Long before Lean and Six Sigma, was there a similar kind of discussion among managers about best practices. What were some of the hot production theories of this time? Or was it more about working longer hours and finding smaller hands?
My friend. Let me introduce you to The American System of Manufacturing.
Eli Whitney is most famous for the Cotton Gin. However, his invention of interchangeable parts and early assembly line production are just as significant if not more significant.
I know what you are thinking. Didn't Henry Ford invent the assembly line? Well, not quite. Henry Ford invented a system where the product moved down an assembly line and each worker only performed a few actions of the enormous task of building a car. In Eli Whitney's assembly line a long line of workers would each assemble a musket from interchangeable parts.
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