Utilities mount energetic defense on electric re-regulation, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 6, 2008
Columbus—Gov. Ted Strickland's efforts to stave off a profit bonanza for electric utilities at the expense of ratepayers might be nine years too late. A panel of four constitutional lawyers spent five hours before the public utilities committee of the Ohio House Wednesday debating whether Ohio permanently lost much of its authority to a federal agency when it enacted a 1999 law embracing deregulation of electric rates.

Diebold calls buyout 'inadequate', by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, March 6, 2008
Green—Diebold Inc. released a letter from its chairman to United Technologies that calls the Connecticut company's $40-a-share buyout offer ''opportunistic'' and ''inadequate.'' Diebold Chairman John N. Lauer wrote UT that its offer was 27 percent below the company's 52-week high of $54.50 reached only seven months ago.

Related story: Diebold may draw more bids, analysts say, by Allison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 6, 2008

Ohio State launches Lean program, by Jonathan Katz, Industry Week, March 6, 2008
Beginning in late 2008 The Ohio State University will offer a Masters of Business Operational Excellence program. The one-year program will feature experimental learning via specific project assignments and short intensive classroom learning on campus. More information is available at OSU's Fischer College of Business site.

Nissan to Launch Electric Car in U.S. in 2010, Agence France Presse via Industry Week, March 6, 2008
Geneva, Switzerland—Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said March 5 that Nissan would launch an electric car in the U.S. in 2010, which would be introduced to the global market by both brands two years later.

GM to give nearly $3B in loans to aid Delphi, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, March 6, 2008
New York—General Motors Corp. agreed Wednesday to offer two loans worth almost $3 billion to help Delphi Corp. emerge from bankruptcy since the auto parts maker has struggled to secure the financing it needs. Delphi, which was GM’s auto parts division until a 1999 spin-off, has struggled as credit markets went into turmoil in the wake of the subprime housing crisis.

Utility-regulation debate gets Ohio House hearing, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 5, 2008
Columbus—Ohio's electric utilities hope to use the U.S. Constitution as a club to beat back Gov. Ted Strickland's plan to keep state control of electric rates. First Energy hints that electric re-regulation may end up in federal court.

Chrysler, Plastech reach new parts-supply accord, Toledo Blade, March 5, 2008
Detroit—Chrysler LLC and Plastech Engineered Products Inc. have reached a deal for Plastech to continue making parts for the automaker through March 17 as the two sides haggle in court over whether Chrysler can retrieve equipment it owns from Plastech.

Upcoming Events

Launch Event: IdeaCrossing: Creating Connections in Northeast Ohio, Thursday, March 13, 5:00-8:00 pm, Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland
IdeaCrossing.org is a free online community resource where ideas meet capital, where deal flow flourishes, and where resources, services and support help promote growth and opportunity. This formal rollout even will demonstrate exactly how IdeaCrossing can help firms create the connections that build great businesses.

First Annual Celebrate Manufacturing Art Exhibit, April 30 to May 31, The Galleria at Erieview, 1301 E. 9th St., Downtown Cleveland

MAGNET and the Cleveland Engineering Society are sponsoring a month-long art exhibit celebrating manufacturing in northeast Ohio. The exhibit will feature commercial work created for locally based manufacturers, including The Lincoln Electric Company, Swagelok, Pratt and Lambert Paints, and Goodyear Tire and Rubber.

Busy Ohio wins award, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, March 4, 2008
Columbus—For the second year in a row, Ohio has counted more new or expanded business enterprises than any other state in the nation, earning it Site Selection magazine's Governor's Cup award.

Related story: Victory Lap! Ohio's second consecutive Governor's Cup is proof positive that manufacturing-intensive states can diversify their economies, by Mark Arend, Site Selection, March 2008.

Smithsonian turns to Cleveland metal fabricator for new display platform for Star Spangled Banner, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4, 2008
Cleveland—Family-owned Tomco Metal Fabricating recently completed the design and construction of a $1.3 million display platform for one of the Smithsonian's most valuable treasures: the actual Star Spangled Banner that survived an 1812 British naval assault in Baltimore harbor.

MAGNET attracts second California company to its design, product engineering and business-growth services, PR Newswire, March 4, 2008
Cleveland—Bakersfield, California-based Keep It Simple Solutions (KISS) joins San Diego-based Freedom Meditech, Inc. as the second California company utilizing MAGNET to help bring their new products to the marketplace. KISS is developing emergency shelters made of 100 percent polymer composite that can be erected onsite by as few as two people with no building experience and without the use of power tools.

Manufacturing losses weigh heavily on Ohio, by David Lynch, USA TODAY, March 4, 2008
Niles, Ohio—The cost of current trade policies is a key issue in Tuesday's Ohio Democratic presidential primary. But the issue is far more complex than political rhetoric suggests. For example, economists disagree about how much of Ohio's manufacturing plight is due to trade. Some experts suggest that computerized tooling has made factories far more efficient. A USA TODAY reporter takes a look at the Mahoning Valley region's challenges.

Axle-plant strike to idle 1,300 at Powertrain, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, March 4, 2008
Toledo—More than two-thirds of the work force at General Motors Corp.'s Toledo Powertrain plant will be temporarily laid off beginning Monday because a strike at an axle supplier has shut down several GM assembly plants.

Chrysler to appeal pro-Plastech ruling, Toledo Blade, March 4, 2008
Auburn Hills, Mich.—Chrysler LLC filed notice in U.S. District Court in Detroit yesterday that it will appeal a U.S. Bankruptcy Court decision preventing it from retrieving tools from bankrupt supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc.

Wanted: Workers with the skills for modern manufacturing, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 3, 2008
Cleveland—The Plain Dealer interviewed MAGNET's Director of Education and Training, Judith Crocker, for this feature on the region's skilled-labor crisis. Ron Rasmus, chief executive of Great Lakes Towing Co., and Gary Gibb, president of Wrayco Industries Inc., confirm MAGNET research showing a critical skills and training shortfall is holding back the growth of area manufacturers.
Image: Julius Stafford IV works on the ribs of a new tug at Great Lakes Towing. (Courtesy Marvin Fong/Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Related stories:

• Programs available to help workers train, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 3, 2008
• Northeast Ohio needs 25,000 knowledge workers, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 3, 2008

Manufacturing activity fell in February, survey shows, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 3, 2008
Washington—The Institute for Supply Management said its February manufacturing index was the weakest reading since April 2003, but beat Wall Street expectations.

Diebold rejects takeover bid from United Technologies, by Allison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 3, 2008
Green, Ohio—Diebold Inc. today rejected a $3 billion unsolicited bid from Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp., saying it significantly undervalued the company and was ill-timed.

Timken teaches educators about 21st Century jobs, WKYC, March 3, 2008
Canton—A group of more than 30 educators and high school students from Stark County will visit the Timken Technology Center Tuesday. The event is part of a program sponsored by the Stark County Career Development Consortium, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) designed to improve communication between Stark County employers and educators.