The Impact of Ford’s Moving Assembly Line on Modern Society
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Ford’s Moving Assembly Line
The world is witnessing a myriad of advancements that make life easy, convenient, and comfortable. In particular, various fields ranging from business, communication, socialization, and even politics have experienced significant progress. All these improvements stem from events that commenced in the previous years, especially the 20th century. One of the most notable occurrence that took place during the mentioned era is Ford Motor Company’s moving assembly line. All things considered, it can be argued that the development in question ameliorated transportation and businesses significantly despite contributing to road accidents.
The event being considered in this case is the establishment of a continuous assembly line, which helped cut down the time and costs consumed to produce cars. In 1913, Ford constructed a facility comprising a line 150 feet long with 140 assemblers (Ford, n.d.). Unlike the old stationary assembly scheme that took 12 hours to conduct a single vehicle assembly, the new system only needed at least three hours (Ford, n.d.). Consequently, the enterprise could produce several cars promptly and at a reduced cost. Other companies adopted the same technology and, as a result, the cost of cars was reduced considerably, and many people could afford to own automobiles. The movement of individuals from one place to another became easier, which helped conduct daily errands efficiently.
In addition to the fact that cheaper cars helped people move effectively to and from various locations, different businesses also experienced substantial improvements. To begin with, many industries could afford several locomotives to help transport raw materials and finished products to target destinations. Secondly, the time taken to avail products to consumers was cut down substantially, and this improved the reliability of suppliers and manufacturers. Today, companies take minimal time to deliver services and goods to their clients, which assists in ameliorating service quality and profits. By the same token, it is convenient to hold business meetings since individuals can move to the required locations with much ease by the use of cars. Generally speaking, the sentiments above make it clear that Ford’s innovation helped improve businesses across the world.
Despite augmenting the movement of people and trade, the technological event in question had some negative impacts. Admittedly, the most significant one was the increase in accidents caused by a myriad of factors. One may argue that making cars affordable is not the cause of accidents in the world and that aspects such as drunk driving and over speeding are the prominent contributors of such unfortunate events. However, if cars were limited to only a few individuals who could afford the devices, it is logical to say that road accidents would be reduced. For instance, many young people in the U.S. have their own cars, and a substantial number of them are prone to accidents because of drug use and over speeding among other factors (Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, 2015). In light of the illustrations above, it is clear that making cars cheap heightened the incidence of road accidents.
All in all, it is evident that Ford’s moving assembly line helped shape lives in various ways. First of all, the innovation helped cut down the cost of cars, which made it possible for many people to afford automobiles. By the same token, the ease of movement associated with vehicles helped better businesses across the world. Even though the event in question caused a surge in accidents, it is inarguable that it has had many positive influences in society.
References
Ford (n.d). Game Changer: 100th Anniversary of the Moving Assembly Line | Ford Media Center. Retrieved from https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/features/game-changer–100th-anniversary-of-the-moving-assembly-line.html
Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (2015). Driving Among High School Students — United States, 2013. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6412a1.htm