Discuss why mass-production became the dominant form of production in the US and Great Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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Lindsay Grindall                                                                     Modern Corporation

Discuss why mass-production became the dominant form of production in the US and Great Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Mass production – the combination of single purpose machines and unskilled labour to produce standardised goods played a pinnacle role in industrial efficiency during the last century.  But why did it become the dominant form of production?

It is pertinent to define the term mass-production as used in this paper before going on to discuss why it became the dominant production process in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  A discussion of general infrastructure improvements; communication links, distribution and technical innovations will also be included.  Throughout the essay the reader will be provided with examples of these aspects, stating how and why they came about.

Mass production is dictionary defined as the manufacturing of standardised goods in large quantities.  Chandler defines mass-production industries as those in which technological and organisational innovation created a high rate of throughput and therefore permitted a small working force to produce a massive output.  Division and specialisation of labour and mechanisation sped up production to allow the manufacture of near-identical, interchangeable parts.  Such parts were then assembled quickly into finished products on an assembly line.  The new methods of transportation and communication allowed large quantities of raw materials to be continuously ploughed into the production process and finished products to be efficiently distributed away to market.  To develop this however - innovation of machinery and processes was needed.  Once developed, manufacturers were then able to achieve high output.  

Prior to the installation of mass production systems Great Britain and the rest of the western world contained a largely rural population making a living almost entirely from agriculture and dominated by subsistence farming.  Agricultural workers created enough food to satisfy themselves and perhaps a small amount to sell in local markets.  Within manufacturing, technology was primitive and consequently skilled labourers were strongly depended upon to create goods.  The work was highly labour intensive, employees worked on a product from start to finish thus goods were produced slowly and in small numbers.  

 

This changed during the late 19th century however as a number of industries were subject to technological innovations, and these breakthroughs made it possible to use machinery instead of labour to produce a huge flow of goods.  The innovations in machinery did not merely replace manual operation; however, they also made it possible to produce a far greater output at each and every stage in the production process.  Machinery was organised in such a way that stages of production were integrated and synchronised, resulting in a far greater throughput than had each stage been separate from another.

The new technologies brought great advantages to the owners of businesses who utilised such production techniques.  The technology allowed a reduction in the labour force, as well as a reduction in worker skill, resulting in lower labour costs.  Workers would repeat simple repetitive tasks in a pre-defined time and sequence, which meant a low need for specialist skill.  Obviously the volume of what could be produced rose significantly, but flexibility was greatly reduced as there was a low range of products and even fewer designs to choose from, this is typified by Henry Fords comment "You can have any colour you like, so long as it’s black."  The Ford Motor Company, founded by Henry Ford is a prime example of how mass-production emerged through innovation in the workplace.  The growth in the automobile industry was phenomenal.  Registrations in the United States rose from 8,000 to 19,000 to 902,000 in 1912.  In a decade, the automobile went from a novelty to a familiar practicality, changing the face of modern society.  This revolution would not have been possible without the benefits of mass-production.  Task subdivision, close supervision and better organisation of machinery, meant mass-production could occur.  Ford produced his Model-T cars in bulk, and his mass-production techniques meant that he could do this far cheaper than competitors.  Ford's innovation in the workplace meant that throughput was faster, labour was less skilled and the need for workers was reduced, all of which are key factors in mass-production.  Ford demonstrated how technical and organisational innovations facilitated a faster and more efficient throughput of goods, thus illustrating the benefits of mass-production perfectly.

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Another example is that of Frederick Wilmslow Taylor.  As mass industrialisation began to occur all over the world in the late 19th century, there became a limited pool of skilled workers to recruit from.  Many labourers were based in the agricultural regions of America or were immigrants from Europe.  Directing the efforts of workers with little understanding of the English language, few required skills and no experience of working in the disciplined region of a factory, left the organisation with key problems.   Frederick Taylor through his principles of scientific management solved these problems.  Taylor focused on the individual and their ...

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