GE Appliances has been making washers, refrigerators and other white goods in Louisville, KY, for more than 70 years. However, that doesn’t mean the company hasn’t kept up with technology.

Both Ford facilities have undergone major transformations since they received the award, due to the evolving nature of the auto industry and changing consumer demand.

Only one white goods manufacturer has ever received the Assembly Plant of the Year award: GE Appliances’ refrigerator factory in Decatur, AL.

AGCO Corp’s assembly plant in Jackson, MN, has gone green.

More than a decade ago, Northrop Grumman adopted production technology from the auto industry and unveiled an automated assembly line to mass-produce fuselages for the F-35 jet fighter.

The mainframe computers and enterprise systems produced at IBM’s operation in Poughkeepsie, NY are the backbone of cloud computing, e-commerce, online banking, social media and other attributes of the digital age that most people take for granted.

Schneider Electric’s facility in Lexington, KY, holds the distinction of being named both the Assembly Plant of the Year and a Lighthouse factory.

Kenworth Truck Co. recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. The company has been a pillar of manufacturing activity in the Seattle area since 1923, operating out of a series of four different local factories, including its current flagship plant in Renton.

Here’s a brief look at the diverse facilities that have received the Assembly Plant of the Year award.

In this ebook, we look back at past winners, discover how the plants have further improved, and learn their plans for the future.