National Geographic - Ultimate Factories Collection (2010)

Go behind the scenes as National Geographic explores manufacturing goliaths and brings to life some of the greatest one-of-a-kind factories in the world. From an inside look at the making of BMWs newest sports car and Corvettes latest high performance, aerodynamically-efficient street machine, to a tour of Caterpillars six mega-plants and Budweisers state-of-the-art brewing factory, this collection of 11 popular episodes offers exclusive access into the world s Ultimate Factories.

Part 1: BMW
BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works. So you’d expect the Bavarian town of Landshut, Germany to be the place where BMW transforms liquid metal into lightweight engine crankcases. You’d also expect BMW to precision assemble its high-performance 3.0 liter six-cylinder engines in the Bavarian city of Munich. But most people don’t expect BMW to ship some engines across the Atlantic Ocean to BMW’s first full manufacturing plant outside of Germany—in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.


Part 2: Corvette
NGC takes you to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where GM is developing the new Corvette Z06, a high-performance street machine that is fantastically aerodynamically efficient.


Part 3: Fire Trucks
The fire truck gets firefighters to their destination and is their frontline weapon. For generations, Pierce Manufacturing has set the gold standard in fire truck manufacturing, crafting more than 2,000 custom packages. Pierce builds fire trucks at its mega-facility in Appleton, Wisconsin, using space-age technology and exacting specifications. National Geographic goes inside this mammoth 800,000-square-foot operation, where more than 1,500 highly skilled workers mix muscle and high-tech tools to create made-to-order rigs.


Part 4: Caterpiller
The Caterpillar 797B is so large that assembly takes place at six different locations. Tour all of the factories that build this mining Goliath.


Part 5: John Deere
Covering more than 300,000 square meters, the John Deere factory houses more than 2000 employees, 49 robotic welders, eight laser cutters and 14 kilometers of overhead track, all of which help stamp, press, cut and weld 60,000 tons of steel into the John Deere STS Combine—a harvesting mega-machine. When the combine has been assembled and is ready for painting, it undergoes a seven-hour process to receive the trademark John Deere green color. When John Deere decides to update its tractor design, the modification is first tested in the factory's state-of-the-art virtual reality lab to measure the potential impact to the assembly line process, saving both time and money. With its 21st century technology and human innovation, the John Deere mega factory shows the raw power behind one of agriculture's most vital machines.


Part 6: UPS Worldport
Millions depend on UPS. Step inside the largest package delivery company on the planet, delivering 4 billion packages a year. UPS is a transportation network of staggering proportions, complete with a meteorology centre, a flight-simulation training hub, and the ninth largest airline fleet in the world. At the heart of it all is their Ultimate Factory in Louisville, Kentucky.


Part 7: M1 Tank
National Geographic takes you into the factories responsible for completely rebuilding the decades-old Abrams M-1 tank into one of the world's most powerful land weapons systems.


Part 8: Peterbilt
At the Peterbilt factory in Denton, Texas, the world's most sophisticated trucks are built from scratch. Discover Peterbilt's history and drag race a big rig.


Part 9: Winnebago
Winnebago's motor homes, or RVs, have set the standard since the 1960s. But now they have upped the ante with their newest cross-country colossus, the Vectra. Offering 400 square feet of living space, the Vectra even includes a giant basement. From the chassis factory in Gaffney, SC, to the "Big Bertha" mega-plant in IA, visit the Ultimate Factories that create the ultimate home away from home on the open road.


Part 10: Budweiser
What's the secret to Budweiser's success? NGC takes you inside the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis to learn the steps, secrets and science behind this legendary concoction.


Part 11: Harley Davidson
At the Harley-Davidson factory in Kansas City, U.S., it is up to the engineers, designers and factory workers to ensure the V-Rod’s creative look can handle the high speeds for which it was designed while maintaining the signature Harley-Davidson style that consumers expect. Through cutting-edge CGI, factory footage and assembly worker interviews, Mega Factories: Harley-Davidson reveals the makings of one of the most revolutionary Harley-Davidson bike to date.