BEIJING—China’s first domestic manufacturer of jet engines, Aero Engine Corp. of China, has officially opened for business. The multibillion dollar conglomerate will employ some 100,000 people and incorporate subsidiaries of various state-owned firms, including the Aviation Industrial Corp. of China.

FAIRFIELD, CT—Rotor stacking is a key process in the assembly of gas turbines, requiring extremely high levels of precision. If the rotor wheels are stacked incorrectly due to differences in surface temperature, they will need to be reassembled, incurring additional costs and delays. Tata Consultancy Services and General Electric have developed a new technology that will analyze the temperature at various points on metal turbine parts as they are assembled, allowing operators to know when the next operation can be performed.

BELVIDERE, IL—The tornado that touched down at an industrial park in Windsor, ON, last week has temporarily halted vehicle production at FCA’s assembly plant here. The plant receives parts from a Windsor supplier, which was severely damaged by the tornado.

CHAMPAIGN, IL—For years, employers, pundits and policymakers alike have bemoaned the lack of qualified workers available to fill vacant manufacturing jobs in the U.S. However, a new study indicates that demand for higher-level skills in U.S. manufacturing jobs is generally modest, and three-quarters of U.S. manufacturing plants show no sign of hiring difficulties for open positions.

GREENVILLE, OH—Whirlpool Corp. will expand its Factory Distribution Center here, which ships KitchenAid small appliances worldwide. The project will nearly double the space at the facility, to 650,000 square feet.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Researchers at the Self-Assembly Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a mobile phone that can put itself together.

COOKEVILLE, TN—Systems integrator ATC Automation is investing $10.4 million to expand its operation here and create 110 new jobs during the next five years.

ZHENGZHOU, China—Contract manufacturer Foxconn said on Monday that two workers at its assembly facilities here died last week, even as the company made efforts to improve labor conditions that came under scrutiny after a spate of suicides in recent years.

TORONTO—Auto parts makers are urging the Canadian government to intervene in contract talks between the Detroit Three and Unifor by “immediately” implementing long-awaited changes to the federal Automotive Innovation Fund.

BRAMPTON, ON—Auto parts supplier Matcor Automotive Inc. has been fined $270,000 after a maintenance worker at its assembly plant here suffered a “devastating” injury involving a robot.