MILPITAS, CA—Flextronics has installed a flexible automated assembly line at its factory here that can be quickly changed to adapt to new products or production processes.
BOGART, GA—Caterpillar is planning to hire 100 more workers for its new assembly plant here. Caterpillar is seeking welders, assemblers and other workers as it prepares to start making small tractors and add a second shift to build mini-hydraulic excavators.
WASHINGTON—U.S. employers added jobs at a solid pace in March and hired more in January and February than previously thought. The economy gained 192,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said Friday, slightly below February’s revised total of 197,000. Employers added a combined 37,000 more jobs in January and February than previously estimated.
MOBILE, AL—Airbus Americas has awarded the paint shop contract for its A320 final assembly line under construction at Mobile Aeroplex to MAAS Aviation Aircraft Services.
WASHINGTON—Private nonfarm business sector multifactor productivity increased at a 1.5 percent annual rate in 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This gain in 2012 reflected a 3.8 percent increase in output and 2.2 percent increase in the combined inputs of capital and labor.
DUBLIN, VA—In response to increased demand for its trucks, Volvo increase production at its assembly plant here and hire approximately 200 hundred people.
WASHINGTON—U.S. factory orders rose in February after two straight months of declines. New orders for manufactured goods rose 1.6 percent from January to $488.8 billion, the Commerce Department said.
NEENAH, WI—Plexus Corp. has completed the relocation of employees to its new $50 million manufacturing plant. Some 1,100 Plexus employees and 200 temporary employees now work at the facility.
TORONTO—Canadian auto workers begin voting next Monday on whether they want Unifor, the country’s largest private-sector union, to represent them in contract negotiations with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
WASHINGTON—The U.S. manufacturing expansion accelerated in March, driven by gains in production and orders, in the latest sign that the economy is shaking off its winter doldrums and building momentum into the second quarter. The Institute for Supply Management’s index increased to 53.7 from 53.2 a month earlier. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.
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