Big wheel At Bridgestone Manufacturing’s plant in South Carolina, Tremonde Gaines polishes a giant tyre. Over four metres tall, it will be used for a mining truck capable of hauling 363 tonnes of rock at a time
Ball pit Semi-autogenous grinding balls, manufactured in Missouri, are used in mining operations to break down metal ore to make it ready for processing
Clean machines The GEA factory in Kentucky specialises in washing machines and dishwashers. Robot-assisted workers fit scores of stainless-steel tubs with rotating washers and drying racks
Turbo trains America’s manufacturing industry now specialises in high-tech products such as the Avelia Liberty power car, designed to run on Amtrak’s high-speed rail service between Boston, New York and Washington, DC. The trains are built in Hornell, New York
Body-conscious GE Healthcare has produced medical-imaging devices since the 1920s. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, the company builds donut-shaped PET/CT scanners that use X-rays and radioactive tracers to create 3D images of the human body
