacturing and industrial design: efficiency, cost reduction, innovation, automation, worker incentive, job-time reduction, kaizen.
