WASHINGTON-Orders placed at U.S. factories in April rose for the second time in three months, as demand for automobiles, electrical equipment and construction machinery increased. Bookings gained 0.7 percent, after a revised 1.9 percent drop in March, the Commerce Department said today. Excluding demand for transportation equipment such as cars and airplanes, orders rose 0.1 percent. MORE
BOSTON-Boston-Power Inc., which now builds lithium-ion batteries in Taiwan, is seeking $100 million in federal stimulus funds to build a 455,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Massachusetts. The plant could eventually employ up to 600 people making batteries for hybrid and electric cars. MORE
LOS ANGELES-Los Angeles redevelopment officials are drawing closer to an agreement with an Italian rail car company that hopes to build a manufacturing plant on a prized city site east of downtown. The company, AnsaldoBreda, is angling for a $300-million contract with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build 100 light-rail cars, some of which would be used for the expansion of Metro's Gold and Expo lines. MORE
ATLANTA-NCR is relocating its corporate headquarters to Duluth, GA, moving 1,250 jobs to the state. The Fortune 500 company-the world’s leading provider of ATMs, self-checkout equipment and other products-will also establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Columbus that will employ an additional 870 people over the next five years. MORE
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia-Nissan has joined Ford, Renault, Scania, Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors in taking advantage of substantial government to set up an automotive assembly plant to tap into what analysts believe will soon be Europe’s largest car market. MORE
FORT WORTH, TX-The multi-billion-dollar Joint Strike Fighter is delaying the first flight of some of the aircraft now in production in the wake of ongoing production and design delays. MORE
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