LOUISVILLE, KY—Incentives offered by Kentucky enabled Ford and Toyota to make major investments in their assembly plants.

LAFAYETTE, IN—Tier 1 supplier Heartland Automotive will expand its assembly plant and create more than 220 jobs by 2016.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Eight workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant here have filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that the UAW misled or coerced them into signing cards requesting union representation at the plant.

BOSTON—Researchers at MIT have programmed assembly robots to not only realize when they’ve failed at a task, but to also determine if they actually have any chance of succeeding. If the answer is no, they can ask a human for help, specifying what needs to get done, and what robot needs assistance.

FAIRFIELD, OH—The Western States Machine Co., which makes centrifuges, has opened a new $6.5 million, 76,000-square-foot assembly plant here.

TUNICA, MS—Feuer Powertrain GmbH has begun constructing a $140 million assembly plant here, with plans to create 300 new jobs. The factory will begin producing automotive crankshafts in late 2014.

WASHINGTON—Manufacturing accounts for 28.7 percent of Oregon’s gross state product, the highest percentage in the country, according to the latest statistics from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

ROLLA, MO—Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are running computer simulations of additive manufacturing processes that could lead to stronger, more durable materials for spacecraft.

MOBILE, AL—Airbus has posted two new managerial job openings for its jetliner assembly plant under construction here.

DETROIT—GM is seeking a tax abatement of about $1.8 million over 15 years from the city of Detroit as it considers building a $121 million logistics center at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.