DEARBORN, MI—Ford Motor Co. has welcomed two new employees to its Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights, MI. Named Fluffy and Spot, they have four legs, and they can sit, shake hands, roll over and climb stairs.

TEMPE, AZ — The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its manufacturing index rose to 54.2 in July, up from 52.6 in June and slightly better than the 54.0 economists surveyed by FactSet expected. July’s reading shows the industrial sector expanded for the third straight month after April’s sharp shutdown-induced contraction.

FERNELMONT, Belgium — Hemp block maker IsoHemp says it will open a new Industry 4.0-based plant featuring ERP management software, robots and cobots to optimize production.

From lightweight plastics to advanced battery components, OEMs will have to balance cost and performance as future vehicles undergo material changes.

WICHITA, KS — Aerospace parts and assemblies manufacturer HM Dunn Aerosystems Inc. recently announced the company has completed the relocation of its offices from Fort Worth, TX to here, where it has two manufacturing sites.

AUSTIN, TX — Tesla Inc. has picked the Austin, Texas, area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers.

PITTSBURGH — The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has announced selection and funding from its third Education and Workforce Development project call that took place in late 2019. ARM plans to provide up to $2 million for the initial launch of a public website focused on robotics careers in advanced manufacturing. The funding for this project call was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.

ATLANTA — Interroll has begun operations at its second plant on the company campus in Hiram, GA. The new building provides 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing area, as well as 25,000 square feet of offices, plus a kaizen room.

DETROIT — U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette recently announced $139 million in federal funding for 55 projects across the country that will support new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies.

DEARBORN, MI — In a unique pilot program, Ford Motor Co. is deploying four-legged robots into tough-to-reach areas within the company's Van Dyke Transmission Plant to collect data that can be used to retool plants, thereby saving Ford engineers time and money.