National Geographic: Ultimate Factories: John Deere

Covering more than 300,000 square meters, the John Deere factory houses more than 2000 employees, 49 robotic welders, eight laser cutters and 14 kilometers of overhead track, all of which help stamp, press, cut and weld 60,000 tons of steel into the John Deere STS Combine a harvesting mega-machine. When the combine has been assembled and is ready for painting, it undergoes a seven-hour process to receive the trademark John Deere green color. When John Deere decides to update its tractor design, the modification is first tested in the factory's state-of-the-art virtual reality lab to measure the potential impact to the assembly line process, saving both time and money. With its 21st century technology and human innovation, the John Deere mega factory shows the raw power behind one of agriculture's most vital machines.