BERLIN—Following Germany’s decision to acquire 35 F-35 fighter jets to replace its aging Tornados, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and German defense contractor Rheinmetall have agreed to establish a second F-35 center fuselage integrated assembly line (IAL) in Germany.

SANTA CRUZ, CA—Joby Aviation Inc.’s much-anticipated electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has achieved an important milestone. 

VERO BEACH, FL—Piper Aircraft has installed an Agile Manufacturing Robot (AMR) from Wilder Systems on its assembly line here for the M600/SLS single-engine airplane. 

Based in New Britain, CT, Polamer Precision manufactures complex engine and airframe components for military and commercial aircraft engines. 

Initiated in 2004, the Assembly Plant of the Year award showcases world-class production facilities in America and the people, products, and processes that make them successful. 

Anyone who has ever painted a bedroom or a car knows that the most difficult and time-consuming part of the process is actually the prep work: repairing damage, sanding, cleaning and masking. Now, imagine if you had to paint a passenger jet.

What were ASSEMBLY Magazine's Top 10 most popular articles from 2022? Multimedia Editor Jennifer Pierce links up with Chief Editor John Sprovieri and Senior Editor Austin Weber for a countdown of the ten most-read manufacturing stories from 2022. 

LOS ANGELES—Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lockheed Martin Corp., is investing in Machina Labs, a start-up company developing technology that combines AI and robotics to rapidly manufacture advanced sheet metal products.

EVERETT, WA—Boeing will add a fourth assembly line at its factory here to produce more 737 Max aircraft.

NASHUA, NH—Greenerd Press & Machine Co. has developed a 2,500-ton compression molding press with 10-foot-square heated platens that can maintain a temperature of 500 F with a tolerance of ±5 degrees.