DETROIT, MI—After years of development, GM is signaling it's finally ready to start producing electric vehicles in enough volume— with a new battery pack— to grow sales and start lowering costs.

MEBANE, NC—Sunlight Batteries USA is spending $40 million to build a new battery assembly plant here. The new facility will be equipped with five lithium-ion battery assembly lines, including a fully automated one and one dedicated to large-scale energy storage systems. The facility is expected to create more than 200 jobs.

BALTIMORE—Northrop Grumman Corp. has opened the Maryland Space Assembly and Test 2 facility at its manufacturing campus here. The 55,000 square foot facility provides a digitally integrated manufacturing, assembly and test hub to support customer needs and the company’s growing space payload and ground systems capabilities.

MUNICH—The BMW Group is sourcing aluminum produced using solar electricity.

DESOTO, KS—Panasonic will formally break ground for its brand new $4 billion, 4,000-employee factory in Kansas in a private ceremony on Wednesday, November 2nd.

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA— China's zero-Covid policy is putting a tremendous strain on Foxconn just before the holiday shopping season begins and highlights how the country's stringent Covid policy is hurting international business.

NORMAN, OK— The immediate future will hold more employment opportunities as Johnson Controls aims to increase production volume by 50% in the next year.

FREMONT, CA— The Elon Musk-led carmaker will dispatch staff -- in particular automation and control engineers -- to assist efforts to increase output in Fremont, where Tesla produces the Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles.

MESA, AZ—Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security business unit has unveiled its new Advanced Composite Fabrication Center here, which has been purpose-built to produce advanced composite components for future combat aircraft.

ST. LOUIS—Boeing is investing $5 million over the next five years to expand the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center here. The investment will help fund a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility, accelerate workforce development programs, and grow the region’s talent pipeline and technical and manufacturing abilities.