WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) have formed a strategic partnership that focuses on sustainability in manufacturing.

GOTHENBURG, Sweden—The energy consumption of industrial robots could be cut by up to 40 percent thanks to new motion optimization techniques developed by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

VERNON HILLS, IL—Mitsubishi Electric Automation has launched a Web site to address the energy challenges faced by the manufacturing sector. The site provides tools, white papers and energy reduction solutions for a variety of manufacturing industries.

LAFAYETTE, IN—Subaru’s assembly plant here has earned ISO 50001 certification for energy efficiency.

SPRING HILL, TN—GM has upgraded the lighting at its assembly plant here, expecting to save some $800,000 annually in electricity costs.

FREMONT, CA—Before LEDs can be as cost-efficient as incandescent or fluorescent lighting, engineers must solve the problem of “efficiency droop.”