PLYMOUTH, MI—Chinese-backed developer Third Wave Group plans to open an automotive research and development center here.

NEW YORK—The Internet of Things is changing manufacturing as we know it. Factories and plants that are connected to the Internet are more efficient, productive and smarter than their non-connected counterparts.

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico—Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance have agreed to jointly build a new assembly plant here. The two companies will equally divide the $1.36 billion cost of building the facility, which is expected to employ 5,700 workers and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles annually.

MEXICO CITY—BMW will unveil plans this week to build a new assembly plant in Mexico, as the company seeks to meet growing demand for premium cars.

DALLAS—Texas factory activity increased again in June, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 11 to 15.5, indicating output grew at a faster pace than in May.

DETROIT—The Open Automotive Alliance, a consortium of automotive OEMs and technology providers like Google, has launched a new, automotive-specific operating system—Android Auto.

HAMILTON, OH—The 14,000-pound Turf Muncher from Mitchell Machine Works rides on wheels made in the USA by Hamilton Caster.

OWATONNA, MN—Daikin Applied Americas Inc., a manufacturer of commercial HVAC equipment, is investing $9 million to expand its assembly plant here, creating 40 jobs.

DUBLIN, VA—Volvo Trucks North America says it will invest $69 million in improvements at its New River Valley plant in Dublin.

CHICAGO—America is now luring as many factory jobs back from overseas—a process known as reshoring—as it’s losing to continued offshoring. That’s the assessment of the Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit group that encourages companies to move work back to the United States.