The history of a factory is better understood when the different tasks and the people who carried them out are observed. Production, administration and business organisation are part of the same story.

The J.C. Newman museum dates the opening of its factory in Marion, Ohio, to 1919 and describes a production workforce made up mainly of women. In another article, the company recalls the participation of women at the start of the business and in accounting and management tasks.

Following the tasks makes it possible to see contributions that a history centred on the founders can leave in the background. The Marion case places women in production, and the company history adds other organisational roles. Both perspectives help to recognise the collective work that sustains a factory.