Bloomberg Euro-area factory output grew at a faster pace than economists forecast in December, led by Germany, as the currency bloc continued its gradual recovery from a record-long recession.

Bloomberg General Motors Co.’s Holden unit, Australia’s largest carmaker, said it would shutter production lines in 2017 after 69 years, joining Ford Motor Co. in exiting an economy struggling with high costs and a strong currency.

Marketplace The government shutdown hurt workers in all sorts of industries, including those in steel manufacturing. Completed contracts were haulted and workers were concerned about their futures. Fortunately for them, the industry is picking up since the end of the shutdown.

Bloomberg A Chinese manufacturing index unexpectedly fell to a three-month low as output gains eased and employment weakened, suggesting the world’s second-largest economy is vulnerable to a slowdown.

Triple Pundit Maintaining and adding impetus to its "green" economy drive, which includes the launch of a historic Climate Change Action Plan, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, speaking at the DOE’s American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit on December 12, announced $150 million in Phase II clean energy tax credits to build U.S. capabilities in clean energy manufacturing.

Manufacturing.net American Airlines, fresh out of bankruptcy and newly merged with US Airways, said Thursday that it will buy 90 new regional jets from Brazil's Embraer S.A. and Canada's Bombardier Inc. and use them to replace smaller, less fuel-efficient planes.

Industry Week Ending a decade without a manufacturing presence in the world's biggest car market, Renault IW signed a $1.3 billion joint venture agreement with China's Dongfeng Monday. Renault was previously the only global top 10 carmaker not to have a manufacturing plant in China.

The Washington Post Business confidence at Japan’s major manufacturers rose to a six-year high, according to a quarterly central bank survey released Monday, amid optimism over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic recovery program.

Industry Week Boeing announced that it will establish technology research centers in Alabama, California, Missouri, South Carolina and Washington. The company said it will restructure its Research & Technology organization, and consolidate technology development over the long-term -- up to 30 years into the future.

Mining.com Mining in Peru would have injected $8.9 billion to the local economy by the end of 2013 and will likely to reach similar levels by the end of next year, said the National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy in a recent report.