Chrysler to cut 1,825 factory jobs; GM to reduce white-collar workers, trim benefits, by Tom Krisher, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, October 24, 2008
Detroit—Chrysler announced Thursday it would get rid of 1,825 factory jobs and General Motors trimmed some benefits and said it would make further white-collar cuts.

Lincoln Electric opens innovative new automation center, press release, October 24, 2008
Cleveland—Lincoln Electric opened its new 100,000-sq.ft. Automation Center of Excellence adjacent to its world headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 23, at a celebration attended by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. The center includes two fully equipped robotic welding labs, 20,000 square feet of staging and assembly area, an applications and service lab, classroom facilities, and a state-of-the-art auditorium.

GE, NASA Glenn to develop fuel-saving jet engine, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 24, 2008
Cleveland—General Electric's GE Aviation unit will work with Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center on a new-generation engine to power narrow-body regional and business jets.

Chrysler announces Toledo's Jeep North to lose one shift of production, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, October 23, 2008
Detroit—Chrysler LLC will cut 1,825 jobs by eliminating one shift at a Toledo Jeep plant and accelerating the closure of its Newark, Del. SUV factory.

Related stories:

Chrysler to cut 1,825 jobs by eliminating one shift, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, October 24, 2008

Owner said to weigh selling Chrysler in pieces, AP via Toledo Blade, October 22, 2008

Panel’s aim: Keep jobs in America; Experts say manufacturing key to economy, by Raymond L. Smith, Warren Tribune Chronicle, October 22, 2008
Boardman, Ohio—Hoping to reverse the trend of continued job losses in manufacturing, more than a dozen researchers, employers and retirees discussed ways Tuesday to level the playing field between U.S. firms and their foreign counterparts. The gathering was part of the Alliance for American Manufacturing's nine-city 2008 "Keep it Made in American Town Hall" tour.

GM to move presses from closed factory to Lordstown, Youngstown Vindicator, October 22, 2008
Lordstown, Ohio—General Motors is spending $49 million to move two stamping presses from a closed Georgia factory to Lordstown. A spokesman said the presses from Georgia will replace older equipment in Lordstown but will not result in any additional work being moved to the local factory.

Local firm receives $60,000 state grant, Toledo Blade, October 22, 2008
Toledo—ClappDiCO Corp., a unit of tool manufacturer Kennametal Inc., has received a $60,000 Rapid Outreach grant from the Ohio Department of Development to add equipment and expand a warehouse, creating 42 jobs and retaining 86.

Wal-Mart suppliers face energy, other mandates, by Ann Zimmerman and Mei Fong, Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2008 (Subscription)
New York—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hitting its Chinese suppliers with a slate of stringent environmental and safety mandates, just as the manufacturers face rising costs and dwindling demand for their products.

Cooper Tire to close 1 of 4 U.S. factories, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, October 22, 2008
Findlay, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will examine capacity at its four U.S. plants—including a 1,100-employee factory in Findlay—to determine which one will be closed.

Editorial: Akron launches a talent search: The BioInnovation Institute as center of excellence, by Michael Douglas, Akron Beacon Journal, October 19, 2008
Akron—On Thursday, Dr. W. Gerald Austen, the Knight Foundation chairman, unveiled the new BioInnovation Institute in Akron. Last winter, two dozen leaders from a single community descended on the foundation's Miami headquarters to pitch this big idea. Austen saluted this ''remarkable display of unity'' and the ''daring vision.''

Related editorial:

Editorial: Akron area's BioInnovation Institute is a bet on the future, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 22, 2008
Cleveland—There is, of course, no guarantee that Akron's newly announced BioInnovation Institute will become the global center of orthopedic and biomaterials research that its founders envision. But this is certain: Regions that don't collaborate wisely, invest aggressively in building on their strengths and embrace the technologies of tomorrow will not move ahead.

Earnings Reports:

Schulman reports lower profits for quarter, year, by Sarah Hollander, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 21, 2008

Eaton earnings rise 22% in third quarter, by Scott Suttell, Crain's Cleveland Business, October 20, 2008 (Subscription)

Profits dip at Sherwin-Williams, but guidance rises, Crain's Cleveland Business, October 16, 2008 (Subscription)

Parker Hannifin sees profits rise, but lowers outlook, Crain's Cleveland Business, October 16, 2008 (Subscription)

AK Steel earnings up 74% in third quarter, by Jessica Heffner, Middletown Journal, October 22, 2008

Alternative energy suddenly faces headwinds, by Clifford Kraus, New York Times, October 21, 2008
Houston—For all the support that the presidential candidates are expressing for renewable energy, alternative energies like wind and solar are facing big new challenges because of the credit freeze and the plunge in oil and natural gas prices.

Midwest health-care investments near record; officials hope it can withstand economic downturn, by Mary Vanac, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 21, 2008
Cleveland—As usual, Minneapolis and Cleveland have placed first and second in the Midwest race for health care venture capital so far this year, according to the latest BioEnterprise survey.

Local Chrysler plants' fate unclear if GM takes over, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, October 21, 2008
Toledo—Depending on whom you believe, a marriage between General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC either will be announced by the end of the month or won't happen at all. Either way, workers at Chrysler's facilities in and around Toledo are likely to have an anxious few weeks waiting to see what becomes of their employer and their industry.

Related stories:

Opinion: Uncle Same goes car crazy; Your government gets into the auto business, by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2008 (Subscription)
New York—The negotiations between GM and Chrysler are about one thing: creating a political last stand of American auto making that a Democratic Congress and president won't be able to resist bailing out. Both the banking and automobile industries have been around long enough to have accrued an almost incalculable baggage of government intervention, which explains why more intervention is demanded today.

Sylvania Township company awarded $50,000 grant, Toledo Blade, October 21, 2008
Sylvania Township, Ohio—Solargystics Ltd., a Sylvania Township firm developing solar panels to be used on roofs in place of shingles, has received a $50,000 grant from the Rocket Ventures Ignite! venture capital fund to help with its start-up costs.

ArcelorMittal to idle both Cleveland blast furnaces, by Sarah Hollander, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 20, 2008
Cleveland—Both blast furnaces at ArcelorMittal's Cleveland operations are likely to be idled in the next week or two as the company responds to a drastic drop in orders, according to the local steelworkers union.

Related story: Impact of ArcelorMittal cuts on Cleveland unclear, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 17, 2008
Cleveland—Although an ArcelorMittal written statement says the company does not accept job cuts in its Cleveland-area operations, USW officials suggested the Cleveland facility may face a temporary shutdown.

Smith's, the dairy in the country, goes green, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 19, 2008
Orville, Ohio—The PD profiles Steve Schmid, president of Smith Dairy. Schmid, 57, with an MBA from the University of Michigan and a lifetime of work in the business, reaches for the future with a commitment to make Smith's the greenest dairy around.

Squeeze on venture capitalists may hurt entrepreneurs, by Michael Liedtke, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 18, 2008
San Francisco—As it becomes increasingly difficult to cash out of their previous investments, venture capitalists are gradually closing their financial spigots in what could be the start of a long dry spell for entrepreneurs.

Ohio delegation will go to France, Akron Beacon Journal, October 18, 2008
Akron—A group of business representatives from the region will travel to Rouen,, France, participate in the SEINO Show, an industrial business-to-business event and meet with more than 35 companies interested in creating partnerships here.

Layoffs in forecast at Ford Ohio Assembly Plant, by Jeff Green, Lorain Morning Journal, October 18, 2008
Avon Lake, Ohio—Up to 250 employees at Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant will be laid off next month because of slow sales. Ford will reduce assembly line production speed to meet the declining demand.

Financial officer leaves Goodyear, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, October 18, 2008
Akron—W. Mark Schmitz resigned as Goodyear's chief financial officer to pursue other interests and the company named Senior Vice President Darren Wells to replace him as CFO.

Oil's slide deepens as downturn triggers sharp drop in demand, by Neil King, Jr., Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008 (Subscription)
New York—Falling oil prices offer a rare flash of good news for the U.S. economy. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke cited falling energy costs as one force driving down inflation.

Related story: Motorists drive oil down to fraction of forecasts, by Mark Williams, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, October 18, 2008

Food companies sow profit growth, by Lauren Etter, Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008 (Subscription)
New York—Analysts say moderating commodity prices should help food companies expand profit margins as in past recessionary cycles. But, while prices are falling now, that could change as world crop supplies remain tight.