Title: Factory system - Wikipedia
Headings: Factory system
Factory system
Contents
Characteristics
History
Antiquity
Mills
Cotton spinning
Arkwright
Machine tools and interchangeable parts
Societal effects
See also
References

Content: The factory system was first adopted in Britain at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century and later spread around the world. It replaced the putting-out system (domestic system). The main characteristic of the factory system is the use of machinery, originally powered by water or steam and later by electricity. Other characteristics of the system mostly derive from the use of machinery or economies of scale, the centralization of factories, and standardization of interchangeable parts . Contents
1 Characteristics
2 History
2.1 Antiquity
2.2 Mills
2.3 Cotton spinning
2.4 Arkwright
2.5 Machine tools and interchangeable parts
3 Societal effects
4 See also
5 References
Characteristics
The defining characteristics of the factory system are: The factory system is considered a form of production. The operative labour generally does not own a significant share of the enterprise. The capitalist owners provide all machinery, buildings, management and administration, raw or semi-finished materials and are responsible for the sale of all production, as well as any resulting losses. Use of unskilled labour – Before the factory some systems had many products such as shoes and muskets were made by skilled craftsmen who usually custom-made an entire article. In contrast, factories practiced division of labour, in which most workers were either low skilled labourers who tended or operated machinery, or unskilled labourers who moved materials, semi-finished and finished goods.