GOODYEAR, AZ—Monarch Power, a manufacturer of photovoltaic modules, has made an offer to buy Suntech’s solar panel assembly plant here.

WASHINGTON—Total energy consumption in the manufacturing sector decreased by 17 percent from 2002 to 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The decline in energy intensity reflects both improvements in energy efficiency and changes in the manufacturing output mix.

WESTFORD, MA—Bluestone Energy Services has helped contract manufacturer Mack Technologies substantially reduce energy consumption in its assembly plant here with a comprehensive LED lighting retrofit.

America’s manufacturing sector gained 14,000 jobs in February, according to the latest data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW’s assembly plant here is expanding its use of material handling equipment powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

DETROIT—Ford Motor Co. plans to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills for each vehicle that it builds by 41 percent as part of a five-year plan through 2016. Ford will reduce the waste generated per vehicle from 22.7 pounds in 2011 to 13.4 pounds.

PITTSBURGH—Safety equipment manufacturer MSA has created a new line of hard hats made from a green plastic sourced entirely from sugarcane.

CLAYTON, NC—PCX Corp., a manufacturer of electrical power systems, has successfully commissioned a 500-kilowatt rooftop photovoltaic system at its assembly plant here.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen’s assembly plant here is now getting as much as 9.5 megawatts of electricity from a massive solar panel installation.

Looking back on the campaign, it was refreshing to hear candidates from both parties tout the importance of U.S. manufacturing.