assembly line
Sequential manufacturing process
An assembly line is a manufacturing arrangement where a product moves past a series of workers or machines, each performing a specific task until the item is complete.
Henry Ford's automobile plants made the concept famous.
The term extends to any highly systematized, repetitive process: The kitchen operated like an assembly line during the dinner rush.
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- productivityOutput relative to input
- throughputProcessing rate over time
- cycle timeDuration of one repetition
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
kaizen · just-in-time · standardization · workflow · value stream mapping · batch processing · economies of scale · division of labor
People doing jobs
- shiftsMoves or work periods
- productionMaking or generating something
- foremanWorker who directs others
- overtimeWork beyond scheduled hours
union · blue-collar · wages · supervisor · repetitive strain · fatigue · stations · quota
Automaton design field
- industrial robotsProgrammable machines for factories
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- actuatorsMovement-producing mechanisms
- PLCIndustrial automation computer
CNC · servo · feedback loops · machine vision · programmable · precision · speed · reliability
Strap securing trousers
- rollersRotating cylindrical movers
- transportMoving things between places
- continuous motionUninterrupted kinetic activity
- mechanizedPowered by machines
throughput · track · loader · unloader · stations · sequential · flow · indexing
optimization
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- productivityOutput relative to input
- throughputProcessing rate over time
- cycle timeDuration of one repetition
bottleneck · kaizen · just-in-time · standardization · workflow · value stream mapping · batch processing · economies of scale · division of labor · specialization
workers
People doing jobs
- shiftsMoves or work periods
- productionMaking or generating something
- foremanWorker who directs others
overtime · union · blue-collar · wages · supervisor · repetitive strain · fatigue · stations · quota · piecework
robotics
Automaton design field
- industrial robotsProgrammable machines for factories
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- actuatorsMovement-producing mechanisms
PLC · CNC · servo · feedback loops · machine vision · programmable · precision · speed · reliability · robotic arm
belt
Strap securing trousers
- rollersRotating cylindrical movers
- transportMoving things between places
- continuous motionUninterrupted kinetic activity
mechanized · throughput · track · loader · unloader · stations · sequential · flow · indexing · pacing
- 1920s AmericaCharles Lindbergh, Jazz Age, Spirit of St. Louis, flappers, transatlantic flight
- DetroitDetroit, Detroit River, Motown, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions
- factoriesfactory, manufacturing plant, car factory, plants, processing plant
- factory floorconveyor belt, forklift, machine operator, foreman, floor supervisor
- vehicle manufacturingcar factory, aircraft factory, paint shop, welding, engine plant
- aircraft manufacturingfuselage, airframes, avionics, landing gear, cockpit
assembly linecottage industry
Small home-based business
made-to-order · handmade · handcrafting · hand-built · handicraft
assembly linejob shop
Facility producing custom orders
guild system · project-based work · limited edition · batch production
assembly linecreative work
Original artistic production
artistry · craftsmanship · meaningful work · artistic expression
line, assembly, assembled, assembling, disassemble, reassemble, assembler, reassembled, disassembly