DEARBORN, MI—Ford will increase the production at its North American facilities by 200,000 units per year, which adds to an earlier capacity rise by 400,000 units in 2012.

SAN DIEGO—Systems integrator JOT Automation has designed a robotic assembly line to make insulin pumps for Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

WINDSOR, ON—The Canadian Auto Workers union and Flex-N-Gate have agreed to a three-year contract for workers at the Tier 1 supplier’s assembly plant here. Flex-N-Gate makes frame rails for Chrysler vehicles.

CLEVELAND—ASG, a manufacturer of fastening equipment for the assembly market, has become the exclusive North American distributor for Fiam air tools.

NEWARK, DE—GE Aviation will invest $27 million to expand its assembly plant here to boost production of ceramic matrix composites, which are used to make advanced aircraft engine components. The move will create 70 jobs.

OAK RIDGE, TN—Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are studying ways to reuse electric vehicle batteries after they are spent.

LANSING, MI—GM plans to spend $44.5 million to open a new logistics center at its Lansing Grand River assembly plant, creating 200 jobs.

EAST HARTFORD, CT—Pratt & Whitney has flight-tested jet engine components made from metal additive manufacturing processes.

SAN ANTONIO—The Southwest Research Institute has launched its third cooperative research program aimed at developing a high-efficiency gasoline engine for the light-duty automotive and medium-duty engine markets. This four-year effort will expand on earlier efforts to improve gasoline engine technology for future emissions and fuel economy requirements.

DALLAS—Texas Instruments is collaborating with automotive parts supplier Continental to mass-produce microcontrollers with Flash technology.