Since 2006, Great American Cutlery has built the reputation for making the finest quality traditional pocket knives in the US. Located in historic Titusville, PA, the brand focuses on a hands-on process which yields the most beautiful and high quality pocket knives on the market. Their products exceed expectations from customers by producing a product that first became a mainstay in the late 19th century.

Check out the unique insights to the process that is Great American Cutlery!

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Boeing builds the venerable 737 workhorse at a rate of one every nine days! That is a monumental feat of Lean manufacturing. The Boeing 737 is the workhorse of many airlines across the globe, flying short and medium range flights. It was originally designed in 1964 and took its first flight in 1967. In 1968, Lufthansa airlines put the Boeing 737 into service across their service areas. Since its inception, the aircraft has been through numerous upgrades and modernization changes that continue to make it an in-demand aircraft among airlines. As of 2006, there were an average of 1,250 Boeing 737s airborne at any given time, with two either departing or landing somewhere every five seconds. 

Watch this video and see how they do it!

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Since 1906, the name Rolls Royce has been recognized as quality and luxury in transportation. Throughout its legendary history, discerning people from around the globe have chosen Rolls Royce vehicles for their transportation. They are understood to be the finest example of luxury and comfort in motor vehicles. Take a few minutes and immerse yourself in the luxury of Rolls Royce.

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Take a step back in time with a vintage Honda factory tour! Since 1959, Honda has been setting records. They are the largest manufacturers of motorcycles and internal combustion engines in the world. In 2001, they became the second largest Japanese auto manufacturer. Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft, power generators, and other products. Since its inception, Honda has applied the principles of Lean manufacturing, and this timeless video will take you back and show you how they do it.

Take some time and enjoy a flashback in Lean manufacturing!

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With Tesla and Elon Musk hitting the news almost everyday on a variety of topics other than manufacturing, it seems like a good time to refocus and revisit one of the most innovative manufacturing processes in action. Tesla, under the leadership of Elon Musk, is breaking the mold in manufacturing and doing just what everyone said he couldn’t do. Musk is confident that Tesla will become the example for mass car production of the future.

Take a few minutes with Elon Musk and enjoy the tour!

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Walters & Wolf are a premier commercial cladding manufacturer. They have established the industry reputation of being able to produce products of every cast and color, to precise and exacting specifications. They draw and engineer all systems in-house, both shop and fabrication drawings for project submittals and shop fabrication and field installation. Their quality and customer satisfaction could not be reached without engraining a firm core of Lean manufacturing in their culture and everything they do.

Take a few moments and learn from Walters & Wolf!

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The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries.

The Lightning II is a single seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed for many missions with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft. Missions that were traditionally performed by small numbers of specialized aircraft, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and electronic attack missions can now be executed by a squadron of F-35s, bringing new capabilities to many allied forces.

Building a Fighter

The F-35 is developed, produced, and supported by an international team of leading aerospace companies. As the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin continues its 100-year history of aircraft research and design with the Lightning II. Principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems are responsible for building the center and aft fuselages, respectively. Northrop Grumman also brings its expertise in carrier aircraft and low-observable stealth technology to the F-35 program and supports logistics, sustainment, modeling and simulation and mission planning. BAE Systems contributes a rich heritage of capabilities, including short takeoff and vertical landing experience, advanced lean manufacturing, flight testing and air systems sustainment. Pratt & Whitney builds the F-35’s F135 propulsion system, the world’s most powerful fighter engine.

Check out this amazing video on building the F-35.

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When Mr. Piper introduced the Piper Cub in 1937, he had a dream. He felt that everyone should fly. And he believed that Piper could provide everyone with that freedom.

Piper Aircraft, Inc., is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the government of Brunei. Along with Beechcraft and Cessna, it was at one time considered one of the “Big Three” in the field of general aviation manufacturing.

A History of Piper Aircraft

The company was originally founded as the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Manufacturing Company in September 1927 by Clarence Gilbert Taylor and Gordon A. Taylor in Rochester, New York. The company was renamed Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation in April 1928, shortly before Gordon Taylor died in an aircraft accident on April 24, 1928. The company was enticed to move to Bradford, Pennsylvania, with the promise of larger facility and investment capital from local businessmen, including an initial investment of $400 from local oil industry engineer William T. Piper. The move was completed in September 1929.

Between its founding in 1927 and the end of 2009, the company produced 144,000 aircraft in 160 certified models, of which 90,000 are still flying.

Before you take to the skies, watch this video on how a Piper is made.

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Corvette! You hear that word and it gets your blood pumping. Since its inception, the “Vette” has been the icon of American muscle cars. Power, luxury and pure muscle embody the image of this American icon.

The Chevrolet Corvette, known colloquially as the “Vette,” or Chevy Corvette, is a sports car manufactured by Chevrolet. The car has been produced through seven generations. The first model, a convertible, was introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the type of small, maneuverable warship. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, the vehicle is currently manufactured in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the official sports car of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The first generation was introduced late in the 1953 model year. First production was on June 30, 1953.

Take the Corvette for a Test Ride

Buckle up and watch this amazing video on how the American icon is made.

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The History of an Iconic Powerplant

Initial designs for the V12 were produced as early as 1954, with a view to using it in a Le Mans car. The engine was to be a 5.0-liter, quad-cam engine with a high redline, which shared the same basic architecture of the XK cylinder head. After Jaguar withdrew from racing, the V12 designs lay forgotten until 1963 when Jaguar Cars purchased Coventry Climax, and as a result, Walter Hassan, who designed the XK engine with William Haynes at SS Cars Ltd, rejoined the team together with Harry Mundy and Claude Baily.

Watch this classic video on the development of the Jaguar V12 engine!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iJOZ0kXlrs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6IHWIAbWZg

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When you think of luxury sport cars, the Porsche 911 immediately comes to mind. It has been established as the quintessential luxury for speed! There is nothing as inspiring or sexy than to see a Porsche 911 zipping past in a blur, with its throaty roar!

A History of the Porsche 911

By the late 1950s, it was obvious to Porsche that the 356, which had started as basically a heavily modified Volkswagen Beetle in 1948, was small and not particularly powerful in comparison to other sports cars at its lofty price level. But it was also the car upon which the company was built and was essentially Porsche’s sole product. Replacing it was necessary, yet perilous. Who knew that the eventual replacement for the 356, the 911, would surpass its predecessor in sales, longevity and glory? Or that it would be so fanatically cherished by its owners that Porsche hasn’t been allowed to replace it ” despite trying a couple of times?

Almost immediately after it went on sale in September 1964 (as a 1965 model) the 911 established itself as an icon of ’60s cool. Then it segued gracefully into being an icon of ’70s performance, then an icon of sophistication and affluence in the ’80s, then an icon of athleticism and power in the ’90s. It is now simply an icon of all that’s right with Germany and automobiles.

Watch How a Porsche 911 Is Made

Buckle up ¦ and watch how this German muscle machine is made.

https://youtu.be/I8iuBPYgTvs

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Christmas displays have been part of our holiday celebration for hundreds of years. With candles being the primary version of the early decorations, the festive lighting and creative imaginations created breathtaking spectacles. Of course, with human nature being one of competition, those early Christmas light displays became quite impressive and very dangerous! Thomas Edison transitioned us to a much safer product to illuminate the holiday. It was touted as a safer way to illuminate your Christmas display and reduce the risk of fire. Now, Edison’s creation has evolved over the decades allowing for brilliant, safe and festive lighting displays. We all know one thing for sure: the human instinct to compete hasn’t changed since Edison’s time…we all want to have bigger, better and brighter displays.

The Best Christmas Light Displays

Excessive Christmas light displays evoke memories of Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) in Christmas Vacation, so we are taking Christmas displays to a new level. This is now becoming a global phenomena!

Check out the 6 Best Christmas Light Displays!

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LEGO has created a vehicle of innovation for young Americans since its inception in 1949. Not only has this creative product ignited the imagination of many young minds, it has earned the wrath of many barefoot parents stumbling through a dark home in the middle of the night. Most people can relate to two different types of pain events: bumping your funny bone and stepping on a LEGO block.

The History of a Building Block

LEGO is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company’s flagship product, LEGO, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks accompanying an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. LEGO pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct objects; vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects. The Lego Group began manufacturing the interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Since then, a global Lego subculture has developed. Supporting movies, games, competitions, and six Legoland amusement parks have been developed under the brand.

Explore the innovative world of LEGO manufacturing in this video.

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Are you ready for a million-square-feet of manufacturing muscle? From state-of-the-art equipment to robotic machining cells, Haas does it their way and is one of the most cutting edge machine tool manufacturers in the world.

Manufacturing the Haas Way

Founded in 1983, Haas Automation has become the largest machine tool builder in the western world, manufacturing a complete line of CNC vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes and rotary products. The company also builds a variety of specialty machines, including 5-axis machining centers, mold making machining centers, toolroom machines, and gantry routers. Haas machine tools and rotary products are built to the exacting specifications of Gene Haas to deliver higher accuracy, repeatability, and durability than any other machine tools on the market.

Learn more about the quality and precision magic of Haas through this energizing video.

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In this video, we get to see the magic of how Hershey’s Chocolate is manufactured and shows an inside tour of Hershey’s Chocolate Factory.

Making a Chocolate Lover’s Dream

After completing an apprenticeship to a confectioner in 1873, Milton S. Hershey founded a candy shop in Philadelphia. This candy shop was only open for six years, after which Hershey apprenticed with another confectioner in Denver, where he learned to make caramel. After another failed business attempt in New York, Hershey returned to Pennsylvania, where in 1886 he founded the Lancaster Caramel Company. The use of fresh milk in caramels proved successful, and in 1900, after seeing chocolate-making machines for the first time at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Hershey sold his caramel company for $1,000,000 (equal to $28,492,000 today), and began to concentrate on chocolate manufacturing, stating to people who questioned him, “Caramels are just a fad, but chocolate is a permanent thing.”

We know Milton was right! Chocolate is a permanent thing and his chocolate candy has permeated every part of American society. On a global scale, the brand is equally recognized as a part of Americana.

Enjoy the chocolatey delight of this factory tour.

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