Table 2.3: Mechanics

Before Disaggregation
All the equipment on a factory floor runs off a single central engine. In the days of steam engines, one big steam engine provided power for an entire factory. A mechanical transmission along the ceiling brought power to all the machine tools—lathes, drills, etc.—on the factory floor. Moving anything around meant fiddling with the transmission, which was difficult and expensive.
The Innovation and What It Does
Electric motors for machine tools. Henry Ford and his team were among the first people to use electric motors to power factory tools. They eliminated the rigid, hard-to-change connection between the central steam engine and the machine tools.
Outcome
Ford and his team gained terrific flexibility. They experimented with the machine tools, moving them around on the factory floor to find the most efficient layouts.
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