HOLLAND, MI—LG Chem aims to start production at its automotive lithium-ion battery factory here in the second half of this year.

DURHAM, NC—Defense contractor Nuvotronics plans to open a 40,000-square-foot assembly plant here, including 10,000 more square feet of clean room space.

WESTFORD, MA—Bluestone Energy Services has helped contract manufacturer Mack Technologies substantially reduce energy consumption in its assembly plant here with a comprehensive LED lighting retrofit.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Canon Virginia Inc., a manufacturer of cartridges for printers and copiers, has become the first OEM to be certified in responsible electronics recycling practices.

SHENZHEN, China—Foxconn, which was plagued by worker suicides a few years ago, has denied a report that a female employee jumped from the roof of one of its assembly plants here last week.

Worldwide, sales of smart phones and tablet computers have skyrocketed. A report by Credit Suisse predicts annual sales of smart phones will cross the 1 billion mark in 2014, driven by the launch of lower-end handsets and increasing demand from China. Tablet computers are also experiencing rapid growth. Forrester Research projects sales of tablet computers to grow from 56 million in 2011 to 375 million in 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 46 percent.

Producers of plastic, rubber and composites use Dynisco Inc. melt-pressure and temperature sensors, controls, and analytical instruments to maximize manufacturing efficiency and productivity. Dynisco has served these customers well for more than 50 years, providing leading-edge technology manufactured to ISO 9000 quality standards.

SANTA CLARA, CA—Google plans to assemble its wearable computer, Google Glass, here with the help of Taiwan’s Foxconn.

SAN JOSE, CA—Contract manufacturer Bestronics has opened a new, 71,000-square-foot electronics assembly plant here.

GREENSBORO, NC—RF Micro Devices Inc., a manufacturer of radio frequency devices, is moving its manufacturing from Britain to an assembly plan here.