The progressive assembly line for automobile manufacturing originated with Ransom E. Olds, who deployed the system to produce the Curved Dash runabout starting in 1901. This innovation enabled a rapid expansion of factory output in Lansing, Michigan, and established the foundational concept for mass-producing motor vehicles before the industry adopted synchronous moving lines.
Automotive Development
Born in 1864 in Geneva, Ohio, Olds moved to Lansing as a boy. He worked for P.F. Olds & Son before founding the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in 1897. Following a 1901 factory fire that destroyed most prototypes, he focused on the Curved Dash. He remained the only American pioneer to produce vehicles powered by steam, electricity, and gasoline, eventually securing a diesel engine patent in 1934.
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After leaving Olds Motor Works in 1904, he established the REO Motor Car Company. He served as president until 1925 and later as chairman. The firm produced the REO Speed Wagon, a light delivery truck. In his later years, he expanded into new industries, including the manufacture of lawnmowers in 1946 under the REO Lawn Mower Division.
Lansing Infrastructure
Olds played a central role in the physical development of Lansing. He financed the Olds Tower, completed in 1931, which remains the tallest office building in the city. He was also instrumental in organizing the Capital National Bank, the Michigan Screw Company, and the Atlas Drop Forge Company, while contributing to the Hotel Olds, now known as the George W. Romney Building.
Florida Interests and Politics
Beyond Michigan, Olds purchased 37,547 acres near Tampa Bay in 1916, developing the area into the city of Oldsmar. He later traded this land for the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater. Politically, he served as a delegate to the 1908 Republican National Convention. He passed away in 1950 in Lansing and was interred at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1864, Geneva, Ohio
- Died: 1950, Lansing, Michigan
- Occupations: Engineer, entrepreneur, car designer, racing driver
- Company founded: Olds Motor Vehicle Company, 1897
- Famous vehicle: Curved Dash runabout
- Political service: 1908 Republican National Convention delegate
- Florida project: City of Oldsmar, 1916
- Induction: Automotive Hall of Fame, 1968
Questions readers ask
Did Ransom E. Olds invent the assembly line?
He was the first to implement a progressive moving assembly line in the auto industry, which significantly increased his factory's production volume before Henry Ford introduced the continuously moving synchronous line.
Why was his company called REO?
The name was derived from the initials of his name, Ransom E. Olds. It was intended to be pronounced as a single word rather than an acronym.
