Factory Floor Simulation Activity
Industrial History Lab • Simulation Series
Factory Floor Simulation
Name: Date: Period:
Station / Crew #: _______
Historical Investigation Prompt
How did the transition from domestic cottage craftsmanship to mechanized factory division of labor revolutionize global manufacturing output, consumer costs, and the everyday lived experience of working people?
Round 1: The Artisan Shop 3 Minutes
Craftsperson Model: You work entirely alone. You are responsible for every step (cutting, drafting, detailing, and inspecting) to manufacture each Locomotive Car from raw paper.
- Take 1 blank card at a time
- Execute Steps 1 through 4 sequentially
- No batch processing allowed; complete one car before starting next
Round 2: The Assembly Line 3 Minutes
Division of Labor: Your team of 4 sits in a linear row. Each worker performs only one specialized micro-task before passing the unit immediately down the line.
- Worker 1: Cut & Fold Chassis
- Worker 2: Draw Boiler & Smokestack
- Worker 3: Detail Wheels & Rivets
- Worker 4: Quality Inspection & Serial Registry
Official Factory Floor Ledger
Record precise counts at the sounding of the final whistle
| Production System | Attempted | Defects (Scrap) | Certified Units | Worker Morale (1-5) |
|---|
| Round 1: Artisan / Cottage Method | | | | |
| (Your Individual Output) | | | | |
| Round 2: Assembly Line Method | | | | |
| (Total Team Line Output) | | | | |
| Round 2 Team Per-Capita Average (Certified ÷ 4 workers) | — | — | | — |
Immediate Floor Observations
1. Where did bottlenecks (delays or pile-ups) occur during Round 2? Which specific station caused the line to stall, and why?
2. Contrast how you felt mentally during Round 1 (making the complete object) versus Round 2 (repeating one single motion).
INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP MANUAL • SIMULATION PROTOCOL PAGE 1 OF 3
Factory Standards Bureau • Spec Sheet
Locomotive Car Blueprint Specs
Quality Code: QC-1884
Standard Unit Schematic • Model “Iron Mule No. 4” Tolerance: ±0.5 cm
CH-1
LOT #____
CAB
W1
W2
W3
PASSED [ ✓ ]
Required Production Elements:
• Step 1: Fold/cut raw stock to standard rectangular chassis.
• Step 2: Draw forward smokestack + rear engineer cab window.
• Step 3: Add exactly 3 circular wheels + row of 6 structural rivets.
• Step 4: Inspector writes Station Lot # and stamps approved.
Station 1: Chassis Cutter Feed Stock
Task: Fold index card in half horizontally or trim to designated line using ruler/scissors. Pass flat chassis directly to Station 2.
Key Metric: Speed & uniform edge straightness.
Station 2: Boiler Drafter Primary Form
Task: Sketch the smokestack on front end and square engineer cab on rear end. Pass immediately to Station 3.
Key Metric: Correct positioning; clear, bold outlines.
Station 3: Detail Mechanic Hardware
Task: Draw exactly 3 aligned circular wheels along bottom rim and 6 dot rivets across midsection. Pass to Station 4.
Key Metric: Rivet count precision; wheel spacing.
Station 4: Inspector & Registrar Final Gate
Task: Verify all specs. If flawless: write Lot #, initial approval box, place in Certified pile. If flawed: toss into Scrap pile!
Key Metric: Zero defective units slip into inventory.
Quality Control Reject Criteria (Scrap Standards)
• Structural Defect: Crooked cuts, torn chassis paper, or inverted orientation.
• Missing Hardware: Fewer than 3 wheels, missing smokestack, or fewer than 6 rivets.
• Inspection Omission: Unsigned approval stamp or missing lot number tracking.
INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP MANUAL • SPECIFICATIONS & ROLES PAGE 2 OF 3
Historical Synthesis • Factory Systems
Economic & Human Analysis
Debrief Guide
Part 1: Production Comparison & Unit Economics
Cottage Model (Round 1): Total classroom output: _______
Assembly Line (Round 2): Total classroom output: _______
Production Growth Ratio: Round 2 ÷ Round 1 = _______x output
Round 1 Defect Scrap Rate: _______ %
Round 2 Defect Scrap Rate: _______ %
Consumer Price Impact: Did cost per unit rise or drop?
Based on your class data, why were factory owners able to sell mass-produced goods far cheaper than handmade artisan products?
Part 2: Primary Source — The Pin Factory
Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations (1776)
“One man draws out the wire, another straights it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head... Those ten persons, therefore, could make among them upwards of forty-eight thousand pins in a day. But if they had all wrought separately and independently... they certainly could not each of them have made twenty, perhaps not one pin in a day.”
How did your simulation experience validate or challenge Adam Smith's claims about the dramatic benefits of specialization?
Part 3: Alienation & The Deskilling of Labor
In pre-industrial times, master artisans spent decades learning complete trades and felt personal pride in each finished piece. In modern factories, workers repeated identical micro-tasks up to 14 hours a day.
A. If an artisan in Round 1 quit, how easy was it for the shop owner to replace them? If Worker 3 on your assembly line quit, how easy was it to replace them? Explain the impact on workers' bargaining power and wages:
B. Karl Marx argued that the factory alienated workers from their labor (stripping away creativity and purpose). Did your team experience any feeling of boredom, stress, or disconnection during Round 2?
Historical Verdict • Synthesis Exit Ticket Argumentative Evaluation
Was the invention of the assembly line ultimately a positive advancement or a detrimental tragedy for the 19th-century working class? Defend your position with evidence from your simulation:
INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP MANUAL • ECONOMIC & HUMAN DEBRIEF PAGE 3 OF 3
