CHAPTER 6The concept of the assembly line

The assembly line is a system in which product units move through a sequence of stations, each with all the resources needed for one operation, and at which each unit is processed as itpasses through. Invented at Ford in 1913, the assembly line concept hasyet to be implemented systematically, in spite of its proven superiority over bench assembly in all butafew applications like buildingprototypes. Assembly line work is unpopular with operators. It can be made safer, more secure, and less tedious, butnot into what children dream of doing as adults. Over decades, thesejobs will be automated, and the challenge is to manage thisgradualprocess in a way that assemblers can support, that isincremental enough ...

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