ElectriPlast and Delphi Automotive have agreed to jointly develop a lightweight wire and cable system for the auto industry, which could replace existing standard copper wiring.

Italian compounder So.F.Ter Group is investing $11.5m (€8.8m) to build its first US plant while also making long-term plans for expansion in Asia that will lead it to becoming a global player. The company expects to build a plant in India in 2014 and in China in 2016.

It took Faurecia SA about 10 years to go from a niche player to a major force in North American auto interiors

A new report on automotive plastics estimates the global market demand could top $46bn (€35bn) by 2018.

The booming North American natural gas market is prompting Norway's Hexagon Composites to invest NOK 150m (€20m) to expand production of its natural gas container business in the US.

Caps and closures maker AptarGroup is investing $50m (€38.1m) to upgrade its plant in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, the US, as part of a multi-year process which will include upgrading production lines

Software simulation specialist Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks has acquired fellow software maker Simpoe in a move which will provide more options for planning injection moulds

Husky Injection Molding Systems is restructuring its global leadership team to put new emphasis on its hot-runner and beverage packaging businesses

US-based Continental Structural Plastics is expanding its footprint in Europe with the acquisition of a facility and equipment for both thermoplastic and thermoset moulding that will give it its first manufacturing there

International Automotive Components has opened its first wholly-owned manufacturing site in China, with production of multiple interior parts in Chongqing

Jones Plastic & Engineering's Rev-A-Shelf housewares business, based in the US, is expanding in Europe with the acquisition of Widmer of Altach, Austria