WASHINGTON—Stellantis filed eight additional lawsuits against the United Auto Workers (UAW) and 23 local union units, accusing them of violating their contract by threatening strikes due to delays in planned investments.

MONTGOMERY, AL—First Solar Inc. has opened its new $1.1 billion, vertically integrated thin-film solar panel assembly plant here. 

RALEIGH, NC—Hitachi Energy will invest $155 million to expand manufacturing capacity across three plants in North America.

Boston startup is lauded for its fully automatic motion planning software for industrial robots. The software develops an optimized “choreography” for robots that work closely together in cells. By coordinating the motion of each robot, the software prevents collisions.

FRANKFURT, Germany—More than 4.2 million robots were employed in factories worldwide in 2023—a record high and an increase of 10 percent from 2022.

DUBLIN, VA—The trucks are being assembled at the New River Valley Assembly Plant in Dublin, Virginia, Volvo Group’s largest global facility, spanning 2.3 million square feet across 566 acres. 

SAN FRANCISCO—Micropsi Industries Inc., a provider of AI software for industrial robots, has moved its corporate headquarters from Berlin to San Francisco.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan—Toyota Motor announced a new $500 million investment in Joby Aviation to support the certification and production of Joby’s electric air taxi.

LANSING, NY—After two weeks on the picket line here, Teamsters Local 317 members have voted overwhelmingly to approve a contract with auto parts manufacturer BorgWarner, securing wage increases and expanded benefits.

HUNTSVILLE, AL—Toyota’s assembly plant here produced its 10-millionth engine last week.