LORDSTOWN, OH—General Motors is starting the process to hire more than 1,000 positions at its Ultium Cells LLC battery assembly plant here.

DETROIT—General Motors plans to invest $71 million in two Ohio manufacturing facilities, including $39 million at its Toledo transmission plant and $32 million at its Defiance casting plant. Work will begin immediately at the two locations. These investments will enable GM to retain 240 U.S. manufacturing jobs.

After sitting idle for weeks or even months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. assembly plants have finally restarted production, albeit with the occasional hiccup.

WENTZVILLE, MO—General Motors is converting 100 temporary workers at its truck assembly plant here to permanent jobs as the automaker ramps up production at the facility.

Automotive engineers have been intrigued with additive manufacturing for more than a decade.

SPRING HILL, TN—General Motors plans to reopen its Spring Hill assembly plant in stages this month following the extended shutdown caused by spreading coronavirus.

As of April 19, more than 2.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 235 countries. Worldwide, more than 165,000 people have died from the disease, but more than 612,000 have recovered.

DETROIT—With ventilators and face masks now in production, GM is expanding its manufacturing of personal protective equipment, including latex-free face shields, protective gowns and aerosol boxes. All of these supplies are being donated.

DETROIT—This week, union workers at a Ford manufacturing plant outside Detroit raced to set up new assembly lines. But instead of making hybrid car batteries, the usual output from the factory, they are preparing to churn out tens of thousands of ventilators, joining the sprint against the clock to fight the coronavirus.