NEODESHA, KS—AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. a leading provider of UAVs and advanced aerial imagery, data collection and analytics technology, last week announced that it has leased a new manufacturing facility here.

WICHITA, KS—Bell Textron Inc. recently held a ceremony to mark the official opening of its new manufacturing facility here. The facility will also be used for Bell engineering, supply chain and corporate services operations.

NEW YORK—Despite a tumultuous first half of 2020 that has significantly impacted manufacturing, a new study reveals that while four in 10 manufacturers say they’ve furloughed and laid off employees this year, 56 percent have not taken any form of government financial aid, including the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

NEW YORK—Codecademy, the world’s largest online coding education platform, is offering 100,000 free premium Pro memberships (normally $20 per month) to furloughed or unemployed manufacturing industry workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DALTON, GA—German auto parts manufacturer GEDIA Automotive Group will invest $85 million to build a new assembly plant here, creating 200 jobs. The facility will produce parts for electric vehicles.

TROY, OH—Pella Corp., one of the largest manufacturers of residential windows and doors in the United States, is adding a new assembly plant here.

TUSCALOOSA, AL—Mercedes-Benz is testing a new digital production system at its assembly plant here. If successful, the automaker plans to implement the system at its factories worldwide.

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.