ABSTRACT
Cromford Mill at Belper in Derbyshire by Richard Arkwright,
3 The assembly line. The development of compact individual
electrical, fluid-or air-driven ‘engines’ released the production
machine from the constraint of being tied to a central power
engine. These new machines had relatively unlimited capacity
and power. Together, these factors allowed machines to be
located to match the assembly sequence needed to produce the
final product. The assembly evolved. The buildings which
accommodated this new form of mass production were typified
by being single storey, comparitively large with clear internal
spans to provide the flexibility to reconfiguration of the assem-
bly line to suit changes to the product in a more rapidly evolving
marketplace. The industrial building typology evolved into large
enclosures, single storey with large internal spans.
