The development of an industrial society in the United States was a long and complex process, but one of the major contributors was the invention of the assembly line by Henry Ford and his engineers, an act that revolutionized and mechanized large-scale manufacturing. Ford (1863–1947) did not invent the automobile, but he was an early experimenter in automobile development and formed the Ford Motor Company. He began manufacturing cars in 1903 at a small factory in Detroit. In 1908, he introduced the Model T, which retailed for $850 and was famously available in only one color—black. Model Ts were very popular, but Ford wanted to find a way to bring the price down even more, to within the reach of the average worker. He also wanted to produce the automobiles more efficiently, so that more cars could be made to meet the growing demand.