Worker operating central electronic control board, DeSoto factory

Close-up view of a man operating central electronic control board at the Warren Avenue DeSoto plant in Detroit, Michigan. DeSoto automobile bodies are suspended on conveyors. Label on back: "At the DeSoto (Warren Plant), miles of overhead conveyor lines which carry component body parts, engines and auto bodies are regulated by an operator at the central electronic control board (above). The board gives the position, directional flow as well as any breakdown of the conveyor lines throughout the entire plant. Also, by manipulating switches on the control panel, the operator can direct, reverse and re-direct every single conveyor inside the plant, in about the same manner as trains can be switched and re-routed by railroad brakemen. When trouble develops in the conveyor system, the control board flashes a signal to an inter-com panel, one of many strategically located along the production lines in the plant, which is answered by an electrician. The operator informs the electrician of the trouble, its locations and often the cause of the trouble which is corrected within a matter of minutes. Through use of this control panel, production of automobiles can be carried on almost without interruption, even when a fault develops in the conveyor system, the central nervous system of mass production." Handwritten on back: "Warren Avenue plant, Detroit, Michigan. Factories--DeSoto."