Car factories are full of excitement as they build the cars we drive on the road each and every day. They create something from nothing by employing a variety of techniques and each company holds its own secrets. You may have visited a factory or two before, but we can bet there are still quite a few things you don't know about them.
We have created this list in particular to uncover the truth about these factories and some of the facts they want to keep hidden from the public's eye. They might seem bizarre, but each company manages to create great vehicles with their peculiar methods. Keep reading to learn ten wild things you didn't know about car factories!
10 10. Ferarri's Factory in Maranello Has Plants to Regulate Humidity
Ferrari has decided to go green in their car factory with the addition of a healthy amount of plant life. These plants regulate humidity, clean the air, and give the workers something nice to look at throughout their day.
There are plants scattered around the floor, a place just for trees, and even a larger garden where people can go to relax and relieve some of their stress. It makes the workplace more inviting and better overall for the creation of their pristine vehicles.
9 9. Lamborghini's Engines Are Constructed Entirely By Hand
Lamborghini is known for creating cars that go above and beyond our expectations, but you probably didn't know that they build everything by hand, including their engines. All of their employees are trained in house by their staff and encouraged to branch out and try new things to broaden their horizons.
They also like to promote within, so once you learn the ins and outs of the cars you have the possibility of one day becoming a test driver for them. This is unlike any other plant as most tend to rely on the work of robots to assemble their vehicles, which takes jobs away from those who need them most.
8 8. No Two Are The Same
The factories themselves are creative in every sense of the word and no two are the same. There are some, like Wiessmann, who take inspiration from their own brand and create buildings that look like geckos, while others, like Morgan, choose to work in old brick buildings in the middle of town.
These factories also differ in their styles of putting together vehicles because they employ different tactics to get the job done. Ford likes to use the assembly line where robots and people work together to create masterpieces quickly and efficiently. Bugatti, on the other hand, assigns workers to individual stations where they are reponsible day in and day out to complete one individual piece of the puzzle.
7 7. The Largest Factory is in Wolfsburg, Germany
The largest car factory in the world is located in Wolfsburg, Germany and belongs to Volkswagen. It spans a total of 53-million square-feet and has the capability to create 3,800 vehicles per day. That means this factory if it was open every single day, could make about 1.3 million cars in a single year.
This plant opened back in 1945 and has been creating vehicles and parts ever since. They even press sheet metal, paint the finished vehicles, and provide 2-hour tours every single day they are open. It's truly unmatched in every way and it will be hard for anyone to try and compete with their impressive factory.
6 6. Many Have Test tracks
A car factory wouldn't be complete without a place to test the vehicles, which is why many have invested in test tracks to be built at their facilities. The Koenigsegg factory was built in a hangar at an old Swedish airstrip, which is the perfect place to test their high-speed vehicles.
The Fiat Lingotto factory, on the other hand, had a test track built atop its roof, but these days it is no longer used for production purposes. It has since been converted into a museum, but for a small fee, you can enter and see where Fiat used to test their new cars.
5 5. The Mazda Plant in Hiroshima, Japan Survived the Nuclear Bomb
You probably remember from your history lessons that Hiroshima was one of the places where the U.S. dropped a nuclear bomb back in World War Two. The Mazda Factory was a mere three miles away from where the bomb made contact with the ground, but luckily a mountain saved it from the blast.
It only took four months for them to start production again and it even shaped the types of vehicles they had begun to create as they helped rebuild the city after the disaster. The plant is still in use to this day and tours are available for interested guests.
4 4. Injuries Are More Common Than You Think
Accidents happen all the time in car factories, but sometimes the workers lose or a limb or fail to make it out alive. The problems usually happen when the robots, who are supposed to make the job easier, malfunction and the unskilled workers are tasked with performing maintenance.
It is not uncommon for companies to give workers little to no training on a machine before putting them on the floor. There are other companies, such as Tesla, who have used the ride service called Lyft to transport injured workers to the hospital, rather than drop the money for an ambulance.
3 3. Some Are Stricter With Employees Than Others
The type of work environment varies from factory to factory as well, because some only work normal day shifts, while others have their employees stay until they drop. Tesla is a company notorious for making its workers literally sick from exhaustion as he keeps them working day and night to finish making his vehicles.
There are others that supply production goals and employees can go home after their work is finished. The point is to always research a manufacturing plant before working there, as some fail to treat their employees any better than dirt.
2 2. Volkswagen's Glass Factory Plays Bird Noises to Keep Them Away
Volkswagen's factory in Wolfsburg has an all-glass building where they store many of their vehicles. The only complication with this is that many birds tend to run into the transparent windows, which led to a lot of problems.
They ended up employing the use of a loudspeaker that sends out bird calls to keep other birds away. The calls signal that the territory is taken, and so far it seems it is working for them. A few birds may still get through the cracks, but for the most part, the glass is safe from their detrimental thumps.
1 1. Ford Hired Investigators to Spy on Questionable Employees at their Factory
Ford had this dream that he wanted all of his workers who he paid extremely well to become model citizens. This led to the creation of the Ford Sociological Department which was a team of over 200 investigators who inspected every aspect of the employee's lives.
They would ask personal questions about their workers' alcohol and drug habits or check to see if they were keeping their homes clean. This was borderline insanity, but it provided the results he needed, and people were willing to go through with it for the money. It was eventually done away with after expenses took their toll, but for a time Ford controlled their employees' lives.