The BEST episodes of Ultimate Factories
Every episode of Ultimate Factories ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ultimate Factories!
Ultimate Factories also known as Megafactories is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2006 on the National Geographic Channel. The program explores the inner workings of factories worldwide. Each episode profiles the machinery and manpower behind each factory's main product, featuring close-ups, breakdowns, interviews, and side stories to show the sequence of events to produce the product in the factory. Hoff Productions was one of the principal producers of this highly successful series. It also airs in non-US markets as Megafactories.
#1 - Learjet
Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/26/2012
The construction of the Learjet 60XR in Kansas, a multimillion-pound private plane that combines jet-fighter performance with yacht-style luxury.
#3 - Swedish Supercar: Koenigsegg Agera
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2013
Only a privileged few ever get behind the wheel of the slick, sexy Koenigsegg and, similarly, only a privileged few play a role in its lovingly hand-built construction. Enter their artistic Swedish factory. Discover how each powerful Koenigsegg car is lovingly hand-built, in a Swedish factory that looks more like an art studio than a car production plant. The basic concept of the Koenigsegg is simple: a road car body that incorporates a Formula One racing car chassis. Koenigseggs are among the most exclusive super cars in the world with unparalled levels of performance. The combination of uncompromising quality in both finish and function and the use of space age materials make these super cars among the very best in automotive history. Koenigseggs are built to excel on the road or racetrack, yet are still highly comfortable for long distance travelling.
#5 - LEGO
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/21/2012
As simple as it is successful, LEGO is without doubt one of the most popular toys of all time. This eye-opening trip to the company's high-tech factory reveals how robots and tricky test markets are behind the company's ever-popular police station set.
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#8 - Lamborghini
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/2009
Lamborghinis factory in SantAgata Bolognese, Italy [ALT: 20 miles/30 kilometers north of Bologna) is building its fastest car ever the Murcielago SV, of which just 350 will be made. The $450,000 Murcielago SV launches from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 3.2 seconds and can achieve a top speed of 212 miles per hour. The factory builds the car almost entirely by hand including its engine and body. The car is also painted and assembled by hand, including installation of the famous Lamborghini scissor doors. Every car is custom-built to order, and only 2.7 cars are completed per day.
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#9 - Audi
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/13/2010
Our cameras go inside the Audi R8 factory in Neckarsulm, Germany and follow the crafting of a road car modeled after a champion racecar. With the introduction of the R8, Audi breaks out of its elegant sedan image to create a sportscar that rivals the likes of Porsche and Lamborghini. Modeled after the R8 racecar that dominated at LeMans, the Audi R8 road car is a mid-engine two-seater with explosive power and a smooth ride. Audi has combined all of its engineering innovations over the last few decades into this one sportscarall wheel drive, an ultra-light aluminum spaceframe and high-tech fuel injection. Since its launch in 2007, the super sleek R8 has appeared in many films and TV shows, including: Iron Man, Transformers, Dirty Sexy Money, CSI: Miami, Chuck, and 17 Again. This car is grabbing the attention of sports car fanatics, photographers and automotive journalists all over the world Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/ultimate-factories/4544/Overview#ixzz0kd5idX98
#11 - Camaro
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/15/2009
What does it take to build a classic car with 21st century technology? Now, after nearly a decade off the factory line, Chevy is reintroducing the 2010 Camaro SS. NGC visits the 10-million-square-foot factory, one of the largest auto plants in the world, where the car is stamped from cold raw steel and assembled by high-tech precise robots and nearly 5,800 employees, to create the car's specially designed "unibody" construction.
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#12 - Porsche
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/2009
Get inside the famous House of Porsche and see how they create the Porsche 911, one of the most influential and recognizable vehicles in the world. Every distinctive element is manufactured at the Zuffenhausen factory in Stuttgart, Germany, a historical industrial monument. We'll examine the Porsche factory's innovative system of lifts, elevators and bridges, which conveys car bodies 50 feet above a public highway.
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#13 - Rolls-Royce
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/2009
The Phantom is the first Rolls-Royce motorcar to be introduced since the company was acquired by BMW in 1998. Each Phantom is a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and old-world craftsmanship, constructed with meticulous attention to detail. Manufacture of the Phantom begins in Unterhallerau, Germany, where its strong, stiff and lightweight space frame chassis is built. Each space frame and body shell assembly is then sent to BMWs factory in Dingolfing, Germany for corrosion-resistance treatment and primer paint. Next, each Phantom is shipped to a manufacturing facility constructed by BMW specifically to build the new generation of Rolls-Royce motorcars. It takes an average of 450 hours and the skills of hundreds of dedicated craftspeople, artisans, designers, engineers, mechanics, painters, sewing machinists and others to hand-build each car. At a base price of $380,000, the Phantom comes equipped with an impressive list of standard amenities including 90 square yards (75 sq meters) of A-grade Bavarian leather upholstery and book matched interior wood trim, hand-crafted from exotic veneers, all of which are fashioned right in the main assembly building of the Goodwood plant. With the Rolls-Royce customization, or bespoke program, however, the options are limited only by the boundaries of the buyers bankroll and imagination.
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#16 - Mercedes Truck Actros
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/12/2012
Each new version of the Actros is custom made by Mercedes-Benz, a supreme test of efficiency for a factory that builds a truck every two minutes.
#21 - Eurofighter
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/3/2012
The construction of the Eurofighter Typhoon, an advanced multi-role combat aircraft, is chronicled in three factories across three countries.
#22 - Frito-Lay
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/28/2012
A Frito-Lay factory in Perry, Ga., is visited for a look at the making and distribution of potato chips, cheese puffs and tortilla chips.
#25 - IKEA
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/2009
In 36 countries, in 296 stores IKEA represents a distinct design and an affordable price. Each year nearly 600 million customers choose IKEA. From teaspoons to living rooms, the entire contents of a home are designed, manufactured and supplied in a huge variety of styles, colors and models... almost 10,000 items. To get the job done, suppliers in 54 countries carry out IKEAs vision. In Zbaszynek, Poland, IKEAs largest wood production plant in the world, creates 2 million tables, chairs, sofas and recliners each year. Nearby, in Nowe Skalmmierzyce, IKEAs the companys textile supplier builds over 500 pieces of upholstered furniture daily. In southern Sweden, three ultimate factories create IKEA staples. In Almhult, the prototype for every product is born and an advanced mass produced carpentry factory creates state of the art kitchens. In Kattilstorp, the classic Billy Bookcase is manufactured. And in Hultsfred, the foundation of most IKEA furnishings, the strong, hardwearing particle board is born.
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