ASSEMBLY LINES
Assembly lines are one of several approaches to the production
of goods and delivering services. But the importance of assembly
lines to business and society is hard to overstate. Often associated
with Henry Ford’s automobile production, they were the hallmark
of mass production, achieving high volumes of standardized
products. As such, they played a pivotal role in the development
of what we now refer to as industrialized nations. By shifting from
craft production methods to assembly lines, producers were
able to successfully employ large numbers of unskilled workers.
By using assembly lines, they achieved tremendous gains
in industrial productivity, produced affordable products, and in
the process greatly increased the standard of living of people in
industrial nations. As you will learn later in the book, assembly
lines also play an important role in a newer approach to operations
called lean production or, more generally, lean operations.