Fordist Production

Fordist production is a particular form of social and industrial organization characterized by the mass production of highly standardized products and the use of specific equipment and machines to create similar products, alongside the organization of workers into specified and rigid work systems. Fordism is associated with the use of moving assembly lines and the streamlining of manufacturing through specialization and strictly defined divisions of labor.

Fordist production is therefore based around three key themes: (1) the standardization of products, (2) the intensification of the labor process, and (3) the use of specialized equipment and assembly lines to increase productivity.

Named after Henry Ford (1863–1947), the term Fordism refers to the mass production changes introduced within the Ford Motor company in the United States during the early ...