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Highland Park Ford Plant
Detroit, Michigan
In 1910, the Ford Motor Company moved to its new plant in Highland Park, designed by architect Albert Kahn. Here, Henry Ford and his engineers began to experiment with faster production. By using a motor-driven conveyer belt and having each worker assemble specific parts, they could build a car in 1 1/2 hours instead of 5 hours. Ordinarily, the cars were put together inside the building. When the first floor became too busy, however, final assembly took place outside the plant--car bodies were guided down a special ramp, then attached to the frames and tires. The first assembly-line Model T Ford came out of the Highland Park plant in 1914. By 1921, there were more than 5 million on the road! |
