Making Automotive Assembly Lines Safer

Contrary to popular opinion, Henry Ford didn’t invent the automotive assembly line. That was Ransom Olds of Oldsmobile fame, who reportedly patented his novel manufacturing approach in 1901. Twelve years later, Ford simply took Olds’ good idea and made it better. Much better, it seems. Rather than using a stationary line like Oldsmobile, the Ford Motor Company founder added a moving conveyor, thereby reducing worker fatigue while drastically increasing production throughput. The concept stuck, and more than a century later, the moving assembly line remains an integral piece of most automobile manufacturing.