Who founded the automobile assembly line and created an industry?

While Henry Ford is most associated with the modern automobile assembly line and its impact on the industry, it's inaccurate to say he single-handedly *founded* it. The assembly line concept existed before him, though it was significantly refined and popularized by Ford. He perfected and scaled the process to a degree that revolutionized automobile production, making cars affordable to the masses and creating the modern automotive industry as we know it. Therefore, attributing the creation solely to him is an oversimplification.