HOLLAND — Johnson Controls International plc would exit its last remaining automotive industry manufacturing operations in West Michigan if it completes a transaction announced this week.

As supply chains adjust to new realities in international trade, West Michigan manufacturers are entering the final months of 2018 with “caution.”

Manufacturers in the automotive supply chain are scooping up acquisitions in emerging technologies to break into new markets before their competition. By moving into alternative powertrains, connected car technologies, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, suppliers want to position themselves to get ahead of disruptions as the industry shifts to the “car of the future,” according to Jeff Zaleski, U.S. automotive deals leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, a global consulting firm.

Despite a decline in light vehicle production globally so far in 2018 and supply issues that affected product deliveries, automotive supplier Gentex Corp. saw higher sales in the first quarter.

For West Michigan manufacturers who are struggling both to find workers and to keep up with order volumes, the recent federal tax reform offers some welcome news.

DETROIT — The push to offer autonomous driving, innovate new mobility options and differentiate models with new technology has upended many parts of the automotive industry.

Automotive supplier Gentex Corp. announced long-term exclusive partnership with a Swedish tech firm.

Automotive supplier Gentex Corp. has taken an equity stake in Boulder, Colo.-based tech firm Yonomi as part of a $5 million Series A financial round.

Gentex Corp. founder, Chairman and CEO Fred Bauer has retired effective Dec. 31, ending a more than 40-year career with the automotive supplier, the company announced today in a regulatory filing.

Manufacturers in West Michigan have turned to automation in recent years to get jobs done quicker and cheaper, and their investments in the technology shows no signs of slowing down.