| Ultimate Factories | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Narrated by | Christopher Cook |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 70 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company | Hoff Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | National Geographic Channel |
| Release | 2006 (2006) – November 22, 2013 (2013-11-22) |
Ultimate Factories, also known as Megafactories in non-US markets, is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2006 on the National Geographic Channel. The program explored 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.
History
National Geographic Megafactories was also broadcast under the name Ultimate Factories in the United States. The show was an hour long television program and they featured a variety of factories. National Geographic's camera crews were able to get raw footage for a one hour program in seven days.
Episodes
As of 11 August 2013, the National Geographic Channel has broadcast the following episodes of the series:
Season 1 (2006–2007)
| № | Title | Factories | Product location | Establish | Owner name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | Follows the production of the 599 GTB Fiorano car. | 2006 | Nov 9, 2006 | |
| 2 | M-1 Tank | Follows the production of the M1 Abrams main battle tank. | 2006 | Nov 30, 2006 | |
| 3 | Harley-Davidson | Follows the production of the Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle. | 2006 | Jan 28, 2007 | |
| 4 | Budweiser | Follows the production of Budweiser beer. | 2007 | Jan 28, 2007 | |
| 5 | Peterbilt | Follows the production of the Model 387 truck at the Peterbilt factory in Denton, Texas. | 2006 | Jan 28, 2007 | |
| 6 | John Deere | Follows the production of the STS combine harvester. | 2006 | Jan 31, 2007 | |
| 7 | Apache Helicopter | Follows the production of the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter at the Boeing factory. | 2006 | Feb 15, 2007 |
Season 2 (2007–2008)
| № | Title | Description | © Year | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMW | Follows the production of the BMW Z4 car. | 2007 | Nov 29, 2007 |
| 2 | Corvette | Follows the production of the Corvette Z06 car. | 2007 | Nov 29, 2007 |
| 3 | Winnebago | Follows the production of the Winnebago motor homes, a type of recreational vehicle (RV). | 2007 | Jan 28, 2008 |
| 4 | Caterpillar | Follows the production of the Caterpillar 797B. | 2007 | Jan 28, 2008 |
| 5 | UPS Worldport | Megafactories episode name: "High-Speed Delivery". Follows the working of Worldport, worldwide air hub for United Parcel Service. | 2007 | Jun 12, 2008 |
| 6 | Fire Trucks | Follows the production of a Pierce Manufacturing fire truck. | 2007 | Jun 19, 2008 |
| 7 | Armoured Cars | 2008 | Unknown |
Season 3 (2009–2010)
| № | Title | Description | © Year | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamborghini | Follows the production of the Lamborghini Murcielago SV car. | 2009 | Oct 1, 2009 |
| 2 | Rolls-Royce | Follows the production of the Rolls-Royce Phantom car, including an insight on the company's "Bespoke" program. | 2009 | Oct 8, 2009 |
| 3 | Camaro | Follows the production of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Special Edition car. | 2009 | Oct 15, 2009 |
| 4 | Porsche | Follows the production of the Porsche 911 GT3 car. | 2009 | Oct 22, 2009 |
| 5 | IKEA | Follows the production of IKEA products at its factories in Poland and Sweden. | 2009 | Nov 5, 2009 |
| 6 | NYC Subway Car | Follows the production of the R160 subway car. | 2009 | Nov 12, 2009 |
| 7 | Audi | Follows the production of the Audi R8 car at Neckarsulm, Germany. | 2009 | Mar 13, 2010 |
| 8 | Chevy Volt | Follows the production of the Chevrolet Volt. | 2010 | Mar 25, 2010 |
Season 4 (2011)
| № | Title | Description | © Year | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodge Challenger | Follows the production of the third generation Dodge Challenger. | 2010 | Feb 3, 2011 |
| 2 | Maserati | Follows the production of the Maserati GranTurismo. | 2010 | Feb 10, 2011 |
| 3 | Dodge Viper | Follows the production of the 2010 Dodge Viper. | 2010 | Feb 17, 2011 |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz | Follows the production of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. | 2010 | Feb 24, 2011 |
| 5 | Bentley | Follows the production of the Bentley Mulsanne. | 2010 | Mar 3, 2011 |
| 6 | Jack Daniel's | Follows the production of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7. | 2010 | Mar 11, 2011 |
| 7 | Coca-Cola | Follows the production of Coca-Cola. | 2010 | Mar 17, 2011 |
Season 5 (2011-2012)
Because the season number, episode number and some of the airdates cannot be confirmed, these episodes are listed by their production / copyright year listed at the end of the credits of the show.
| № | Title | Description | © Year | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Martin Supercar | Follows the production of the 77-only Aston Martin One-77 Supercar. | 2011 | Sep 4, 2011 |
| 2 | BMW X3 | Follows the production of the BMW X3, a type of compact crossover SUV. | 2011 | Nov 1, 2011 |
| 3 | Porsche Panamera | 2011 | Jan 7, 2012 | |
| 4 | Mack Truck | Follows the production of the Mack Titan, an American truck-manufacturing company. | 2011 | Jan 14, 2012 |
| 5 | LEGO | Follows the production of LEGO. | 2011 | Jan 21, 2012 |
| 6 | Frito Lay | Follows the making and distribution of potato chips, cheese puffs and tortilla chips at the biggest Frito Lay factory in Perry, Georgia | 2011 | Jan 28, 2012 |
| 7 | Ford F-150 | 2011 | Feb 4, 2012 | |
| 8 | Bacardi | Goes into the Bacardi manufacturing plant and explores how the famous rum is made. | 2011 | Feb 11, 2012 |
| 9 | Ducati | Follows the production of the Ducati motorbike. | 2011 | Feb 18, 2012 |
| 10 | Heineken | Follows the production of Heineken beer. | 2011 | Feb 25, 2012 |
| 11 | Eurofighter | Follows the production of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighterjet. | 2011 | Mar 3, 2012 |
| 12 | Bugatti | Follows the production of the Bugatti Veyron hypercar. | 2011 |
Mar 31, 2012 |
| 13 | MV Agusta | Follows the production of the MV Agusta F3 675 motorcycle | 2011 | Apr 28, 2012 |
| 14 | Lotus Evora (Series 6 Ep1) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 15 | Williams F1 (Series 6 Ep2) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 16 | Guinness beer (Series 6 Ep4) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 17 | Swiss Army Knife (Series 6 Ep5) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 18 | The MINI (Series 7 Ep1) | The Mini Coupe | 2011 | Unknown |
| 19 | Michelin (Series7 Ep4) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 20 | Illy Coffee (Series 7 Ep7) | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 21 | Jaguar XJ | 2011 | Unknown | |
| 22 | Speed Rail | Alstom AGV | 2011 | Unknown |
| 23 | Swedish Super Car | Koenigsegg Agera | 2011 | Unknown |
| 24 | Super Chopper | Follows the production of the AgustaWestlandAW139 outside Milan, Italy | 2011 | Unknown |
| 25 | Mercedes Overhaul (Series 8 Ep1) | Truck | 2011 | Unknown |
| 26 | Ford | Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500 | 2011 | Unknown |
| 27 | Ferrari | Ferrari FF | 2011 | Unknown |
| 28 | Lamborghini | Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 | 2011 | Unknown |
| 29 | Piaggio | Piaggio Vespa | 2011 | Unknown |
Season 6 (2013)
Because the season number, episode number and airdate cannot be confirmed, these episodes are listed by their production / copyright year listed at the end of the credits of the show
| № | Title | Description | © Year | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EA Sports: FIFA 12 (Series 6 Ep3 ) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 2 | Boeing 747 (Series7 Ep2) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 3 | Learjet (Series7 Ep3) | Follows the production of the $14 million Learjet 60XR | 2012 | Unknown |
| 4 | Pyrotechnics (Series 7 Ep5) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 5 | Tata Nano (Series7 Ep6 ) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 6 | Corvette ZR1 (Series 7 Ep8 ) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 7 | Extreme Roller Coaster (Series 7 Ep9 ) | 2012 | Unknown | |
| 8 | Pagani | Pagani Huayra | 2012 | Unknown |
| 9 | Porsche | Porsche 911 | 2012 | Unknown |
| 10 | Tesla | Model S | 2012 | Unknown |
| 11 | Lexus | Lexus LFA | 2012 | Unknown |
| 12 | Nissan | Nissan GT-R | 2012 | Nov 15, 2012 |
| 13 | Gumpert Apollo | 2012 | Dec 20, 2012 |
| ? | Armored Troop Carrier | Iveco | ? | Unknown |
| ? | Wargaming | World of Tanks | ? | Nov 22, 2013 |
Reception
Kirby Garlitos from Top Speed said, because the show has featured exotic vehicles, it has always been a hot ticket.
See also
References
- "Ultimate Factories".
- Tutu, Andrei (2 September 2011). "Aston Martin One-77 Featured in National Geographic Megafactories/ Ultimate Factories". Autoevolution. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- Munro, Jenny (20 November 2007). "National Geographic has Greer plant in its Sights". The Greenville News. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- "Megafactories". www.natgeotv.com. National Geographic (TV network). 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- "Full List of Ultimate Factories Episodes". Ranker.
- "Ultimate Factories Full Episode Guides on National Geographic". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- "Ultimate Factories". National Geographic Channel. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- Radio Times, Sunday 4 September 2011, p.61 (BBC Worldwide / BBC Magazines)
- "National Geographic Channel to Feature BMW's South Carolina Plant in Documentary, Ultimate Factories: BMW X3 | BMW US Factory". 26 October 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- Garlitos, Kirby (2 January 2013). "Video: The Nissan GT-R Featured In National Geographic's Megafactories". Topspeed. Retrieved 25 May 2022.