The Moving Assembly Line Turns 100 (2013)

assemblymag.com

22 points·highfrequency··7 comments

On that subject, there is a "Steam Automation Fest" until Jul 21 [1].

For the Zachtronics fans in the HN crowd Kaizen is out, by devs from the original team [2].

[1] https://store.steampowered.com/category/automation

[2] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2275490/Kaizen_A_Factory_...

Today I found out the Zachtronics team disbanded - a shame, although to be honest I could never really get into their games, they're not passive entertainment at all. I did enjoy printing out some of their manuals and just exploring the games that way though :)

I will probably buy it just to support “work puzzle” games, but I have to say, the trailer does not sell the mechanics.

Article date: October 1, 2013. Seems like important info for the title.

I think it's important to remember that the inspiration for the assembly line was the disassembly line used at Armour, Swift, and Wilson meat packing plants to take apart cattle.

Running that process backwards, along with the Gage Blocks and metrology to allow the production of truly interchangeable parts on an industrial scale, is what made the assembly line a practical system.

It would seem the assembly line also prevents workers from slacking, as they are in constant competition to stay ahead of workers at other stations.

No need for managers to crack the whip. They do it to themselves.

My colleague worked at car assembly line as a student. It’s brutal. For hours you count seconds and do the repetitive task hundreds of times. He didn’t last long. There’s no competition though, the line stops always for pre-defined time.

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