LEWISTON, ID-Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is building a new assembly plant here, creating more than 160 jobs. The company manufactures generators, transmission protection equipment and other products for electric utilities. MORE

AVON LAKE, OH-Ford will step up production of Econoline vans at the Ohio Assembly Plant due to increased demand. The plant produces about 35 vehicles per hour now, and will increase production to 40 vehicles per hour. MORE

SMA America LLC, a manufacturer of components for solar-power systems, has hired nearly 200 people for its new Denver manufacturing plant and expects to have 700 employees by the end of 2011. MORE

INDIANAPOLIS-As unlikely as it would seem, manufacturers who want to expand find that hiring is not always easy. MORE

TORONTO-Magellan Aerospace broke ground Friday for a new facility that will manufacture composite parts for the Joint Strike Fighter program. MORE

AVON LAKE, OH-Ford Motor Co.’s Ohio Assembly Plant will host a meeting for local mayors and U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton this morning, but the meeting’s purpose was not revealed last night. MORE

HOUSTON-Hewlett-Packard is remodeling its PC and server factory here to create an assembly line dedicated to performance optimized data centers. MORE

FORT SMITH, AR-Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas Inc. broke ground on a $100 million wind turbine nacelle manufacturing plant here. MORE

CLARKSVILLE, TN-The new Hemlock Semiconductor Plant here is set to open in 2012, but things already moving forward in the hiring process for its new polysilicon manufacturing facility. Some 500 jobs are expected to be available when the $1.2 billion plant opens. MORE

ORION TOWNSHIP, MI-GM is investing $145 million to reopen its assembly plant here, where it plans to build a new Buick compact car and a smaller Chevrolet subcompact. MORE