178 Materials and Their Handling 



floor plate, under a crane. Small work may be 

 done in a separate department at benches with 

 special fixtures, if these are required. 



The most efficient method of assembling is to 

 do it on a "line" or slowly moving carrier. This 

 has been developed to a remarkable degree by 

 some of the larger automobile manufacturers, as 

 in the Ford plant. A chassis frame is set upon a 

 slowly moving carrier, the assemblers working on 

 each side as it progresses down the line. The 

 necessary parts reach the assembling line, from 

 the side, at the proper points. As the frame pro- 

 ceeds down the line, piece after piece is added 

 until the finished chassis or automobile leaves the 

 line under its own power. Obviously, this is pos- 

 sible only under rigid standardization in which 

 the design is fixed and put through in large quan- 

 tities. Each assembler, instead of putting together 

 all of a single machine, will be trained and become 

 highly skilled in the assembling of a single part. 

 The principle of the division of labor is thus ap- 

 plied to assembling work, which has been slower 

 to adopt this principle than any other phase of 

 manufacturing. 



Schedules Are Necessary on Line Assembly. 

 Assembling on a line requires the most highly de- 

 veloped planning and scheduling, because a short- 

 age of parts holds up the assembly, not of one 

 machine only, but of the entire product on the line. 

 On the other hand, if the assembly is operated 

 smoothly and without delays, it is marvelously 

 efficient and rapid. The work throughout the en- 



