Ford Rouge Plant Pictorial Flow Chart, "Complete Car Can Be Built in 28 Hours," 1940

In 1927, Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of its River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. The conveyors moved coal and coke to the pulverizing building and screening stations. Coke made from coal was used in the steelmaking process of the blast furnaces. This vigorous photograph shows Sheeler's ability to form a compelling image from a complicated scene.

Ford constantly tweaked Model T assembly lines at its Highland Park plant for efficiency. In 1914, wheels and radiators were conveyed to a platform and slid down ramps for installation on the same line. By 1925, wheels (with tires already mounted and inflated) were conveyed directly to workers, who installed them on both sides of the chassis at once.

From the Curators: Henry Ford & Innovation

Ford Motor Company operated its own industrial railroad at the Rouge factory. Ford-owned locomotives moved incoming railcars filled with raw materials, and outgoing railcars loaded with finished parts and vehicles. Ford employees crewed trains, cared for locomotives, and maintained 100 miles of track within the factory grounds. At its 1930s peak, Ford's Rouge railroad was one of the largest privately owned rail operations in the world.