CHATANOOGA, TN—Workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant here began voting today on whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers union.

GREENSBORO, NC—The Volvo Group will build a new assembly plant in Mexico to produce heavy-duty trucks for the North American market.

On Monday, April 16th, a two-hour presentation was held with reporters and two Boeing engineering managers who detailed the company’s stress and safety tests for the 787, which include testing the plane for 165,000 cycles, each meant to provide an equivalent of a flight, with varying conditions. In addition, the fuselage skin was struck by a 300-pound pendulum, the engineers said.

Rising demand for new commercial and defense aircraft is driving market growth.

MARYSVILLE, OH— Honda is working towards the start of EV production set for late 2025. Retooling efforts are well underway, including preparation for vehicle production and in-house assembly of the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU), which houses the EV battery and serves as part of the vehicle platform. Based on its goal to achieve carbon neutrality, Honda is targeting 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2040. Honda expects to hire 300 associates at its Ohio EV Hub, while 300 associates at the Marysville Auto Plant will upskill for IPU assembly. 

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA—Karman Space & Defense will manufacture a variety of subsystems for the X-59, a new supersonic aircraft being developed by Lockheed Martin and NASA. 

ROME—Automation firm Comau and aerospace supplier Leonardo S.p.A. are working together to develop self-adaptive robotic technology that can autonomously inspect helicopter blades up to 7 meters long.

BREMERTON, WA—Inventech Marine Solutions, a Bremerton manufacturer that builds boats for the U.S. Coast Guard, other government agencies, and private owners all over the world, is expanding its manufacturing facility. Recent plans include expanding to house a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility currently under construction west of the Bremerton National Airport.

ELMHURST, IL—Global sales of cordless power tools are expected to increase from $12.5 billion in 2022 to more than $16.9 billion in 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 percent, according to market research firm Technavio.

EL MARQUÉS, Mexico—Nexteer Automotive has broken ground on its new Mexico Technical Center here.