ELKTON, KY— Custom Cooler Inc., a manufacturer of custom coolers and freezers, investing $5.8 million to build a new assembly plant here, creating 75 jobs.

TUSCALOOSA, AL—A judge has ruled that the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant here violated labor laws while dealing with employees interested in forming a labor union.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Fueled by strong demand from manufacturing companies in all sectors, the North American robotics industry is off to its fastest start ever in 2014, according to the Robotic Industries Association.

WATERTOWN TOWNSHIP, MI—Automotive supplier Challenge Manufacturing Co. plans to spend $65.5 million to build a 430,000-square-foot assembly plant here, creating 420 jobs.

AKRON, OH—Two years ago, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company made a commitment to hire 1,000 U.S. military veterans. Today, the company announced that it surpassed its three-year goal more than a year early, and has pledged to hire an additional 1,000 veterans.

OTTAWA, ON—Canada’s manufacturing sector is poised for a true recovery after spending the last eight years in survival mode, according to a new report from consulting firm KPMG.

FREMONT, CA—Tesla Motors Inc. has halted production at its assembly plant here for the first time as it adds robots to accelerate production of electric sedans and prepares to build its Model X sport-utility vehicle. The $100 million upgrade will add 25 robots with a goal of boosting production by 25 percent.

DANIELSON, CT—Spirol International Corp. has released a new version of its Coiled Pin Design Guide.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists has shipped a 24-station assembly and test system to a Tier 1 automotive supplier of driveline and drivetrain systems.

THUNDER BAY, ON—Trades workers and assembly line workers at Bombardier’s railcar assembly plant here are now on strike.