Ford and Assembly Lines Flashcards

Who was Henry Ford?

An American car maker who founded Ford Motor Company and used assembly lines to mass-produce cars.

What was the Model T?

Ford's simple, reliable car, built from 1908, designed to be cheap for many people.

What is an assembly line?

A system where the product moves past workers on a belt and each worker repeats one small job.

How did the moving assembly line change the time to build a Model T?

After 1913, build time fell from about 12 hours to about 1 hour 33 minutes.

What does standardisation mean in Ford's factories?

Making all parts and cars the same, so parts were interchangeable and building was faster.

What did Ford mean by "any colour so long as it's black"?

He sold one standard model in black to speed up work, as black paint dried faster.

What does division of labour mean on an assembly line?

Splitting the job into many small steps, with each step done by a different worker.

What were working conditions like on Ford's assembly lines?

Work was fast and repetitive with strict timing. Pay was high but many found it boring.

By 1927, about how many Model Ts had Ford produced?

Over 15 million.

How did Ford's mass production affect other parts of the economy?

It created jobs in steel, rubber, glass and road building, and many firms copied the method.

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