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.
