At which Ford factory was the moving assembly line first used for automobile production?

Ford first used the moving assembly line for automobile production at its Highland Park Plant in Michigan. The system began operating there in 1913 as Ford sought to increase Model T output.

Earlier Ford factories used stationary assembly methods, with workers and parts arranged less efficiently. At Highland Park, the vehicle moved through a sequence of workstations while employees performed specialized tasks.

The innovation sharply reduced assembly time and helped lower the price of the Model T. Ford’s system built on earlier industrial ideas, including meatpacking disassembly lines and conveyor technology, rather than appearing from a single invention.

Ford’s Piquette Avenue Plant is often confused with Highland Park because it was important in Model T development. The Model T was designed at Piquette, but the famous moving assembly line was implemented at Highland Park. The later River Rouge Complex became another major Ford manufacturing site.