PALMDALE, CA—Assemblers at Northrop Grumman Corp.’s plant here recently started to use an optical projection system to build the center fuselage of the F-35 Lighting II fighter jet. The facility was the recipient of ASSEMBLY’s 2013 Assembly Plant of the Year award.
DETROIT—UAW leaders want to shrink the gap between the pay and benefits of workers hired before and after 2007, but they are open to establishing another level of pay and benefits for supplier employees who work on site at various assembly plants, according to people familiar with the discussions.
MOBILE, IL—Airbus will formally open its first US assembly plant here Sept. 14. The company says the facility will be its most efficient and will be capable of producing up to eight jetliners a month by 2018.
TITUSVILLE, FL—Embraer has begun construction of a new assembly plant here. The factory will manufacture seating for jets and is expected to bring 150 new jobs to the area.
WASHINGTON —The prices charged by U.S. manufacturers, farmers and other producers were unchanged in August, the latest evidence that inflation is tame. According to the Labor Department, the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, was flat after a 0.2 percent increase in July. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 0.3 percent last month.
DETROIT—UAW leaders at the Ford Division have set expectations high in a video to the membership that hammers home the point that they will not accept concessions in their next contract.
WASHINGTON—New orders for U.S. manufactured goods edged higher in July after a solid increase in June, led by gains for boats and ships, according to the Commerce Department. Factory orders rose 0.4 percent in July, slower than June’s 2.2 percent rise.
SAN ANTONIO—Faced with high demand for its pickups, Toyota will add a Saturday shift at its assembly plant here and here approximately 200 additional workers.