What production innovation did the Model T famously utilize starting in 1913?

Starting in 1913, the Ford Model T famously utilized a moving assembly line.

Ford introduced the moving assembly line at its Highland Park plant in Michigan on October 7, 1913. Instead of having workers move around a stationary automobile, conveyor systems brought the chassis and components through a sequence of specialized workstations. Each worker repeatedly performed a limited set of tasks.

The idea developed through experiments by Ford employees and drew inspiration from disassembly processes observed in industries such as meatpacking. Ford’s major contribution was refining the method for automobile production at enormous scale, combining it with interchangeable parts, specialized machinery, and tightly timed labor.

The results were dramatic. Assembly time for a Model T fell to roughly 93 minutes, and rising productivity helped Ford lower prices from the hundreds of dollars in the early years to about $260 for a basic car in 1925. The moving line did not mean every part of the car was automated, and Ford was not the first person ever to imagine an assembly line; its historic importance lies in making the method central to modern mass production.