SPARKS, NV--Three years ago, Tesla began construction of its Gigafactory here. This past weekend, the facility began battery production. By the end of 2018, it is expected to produce enough batteries for 500,000 cars, primarily the company's Model 3.

The main objective for manufacturers of commercial transportation equipment is to profitability build high-quality products. One way to meet this objective is to assemble trailers and truck bodies with advanced structural adhesives and seam sealers.

Plastics and polymer composites are essential to a wide range of safety and performance parts in cars today. In fact, the use of plastic and polymer composites in light vehicles has increased from less than 20 pounds per vehicle in 1960 to 334 pounds per car in 2015.

Robots are increasingly being made to mirror humans. The best example of this is the dual-armed robot—such as ABB’s YuMi and Rethink Robotics’ Baxter—designed specifically to work closely with people on the assembly line.

The popularity of cordless tools on the assembly line continues to grow. Battery-operated devices allow assemblers to more easily work on platforms or inside car interiors, tractor cabs, aircraft wings and other tight spaces.

World-class manufacturers maintain high standards in every facet of their business, from materials and design, to assembly, performance and customer service. Quite often, these same companies are equally committed to meeting the highest industry standards in one or more of these areas.

When one thinks of Italy, several things immediately come to mind. There’s wine and pasta, world-class soccer and gondoliers singing in Venice. Another thing that symbolizes Italy is Maserati, the manufacturer of technologically advanced sports cars.

For decades, many people have fantasized about flying cars and roadworthy aircraft. While several successful prototypes have been built in the past, the idea has never gotten off the ground. But, that may finally be about to change.

On May 12, hackers launched a “ransomware” cyberattack that would eventually infect 300,000 machines in 150 countries over a three-day period.