MOBILE, AL—Airbus’ newly hired U.S. manufacturing employees arrived back home in Mobile May 31 after six or more months of training in Hamburg, Germany.

SANFORD, FL—Hernon Manufacturing Inc., a producer of adhesive and dispensing technologies, will more than double the size of its manufacturing facility here through a $2.5 million investment projected to add 20 jobs.

WALTHAM, MA—A123 Systems LLC will invest $200 million to double capacity at three of its global manufacturing plants, including two in Michigan.

FORT WAYNE, IN—GM will spend $1.2 billion to revamp its pickup truck assembly plant here. Plans call for improving the paint shop, expanding the body shop, and upgrading the assembly area.

GAINESVILLE, GA—Kubota Manufacturing of America Corp. plans to increase production capacity the U.S. by building a 502,000-square-foot assembly plant and expanding its existing operations here.

MUNICH, Germany—Deep in the mechanized heart of BMW's assembly plant here is a tiny but significant symbol of Australian ingenuity. Amid the 1,200 robots and other automated machinery is a buffing machine dusting car shells with emu feathers.

DETROIT—A protracted labor dispute that slowed the shipment of products through ports on the West Coast has forced some West Michigan manufacturers to rethink their just-in-time production model.

PORTAGE, IN—Fronius USA has invested more than $1.5 million in its assembly plant here to make inverters for solar power.

CAMBRIDGE, ON—Just two months ago, efforts by the Canadian union Unifor to organize two Toyota Motor Corp. plants in Ontario had all but ground to a halt. But an April announcement that Toyota will move production of the Corolla from its 27-year-old plant here to a new factory to be built in Mexico ignited fears of job cuts. Now, the Unifor campaign is springing back to life.