WURTLAND, KY-J.H. Fletcher & Co., a manufacturer of mobile underground mining equipment, will locate a new assembly plant here. The project will initially create 20 new jobs and entail a capital investment of $3.37 million. MORE

CHATTANOOGA, TN-The Komatsu tractor assembly plant here may shut down due to parts shortages. The plant receives about 20 percent of its components from a Japanese facility that was severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. MORE

NEW YORK MILLS, MN-A New York Mills man accused of making a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of the Lund-Crestliner boat assembly plant last week was an employee. MORE

TOKYO, JAPAN-Japanese automakers will idle more plants for at least the next few days as businesses voluntarily limit electricity consumption in the wake of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami. It was too soon to say whether production in North America might be disrupted because of a delay in parts. MORE

PALMDALE, CA-Northrop Grumman Corp. has started using a new assembly line here for making the fuselage of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The assembly line is based on the automated systems used by automakers. MORE

GALESBURG, IL-Sometime in May, the first tankless water heaters are expected to roll off the assembly line at Intellihot Green Technologies new factory here. MORE

KANSAS CITY, KS-The General Motors Fairfax plant here is back in operation after an evacuation because of a novelty toy that looked like a hand grenade, police said. MORE

NEW YORK, NY-According to United Nations data, the U.S. is still the largest manufacturing country in the world. In 2009, American manufacturing output (in real terms) was nearly $2.2 trillion. That's about 45 percent larger than China's, at just under $1.5 trillion. So why do so many Americans think the U.S. doesn't make anything anymore? MORE

DEARBORN, MI-Ford Motor Co. said it would team up with DTE Energy to install solar panels at a factory in Wayne, MI. The Michigan assembly plant, where the Ford Focus is made, will have the capacity to generate 500 kilowatts of power with its solar panels. MORE

CHATTANOOGA, TN- What does snapping together toy trucks have to do with building the Passat mid-size family sedan? New hires at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Hamilton County find out when they attend Volkswagen Academy. MORE