Ultimate Factories

Inside Ferrari's closely-guarded factory in Maranello, Italy, you'll see how the newest, most powerful model is created from start to finish, learn its design secrets -- and take a test drive at 200 mph.

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.

Harley Davidson is a legendary machine that is a symbol of freedom, adventure and the open road. Go behind the scenes of the 10-acre flagship factory in Kansas City to witness the birth of the latest model, the V-Rod, as it's built from the ground up.

At the Peterbilt factory in Denton, Texas, the world's most sophisticated trucks are built from scratch. Discover Peterbilt's history and see why these massive trucks are called "Kings of the Road."

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.

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 tractors design, the modification is first tested in the factories 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.

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

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

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.

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.

Go inside a mammoth 800,000 sq.ft. operation, where over 1,500 highly skilled workers mix muscle and high-tech tools to create made-to-order fire truck rigs in approximately 45 days.

The soon-to-be-released Chevy Volt electric car just might redefine the automotive world: It can go from 0 to 60 in less than nine seconds, hit a top speed of 100 miles per hour and is good for 40 miles of zero-emission, pure electric driving. National Geographic got a rare, behind-the-scenes look inside the preproduction factory for this revolutionary vehicle. At GM's 200,000-square-foot facility outside of Detroit, Michigan—a place closely guarded for fear of industrial espionage—see what it takes to design, build, and assemble this car of the future. At this high-tech "Ultimate Factory", 18,000 parts and 1,000 hours of aerodynamic testing come together to create the Volt. And, at the heart of this revolutionary design is a 6-foot long, 400-pound battery that GM hopes will usher in a new era of automobiles.

What does it take to build the "ultimate driving machine"? See firsthand how cutting-edge robot labor and human touch combine to craft a $45,000 BMW Z4.

The Mack Titan has over 10 tons of chrome and steel, packing 605 horsepower and a 200-ton towing capacity. This new truck is built right here in the U.S. at Mack's 1 million-square-foot factory in Macungie, Pa. With a high level of customization, nearly every truck that rolls off the line is different. This makes automating the production process nearly impossible, so the work on the Titan is done almost entirely by hand. Manning several assembly lines and production facilities, this factory is powered by old-fashioned sweat and elbow grease. While many companies have switched to automated painting, Mack still paints all vehicles by hand. And all parts, including the monstrous engine, are inspected to ensure they meet Mack standards before installation occurs. When the final product drives off the production line, the Titan will tackle some of the toughest jobs in the trucking industry.

The Frito Lay factory in Perry, Ga. Is one of the biggest chip factories in the world. The facility is divided into four main areas: the bakery, where they shape and bake products including cheese puffs, Funyuns and pretzels; the corn room, for tortilla-style products like Doritos; the potato chip production area; and finally a distribution center. We'll follow as potatoes are peeled, sliced, cooked and coated with flavors to perfection, and we'll have a front-row seat as the chips fly past the automatic system that scans each one, registering any anomaly in color, weight, size or density. If it isn't perfect, it is blown into the reject bin, ensuring that only the best quality is packaged to hit grocery stands across the country. We'll see how a simple potato is transformed into one of America's favorite snacks.