SAGINAW, MI—Fresh off its newly ratified labor contracts with the Detroit 3 automakers, the UAW has reached a tentative deal with steering parts supplier Nexteer Automotive.
WASHINGTON—The Labor Department’s final rule on overtime eligibility isn’t likely to appear before late 2016, Solicitor of Labor Patricia Smith said. In June, the agency proposed raising the salary limit for who is eligible for overtime pay from $23,660 per year to $50,400, a change that would put millions more U.S. workers in line for overtime pay.
NEWTOWN, CT—Joseph F. Engelberger, an engineer and entrepreneur who pioneered the robotics field, died Dec. 1, 2015, at age 90. Engelberger was founder and president of Unimation Inc., the world’s first industrial robotics manufacturer, which he launched in 1956 and grew into a company with more than 1,000 employees before the enterprise was acquired by Westinghouse.
LOUISVILLE, KY—Ford is planning to invest $1.3 billion in its assembly plant here to support the launch of its new F-Series Super Duty trucks. The company will build a new body shop, as well as upgrade and retool the plant to facilitate production of the trucks.
WOLFSBURG, Germany—Volkswagen has started rolling out 3D smart glasses as standard equipment at its assembly plant here. Logistics personnel will use the glasses on a voluntary basis for order picking.
YORK, PA—Employees at Harley-Davidson’s assembly plant here have worked out a new labor agreement with the company. Represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, the 970 employees ratified a new deal through 2022, which takes effect Feb. 1, 2016.
ITHACA, NY—Researchers at Cornell University have used stereolithography to create air-powered elastomeric robotic tentacles that could someday be used to move or grip objects.
DETROIT—Workers at Ford narrowly ratified the company’s four-year labor deal with the UAW, the labor union announced late Friday. Final results showed that members voted to ratify by a 51.4 percent majority after a last-minute push by union leaders put the contract over the top at the company’s giant Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, MI.
PESQUERIA, Mexico—Quality and production runs are under way at Kia’s new vehicle assembly plant here, which is considered 95 percent completed. Construction and tooling of the $3 billion plant was completed in just 13 months. The factory should have an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles.
REDFORD, MI—Daimler’s Trucks division is planning to invest $475 million here to develop to diesel engines for medium-duty trucks. The engine will be produced at the company’s assembly plant here, which currently employs 2,200 people. The investment will add approximately 330 new jobs.