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By 1775 the Nottingham and Cromford mills were showing a profit. In that year he took out his second patent for ten different devices, including one for carding (straightening out the cotton fibres before spinning).
He was able to mechanise the whole process, from taking in the raw cotton to producing spun cotton.
He grasped the need for a mechanised production line and his machines could be operated by a comparatively unskilled work force.
He was able to use cheap labour, including children, and, by 1789, 800 people were employed at Cromford Mill alone.
He developed a factory system and so helped to start the Industrial Revolution
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