KANSAS CITY-Kokam
America Inc. is
looking for a location for a new 800,000-square-foot plant to provide batteries
for the Smith Electric Vehicles plant coming to the area. MORE
WASHINGTON-New factory orders in February unexpectedly rose 1.8 percent, the largest increase since June, the first increase in seven months, and much better than the 1.1 percent decline economists expected. The February increase breaks a record six-month downward streak for new factory orders. MORE
MANCHESTER, TN-A Middle Tennessee firm has won a $147 million contract to produce interior door panels for Volkswagen’s new midsized sedan, which will be produced at VW’s new Chattanooga plant. M-Tek Inc. will supply the panels for the car which will begin production in early 2011. MORE
INDEPENDENCE, MO-Alliant Techsystems Inc. has been awarded a four-year contract to continue operating its Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, the largest ammunition manufacturing plant in the world. Alliant said Thursday it already has received initial orders worth nearly $500 million under the contract. Since April 2000, production has increased from 350 million rounds a year to more than 1.4 billion rounds a year. MORE
WINDSOR, ON-Chrysler Canada Inc. workers at the minivan assembly plant here were sent home Tuesday night and again yesterday morning because of a parts shortage. The shortage is due to an interruption in supplies from manufacturer H.E. Vannatter in Wallaceburg, ON, where 100 workers were laid off on Monday. Sources familiar with the company's operations say Chrysler is planning to begin building the parts in-house at its casting plant in west Toronto. MORE
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI-Energy Composites Corp. will begin construction here this spring on a 350,000 square foot plant to produce blades for wind turbines. The new factory is expected to create about 400 jobs. MORE
FORT WORTH, TX-Electronics manufacturing services provider Q-Edge has selected the Alliance Global Logistics Hub here as the site of its newest assembly and distribution center. Q-Edge’s investment is expected to bring up to 500 jobs to the region. MORE
WOODBURN, OR-Startrans opened its new bus manufacturing facility here earlier this month. The facility will build gas, diesel and hybrid buses based on Ford and Chevrolet chassis. MORE
MONTREAL-Canada's largest aircraft maker is slashing another 3,000 jobs
around the world, including at plants in Montreal and Toronto, as it copes with
weaker demand for business jets. MORE