ANN ARBOR, MI-North American robotics companies saw orders to North American manufacturing companies rise 24 percent in 2007, reversing the declines of the previous year, according to a report released by Robotic Industries Association. MORE

BEIJING-Although China has long offered some of the world's lowest manufacturing costs, rising prices for energy, materials and labor are causing some manufacturers to leave for even lower-cost markets, such as Vietnam, Indonesia and India. MORE

WASHINGTON-Makers of medical devices are immune from liability for personal injuries as long as the Food and Drug Administration approved the device before it was marketed, the Supreme Court has ruled. MORE

BEIJING-Toy makers in the United States are scaling back product offerings in response to soaring energy costs, raw material prices and rising labor costs in China. MORE

DETROIT-Ford, Chrysler and GM may be shedding jobs right now, but a new report says the Big Three will soon be hiring employees again in record numbers. MORE

TOULOUSE, France-European aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects sales to drop by nearly half in the coming months. MORE

DETROIT-A federal bankruptcy court judge yesterday denied Chrysler LLC’s request to immediately retrieve equipment from supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc., saying such a move could harm Plastech’s efforts to reorganize under bankruptcy protection. MORE

BEIJING-China is facing the prospect of defeat before the World Trade Organization over its tax policies on imported auto parts. MORE

LAFAYETTE, IN-Although Subaru's Lafayette assembly plant produces some 180,000 cars a year, it generates almost no waste. MORE

AUBURN HILL, MI-Although hundreds of Chrysler hourly workers appear poised to accept early retirement, many are saying the current round of buyout packages isn't rich enough. MORE