Synopsis
Go behind the scenes as Megafactories explores manufacturing goliaths and brings to life some of the greatest one-of-a-kind factories in the world.
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National geographic
Megafactories
National geographic
Megafactories
Episodes
Pyrotechnics
+Australia's Howard and Sons have been making fireworks for almost 100 years, now the reigns have been handed down to a new generation and they are breaking with tradition.
Super Cars: Corvette ZR1
+A rare look inside the Corvette Mega Factory which produces the ZR1-a genuine American supercar. It is the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Corvette ever built .
Super Cars: Corvette ZR1
+A rare look inside the Corvette Mega Factory which produces the ZR1-a genuine American supercar. It is the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Corvette ever built .
Super Cars: Lexus LFA
+Find out how Lexus are moving away from their old image with a brand-new supercar capable of going from 0 to 100kph in under four seconds.
Super Cars: Lexus LFA
+Find out how Lexus are moving away from their old image with a brand-new supercar capable of going from 0 to 100kph in under four seconds.
Super Cars: Tesla Model S
+With fossil fuels becoming increasingly sparse, this is the story behind the world's first fully electric premium sedan - the Tesla Model S.
Super Cars: Tesla Model S
+With fossil fuels becoming increasingly sparse, this is the story behind the world's first fully electric premium sedan - the Tesla Model S.
Jaguar XJ
+Visit the Jaguar factory in Castle Bromwich, England as we uncover the design secrets that gave life to the new XJ.
Learjet
+For 50 years, Learjet has been synonymous with high-flying luxury and the celebrity jet-set. This is the construction story behind Learjet's top of the range 60XR - one of the world's most iconic private aircraft.
Piaggio
+Piaggio is the Italian brand that motorised post-war Italy. Today, Piaggio ranks among the world's top producing companies for two and three wheelers. We follow the construction of the Vespa.
Speed Rail
+A closer look at the step-by-step process behind the making of the AGV – Alstom's high-tech, high-speed train of the future.
Mega Chopper
+The latest 'super choppers' are built to fly to places helicopters could never go before, even to the reaches of inner space. Using live action, archival footage and CGI, we marvel at the creation of today's 'super choppers'.
Super Cars: Lamborghini Aventador
+With a top speed of 350kmh and revolutionary, state-of-the-art design, we follow Lamborghini's latest creation from conception to launch.
Super Cars: Ford Mustang
+Take a rare look inside Ford's impressive Mustang factory, where four different models are made, including the super-powerful 650HP V8.
Swedish Super Car
+Enter the Koenigsegg factory and discover what it takes to create one of the most powerful cars in the world.
Bacardi
+In a distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico, family tradition and technology meet to create one of the world's most popular premium rums: Bacardi.
Eurofighter
+An army of engineers in three different countries constructs the awesome Typhoon, which can reach speeds of over 2000 KPH.
Aston Martin
+Follow every step in the creation of the Aston Martin One-77, a million-pound production car created at the height of the global economic crisis.
Heineken
+Step behind the scenes at Europe's largest brewery, the 1 million square metre home of Heineken, in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.
Bugatti Super Car
+Designed using techniques borrowed from the aerospace industry – and with a top speed of 253mph – marvel at the astonishing Bugatti Veyron.
Mv Agusta
+Purchased by a father and son team, legendary Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta is now betting its future on a brand new motorcycle design.
BMW X3
+Take a behind the scenes tour and gain insight into BMW's high-tech and innovative manufacturing plants as they create the sleek and stylish Z4 Roadster.
Mack Truck
+Over ten tons of chrome and steel packing 605 horsepower and a 200-ton towing capacity making Mack Titan one of the most powerful trucks on the road today.
Lego
+It's the most popular construction toy in the world. Children all over the world spend over 5 billion hours a year playing with Lego bricks.
Frito Lay
+A visit to the huge Frito Lay facility, where they get through a million pounds of potatoes a day to make crisps in preparation for 4th July.
Ford F150
+A look inside Ford's most modern production facilities – the Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan, where the Ford F150 is built.
Ducati
+A look inside the world-famous Italian Ducati motorbike factory to see how top designers and engineers build the Multistrada 1200.
Super Cars: Ford Mustang
+Take a rare look inside Ford's impressive Mustang factory, where four different models are made, including the super-powerful 650HP V8.
Bentley
+The making of the new Mulsanne, which takes Bentley back to its roots, underlining its passion for power and speed.
Coca Cola
+With a famously secretive recipe - and a hugely successful brand - find out what really goes into making the all-conquering American beverage.
Dodge Challenger
+Constructed in two state-of-the-art factories, the modern version of this all-American classic combines slick curves with pure power.
Dodge Challenger
+Constructed in two state-of-the-art factories, the modern version of this all-American classic combines slick curves with pure power.
Dodge Viper
+Despite its 600-horsepower engine and gigantic price tag, the Dodge Viper is entirely hand-built. Meet the crafstpeople behind its creation.
Jack Daniels
+Follow the cycle of the famous bourbon from cornfield to bottling plant, all taking place in the tiny town of Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Maserati
+Famed for matching affordability with sleek designs, find out how Maserati engineers maintain standards despite their low costs.
Mercedes
+Renowned as a classic since its creation over 50 years ago, witness the extraordinary new take on the Mercedes Benz 1954 300SL Gullwing.
Audi
+Take a look inside the Audi R8 factor in Germany, where expert engineers take inspiration from motor racing to build this awe-inspiring road car.
Ikea
+Each year, almost 600 million customers visit IKEA. Discover how over 54 countries provide supplies for their colossal production line.
Lamborghini
+Enter the Lamborghini factory in SantAgata Bolognese, Italy, where their fastest car – the Murcielago SV – is built almost entirely by hand.
Porsche
+Built in Germany, the Porsche 911 is one of the world's most iconic cars – and has 14 variations to suit any driver's taste.
Rolls Royce
+Taking an average of 450 hours to build, with contributions from artisans, engineers and painters, find out how the Rolls-Royce Phantom is made.
Super Subway
+Starting life as a sheet of metal in Brazil, New York's newest subway car is built to last 40 years, and can carry 1.6 billion riders a year.
Camaro
+After nearly a decade off the production line, visit the 10-million-square-foot factory rolling out the astounding 2010 Camaro SS.
Porsche Panamera
+Explore the state-of-the-art $200million factory where the controversial four-door Panamera that divided sports car fans worldwide is made.
Fire Truck
+The fire truck is taken to the next level of engineering, making it a feat of technological genius. This is the ultimate firefighting vehicle.
Caterpillar
+With more horsepower than 30 Ferraris, CAT make the biggest mining trucks in the world, with 12ft wheels and engines bigger than a car.
Peterbilt
+At the Peterbilt factory, workers are busy building Model 387 trucks – titans of the road, made to pull vehicles of up to 36 tonnes. With more than 20,000 parts per vehicle, it's a formidable task.
Gumpert Apollo
+The Gumpert Apollo Enraged - a $1 million street-legal racing car for the road. It's one of the fastest cars on Earth and one of the most exclusive. It's hand built in Germany, using some of the finest racing components Europe has to offer. Roland Gumpert, the firm's founder, is counting on selling it to keep his company afloat.
Ferrari
+Explore the Ferrari factory behind the groundbreaking FF, the first four-wheel-drive Ferrari with four full-sized seats.
Harley Davidson
+The Harley-Davidson V-Rod can go from 0 to 96km/hour in 3.52 seconds. Visit the Harley-Davidson factory in Kansas City to see the makings of one of the company's most revolutionary bikes to date.
John Deere
+The John Deere factory houses more than 2 000 employees, 49 robotic welders and eight laser cutters, all of which help make the John Deere STS Combine - a harvesting mega-machine.
Nissan Gt-R
+Go behind the scenes with Nissan as the company prepares for the re-launch of its iconic GT-R car at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Trucks
+At the Peterbilt factory in Texas, workers are busy building Model 387 trucks titans of the road, made to pull vehicles weighing up to 36 tonnes. To produce this aerodynamic marvel, the Peterbilt design team partnered with its engineers to create the ideal full-scale model. However, with more than 20,000 parts per vehicle, turning this truck from life-size model into a full-fledged vehicle made of aluminium and steel is a formidable task. Making things more difficult, each truck is individually made to fit exact customer specifications so no two trucks are built exactly alike. In this Mega Factories episode, viewers will see the ultimate test...
Apache Helicopter
+Go inside the Boeing plant in Mesa, Arizona to witness how the Apache helicopter is built. Discover how it has evolved from the days of the Cold War into a 21st-century digital fighter.
Ferrari
+Inside a top-secret factory in Italy, witness the creation of the newest and most powerful Ferrari yet. Learn the design secrets of this incredible sports car at every point along the production line.
Tanks
+The Abrams tank is one of the most powerful land weapons systems in the world. Go inside the two factories responsible for overhauling the 70-tonne Abrams, plus watch the tanks in action in Iraq.
Chevy Volt
+Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from GM's Pre Production Operations factory reveals the secrets behind the electric Chevy Volt.
Speed Rail
+A closer look at the step-by-step process behind the making of the AGV – Alstom's high-tech, high-speed train of the future.
Armored Troop Carrier
+Mercedes Overhaul
+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.
BMW
+Take a behind-the-scenes tour and gain insight into BMW's high-tech and innovative manufacturing plants as they create the sleek and stylish Z4 Roadster.
Lotus Evora
+Join charismatic CEO Dany Bahar in Norfolk, unlikely home of the Lotus megafactory, as he unveils plans for their latest super car: the Evora.
Williams F1
+Megafactories is granted unprecedented access to elite Formula One team Williams F1. Back from their latest race in Europe, the team have a week to get the car in shape at their English HQ before they leave for months away on the other side of the globe. They must improve the aerodynamics and completely repair and rebuild the car at their state-of-the-art facility before they fly away. Cutting edge design and incredible technology need to come together as team race for success.
EA Sports: FIFA 12
+Enter the EA factory in Burnaby, Canada, to learn how video game creators took football off the field and turned it into a virtual masterpiece.
Swiss Army Knife
+The Swiss Army Knife may be the most ingenious multipurpose tool ever invented - and the most recognized. It's used by everyone from Boy Scouts to presidents. Who knows how many lives it's saved. And how it's made is as ingenious as the tool itself. At the Victorinox factory in Switzerland, parts start out as raw steel and emerge many stages later as gleaming tools. Everything here goes like clockwork - Swiss clockwork. Then came 9/11. The fallout of that day would reach all the way to this quiet valley and threaten the survival of a company that makes one of the world's most iconic products.
Guinness
+The 48-acre St. James Gate Brewery is situated smack bang in the middle of Ireland's capital city, Dublin. Guinness is the most popular dark beer on the planet. Globally, the megabrewer sells over a billion pints a year in 150 countries. In this hour, we ride along for the busiest two months in Irish beer, from the massive spring barley harvest all the way through roasting, brewing, bottling, kegging, marketing, and distribution.
Boeing 747
+In 2007 the mammoth Airbus A380 took the Boeing 747's crown for size and capacity - a record Boeing held for decades. Boeing wants its crown back, but it needs to get a new plane in the air, and fast. The upgrading of Boeing's 747 is already two years overdue.
Tata Nano
+Sir Ratan Tata is a man on a mission: to make India's roads safer by getting people off motorbikes and into the world's cheapest car - the Tata Nano. In India it's common to see a family of four ride together on a motorbike. On bad roads in Monsoon rain that's a lethal way to commute. Tata envisages the Nano as a 'people's car' - India's answer to the Model T. But to bring his car to the people he must overcome some formidable challenges. Design issues and skyrocketing costs threaten to blow out the car's $2200 price tag, and violent protests force him to dismantle and shift his 3 billion dollar Megafactory 2100km across India.
Michelin
+Our story will take you inside the factories and R & D facilities for one of the largest tire companies in the world: Michelin. The company designs and manufactures everything from car and motorcycle tires to the tires on Jumbo Jets and even the Space Shuttle.
Extreme Rollercoaster
+This 60 metres high thrill ride is only the 5th ever to be constructed. Its adrenaline fuelled tracks speed riders to 100 kph over loops, drops and banks, pushing them to g force limits usually reserved for fighter pilots. Building this mighty machine takes an army of engineers, designers and master technicians. Find out how one of the world's greatest roller coaster factories creates the world's scariest rides.
Illy
+Learn how the Italian company use cutting-edge technology to produce 37,500kg of coffee a day, and export to 140 countries worldwide.
Riva
+Super Cars: Ferrari FF
+A rare look inside the Ferrari factory where they are building the new FF, the first four-wheel drive Ferrari with four full-sized seats. The FF's 12-cylinder engine is one of the most powerful engines ever built at the factory in Maranello, at 651 Horsepower. The engine block is actually cast there and must go through multiple quality checks before it's ready to join the final assembly line.
Mini
+Follow the Mini Coupe – the Oxford plant's first ever two-seater sports vehicle – as it makes its way through the state-of-the-art Mini factory.
Super Cars: Gumpert Apollo
+The Gumpert Apollo Enraged - a $1 million street-legal racing car for the road. It's one of the fastest cars on Earth and one of the most exclusive. It's hand built in Germany, using some of the finest racing components Europe has to offer. Roland Gumpert, the firm's founder, is counting on selling it to keep his company afloat.
Super Cars: Nissan GTR
+Visit Nissan's megafactory, where cutting-edge aerodynamics, hi-tech engineering and a handcrafted V6 engine create a mass-produced supercar.
Technogym
+This isn't just a megafactory, it's a village. The Technogym HQ in Cesena, Italy, boasts a convention hall, library, spa and restaurant and of course a world class fitness centre.
Almarai
+Corona
+Explore the mega-brewery in Mexico and discover how the factory operates 24 hours a day to meet the phenomenal demand for its beer.
Winnebago
+A 400 square-foot movable mansion that can travel at 75mph. Hit the open road in a Winnebago, America's finest home from home.
High Speed Delivery
+Step inside the largest and most efficient automated delivery system on the planet. More than a courier, UPS is an epic transport network.
Super Cars: Pagani
+What makes a car worth a million Euros? The answer for Horacio Pagani is a super car that perfectly blends art and engineering, that has unsurpassed power, performance and luxury, the finest possible raw materials and in which every single one of its 4700 components will be recognised as a work of art. This film tells the story of Pagani's successor to his world famous Zonda. It follows the creation of the Pagani Huayra from the start of its secret design and development eight years ago through a testing programme that has exceeded one million kilometres… to its launch in Geneva in 2011 and to the production of the very first customer cars. We'll...
Super Cars: Porsche 911
+A closer look at the redesigning of the seventh-generation Porsche 911, which is virtually brand new in terms of size, design and performance.
Corvette
+Go behind the scenes at Corvette, where they create the ZO6 supercar. It has a unique, hand-built, powerful engine that can propel it to speeds of 200mph.
World's Greatest Concert Hall
+On top of an old warehouse in Hamburg, the architects of Beijings Birds Nest Stadium are building a dramatic new concert hall. Its hoped the stunning design will make Hamburg famous throughout the world. But to attract the worlds best musicians, the concert hall must sound perfect, and getting the acoustics right is notoriously difficult. To add to the pressure, the building is years behind schedule, and millions of Euros over budget.
Bugatti Super Car (Mega Factories Series), 1
+Designed using techniques borrowed from the aerospace industry – and with a top speed of 253mph – marvel at the astonishing Bugatti Veyron.
Lamborghini Aventador
+With a top speed of 350kmh and revolutionary, state-of-the-art design, we follow Lamborghini's latest creation from conception to launch.
Porsche 911
+The challenge of redesigning the Porsche 911, an automotive icon. This is the 7th generation of the car and while it clearly looks like a 911 it is virtually brand new in terms of size, design, and performance.
