Plant of the Year

In-depth profiles of the winners of our annual "Assembly Plant of the Year" contest.

2019 Assembly Plant of the Year: Refrigerator Production Heats Up at GE Appliances

Refrigerators are one of the only appliances found in nearly every type of home, whether it's an apartment in suburban Atlanta, a high-rise condominium in downtown Chicago, a beach house in Hawaii or a trailer in Texas. The humble refrigerator is also the hardest working household appliance. Day and night, it's constantly running to keep all types of food and beverages cool, fresh or frozen.

2018 Assembly Plant of the Year: Ford Shifts Flexible Assembly Into High Gear

The Van Dyke transmission plant excels at high-volume, high-mix production.

Austin Weber

October 2, 2018

One of the top transmission assembly plants in the world is Ford Motor Co.'s Van Dyke facility in Sterling Heights, MI. It's part of a network of Ford factories that mass-produce axles, engines and other power train components used in the company's cars and trucks.

2017 Assembly Plant of the Year: AGCO Leads the Field With Lean Technology

Wearable devices help build better tractors in Jackson, MN.

Austin Weber

October 4, 2017

JACKSON, MN--Farmers never take a day off. Nor do their tractors. Growers rely on their machines to plow, plant, till, spray, bale and harvest a wide variety of crops in all sorts of conditions.

2016 Assembly Plant of the Year: Bosch Rexroth Flexes Its Lean Production Muscle

High-mix lines and continuous improvement drive growth in Fountain Inn, SC.

Austin Weber

October 1, 2016

Construction equipment, farm tractors and other off-highway machines need more than just diesel engines, big tires and metal tracks to operate. They require hydraulic mechanisms to steer, raise booms, open buckets or tilt blades.

2015 Assembly Plant of the Year: Flexibility Shines Bright at Polaris

Austin Weber

October 2, 2015

Multiple motorcycle models are mass-produced in Spirit Lake, IA.

Call for Nominations – 2015 ‘Assembly Plant of the Year’

January 15, 2015

ASSEMBLY is currently seeking world-class facilities for its 12th annual Assembly Plant of the Year award.

2014 Assembly Plant of the Year

Assembly Plant of the Year: STIHL Stays a Cut Above the Competition

Flexible assembly lines and vertical integration thrive in Virginia Beach.

Austin Weber

October 3, 2014

What do lumberjacks, landscapers and homeowners have in common? They all rely on chain saws, trimmers and leaf blowers produced by STIHL Group.

Northrop Grumman Assembly Plant of the Year 2013

2013 Assembly Plant of the Year

Northrop Grumman Soars With Automation

The robotic Integrated Assembly Line in Palmdale, CA, revolutionizes how airframes are built.

Austin Weber

October 1, 2013

For decades, automotive engineers have looked to the aerospace industry for new ideas. Back in the 1930s and 1950s, Detroit was inspired by the sleek designs of innovative airplanes such as the Northrop Alpha and the Grumman F4F Wildcat.

Robotic Laser Inspection System Improves Ford MAP Quality

Austin Weber

October 1, 2012

Ford Motor Co. is investing $100 million globally to install robotic laser inspection technology to improve fit and finish quality at its assembly plants.