-
Period: to
Henry Ford
Henry Ford created the first automobile that was affordable to the American public. This caused a high demand for cars in the country. At this point in time they could only make one car ever twelve hours. He solved this problem by creating the modern day assembly line, which allowed a car to be produced in one and a half hours. -
U.S. Steel is Formed
J.P. Morgan co-founded U.S. Steel by merging Andrew Carnegie's empire with Federal and National Steel Company. The new company was worth tens of billions of dollars and transformed the manufacturing industry. It produced nearly 2/3 of the worlds steel at its peak, which was used to build things like cars and skyscrapers. -
Henry Ford Invents the Assembly Line
Henry Ford used the idea of moving parts and conveyer belts to bring the product to the employees. This allowed the employees to be trained to do just one specific task. This changed how all mass production was done. -
Buick Introduces the Unified Assembly Line
The unified assembly line will become the most efficient type of assembly line. -
Period: to
The Great Depression
The Great Depression had a significant impact on American Manufacturing. Industrial production fell by nearly 47%. -
Toyota Begins to use the Lean Manufacturing Model
This is also referred to as to "just in time" method because items are produced just as they are needed. They still use this method today. -
The Fair Standards of Labor Act is Established
Before this law was signed into effect many adults and children worked extremely long hours for very little pay in hot and dirty factory conditions. Franklin Roosevelt signed an act that mandated a forty hour work week and a minimum wage in the United States. This meant that manufacturers had to increase production to meet standards in a shorter day. This changed the way businesses operated. -
World War ll Begins
At the start of World War 2 many factories shut down the production of consumer goods and began to produce the products and resources needed to fight the war. These factories were also short workers because most of the male population was sent to Europe to fight the war. -
The International Organization for Standardization is Created
This organization began to set international standards for business and manufacturing. -
CAD Changes the Way Products are Manufactured
CAD allowed computers to make precise and accurate cuts that would otherwise be made by humans. This was the beginning of manufacturing in the digital age. -
Integrated Circuits (Chips) are Developed
These allowed for a higher amount of processing and production. It also allowed the manufacturing process to be more autonomous. -
The Hawaiian Merchant Departs for Honolulu
This ship left San Francisco with 70 shipping containers on its deck, which would become revolutionary for global trade of U.S. manufactured goods. -
The St. Lawrence Seaway Opens
This allowed ocean going ships full of raw materials to reach manufacturers in the Midwest. -
Plastic Welding is Invented
This allowed for more goods to be manufactured from plastic. -
"Unsafe at any Speed" is Released
This book brought attention to the fact that cars were not safe and manufacturers should be doing everything they can to keep people safe. This changes the way cars are manufactured forever. -
OSHA is Created
The Occupations Safety and Health Act was created to require employers to create and maintain healthy and safe work environments. This changed they way manufacturers produced goods because they had to make the process safe for all employees. -
The Environmental Protection Agency is Established
This agency was created to protect the environment from harms created by manufacturers and other big business. -
The First Industrial Robot is Introduced
These robots were first introduced in Europe before quickly spreading to the U.S. -
The Oil Crisis Affects American Manufacturing
The oil crisis was making it nearly impossible to transport manufactured goods to where they needed to go. Manufacturers were also not receiving the raw materials they needed. -
Microsoft Computer Software is Developed
Bill Gates developed Microsoft's first computer software. -
Manufacturing Hits its Peak
Although production has increased since then manufacturing provided the most jobs to Americans in this year. Since then robots have taken the previously man powered jobs. -
Smart Cameras are Developed
Cameras with the ability to perform character, date, and code verification are developed. This improves the speed and efficiency of manufacturing. -
The First Personal Computer is Created
Computers have changed the way that manufacturing has been done. It all began with the release of PCs. -
Motorola Develops Six Sigma
This is a quality system that seeks to remove defects and minimize errors. -
Honda Opens the First Japanese Auto Plant in the U.S.
This opened the doors for foreign manufacturing plants in the United States. -
The use of Robots Grows in Manufacturing
A whole new era of manufacturing begins as companies begin to introduce new robots and we gain the ability to combine technology with gestures.