ST. CHARLES, IL–Dukane, a leader in plastic welding, recently announced the acquisition of Blackhawk Technology Group, a systems, services, and contract manufacturer for laser plastic welding.

CAMDEN, AR—Lockheed Martin says it is spending $142 million and hiring 326 new workers over the next few years as it expands its south Arkansas facility.

DETROIT—Ford Motor Co. recently announced that it will eliminate about 20 percent of its workforce across Europe and close six factories in a sweeping overhaul aimed at reviving the money-losing region as the company also moves to prepare for the future of electric and self-driving cars.

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Commerce Department recently barred five additional Chinese entities from buying American-made products, a move that follows the similar blacklisting of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in May.

BARCELONA, Spain–HP Inc. recently opened the doors to its 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence here.

CHICAGO—China-based CRRC Sifang America has begun to implement its $1.3 billion contract to build more than 800 new 700-series trains for the Chicago Transit Authority at a $100 million factory on the city's far south side.

AACHEN, Germany—Automotive 5G manufacturing production has begun here by GO Mobile AG, enabled by 5G connectivity from Ericsson and Vodafone Germany. The technology delivers secure and almost real-time data networking across the full production chain.

ARLINGTON, TX—General Motors Co. is investing an additional $20 million at its assembly plant here to upgrade conveyors in preparation for the launch of GM’s all-new full-size SUVs. GM has invested more than $1.4 billion in the facility since 2015.

HUNTSVILLE, AL—The University of Alabama's Office for Operational Excellence here will participate in a recently funded program to integrate additive manufacturing into the United States Army, and pilot an additive manufacturing-based supply chain.

PITTSBURG, CA—Bombardier plans to open an assembly plant here to build Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) railcars, and hire about 50 assemblers.