{{Main article|Assembly line}}

{{Main article|Assembly line}}

[[File:Factory Automation Robotics Palettizing Bread.jpg|thumb|Factory automation with industrial robots for palletizing food products like bread and toast at a bakery in Germany.]]

[[File:Factory Automation Robotics Palettizing Bread.jpg|thumb|Factory automation with industrial robots for palletizing food products like bread and toast at a bakery in Germany.]]

[[Henry Ford]] further revolutionized the factory concept in the early 20th century, with the innovation of the [[mass production]]. Highly specialized laborers situated alongside a series of rolling ramps would build up a product such as (in Ford's case) an [[automobile]]. This concept dramatically decreased production costs for virtually all manufactured goods and brought about the age of [[consumerism]].{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/default-document-library/henryfordandinnovation.pdf?sfvrsn=0|title=Henry Ford and Innovation|last=Bob Casey, John & Horace Dodge|date=2010|website=The Henry Ford}}

[[Henry Ford]] further revolutionized the factory concept in the early 20th century, with the innovation of the [[mass production]]. Highly specialized laborers situated alongside a series of rolling ramps would build up a product such as (in Ford's case) an [[automobile]]. This concept dramatically decreased production costs for virtually all manufactured goods and brought about the age of [[consumerism]].{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/default-document-library/henryfordandinnovation.pdf?sfvrsn=0|title=Henry Ford and Innovation|last=Bob Casey, John & Horace Dodge|date=2010|website=The Henry Ford|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20170830015505/https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/default-document-library/henryfordandinnovation.pdf?sfvrsn=0|archive-date=2017-08-30}}

In the mid - to late 20th century, industrialized countries introduced next-generation factories with two improvements:

In the mid - to late 20th century, industrialized countries introduced next-generation factories with two improvements: