NORTHBROOK, IL—Although 84 percent of manufacturers believe that consumer confidence in product safety is increasing, 58 percent of consumers believe manufacturers value sales over product safety, according to a new study by United Laboratories.
SPRING HILL, TN—GM will add a second shift at its assembly plant here to boost production of its Ecotec four-cylinder engine. Approximately 100 jobs will be added to the workforce.
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.
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.
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.