'Reign of the Robots': The Homer Laughlin China Company and Flexible Mass Production

摘要

In 1936, a trade journalist writing for Ceramic Industry described recent technological innovations at Homer Laughlin China Company of Newell, West Virginia. The writer asserted that the craft potter "of poem, drama, and tale" was disappearing during "a new regime of push-button, sprocket, and bearing"; the artisan's realm had been invaded by "automatons" that were "streaked with flashes of electricity and backed with subtle overtones of science and research." Among the many awe-inspiring devices was a new glazing machine, which was designed to eliminate the hazardous, time-consuming manual task of dipping ware into vats of lead glaze. Instead, a ribbon belt conveyor fed plates through a spray booth, flipped them over, and sprayed them on the reverse at a "breathless" rate of 150 pieces per minute. Another appliance, the Iron Horse, moved people, supplies, and products in the name of efficient kiln management. At Homer Laughlin, the mesmerized journalist contended, the "reign of the robots" had begun.