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Plastics and polymer composites are essential to a wide range of safety and performance parts in cars today. In fact, the use of plastic and polymer composites in light vehicles has increased from less than 20 pounds per vehicle in 1960 to 334 pounds per car in 2015.

Robots are increasingly being made to mirror humans. The best example of this is the dual-armed robot—such as ABB’s YuMi and Rethink Robotics’ Baxter—designed specifically to work closely with people on the assembly line.

The popularity of cordless tools on the assembly line continues to grow. Battery-operated devices allow assemblers to more easily work on platforms or inside car interiors, tractor cabs, aircraft wings and other tight spaces.

World-class manufacturers maintain high standards in every facet of their business, from materials and design, to assembly, performance and customer service. Quite often, these same companies are equally committed to meeting the highest industry standards in one or more of these areas.

Crop sprayers play a vital role in professional farm management. Farmers and farming contractors rely on this equipment to evenly apply exact amounts of nutrients and protectants on hundreds of acres on demand—although it’s not as easy as it sounds.

If Ohio ever needs a catch phrase to promote its manufacturing success, “five out of eight is great” would be appropriate. The reason is because Ohio is home to five of Whirlpool Corp.’s eight U.S. assembly plants. Those five factories are located in the Ohio cities of Clyde, Findlay, Greenville, Marion and Ottawa.

When one thinks of Italy, several things immediately come to mind. There’s wine and pasta, world-class soccer and gondoliers singing in Venice. Another thing that symbolizes Italy is Maserati, the manufacturer of technologically advanced sports cars.

For decades, many people have fantasized about flying cars and roadworthy aircraft. While several successful prototypes have been built in the past, the idea has never gotten off the ground. But, that may finally be about to change.

Whether you’re choosing an assembly method for a newly developed product or reevaluating the effectiveness of a current assembly method in light of a change in product design, materials, or production mix, the thought process you’re undertaking is important.