DETROIT—It’s a basic tenet of mass production: Making things in batches is the most efficient way to manufacture anything. So why, then, is lean manufacturing evangelist Ted Duclos arguing that America can revitalize its manufacturing base by making things one at a time?
NEW YORK—After decades of siphoning jobs from the United States, China is creating some. Chinese companies invested a record $14 billion in the United States last year, according to the Rhodium Group research firm. Collectively, they employ more than 70,000 Americans, up from virtually none a decade ago.
OXFORD, UK—BMW has installed 11,500 solar panels on the roof its Mini assembly plant here. The panels will generate enough electricity to power 850 UK households.
DETROIT—General Motors has appointed Cathy Clegg, a 31-year veteran of the company, to take over as vice president of North American manufacturing as it focuses on improving the production launches of new vehicles in the wake of a record number of recalls.
DEARBORN, MI—Engineers at Ford Motor Co. have created virtual representations of employees— called “avatars”—to assess whether articulating arms and other ergonomic aids could help with assembly.
BRUNSWICK, OH—Santa’s Own, a manufacturer of artificial Christmas trees, will reshore some manufacturing work from China back home to its assembly plant here. The company said rising raw material costs and higher labor rates overseas were among the reasons for bringing business back to the United States.
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Engineers at MIT and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a new ultrastiff, ultralight material. Based on repeating microscopic units, the material has record-breaking stiffness at low density.
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