Economic troubles hit businesses around world, by Brandon C. Baker, NEO News-Herald, March 27, 2009
Painesville, Ohio—Local firm Connectors Unlimited Inc. is considering opening a location in China because one of its biggest customers, GE Healthcare, announced some of its U.S.-based business will be moving there. Randy Nemetz, director of global affairs for the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, shares recent concerns for manufacturers seeking to expand overseas.

FirstEnergy has new deal: Electric rates to be determined by auctions for next two years, Akron Beacon Journal, March 26, 2009
Columbus—The procurement procedures for Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and Cleveland Electric Illuminating were approved Wednesday by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. FirstEnergy Corp.'s Ohio utilities won state approval to buy electricity using competitive bidding through 2011 after wholesale power prices fell.

GM says 7,500 hourly workers decide to leave, by Tom Krisher, AP via Canton Repository, March 26, 2009
Detroit—About 7,500 General Motors Corp. workers have signed up to take buyout and early retirement incentives to leave the company, the automaker said Thursday. For those that will leave, the effective date of their departure is April 1.

Severstal North America names new chief executive, Warren Tribune Chronicle, March 26, 2009
Moscow, Russia— Russia-based metals and mining company OAO Severstal announced Wednesday that Gregory Mason has been named as the new chief executive officer of Severstal North America Inc., which operates a mill in Warren.

Study: Oil production cutbacks threaten major price spike, by Guy Chazan, Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2009 (Subscription)
London— The slowdown in investment in oil and gas production could lop off nearly 8 million barrels a day of future oil supply growth, setting the stage for another big crude price spike in the years to come, according to a report by Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Honda focuses on efficiency, by Yuri Kageyama, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, March 26, 2009
Suzaka, Japan—Honda's cost-cutting efforts were on display Wednesday at its plant for the new Insight, where 600 of the hot-selling hybrid models are churned out each day. To reach production volumes unprecedented for a hybrid—and lower costs at the same time—Honda automated some production procedures.

Indiana father's lawsuit targets polluters, by Charles Wilson, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 26. 2009
Indianapolis—Ron Kurth filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter against 11 northwest Indiana industries, including U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal, claiming the air pollution they emit from their smokestacks endangers the long-term health of Lake County children.

Perrysburg solar-panel maker about to begin production, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, March 25, 2009
Perrysburg, Ohio—After delays caused by the credit crunch, Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC said trial production will begin in the coming weeks and that full-scale manufacturing will start in the next seven to eight months.The firm hopes to hire an additional 400 employees by the end of 2009.

• Solar cell producer looking to hire 400 workers, by Tim Miller, WTOL, March 26, 2009

Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto says economy to stabilize by year end, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 25. 2009
Maumee, Ohio—Sandra Pianalto, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said the U.S. economy should stabilize by the end of the year and rebound in 2010 as long as weakening financial and economic conditions don't feed off one another.

Sherrod Brown still opposes climate change bills that hit manufacturers hard, by Stephen Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 25. 2009
Washington—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has introduced a bill to provide grants and loans to manufacturers so they can adopt energy-efficient technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But he still opposes a proposed cap-and-trade carbon emissions bill.

• Sherrod Brown pushes for green manufacturing plants, by Robert Wang, Canton Repository, March 26, 2009
• Sen. Brown says green act could help Ohio manufacturers, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, March 26, 2009
• Local businesses will benefit from 'green' sponsorship, Lorain Morning Journal, March 26, 2009

Diebold's CFO steps down in face of SEC probe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 25, 2009
Green, Ohio—Diebold Inc., the manufacturer of automated teller machines and voting machines, said today that its chief financial officer has stepped down in connection with a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into alleged violations of securities laws.

U.S. task force to announce more aid for automakers, Bloomberg News via Toledo Blade, March 25, 2009
Washington—President Barack Obama’s auto task force will announce more aid for U.S. automakers within a week and possibly in a few days, Senator Carl Levin said.

• Auto task force set to back more loans—with strings, by Neil King Jr. and John D. Stoll, Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2009 (Subscription)

Latest glimmer of economic hope: Rise in factory orders, by Jack Healy, New York Times, March 25, 2009
Washington—The Commerce Department reported that orders for durable goods rose 3.4 percent in February. Orders for machinery, transportation equipment and computers and electronics rose.

Ford hopes van can fill market void, AP via Canton Repository, March 25, 2009
Dearborn, Mich.—Ford Motor Co. is bringing its European division's small commercial van, Transit Connect, to the U.S. market. The boxy cargo vans are aimed at small-business owners looking for a vehicle they can customize

Japan’s exports post record fall in February, by Tomoko A. Hosaka, AP via Canton Repository, March 25, 2009
Tokyo—Japan’s exports fell by nearly half in February from a year earlier—a record monthly drop—as the relentless slump in overseas demand deepened its grip on the world’s second-largest economy.

• Toyota halves output amid poor auto sales, by Yoshio Takahashi, Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2009 (Subscription)

Pepsi to pare plastic for bottled water, by Valerie Bauerlein, Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—PepsiCo Inc. is reducing the amount of plastic it uses to package its bottled water in the U.S. PepsiCo's vice president of packaging innovation and development, said the company had to create a bottle with a thin "hydroskin" that was strong enough to hold up inside a gym bag and firm enough that water would not spill out when squeezed.

Key senator won't support union bill, by Kris Maher, Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2009 (Subscription)
Washington—Republican Sen. Arlen Specter dealt a blow to organized labor's top legislative priority by announcing that he wouldn't support a bill to make it easier to unionize workplaces.

Danish prince celebrates new U.S. wind plants, by David Zalubowski, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 25. 2009
Brighton, Colo.—Danish Crown Prince Frederik, speaking at a plant groundbreaking for Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind System, said Denmark is economically competitive because of its expansion into renewable energy sources. Vestas also is planning a 400-employee factory in Pueblo, Colo., to build towers that support the turbines.

Auto parts suppliers want U.S. help in getting their customers to pay them more quickly, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 24, 2009
Cleveland—Small companies that make auto parts have asked the government to support prompter payment from their customers. The federal government has agreed to give $5 billion to suffering major auto suppliers. But hundreds of smaller parts makers, many in Northeast Ohio, say they could fail if the big guys don't start paying bills on time.

A. Schulman awarded $100,000 state grant, Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2009
Columbus—A. Schulman Inc. is getting $100,000 from the Ohio Department of Development to help purchase machinery and equipment as part of the company's $8 million expansion in Akron. Also: MAGNET will receive a $250,000 Thomas Edison Program grant, which supports research and development or technology transfer efforts involving enterprises and educational institutions.

Concord Steel to lay off about 100 workers for at least six months, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, March 24, 2009 (Subscription)
Warren, Ohio—Concord Steel in Warren has announced layoffs due to the economic downturn. The company produces counterweights for elevators and other uses.

Judge delays decision on Delphi steering sale, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 24, 2009
New York—A bankruptcy court judge has delayed approval of a deal that would allow Delphi to sell its steering business to GM, to give the Obama administration's auto task force more time for review.

EPA moves closer to warning on global warming, increasing regulations on greenhouse gases, H. Josef Hebert, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 24. 2009
Washington—The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first step on the long road to regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

Akron City Council votes bond issue funds for Goodyear project, by Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2009
Akron—Akron City Council members Monday unanimously approved a deal aimed at moving the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters project forward.

GM begins major white-collar job cuts, by Tom Krisher, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2009
Detroit—White-collar job cuts at General Motors started Tuesday as the wounded automaker began to deliver on promises to the government to shrink its work force so it can be profitable at lower sales levels.

Manufacturing job losses blamed for rise in Summit unemployment rate, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2009
Akron—Summit County's employment rate in February might have been hurt by significant manufacturing layoffs in surrounding counties involving commuters from the local work force.

Saturn rings in a new era; GM division is preparing to be spun off as a brand of its own, by G. Chambers Williams III, San Antonio Express-News via Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2009
San Antonio, Texas—Plans are under way to spin the brand off into an independent distribution company, which then would contract with other automakers to build the vehicles. Saturn's dealers and GM managers say any plan they decide on would maintain the dealer network — but eventually field a new line of non-GM vehicles.

Austin Powder blasts through growth in explosives business, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, March 23, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Crain's gives Austin Powder the cover-story in its March 23 issue. The 175-year-old Ohio company has more than 100 operations in more than 30 countries around the world.

Ford plant engine plans rev up, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, March 23, 2009
Brook Park, Ohio—Besides recalling an expected 250 workers to produce its EcoBoost engine, Ford Motor Co. plans to make a second new engine at its Engine Plant No. 1 in Brook Park, a move that could bring a couple hundred more workers back to the plant.

Cleveland Port Authority envisions ambitious growth with proposed move, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 22. 2009
Cleveland—Bold projections of growth underpin the port's need for a larger home on the lakefront, north of East 55th Street. But the port's shipping business has been more static than bold for years.

Entrepreneurial fund considers future, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, March 22, 2009
Cleveland—Members of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a diverse collaboration of philanthropic groups that has collaborated on boosting the region's economy for the last five years, are wondering how much financial incentive they'll have to spread around next year.

ArcelorMittal expects recovery from slump, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 2009
Cleveland—ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel maker, expects steel markets in North America and Brazil to start recovering from the current slump in the second quarter.

Drop in steel demand crushing EU steel makers, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 2009
Brussels— European steel makers said Friday that one in six workers have lost their jobs or are working shorter hours as demand for steel has collapsed.

Chrysler puts key cars in report, by Jewel Gopwani, Detroit Free Press via Akron Beacon Journal, March 21, 2009
Detroit—In its restructuring plan sent to the Obama administration last month, Chrysler showed three vehicles launching in 2011 that would use Fiat's technology, including a smaller-size B-segment hatchback that would get 38 miles per gallon.

UAW chief Gettelfinger to step down, Detroit News via Akron Beacon Journal, March 21, 2009
Detroit—United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said he expects to step down at the end of June 2010, refuting reports that he might seek a third term.