Henry Ford Scale

Henry Ford revolutionised manufacturing through obsessive cost reduction. What step wastes the most time and money? The answer was always movement. He moved the car, not workers. Workers stayed in place. Parts came in sequence. Every step was timed. Inefficient motions were cut. Production time dropped from over 20 hours to 1.5 hours. Cost fell from $900 to $300. The price became affordable for middle-class families. He redesigned the car for manufacturability. The Model T had fewer than 4,000 parts, while competitors had twice as many. Fewer parts meant fewer workers, less inventory, faster assembly. He optimised supply chains.