Kurt Nagl Crain's Detroit Business reporter covering auto suppliers and manufacturing. See All Staff Page Recent Stories Ford-CATL EV battery plant being 'aggressively' pursued by Michigan Michigan appears poised to land the lithium iron phosphate battery project between Ford and China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., but Ford has yet to confirm or announce such a project. GM chief economist: Michigan has advantages to win future EV plants Elaine Buckberg indicated Michigan is a prime contender for more battery plants as the automaker makes the mammoth transition to electric vehicles. Auto suppliers, manufacturers grapple with declining morale, mental health pressures Employee morale has suffered profoundly over the past three years as auto industry troubles, including staffing shortages, production volatility and recession fears, weigh on the workforce. Longtime automotive tooling firm to close Detroit area plant, lay off 130 workers Proper Tooling makes moldings for headlights, taillights and grills for Tier 1 suppliers such as Grupo Antolin, NYX LLC and ABC Technologies. Lear moves to sell its plants in Russia The company is aiming to sell its assets in Russia within the first half of this year, CEO Ray Scott said, adding that legal issues and other complexities have made the process slow moving. Ex-GM exec lost his son to distracted driving. Fighting it is now his full-time job. Steve Kiefer quit his job leading international operations at General Motors to focus on improving distracted driving laws. Lucerne aims to bring jobs back from China with acquisition 1 dead in shooting at Forvia plant near Detroit A 40-year-old man was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said. A 29-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene. Forvia to lay off 268 near Detroit after moving work to Mexico The plant supplies seats for the Jeep Wagoneer program at Stellantis' Warren Truck Assembly Plant. Forvia recently changed its name from Faurecia following its acquisition of Hella. Lear to build EV parts plant in Michigan to supply GM The 120,000-square-foot plant will supply battery disconnect units for General Motors. Half of the facility will be dedicated to production while the rest will be used for warehousing, lab, testing and office space. Continental names Aruna Anand to lead North American business Anand, 49, takes over for Robert Lee, who left the company in May to be president and chief strategy officer for battery maker LG Energy Solution. Stellantis hit with emission violation at Jeep plant Stellantis hit with emission violation at Jefferson North plant Ford CEO: Insourcing is key to protecting jobs in EV transition Ford CEO Jim Farley said insourcing work from suppliers will be crucial to keeping jobs at the automaker. Supplier to close plants, lay off 244 in Michigan The layoffs are the latest for a manufacturing sector that has been hit hard by inflation and supply chain troubles over the past two years. Has autonomous vehicle technology stalled out? Not so fast. The driverless car future hasn't panned out as first envisioned, but those watching closely caught on early that the splashy announcements and grandiose projects were a fantasy, one expert said. Load More
Kurt Nagl Crain's Detroit Business reporter covering auto suppliers and manufacturing. See All Staff Page