WASHINGTON—Industrial production in the United States rose for a fifth month in December, capping the strongest quarter since 2010 and indicating manufacturing is helping propel the economy. Output at factories, mines and utilities climbed 0.3 percent after a revised 1 percent increase in November, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—UAW chief Bob King has told a German newspaper he believes the union will be in Volkswagen’s assembly plant here by June.

PENFIELD, NY—Systems integrator Kinetic Machine Development LLC has opened a new facility here to design and build custom assembly machines. The company also has an office in St. Louis.

WASHINGTON—U.S. sales of machine tools totaled $437.79 million in November, an increase of 0.6 percent from October and up 20.7 percent compared with November 2012.

WEST POINT, GA—The Georgia Department of Labor has begun the process of filling 190 jobs at automotive seat manufacturer Hyundai Dymos over the next few months.

ATHENS, GA—Researchers at Georgia Tech are applying sensors to people’s arms to train robots to mimic, respond to, and even predict a person’s movements so that the two can work side-by-side more seamlessly.

CHARLOTTE, NC—Touting a rebound in manufacturing jobs, President Obama announced a public-private partnership to expand that momentum. He unveiled a manufacturing innovation institute in North Carolina, the first of three similar hubs he proposed in last year’s State of the Union address.

DETROIT—Volkswagen intends to build a new North American factory as part of plans to invest $7 billion in the continent over five years to lift annual sales from 600,000 to 1 million.

DETROIT—General Motors sold 9.71 million cars and trucks worldwide last year, not enough to beat out Toyota for the global sales crown but good enough for second place.

BETHEL, VT—Vermont Castings, a manufacturer of wood stoves and gas grills, is bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States from overseas.