The assembly line, despite the simplicity of its basic form, is a relatively modern concept. The first true assembly line is widely regarded to have been Ransom E. Olds’ 1901 invention, which was later implemented by Henry Ford in his Michigan automobile factory in 1913. This cut the cost of a Model T, the car being produced at the factory, more than threefold from $850(around $30,000 in today’s dollars) to $260(approximately $9,000 in today’s dollars) and was such a resounding success that it allowed Ford to guarantee five dollars of pay per day and five days of work per week(unusually good conditions for the time).

Of course, humans have been manufacturing items in steps for a very long time. In fact, evidence points to multi-step manufacturing of tools more than three million years ago, long before the Homo Sapiens(human) species is considered to have evolved. However, the moving assembly line, in which specialized, low-skill workers or even machines could do work faster and more efficiently than any broad artisan could, is distinctly new. Early multi-step manufacturing, in contrast to assembly lines, typically consisted of one or two skilled humans(or hominids) going through all the steps one at a time.

Since the initial invention of the production line, it has also been greatly improved upon. In the more present day, assembly lines have been both expanded and streamlined, doing more in less steps. For example, the initial Ford production line had 84 steps. A typical Tesla Model 3 assembly line in the present day has 43 steps. Despite this, the difference between the performance of a Ford Model T and the performance of a modern car is astronomical. 

Assembly lines are also used for far more than cars. From smartphones to clothing to food, most, if not all, mass-produced consumer items today are made on assembly lines.

Though most assembly lines still involve significant menial human labor, some do not. There are now factories that rely entirely on machines, without any physical human labor. However, this technology is not yet considered sufficient enough to entirely replace human-labor factories. Machines still need human mechanics to stay in working condition, and machine-only factories cannot yet account for unexpected variables or accidents in production.

Production line creation is, despite its mechanical involvement, still integrated with art. Line simulation and creation still require a subjective aspect in order to anticipate variations and accidents that vary from what is mathematically expected, and adherence to safety guidelines requires the designer to consider the actions of human workers as well as of machines.

Assembly lines are often first simulated in CAD(computer-aided design) programs. Then, according to what happens in these simulations, the design is usually altered and fixed to maximize efficiency and minimize risk. After multiple iterations, the design is handed off and implemented on a large scale. It is again tested multiple times before it is put into use for standard production.

Production lines are responsible for most of the items that we use today. From the original Ford line to the varied processes that have arisen from it, they are the basis for the modern consumer society.