CLEVELAND—Ford plans to invest $145 million to upgrade its engine assembly plant here so it can build the next-generation, 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and expand the lineup of cars and trucks that are offered with the popular engine.
WASHINGTON—Orders for big-ticket goods surged in January. The Commerce Department said Thursday that new orders of durable goods increased 4.9 percent last month, topping the median estimate of 2.9 percent that economists had been expecting.
SINDELFINGEN, Germany—With customization key to wooing modern consumers, flexible and adaptable human workers are reclaiming space from robots at the Mercedes assembly plant here.
SPRING HILL, TN—GM will invest $148 million in its engine assembly plant here. The investment is aimed at modifying machinery and assembly equipment to produce V8 engines.
TOKYO—Toyota has resumed operations at all vehicle assembly and parts plants in Japan after its longest domestic production suspension since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
CHARLESTON, SC—Volvo’s decision to open its first U.S. assembly plant in Berkeley County is likely to lure other businesses from the Swedish automaker’s home country. Nearly two dozen of Sweden’s automotive parts suppliers visited South Carolina last week to meet with executives at Volvo and other manufacturers as part of a campaign to expand the burgeoning Swedish car parts industry to other countries.
LAS VEGAS, NV—A second electric car company is planning to build an assembly plant in southern Nevada, and it’s further along in development than Faraday Future. Executives with 2050 Motors, which is showing two car models in Las Vegas this week, are evaluating sites to build a plant in the state.
ANN ARBOR, MI—Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in 2015, according to Robotic Industries Association. A total of 31,464 robots valued at $1.8 billion were ordered from North American companies during 2015, an increase of 14 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars over 2014.