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Interchangeable parts
Interchangeable parts were first used in the firearms industry. Before interchangeable gun parts, every gun was almost completely unique. When guns broke it was much harder to fix. So Honoré LeBlanc had the idea of making standardized gun parts. -
Ransom Olds Born
Ransom Olds was born in Geneva, Ohio. -
Ransom Olds Assembly line patented
Often times Henry Ford is accredited with the first assembly line, it was actually Ransom Olds who made the first assembly line. -
500% increase in production at the Olds Motor Vehicle Factory
After just one year of operating under the assembly line Ransom Olds was able to increase production from 425 cars in 1901 to 2500 cars in 1902. -
Ford begins producing Model T
Ford begins to produce the Model T. It was supposed to be an affordable, durable, and easily operable vehicle. -
George Charles Devol born
George Charles Devol, a future inventor, was born. -
Moving assembly line
Ransom Olds assembly line was overshadowed because of this event. Henry Ford made a more advanced assembly line that moved cars and parts instead of moving people around. It went from 12 hours to just 93 minutes per car. A moving assembly line keeps workers stationary so that they don't have to move their tools around. -
Unimate Prototype
George Devol creates the first robotic arm he called it the Unimate. It was a simple machine designed to move things around. It was first used in a GM diecast factory where it moved molten hot casts. -
The Stanford Arm (Six Axis Robot)
Created by Stanford engineer Victor Scheinman, the robot was able to assemble parts repeatedly. -
Cell manufacturing
A process that was invented to take the repetitiveness of the assembly line away from assembly line workers. Established by Volvo in 1972. -
Sequenced Parts Delivery
SPD is a process that outsources specific parts for a vehicle to various other factories. Then all the assembled individual parts are shipped to a central final assembly plant. -
Cost efficiency
As of 2015, Robots, depending on their size, can operate at a cost of 15 cents per hour to $1.50 per hour.