TAIWAN—Apple Inc.’s contract manufacturer for chipsets for its iPhones, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., has been hit by a virus attack and production badly affected. Sources for the manufacturing company indicate that this was not a cyberattack by any outside hacker and to that extent, sabotage is not suspected.

LAKE TOWNSHIP, OH—First Solar Inc. has begun construction of a new $400 million solar module assembly plant near its existing factory in Perrysburg, OH.

Every electrically-powered machine is filled with wires, connectors and delicate electronics, such as circuit boards and sensors. These parts are subjected to stress from constant vibration, physical strain, abrasion and impacts. These stresses can damage parts and leave them useless without some level of protection.

Simulation software that models airflow can be a boon to engineers when designing a clean room environment. By pinpointing potential problems early, such software can save time and reduce construction costs.

BUCKEYE, AZ--Nikola Motor Co. announced last week that it will build a new plant in this Phoenix suburb to manufacture hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks. Salt Lake City-based Nikola chose the site from among 30 locations in nine states considered during a 12-month site-selection process for the zero-emission facility.The project is said to provide 2,000 new jobs and more than $1 billion in capital investment by 2024.

WASHINGTON--The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that the United States added 196,000 factory jobs in 2017, including 25,000 jobs in December. Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, says that factory jobs are growing at a faster rate than jobs in the overall economy.

ROCHESTER, NY—General Electric has decided to keep 90 manufacturing jobs at its assembly plant here. The conglomerate had been planning to shift those jobs to China by June 2018.

QINGDAO, China--Earlier this month, the New York-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced a proposal to develop an international mass customization standard led by Chinese electronics manufacturer Haier at the National Engineering and Scientific Commission conference. It is the first international standard created by IEEE based on the model, and to serve as its technical framework since the organization was launched more than 50 years ago.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis.--Foxconn Technology Group (FTG) has made its first financial commitment for a planned flat-panel plant in Wisconsin, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., known as FTG outside of Taiwan, on Friday deposited $60 million to special bank accounts in Wisconsin. The money is to be used by the village and Racine County to buy land for the $10 billion flat-panel plant, the construction of which is to begin next month.

WASHINGTON--New orders for manufactured goods fell 0.1 percent in October from the month before, according to a report from the Commerce Department on Monday, but that was better than the 0.4 percent decline expected in a consensus estimate from analysts. This latest performance followed an upwardly revised September hike of 1.7 percent.