Henry Ford changed all this. His development (and promotion) of mass production meant that cars could be made in huge quantities and at very low cost. Capitalism had found its holy grail. Within two years of the launch of the Ford System, the productivity at some Ford plants had increased by 400 percent or more. The essence of mass production is that every part is interchangeable. Time, space, men, motion, money, and material—each was made more efficient because every piece was predictable and separate.
