Coal shortage at BHP may lift steel prices, by Robert Guy Matthews, Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2008 (subscription)
New York—Mining giant BHP Billiton said it won't be able to meet its commitments to ship Australian-mined coal used for steel, potentially putting further upward pressure on steel prices as Asian steelmakers largely depend on coking coal from Australia.

YSU center seeks research proposals, Youngstown Vindicator, January 25, 2008
Youngstown—A new facility created to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles, protect bridges from terrorist attacks and create longer-lasting highway pavement is looking for research proposals. Feb. 11 is the deadline to submit proposals to YSU's Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering which is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

MAGNET, NorTech seminars to help small companies with products, services, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 24, 2008
Cleveland—Two Northeast Ohio business organizations have joined to encourage more innovation by smaller manufacturing and technology companies. The yearlong program, called Innovation Accelerator, gets under way Feb. 7 with an 8 a.m. presentation at the DoubleTree Hotel in Independence.

Better-paying jobs gaining ground in Northeast Ohio, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 24, 2008
Cleveland—Team NEO released a study evaluating job growth between 1992 and 2007 in 22 different categories. The study showed low-paying manufacturing production jobs shrank by nearly 20% over the 15-year period. However the report did not include any data on skilled, advanced manufacturing careers.

Related story: Higher-paying jobs in Northeast Ohio are growing faster than lower-paying jobs, by Paula Schleiss, Akron Beacon Journal, January 24, 2008

Study: County appears ripe for renewal with green energy, by Stephen Szucs, Lorain Chronicle-Telegram, January 24, 2008
Washington—Lorain County’s manufacturing past elevated it to the No. 2 spot on a list of Ohio counties with the most potential to benefit from a push for renewable energy technology. The report, “Ohio’s Road to Energy Independence,” (PDF) found that more than 1,500 jobs and more than $240 million worth of investment in the industry could be generated if renewable energy component makers set up shop locally.

Related press release: Tubbs Jones, Sherrod Brown discuss new report on green jobs for Ohio, PR Newswire via Office of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, January 23, 2008

Smucker among best places to work, by Paula Schleiss, Akron Beacon Journal, January 24, 2008
Orrville, Ohio—The Great Places to Work Institute named the J.M. Smucker company to its prestigious list of "100 Best Companies To Work For." The list is compiled by Forbes magazine and includes two northern Ohio-based manufacturers: Smuckers at #47 and Sherwin-Williams at #98.

Findlay's Cooper Tire puts PR on hoof, sponsors pro bull riders group, by Jon Chavez, Toledo Blade, January 24, 2008
Findlay, Ohio—To sell more tires, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has launched a new public relations strategy that's mostly bull. The Findlay tire maker has decided to sponsor the Professional Bull Riders sports organization, providing funding for its premier 32-venue event known as the Built Ford Tough Series.

Goodyear goes green with new recycling initiative, by Kim Graves, WKYC, January 23, 2008
Akron—Jeff Sussman, Goodyear's Global Environmental Engineering Project Manager, explains the company's ambitious recycling program that will eliminate all waste products that had been going to landfills. Video link.

Judge gives conditional OK for Delphi to emerge from bankruptcy, by Vinee Tong, AP via Canton Repository, January 23, 2008
New York—A judge said Tuesday he would approve the bankruptcy exit plan of auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. once it drastically reduces the total payout of cash bonuses to top executives. The company’s reorganization largely shifts its manufacturing to cheaper overseas plants and eliminates tens of thousands of union jobs in the U.S.

Chrysler to pump almost $28 million in Toledo Machining, Toledo Blade, January 21, 2008
Detroit—Chrysler officials announced this afternoon that they plan to invest almost $28 million in the Toledo Machining plant in Perrysburg Township for new torque converter and steering assembly columns tied to the company’s effort to increase gas mileage across its fleet.

Jobs headed to Hartville, by Edd Pritchard, Canton Repository, January 22, 2008
Hartville, Ohio—The village council approved a zoning change to allow Scott Process Systems, a pipe fabrication and welding business, to move forward with plans for a $20 million expansion, including a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing center that could bring more than 300 jobs to the village.

Plant engineer salary survey shows productivity and salary gains, by Bob Vavra, Plant Engineering, January 2008
National report—The broad outlines of the results of the magazine's 2007 Plant Engineering Salary Survey are available online, although the underlying data is not. More than 1,200 engineers responded to the magazine's annual survey which showed base salaries rose 1.9 percent, but overall compensation rose 8.3 percent to $99,987, as bonus compensation increased 51 percent to nearly $18,000.

Related story: Global manufacturing salaries on the rise; job market tightens, by Bob Vavra, Plant Engineering, January 2008.

Little Tikes' Hudson headquarters up for sale, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 2008
Hudson—California-based MGA Entertainment, which bought Little Tikes thirteen months ago, laid off 50 workers last fall. Now, in a surprise announcement, the company announced it will sell its 122-acre site and headquarters building here, that has been the company's headquarters for more than 20 years.

Related story: Little Tikes to sell Hudson complex, by Betty Lin-Fisher, Akron Beacon Journal, January 19, 2008

Stow's Wrayco Industries Inc. builds on family ties, communication with workers, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 2008
Stow, Ohio—The PD reports on Wrayco Industries' recently completed $30-million expansion, which has made it Stow's largest employer. The 25-year-old, family-owned business with annual sales of $50 million specializes in complex steel fabrication of oil filter housings, expansion tanks, fuel tanks, fenders and platforms, hydraulic tanks, cover assemblies, and other products.

Officials hope sale of Delphi bearings plant will keep facility, jobs in Erie County, by Richard Payerchin, Lorain Morning Journal, January 18, 2008
Perkins Township, Ohio—Cleveland-based Resilience Capital Partners' $44.2 million bid on Delphi Corp.'s bearings plant near Sandusky raised the community's hopes that the plant and its 1,000 hourly and salaried jobs will remain in Erie County. U.S. District Court in New York will hold a hearing on Jan. 25 on bidding procedures for a sale of the plant.

Ford's Lima Engine Plant wins major advanced manufacturing training grant, by Bart Mills, LimaOhio.com, January 18, 2008
Lima, Ohio—On Thursday, Allen County commissioners approved a $500,000 contract between the State of Ohio and Ford Motor Co.'s Lima Engine Plant to help pay for a new training program at the plant. The money, provided through the state’s Workforce Investment Act, will cover about one-third of the cost of the program.

State launches initiatives to improve work force, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, January 19, 2008
Columbus—The state is launching the Ohio Workforce Guarantee Program and the Ohio Skills Bank to help address the state's shortage of skilled workers. The first program will give training grants to relocating or expanding companies; the second will form consortiums of employers and work-force investment boards in each of Ohio's 12 designated economic development regions to meet employers' current and future workforce training needs.