Automotive Assembly

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SAO PAULO, Brazil—It carried hippies through the 1960s, hauled surfers in search of killer waves during endless summers, and serves as a workhorse across the developing world, but the long, strange trip of the Volkswagen van is ending. VW will end production of the iconic vehicle here Dec. 31.

TOKYO—Eiji Toyoda, a member of Toyota’s founding family who helped create the super-efficient “Toyota Way” production method, has died. He was 100.

SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW has taken a step toward revolutionizing the role of robots in automotive manufacturing by having a handful of robots work side by side with human workers at its assembly plant here.

OAKVILLE, ON—Ford will spend between $675 million and $725 million to retool its assembly plant here. The Canadian and Ontario governments will contribute approximately $135 million to the effort, which will secure the facility’s 3,000 jobs into the next decade.

CHICAGO—Workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant have checked the quality of a vehicle’s paint job basically the same way since the plant opened in 1924—by eye. But the factory is now getting a new 3D imaging system that uses 16 computer-controlled cameras to detect the most microscopic grains of dirt in the paint.

PORTLAND, OR—Daimler Trucks North America will expand its headquarters here after state and city officials offered nearly $20 million in incentives.

NASHVILLE, TN—A majority of workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant here have signed cards favoring the UAW’s representation in creating a German-style works council at the facility.

AUBURN HILLS, MI—Esys Automation has received an order for a turnkey automated dispensing system froma major European automotive manufacturer. The multiple robot system will dispense sealants and sound-deadening materials.

DETROIT—Automotive manufacturers have consistently outpaced the global manufacturing average in recent years, according to a global purchasing managers index.

WASHINGTON—Many U.S. companies aren’t counted as manufacturers by the government, but are still heavily involved in the manufacturing of goods, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The prevalence of these “factory-less goods producers”—Apple Inc. is a prime example—suggests that the country might have more manufacturing capabilities than official statistics suggest.