Survey: U.S. factories expand for first time since July
New orders, production and export orders all grew last month. Factory hiring dropped for the sixth straight month but at a slower pace than it did in December.
Manufacturers
Articles
VW plots U.S. truck expansion with $2.9 billion Navistar offer
Volkswagen has offered to buy the rest of Navistar International Corp. to secure a bridgehead in the U.S. heavy-truck market and step up its challenge to Daimler and Volvo.
Buyers move to used vehicles as new autos hit record prices
Consumers bought an estimated 40.4 million used vehicles last year, likely passing the old record of 40.2 million set in 2018, according to figures from the Edmunds.com auto pricing site.
BorgWarner to buy rival auto parts supplier Delphi for $3.3B
BorgWarner Inc. stockholders are expected to own about 84% of the combined company, with Delphi Technologies shareholders owning approximately 16%
Toyota spends extra $700M, plans another 150 jobs to cap Indiana plant project
In total, the previously announced plant transformation represents an investment of $1.3 billion and will create 550 jobs, the company said Friday. Toyota overhauled the plant so it could begin producing the 2020 Highlander.
Former employee pleads guilty in $4.5M Cummins fraud case
Prosecutors say the 54-year-old man diverted more than $4.5 million of money from Cummins and other companies over a nine-year period.
Takata’s new recall of 10M inflators could be last of air bag saga
Takata is recalling 10 million more front air bag inflators sold to 14 different automakers because they can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel.
Indiana kitchen products company doesn’t plan to reopen
A company that made kitchen products in Indiana for 117 years has failed to find a buyer and won’t resume local production.
Lilly wins another patent infringement case over cancer drug Alimta
Alimta is Lilly’s third-best-selling drug, with global sales of $2.1 billion last year. The court ruling stops a Canadian competitor from launching a generic version of the drug before its patent expires in 2022.
Slump in aircraft production brings down orders for durable goods
Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods fell by the largest amount in six months in November, led by a large decrease in orders for defense aircraft and parts. But a closely watched category that tracks business investment ticked up 0.1%.
Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot sign deal for 50-50 merger
The deal creates the world’s fourth-largest automaker, a goliath with the scale to confront the challenges of stricter emissions regulations and the transition to new driving technologies.
Ford to add 3,000 jobs in the Detroit area, invest $1.45B
Ford needs to make the investment in new products in an effort to increase market share and prepare for a shift to new propulsion and autonomous vehicle technologies.
Boeing to halt production of 737 Max airliner in January
The message to Boeing Co. from the Federal Aviation Administration was clear: The grounded 737 Max won’t get approval to fly again anytime soon. So the company had little choice but to idle the giant factory where the plane is made.
Indianapolis Airport Authority selling 18-acre tract in Greenfield
Business is booming at Greenfield manufacturer ATMI Indy LLC, which is acquiring the property to accommodate the company’s growth.
Security-products maker Allegion accelerates innovation
The manufacturer has created an innovation studio bent on getting products from concept to market in 120 days or less.
Wet-Nap maker planning to build area production facility, add 90 jobs
Nice-Pak Products, a manufacturer of wet wipes for consumers, health care, food service and other commercial markets, announced plans Wednesday to build a 760,000-square-foot production and warehousing facility in Mooresville, creating 90 jobs.
Nestle to spend $200M to expand Anderson plant, hire 30 workrs
The company is asking the Anderson City Council for a tax break as part of a plan to install new equipment at the factory along Interstate 69.
Cummins to cut 2,000 salaried positions in cost-cutting measure
Cummins said the layoffs are part of a wider effort to trim up to $300 million in costs in response to a slowdown in sales demand.
United Auto Workers approve new 4-year contract with Ford
The four-year agreement gives workers a mix of pay raises and lump-sum payments as well as a $9,000 ratification bonus.
Supreme Court lets Sandy Hook shooting lawsuit go forward
The justices rejected an appeal from Remington Arms that argued it should be shielded by a 2005 federal law preventing most lawsuits against firearms manufacturers when their products are used in crimes.