Consequences of Henry Ford’s Production Line
In his chapter on industrial design (written in 1987), historian John Heskett claims that the methods of mass production introduced by Henry Ford in the U.S. involved new concepts of standardization and the integration of the production line. With Ford’s method, work could be completed by relatively unskilled workers. Production was more efficient, and, with this method, products were made more quickly and cheaply than previously possible.
What were some of the social consequences of Ford’s production line? In other words, how did this system change our U.S. society?
Do any of those changes remain with us today?
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Consequences of Henry Ford’s Production Line