CASABLANCA, Morocco—Cable technology manufacturer Nexans S.A. will open an Interface Maroc plant here in 2022 that will produce fiber optic cable accessories for FTTH (Fiber to the Home), 5G, data center and LAN (Local Area Network) applications.

AUSTIN, TX—Personal protective equipment manufacturer Armbrust American has announced that its factories are now capable of producing meltblown, the nonwoven fabric material that filters out microscopic particulate matter such as the coronavirus.

Epson Robots has named a new service center and two new distributors.

HANOVER, Germany—Engineers at parts supplier Continental AG are predicting that vehicle functions controlled by software will increase from 10 percent to 40 percent by 2030.

DETROIT—Production at Ford Motor Co.’s Louisville, KY, assembly plant will be stopped for the second time this month, beginning this week, as a microchip shortage continues to upend the auto industry.

BRUSSELS—The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked the biggest decline in car production in Europe on record, according to data published last week by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

LORDSTOWN, OH—Lordstown Motors Corp. has received more than 100,000 nonbinding reservations from commercial fleets for its Endurance all-electric pickup truck, with production scheduled to start here in September.

INGERSOLL, ON—General Motors Co. and labor union Unifor have reached a deal for the automaker to invest nearly C$1 billion ($785.42 million) in its CAMI Assembly Plant here to manufacture commercial electric vans.

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—Industrial production rose 1.6 percent in December, following a gain of 0.5 percent in November and 1.0 percent in October, reports the American Institute of Economic Research.

WINDSOR, ON—A blockade at the delivery gate of FCA’s Windsor Assembly Plant has been removed after the company and Unifor Local 444 reached a temporary agreement on Jan. 10.