The assembly line was first invented and patented by Ransom Eli Olds in 1901, who used it to mass-produce his Oldsmobile Curved Dash automobile, significantly increasing production efficiency

. Henry Ford did not invent the assembly line itself but revolutionized it by introducing the moving assembly line in 1913 at his Highland Park plant. Ford's innovation was to have the product move to the workers on a conveyor system, which drastically reduced the time to build a car to about 90 minutes and enabled mass production of the Model T

. Ford's moving assembly line built upon earlier concepts and other industries' conveyor systems, but his implementation is credited with transforming manufacturing and making automobiles affordable to the masses

. In summary:

• Ransom Eli Olds invented and patented the original automotive assembly line concept around 1901

• Henry Ford developed the moving assembly line with conveyor belts in 1913, greatly improving production speed and efficiency

Thus, Olds is credited with inventing the assembly line, while Ford is recognized for perfecting and popularizing the moving assembly line for mass production.