Super Factories (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Volkswagen Mega Factory - full transcript

Narrator: A german car company
is making its mark in america.

Mysteries of the italian master
coffee makers are revealed.

♪♪

A multipurpose
construction workhorse

Has truly made
a name for itself.

And razor-sharp technology
is being used

To produce the world's
most futuristic guitar.

These groundbreaking innovations
are all taking place

Inside some of the most
incredible factories

On the planet.

♪♪



Narrator: Situated along
the tennessee river

Between nashville and atlanta,

This city is home
to 180,000 people,

And now one of the most
modern factories in the world...

Volkswagen.

The german-based car giant
began production here in 2011.

♪♪

Chattanooga is volkswagen's
only plant in the united states,

And it's their newest plant
in the group.

Narrator: Built at a cost
of roughly a billion dollars,

The factory campus covers
60 million square feet.

The buildings alone make up
almost 25,000 square feet,

Enough space for over
2 million people.

But there are actually fewer
than 4,000 people working here.



That's because they're joined
by close to a thousand machines

Like these, at the cutting edge
of robot technology.

[ whirring ]

♪♪

They've been programmed
to lift heavy components,

To operate a welding lance
with remarkable precision,

And to spray more evenly
than any human operator could.

These intelligent robots turn
out 750 automobiles every day.

♪♪

That's four cars
every five minutes.

♪♪

This super factory is
the latest and greatest

In cutting-edge
vehicle production.

But that's not all.

It's officially classified

As the u.S.A.'s greenest
automobile factory.

Since volkswagen
was founded in 1937,

They've been responsible

For some of the most
recognizable

Automobiles in the world.

Today, here at chattanooga,

They're producing
one brand new model

And an update on an old
favorite, the passat sedan,

A name familiar for four decades
now in its eighth generation.

And a newcomer, the atlas
s.U.V., launched in 2017.

The process of turning raw steel
into a finished automobile

Is similar for both models.

It all begins in the body shop.

Body shop is the first step
in the production process.

We receive pre-stamped parts
from our suppliers,

And then these parts
are distributed throughout

The body shop
by our logistics team.

The body of the car,

The raw metal pieces, are pieced
together like a puzzle.

So 80 percent of the work
in the body shop is automated.

♪♪

What robots do best are tasks
that are absolutely repetitive

With little or no variation,
and that stands to reason

Because they're responding
to the program

That the human operator
has inputted it into the.

♪♪

Narrator: In the body shop,
robots weld together

The vehicles' steel shell.

♪♪

They use what are called
diode disk lasers,

Seven times
more energy efficient

Than conventional
laser welding machines,

Saving 220,000 kilowatt hours
of electricity a year.

But the laser robots
emit so much light

That they have to operate
in a sealed environment.

Their progress is monitored
via a video feed.

Once all of these processes
are done

And the raw metal
is pieced together,

It's lifted up into
an overhead conveyor

And shifted into the paint shop.

Narrator: The painting stage
is a five-step process.

For the base coat,

The car body is totally
immersed in a paint bath.

♪♪

After successive layers
have been built up,

Robots carefully apply
the final topcoat.

And then the entire shell
is baked in a giant oven.

It takes a lot of power,

But volkswagen has adopted
a green solution.

This super factory harvests
its own electricity

From the sun.

Banks of solar panels,
33,600 in all,

Annually generate 13.1 million
kilowatt hours of energy.

That's enough to power

Nearly 1,200 u.S. Homes
for a whole year.

And it's 12.5 percent of this
factory's yearly power usage.

♪♪

The land this factory is built
on has a remarkable history.

This site was formerly
an explosive factory

Operating from world war ii
to the vietnam war.

Well, when volkswagen
first moved to chattanooga,

We looked for areas
that were brownfields,

Which means that they were
previously industrial sites.

Narrator: The evidence of its
former role is still here

In the surrounding woods
containing abandoned bunkers

That used to store bombs,
bullets, shells, and grenades.

Today, this site
is very different.

Volkswagen's
green initiatives here

Have earned it
the top platinum award

From an international body
called leadership in energy

And environmental design,
or leed for short.

When we decided to build
energy efficient,

We said, "let's go
to the top of leed."

We were the first automotive
facility that's leed platinum.

Narrator: Some of these
new green practices

Are put to use
down on the shop floor,

Where the workers are moving
forward with making cars.

All the elements
which need to be fitted

Inside the painted vehicle shell

Are pieced together on
five separate subassembly lines.

Specialist teams are responsible
for the engine and the chassis.

The point at which
they're united with the body

Is known as the marriage.

Other teams look after
the installation

Of the instrument panel... ♪♪

The wheels... ♪♪

...And then the trim,
which defines the brand.

What's remarkable
about the assembly line

Is how few robots they have here
compared to the body shop.

My assembly shop
is very human oriented.

We have less than a handful
of robots, so almost no robots

In this assembly shop.

Out of the whole shop,

We have less than
a handful of robots

Really only applying
some of the adhesives.

So we really depend
on our team members

For the quality of the product.

Stirling:
In assembly lines,

Some of the jobs are just
far too nuanced and varied

For a robot
to be truly effective.

Tasks that require
decision making,

Creativity,
and on-the-job learning

Are really still
best done by humans.

♪♪

Narrator: And that's
definitely the case

On the final stage here

In the chattanooga
super auto plant,

Where each finished vehicle's
suspension is put to the test

On what must be one of america's
most uncomfortable roads.

♪♪

The test driver goes through
a rigorous checklist

To make sure everything inside
the vehicle is up to scratch.

Every one of the 750 vehicles
produced here each day

Undergoes this top-to-bottom
check before being shipped out.

♪♪

Chattanooga's famous
for its railroads,

And that's how these automobiles
make their first ever journey.

[ chattering ]

In an efficient
and environmentally friendly

Move by volkswagen,
80 percent of the factory output

Is dispatched by train
instead of truck.

But the biggest advancement
in sustainable technology

Is just around the corner.

Volkswagen, more so, arguably,

Than a lot of the other
big names,

Has staked its future
on electric cars.

They say the cost of batteries,

Previously the big
limiting factor,

Has come down 80 percent
in the last 10 years.

They say that over
the next decade

They'll be releasing
70 electric models.

Narrator: Vw has named
chattanooga as the site

To make its first
electric vehicles in the u.S.

Models like these, including
a new take on the legendary bus

Or camper van, ready
to hit the road in 2022.

It's a massive vote
of confidence

In this super auto plant

Now on the verge
of becoming even greener,

Bigger, and smarter,

Making this one of the world's
major centers

For producing
the vehicles of the future.

♪♪

Coming up,
mysteries of the italian

Master coffee makers
are revealed.

And later,
a construction vehicle

Built tough enough to handle
whatever crosses its path.

This machine has been called
the swiss army knife

Of the building site.

♪♪

♪♪

[ beeping ]

♪♪

Narrator:
Italians love coffee,

But nowhere more so
than trieste,

Where they consume
over 22 pounds a year,

Twice the national average.

And here in Italy's
coffee capital,

There's one brand
that stands out above the rest.

Illy has grown from one
small cafe opened in 1933

To this extensive
high-tech super factory.

From here,
the company exports coffee

To 140 countries,

With seven million cups served
every day across the world.

♪♪

Illy prides itself on tradition.

Three generations of the family

Have produced the same
coffee blend for decades.

But there's nothing
old-fashioned

About this business.

Illy invented the forerunner
of the modern espresso machine,

The aletta, in the 1930s.

Ever since, the company has been
driven by innovation

Through the whole
coffee-making process.

♪♪

The story starts at the port.

Every week,
ships arrive in trieste

From three different continents.

♪♪

Narrator: The beans are
from 20 countries,

Including brazil,
ethiopia, and india.

These well-traveled beans
are first washed free

Of dirt and dust,

Then sucked up massive pipes

And pneumatically whisked over
to the sorting plant.

Raw beans used to be
checked by eye,

But now they get a much more
high-tech inspection,

Thanks to another illy
engineering innovation.

The bichromatic processor

Can check 11,000 beans a second.

The machine analyzes the color
of every single bean

By running them past red,
green, and infrared filters.

It may seem like overkill
to analyze every single bean

In a 45-ton batch,

But actually sorting out the bad
from the good is important.

It was a job
that used to be done by eye,

But it is crucial
because it takes only one bean

In a portion of 50 to spoil
the flavor of your brew.

♪♪

But making a premium coffee
is not just about sorting beans.

Here in the illy
blending and tasting lab,

They keep it relatively simple.

They make just
one blend of coffee.

And given seasonal variations
in global production

And availability,

They're constantly striving
to get the right mix of beans

For their traditional blend.

There are over 100 species
of coffee,

But really only two

Are commercially grown...
Arabica and robusta.

There are
significant differences

Between these in terms
of cost and flavor.

Robusta has much more caffeine
than arabica,

Which you might think
would be an advantage,

But actually, caffeine has
a really bitter taste.

Well, arabica has more lipids,
and these create a sweet,

Mellow flavor.

But robusta is much easier
to farm.

It's got higher yields,
and therefore is much cheaper.

In fact, half the cost
of arabica.

Narrator: Robusta is the main
constituent in instant coffee,

But it's rarely found
in a quality blend.

Illy's top-secret formula

Is a combination
of nine types of arabica beans.

The batches of beans are mixed
and blended

In a highly restricted
part of the plant.

Then they arrive here,
the roasting room.

Narrator: Now the illy roasters
employ their alchemy

To turn the raw beans
into coffee gold.

To succeed, they must take
300 aromatic compounds

Contained in the raw beans

And more than triple
that number.

They do that by roasting.

Narrator: The beans are roasted
at 392 degrees fahrenheit.

The raw coffee bean really has
a very limited flavor profile.

It's often described
as green or musty.

But in that raw bean,

There's what you need
to create flavor later.

There's sugars, carbohydrates,
nitrogen compounds.

But it's not until the bean
is roasted

That the potential of the flavor
of the coffee is unlocked.

You actually create
very volatile compounds

Which give aroma
and the flavor profile

That is coffee.

Basically,
coffee only tastes like coffee

Once the bean is roasted.

Narrator:
But roasting coffee

Is a highly
time-sensitive process.

And to uphold their reputation,
illy has to get it just right.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Trieste is
the coffee capital of Italy,

And home to the family-owned
gourmet coffee company illy,

Who has been producing
the same premium coffee blend

For decades.

At illy's super factory,

Raw beans are being roasted
into coffee gold.

The control room team monitors
the roast second by second.

Narrator:
After 15 minutes,

The control room shuts down
the process.

While correct roasting
creates new compounds,

Over-roasting destroys them.

So now it's crucial
to stop the cooking.

To keep the aromas intact,

The beans are blasted
with cold air.

Now they need to get the coffee
packed quickly,

Because once exposed to air,

The aromatic compounds
will start to dissipate.

The roasted coffee
is divided into two batches,

Some left as whole beans.

The rest is ground.

Coffee lasts longer

If it's stored
in an airtight container,

Which keeps out oxygen
and moisture.

Unlike most coffee producers
who use vacuum-packed bags,

Illy uses tins.

Not only are
the tins recyclable,

They're a great
marketing device.

This brand-conscious company

Even sells limited edition
artist-designed tins.

Back on the factory floor,

The tins are on their way
to the coffee.

Narrator: The camera checks that
the tin isn't damaged or dirty.

Once in the tins,
the freshly roasted coffee

Is shaken...
Automatically, of course.

Narrator:
The coffee is in the can,

But now it's time for one of
illy's most clever innovations.

They call it
natural pressurization.

Narrator: Unlike oxygen,
nitrogen is an inert gas,

Which means it doesn't react
with the coffee,

Killing the aromas
and therefore the flavor.

Pressurization effectively
traps the essential aromas

Inside the tin,

Protecting the coffee
from oxidization and humidity.

When I open a tin of coffee
like this,

You get that really distinctive
whooshing sound.

[ pops ]

That was the sound of the
nitrogen rushing out.

And then... [ sniffs ]

Oh, that amazing smell

Of thousands of coffee aromas.

It really is worth
getting up for.

[ sniffs ]

Sadly, those aromas are even
now starting to fade.

Roasted coffee loses up
to 40 percent of its aroma

Over an eight-hour period.

♪♪

Narrator: Pressurized packaging
was a major breakthrough.

It enabled illy to keep
the aroma of the coffee

Constant at all times.

This innovation made it possible
to export coffee

All around the globe
from one site here in trieste.

Pressurized packaging
was a major breakthrough.

It enabled illy

To keep the aroma of the coffee
constant at all times.

But illy was the first major
coffee company

To manufacture espresso pods,
way back in 1974.

♪♪

Whether ground or whole beans,

In tins or espresso cups,

It all ends up here

In the futuristic
illy packaging plant.

Here in trieste,
people have been drinking

Illy coffee since 1933.

And now, in their super factory,

Illy is using science,
innovation,

And the latest technology

To revolutionize how they
manufacture their unique blend

And ensure that their coffee
is enjoyed

By millions
all around the world.

Coming up, the secrets behind

A construction
jack of all trades.

Woman: This machine can dig,
it can lift, it can load,

It can shovel, it can excavate.

Narrator: And later,
in japan's guitar valley,

This highly distinctive guitar
is putting the cut

In. Cutting edge.

Man: It is a challenge
for most guitar factories

Because it requires
a lot of precision

To actually obtain
the features that we want.

♪♪

♪♪

[ beeping ]

♪♪

Narrator: This super factory
in rochester, England,

Is the birthplace
of the go-to workhorse

For civil engineering,
construction, and agriculture

That's literally helped build
the world we live in...

The backhoe loader,
Known in the u.K.

And listed in the oxford
english dictionary

As simply a jcb.

This machine has been called
the swiss army knife

Of the building site...
It can dig,

It can lift,
it can load, it can shovel,

It can excavate,
and it can speed between jobs

At a steady
40 kilometers an hour.

Narrator: This revolutionary
piece of equipment

Was invented
by a maverick engineer

Working alone in his garage.

Gough: Jcb stands for
joseph cyril bamford,

The man behind the legend.

His first attempt at producing
a mechanical excavator in 1948

Was rather do-it-yourself,

He persisted,
and five years later,

He came up with the world's
first backhoe loader.

Today, jcb is a
multi-billion-dollar company

With over 12,000 employees
all round the world.

♪♪

Narrator: Jcb manufactures
vehicles around the globe,

But this is what they call
their world headquarters.

Here, 90 of the iconic
backhoe loaders

Roll off the line
every 24 hours.

♪♪

It takes five days
to build a backhoe loader.

And this no-nonsense
heavy working vehicle

Starts with
a solid block of steel.

Carder: The chassis
is the main structure

Which holds
the machine together.

So all the forces and the
stresses when you're digging

Actually go back
through the chassis.

So it needs to be very, very
tough and strong, durable.

Narrator: Cutting up steel
used to be dirty,

Dangerous, and time consuming.

But here, they use lasers.

♪♪

Guided by a computer blueprint,

The infrared beam slices
through hard metal

Like a knife through butter.

With high-speed precision,
this intense beam of light

Cuts out the complex series
of metal shapes

Needed to assemble the chassis.

♪♪

A laser is monochromatic light,
usually blue or red,

Or it could be infrared
or ultraviolet.

This monochromatic light
shoots a much narrower beam

Over a much longer distance

And is much more precise
and powerful.

Laser cutting used to be
the stuff of james bond movies.

No longer is that the case.
Now you'll find them

In industry, in universities,
even in schools.

Narrator:
This once solid sheet of steel

Is now sliced and diced,

Crisscrossed with outlines
of chassis components.

And not only is
the laser highly accurate,

It hates waste.

Carder:
So after the laser cutting,

This is what's left over,
which is now a scrap.

So we have around about 90
percent material optimization

And say minimal wastage.

Narrator:
The scraps are recycled,

But what's left makes up
the pieces of the digger jigsaw.

Before the pieces
can be put together,

They need to be
pressed into shape.

This machine can
press up to 20 millimeters,

With about 230 ton of force.

So when the parts are being cut
to shape,

They then get
put into the presses

To be shaped into
three-dimensional pieces.

Narrator: The steel has been
lasered, shaped, and pressed.

Now it will be welded to form
the chassis.

Welding essentially melts
two metals together,

And where they touch,

When that metal solidifies,
it binds them together.

And there are many ways
of achieving this,

Including the most popular ways
of arc welding

And gas flame welding.

And today there are numerous

Sophisticated ways of welding
in very extreme environments,

Including underwater
and even in outer space.

Narrator: Down on earth,
at this plant,

It's not just humans
wielding the welding torches.

Manual welding is carried out
in tight spots.

Everywhere else,
it's done by robots.

This robotic welder fires out
a 5,000-degree fahrenheit

Burst of oxygen
and acetylene gas,

Connecting up two sheets of
metal in split seconds.

Once the chassis is all
in one piece,

It needs to be smoothed clean.

To do that, it's bombarded
at high velocity

With thousands
of tiny steel pellets.

This process,
called shot blasting,

Is carried out
in an isolated chamber.

So this is the
completed chassis,

Which has now been through
the shot blasting machine

For about ten minutes.

That's all in preparation
for painting.

Narrator: The chassis is sprayed
with primer and gloss.

And here at jcb,
there's only one color option.

So the standard color
we paint all our machines

Is a jcb yellow,

Which is actually
our own unique color

That you can't find
anywhere else.

♪♪

Narrator: Backhoes were
originally painted orange and blue,

But were later painted
bright yellow

To make them more visible
on busy construction sites.

This, the very latest
in a long line of loaders,

Is ready to take its place
on the assembly line.

Here, it will join
the procession

Of partially built machines

Steadily moving down
the floor level conveyer.

The jcb plant works
around the clock.

Shifts may change, but loaders
keep moving down the line.

It's time to bring in
some power.

The dieselmax 672, produced
20 miles down the road

At jcb's engine plant.

This six-cylinder, 7.2-liter
turbocharged engine

Has been updated to give
increased fuel efficiency

And produce lower emissions.

With the engine and gearbox
attached to the rear axle,

The chassis is swung over
and neatly dropped into place.

But not all the power
comes from the engine.

The front shovel and rear
excavating backhoe are driven

By an extremely
strong source of energy.

It's pumped through a series
of hoses and pistons

And known as the hydraulics.

Hydraulic power systems
are simple but extremely strong.

All sorts of things use
hydraulics...

Trains, aircraft controls,
braking systems, and of course,

The business end of diggers.

Hydraulics work
by applying a force at one point

And moving that force
to another point using liquids.

The hydraulic fluid is pushed
through hoses at high pressure,

And it can deliver
a huge amount of power

For driving machinery...
Like the attachments on a jcb.

Narrator: This vehicle is almost
all in one piece.

Now it's time for the cab.

With ergonomic controls,
soundproofing,

Touch screens,
and air conditioning,

This model is certainly
an upgrade

From the 1953 original.

With the brakes and wheels
fitted,

This brand-new model
is just about ready

To get down and dirty
and roll in the mud.

But first, this
fresh-off-the-line model

Faces a series
of performance tests

And rigorous inspection.

Carder: Every single machine
goes through

A very, very extensive hot test.

Do about checks
on every single machine.

♪♪

Narrator: From plates of steel
to one of the hardest working,

Easily recognizable, and most
iconic machines in the world,

All put together
in less than five days

Here in one of the most advanced

Engineering plants in the world,

The jcb super factory.

♪♪

Coming up, a factory
in japan's guitar valley

Is producing
a highly distinctive sound.

♪♪

Man: It's really hard to make
this kind of instrument

Because the neck back shape

Is particularly,
you know, really unique.

♪♪

♪♪

[ beeping ]

♪♪

Narrator: Three hours' drive
west of tokyo

Is matsumoto, japan.

The city was once famous
for its carpentry workshops,

But since the 1960s, it's been
known as japan's guitar valley.

Squeezed in among the factories
of guitar giants

Such as fender and gretsch

Is one much more
bespoke operation,

Producing a highly
distinctive instrument.

This is a strandberg.

With its headless neck
and ergonomic body,

A strandberg simply doesn't
look like other

Electric guitars look,

And it isn't made the way
many other guitars are made.

It's put together using the
very latest digital technology.

This instrument breaks
the basic electric guitar mold,

Set as far back as the 1930s,

And is nothing short of
a revolution in guitar

Design and manufacturing.

Strandberg may not be one of
the world's biggest factories,

But it's definitely
one of the smartest.

♪♪

Like all guitar makers,

The strandberg team starts off
with a basic block of wood.

But unlike many manufacturers
who use hardwoods

Such as maple or mahogany,

This team uses softwoods

Such as american basswood
and swamp ash.

They're valued for resonance,
what guitar aficionados call

A warm, sweet sound.

But it's when it comes
to cutting the wood

To make the guitar body

Things start to get
really different.

Instead of skilled craftsmen

Cutting out intricate shapes,

Here, an operator simply taps
some computer keys.

Now the guitar's
design blueprint

Is digitally relayed
to the cutting tools.

This guitar is being made
not by man, but by machine.

It's a process called cnc.

Cnc is the name that we give
to computer numerical control,

And it's the idea that we can
use automated control

To control machine tools,

Be that milling or lathes
or several others.

Why it's really useful
is it means

We can mill away complex
contoured shapes

Like those
on the strandberg guitar

Without having to have
human interference.

♪♪

Narrator:
Strandberg uses cnc

Because they're making
a radically different

Type of guitar.

But the unusual shape and design

Are not there are just for show.

Designer ola strandberg
has spent 12 years

Developing a guitar that
he thinks not only sounds great,

But should also help musicians

Prevent repetitive
strain injury.

Strandberg: All strandberg
guitars use our patented shape,

Which is made
to reduce the stress

On muscle joints and tendons

And allow you to play
with a more relaxed hand.

♪♪

Which allows you
to practice more

And become a better musician
that way.

Rsi,
or repetitive strain injury,

Is a massive problem
in the music industry.

To reach elite status, you need
to practice for hours on end,

And that means the same motions
over and over.

Our bodies just can't
deal with that.

A survey of american symphony
orchestra players

Discovered that two-thirds
of them had suffered from rsi.

Narrator: Strandberg uses cnc
not only to make the guitar

More ergonomic
and user-friendly,

But to drastically
reduce weight.

Most guitarists perform
standing up

So all the weight rests
on the shoulder.

Compared to
many conventional guitars

Weighing anything up
to eight pounds,

The strandberg tips the scale
at just five.

Ola strandberg believes
this lighter weight

Is good for both the musician
and the music.

So at the top
of the body portion,

We cut this tone chamber

Partly to reduce the weight,

But also to introduce
the tonal characteristics

Of a more lightweight
and resonant body.

Narrator:
The main body is cut

Next to a thinner piece of wood.

It's called the top,

And will become the decorative
front of the guitar.

The top is made from
flamed maple,

A wood valued for
its attractive patterned grain.

Once the top and body
are joined,

It's time to cut inserts
for the electric controls...

The pickups, tone,
and volume knobs

And the groove to attach
the neck.

And it has taken
some modern innovations

To precisely match ola's design.

Strandberg: It is a challenge
for most guitar factories

Because it requires
a lot of precision

To actually obtain
the features that we want.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Japan's guitar valley,
matsumoto,

Is home to the strandberg
guitar factory.

Here, uniquely shaped
electric guitars

Are made using the latest
digital technology.

Overseeing
the strandberg operation

Is nick "sugi" sugimoto.

Sugi has been making guitars
since the 1970s

For guitar legends
such as steve vai

And george benson.

He now works as a consultant
for strandberg

And is a latter-day convert

To using computers
to make great guitars.

Sugimoto: It's really hard to
make this kind of instrument

Because the neck back shape
is particularly,

You know, really unique.

If there's no cnc,

Impossible to make
this kind of instrument.

Narrator: Guitar production
may be based in japan,

But the design is the brainchild

Of swedish national
ola strandberg.

So what brought this
visionary scandinavian

Halfway around the world

To build his dream instrument
here in japan's guitar valley?

Strandberg: It is a challenge
for most guitar factories

Because it requires
a lot of precision

To actually obtain
the features that we want.

Narrator: Japanese artisans have
a long tradition of both

Making stringed instruments
and working with wood.

The two skills came together
here in matsumoto

In the 1960s.

With the rock and roll boom
in the '60s,

Everybody wanted cheap guitars.

Many japanese firms piled in,
making knock-off fenders,

Gibsons, and so on.

But some of these guitars
were so well done

That manufacturers
in the states said,

"we'll offer you a contract
to build the real thing."

Narrator:
And for the guitar valley,

The rest was history.

This guitar is ready
for a lick of paint.

That's a step too far for cnc.

This instrument now needs
some good old human tlc.

The top is sealed
and the rest of the body

Is sprayed with lacquer.

Next, several coats of stain
are applied to the top.

The top is gently sanded
after each layer dries.

This provides the optimum visual
effect from the wood grain.

[ whirring ]

The body is then given one
final clear coat, and polished.

♪♪

One of the most striking
features on the strandberg

Is the revolutionary neck.

On a conventional guitar,

The strings are tuned at the top
of the neck, the headstock.

Strandbergs don't have
a headstock.

They're tuned lower down
at the bridge.

Here, tuning can be comfortably
achieved by the picking hand.

There's no need
to stretch out to tune

At the end of the neck.

The strandberg neck
doesn't just look different

From the standard guitar.

It's made in a totally
different way.

Usually the neck is shaped
roughly and quickly by machine,

Then finally shaped
by guitar craftsmen.

On a strandberg,

Three glued maple wood squares

Are stuck together
to add strength

And then routed
to make way for the truss rod.

Like all wood, guitar necks

Are prone to bending
due to humidity

And the tension caused by
the stretched wire strings.

The truss rod runs the length
of the neck

To counter these strains.

Pau ferro wood is now added
to make the fretboard

Over which the strings
are placed.

The back of the neck
is even more complex.

A trapezoid shape is milled,

Which strandberg maintains
results in far less stress

On hand muscles,
joints, and tendons.

This unconventional neck
needs an absolute precision

That can only be achieved

By cutting machines
linked to cnc programs.

Strandberg: But because of this
complex profile,

It requires much more accurate
processing on the machine.

And then just the final,
very final finishing

To be done
by traditional methods.

It's one of the steps
that's taking a lot of effort

To work with manufacturers
to really perfect this process.

Narrator: Once the neck is
attached to the body,

It's time to go electric

And add the pickups,
strings, and controls.

The high-tech approach
continues.

Instead of standard metal
and plastics,

Aircraft grade aluminum
is used on the pickups,

And carbon fiber
for the pot, volume,

And tone knobs and switch.

In 2018, strandberg made
3,500 guitars,

But orders are rapidly
outstripping production.

Whether this popularity
is due to radical looks,

The sound, or lightweight
ergonomic design...

Or a combination of all three...
Is unclear.

But strandberg is rapidly
ramping up production

To meet demand.

This company is just
10 years old,

But with its unique take
on the revamping

Of a modern design icon,
the electric guitar,

Strandberg definitely qualifies
as a super factory.