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Life inside the Ferrari Factory... Ferrari factory is located in Maranello, Italy. Its's production process is,
indeed, a curious combination of old-world craftsmanship and cutting-edge
technology. Come up on the front entrance, and it looks like nothing much
has changed since the factory was built after the Second World War: many
of the original offices are still being used and the colour scheme is the same
as it once was. But the further back you go, you find newer, more modern
buildings that house brand-new equipment and use up-to-date techniques. 
The wind tunnel, for instance, was designed by famous Italian architect
Renzo Piano; the adjacent building, where the road car development office
is housed, features a second floor whose area is almost entirely covered
by a reflecting pool, save for a couple of conference rooms. The paint shop
is so automated it's almost eerie: body shells work their way around inside
it, first through a 360-degree anti-corrosion dip, then through various primer
and paint processes before being baked. From the outside, there are no
people visible anywhere in the shop as the candy-coloured bodies work their
way through, and the robots move around them. It's the engine shop across
the street, however, that's probably the most impressive. Spanning the area
of several football fields, its staff numbers less than 100, and about 50 engines
are produced each day. The entire building is bathed in natural light, and plant
gardens are scattered across the shop floor, encircling the various meeting
areas. Here, robots do the majority of the work, with very little human
intervention, increasing not only productivity but precision as well. |
