The rise of production machinery

Production machinery is made up of tools that make human work easier and raise output several times over, that is, machines. The mattock, plough, water wheel, spindle and windmill are early examples of such tools. Machines came into wide use in industry first in England in the 18th century. The reasons were: England had a strong navy and merchant fleet, it sold much cloth abroad, raw materials came from conquered lands, and owners of capital had money to build factories. Inventions began in cloth making. In 1733 John Kay made a loom with a “flying shuttle”, and weavers worked faster. Then James Hargreaves made the “Jenny” spinning machine that spun many threads at once (1760s). In 1785 Edmund Cartwright made a power loom, regarded as greatly raising output. An engine was needed that could work away from running water. James Watt improved the steam engine and made it practical (1760s–1780s). Steam from boiling water set the machine moving. This engine later drove ships and trains too.