What quantifiable metric replaced the tracking of an artisan's daily time commitment in early factory efficiency measurement?
Answer
The sheer volume of completed pieces emerging from the machine line
The industrial acceleration brought by the sewing machine fundamentally changed how productivity was measured in textile manufacturing. Prior to mechanization, output was intrinsically tied to the time commitment and skill level of the individual artisan. Once factories were equipped with machines capable of hundreds of stitches per minute, efficiency became dictated by the mechanical output of the equipment itself. Therefore, the standard metric shifted to the sheer volume of completed pieces that emerged from the machine line, emphasizing quantifiable output irrespective of the operator's personal skill level, which became a hallmark of the new industrial age efficiency.
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