The Machines Go In & The Workers Go Out. Industrial Automation At Work

This film gives me an emotional sense of how it feels and felt to be “booted out“ by machines – how it feels physically, economically and emotionally. Not good. But it shows management, at least in this case, as caring about the workers and their families. It was like that when I started working for corporations as a communications guy. I could see that senior management cared in most cases. I don’t know if that is the case today and if senior managers work for their employees and their families or for the stock market. In 1941 when this film was produced, the world was in the midst of World War II and this period saw an increase in automation to support the war effort, mainly in terms of manufacturing. But the level of automation was relatively primitive compared to what we would think of today. The technology available at that time was primarily mechanical and electrical rather than digital or computer-based. Assembly Line Automation: The assembly line had been introduced by Henry Ford in 1913, and this methodology had matured by the 1940s. The assembly line greatly increased the efficiency of manufacturing processes, and thus reduced the need for as many workers. Machine Tools and Production Machinery: Various specialized machine tools and production machinery were used to automate repetitive or dangerous tasks. For example, automated lathes, milling machines, and punch presses helped to increase production speeds and reduce the reliance on manual labor. Electromechanical Systems: Electromechanical systems such as relay logic were used to automate some processes, and advancements in electrical engineering provided a foundation for more complex automated systems. It’s important to note that while some jobs were being replaced by these automated systems, many other jobs were created or evolved to support, operate, and maintain the new machinery and assembly lines. This period was still a long way from the digital automation and robotics that would come in later decades. If watching this clip touched you, please support my efforts to present more by clicking the thanks button below the video screen or by coming a patron at Thank you David Hoffman Filmmaker