Boeing and its heritage companies, such as Douglas Aircraft Co., McDonnell Aircraft Corp. and North American Aviation Inc., have produced hundreds of different types of airplanes, helicopters, missiles, rockets, satellites, spacecraft and other flying objects over the last 10 decades.

The world was a much different place when William Boeing started to build aeroplanes in a small boathouse along the shore of Seattle’s Lake Union in 1916. Flying machines were still a novelty. Most aviation records, such as altitude, distance and speed, were held by European aircraft manufacturers and pilots.

During the past 10 decades, Boeing and its heritage companies, such as Douglas Aircraft Co., McDonnell Aircraft Corp. and North American Aviation Inc., have designed and built a wide variety of aircraft. Boeing has evolved from seaplanes to space planes.

Automated guided carts help cut assembly time for riding mowers.

Carbon-fiber composites offer a variety of advantages for car and truck manufacturers, including lighter weight, better corrosion resistance and higher impact strength than aluminum and steel.

The Tier One supplier’s plant in Toledo, OH, thrives on continuous improvement and sequencing.

Shape memory alloys offer numerous benefits, but cause assembly headaches.

A new assembly line in Mobile is building A320 jetliners.

Aerospace engineers are pushing the boundaries of 3D printing.

For decades, motorists have depended on side view and rearview mirrors when changing lanes or backing up. But, the good old glass mirror is slowly being replaced by cameras, sensors and display screens.