Progression of Manufacturing via Technological Advancement

Advancements in technology have allowed for advancements in all other fields. Technological advancements are actually rooted in economic theory; once human and physical capital reach capacity, technology is the only factor that can increase output in the long term (until new maximums of capital are introduced).

For example, let's take a look at how cars have been manufactured over the years. Before the early 1900's, cars were built by hand, piece by piece, and efficient factories could only build a couple dozen per day. However, Henry Ford came along and invented the assembly line, taking advantage of the idea of specialization and speeding the process of automobile production up.

Over the years, programmers and companies realized the men on those assembly lines, while possibly great people, were perfectly replaceable. Ideally, they'd be replaced by something the company didn't have to pay hourly. Modern assembly lines are run by machines that operate under the direction of programs, as seen as these robotic arms tending to a new Ferrari chassis:

There's no doubt that these new methods of production pay for themselves both through lack of labor costs and new speeds of production.

Knowledge on the timing of Ford and the assembly line:
http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/cars.html

Ford Assembly Line image:
http://ophelia.sdsu.edu:8080/ford/12-30-2012/our-company/heritage/heritage-news-detail/heritage-model-a-production-begins-at-rouge.html
Ferrari Assembly Line image:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-19544906