TURIN, Italy-Italian carmaker Fiat
has denied a report that it would cut 18,000 jobs and shut down as many as 10
assembly and component plant in the event it acquire GM’s European properties. MORE
DETROIT-The all-electric car, which had a brief heyday less than a decade ago before the car companies killed it, is about to make a comeback. Charged up with lighter, more efficient batteries and competitively priced with gasoline-driven vehicles, the new offers will be marketed and sold primarily as second cars. Nissan , Ford, Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Subaru, among others, are planning to introduce electric vehicles over the next year. MORE
EPHRATA, PA-Astro Machine Works Inc., a manufacturer of custom machinery, automation equipment, fabricated components and precision machined parts, has completed phase one of its expansion, increasing manufacturing space by 50 percent. MORE
DETROIT-In addition to taking over General
Motors’ European operations, Fiat is reportedly interested in taking over the
company’s business in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. MORE
SALEM, OR-Sanyo Solar of Oregon’s $80 million solar-cell manufacturing plant rapidly is taking shape here. Construction workers on April 22 used a crane to set into place 120,000-pound concrete panels, which will form walls for the plant’s crystal-growing area. All of the plant’s exterior walls are expected to be standing in 30 days. Installation of manufacturing equipment is scheduled to begin in early August. MORE
MARTINSVILLE, VA-American of Martinsville is consolidating with Barcalounger Home and creating 94 new jobs at its furniture manufacturing plant here. The shared services agreement between the two companies calls for American of Martinsville to make a $1.4 million capital investment in equipment at the plant. An additional 94 new jobs will be available at the plant, which currently employs 121 people. MORE
NEWPORT NEWS, VA-Canon USA has opened a 700,000-square-foot assembly plant here. Equipped with high-speed, automated assembly machines, the plant will produce cartridges for laser printers. MORE
LITTLETON, CO-A small company here is making plans to build a plant to manufacture fuel cells, which use hydrogen to generate up to 10 kilowatts of power - more than twice as much as the average residential solar system. “We’re about six to 12 months away from making decisions on where, how and when to build a manufacturing plant,” said Bob Stokes, CEO of Versa Power Systems Inc. MORE
WICHITA, KS-State and Wichita-area officials are trying to figure out how suspension of the Citation Columbus business jet affects public assistance for Cessna Aircraft to build a new assembly plant. The state, Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita last year approved more than $70 million in cash assistance and tax breaks to help facilitate development of the Columbus plant, which was expected to create 1,000 jobs. MORE
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