LAFAYETTE, IN—GE Aviation has started the initial hiring of employees for the $100 million jet engine assembly plant under construction here. The factory will employ more than 200 workers within five years.

SPRINGFIELD, MA—A Chinese company that is the largest manufacturer of passenger railroad cars in the world is going to build a $55 million, 125,000-square foot assembly plant here that could employ up to 300 people.

CLAYCOMO, MO—A worker at the Ford Motor Co. assembly plant here died Dec. 30 after he was accidentally struck by a piece of equipment.

STUTTGART, Germany—A new video from Popular Mechanics shows how Porsche assembles the 918 Spyder.

ENFIELD, NS—Pratt & Whitney Canada will invest $67 million in its assembly plant here over the next six years.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Toyota Motor Corp. will invest $126 million in its Ann Arbor Technical Center to expand powertrain operations and consolidate vehicle development operations at a new facility on its York Township campus.

PLANTERSVILLE, MS—OptimComfort Inc., a manufacturer of medical furniture, is moving to a new assembly plant here, creating 70 jobs over the next three years.

DETROIT—As new UAW President Dennis Williams heads into the 2015 contract talks, he plans to push hard for a wage increase for GM, Ford and Chrysler workers.

WASHINGTON—U.S. manufacturing output in November surpassed its pre-recession peak, as automotive production kicked into a higher gear. The Federal Reserve said that factory production rose 1.1 percent last month, up from a 0.4 percent improvement in October. Manufacturing output has risen 4.8 percent over the past 12 months. It’s now above the previous high set just before the downturn began in December 2007.

ST. LOUIS—Boeing has commenced construction of a new 367,000-square-foot composites manufacturing facility, which will build parts for the new 777X. The facility is expected to employ 700.