In October 1913, Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line at the Highland Park factory in Michigan. The moving assembly was inspired by other industrial companies that used similar production processes, which could be found in bakeries, mills, breweries, and meat packing plants. Ford designed the moving assembly line, which became a revolutionary method of building cars and evolved the automobile assembly process.

Henry Ford's Model T automobile was the first to be massed produced at the Highland Park factory. Workers at stationary workstations increased daily production from hundreds of cars to making thousands with the new moving assembly line. What took workers 12.5 hours to assemble was reduced to just 93 minutes.¹ The significant reduction in production time demonstrated that factories could improve automobile manufacturing efficiency.

Mass production of the Model T allowed Henry Ford to cut costs significantly. In 1908, the Model T was priced at $850, but by 1914 it sold for $490, and by 1924 the price had dropped to $260 (approximately $8,200 in today's dollars).² The innovation of the moving assembly line enabled Ford to build cars faster and more efficiently, which enabled Ford to pass along savings to the consumer. The Model T was affordable, strong enough for traveling on American roads, and accessible for more middle-class people to purchase. By May of 1927, the Model T was the best-selling car in the world, with over 15 million vehicles sold.³

The moving assembly line was later implemented by other major car manufacturers in the industry, reshaping the way cars were made.