Summer demand brightens for car-rental firms, by Mike Esterl, Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—Industry giants Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co. and Hertz Global Holdings Inc. on Thursday said reservations have accelerated in both the U.S. and Europe. The nascent turnaround is a welcome development for automobile manufacturers, who are receiving more orders as car-rental companies replenish fleets they had slashed by about a tenth over the past year.

Earnings Reports

• American Greetings Corp.'s first-quarter profits down 25%, but sales boosted by new card brands, by Janet H. Cho, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009
• Omnova Solutions posts second-quarter profit vs. year-ago loss, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 24, 2009

Business Roundtable taps Eaton Corp.'s Alexander Cutler for leadership role, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 25, 2009
Cleveland—Business Roundtable, a corporate lobbying organization for top executives of the nation's largest companies, picked Eaton Corp. boss Alexander Cutler to head its corporate leadership initiative.

Cleveland Clinic's Medical Innovation Summit to focus on cancer, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 25, 2009
Cleveland—Cancer therapies and diagnostics, including enhanced drug developments and the consumer market for genetic testing, will be at the center of the Cleveland Clinic's 7th Annual Medical Innovation Summit, set for Oct. 5-7. The Clinic expects more than 900 health care leaders to attend.

GM Lordstown on Cruze control, by Don Shilling, Youngstown Vindicator, June 25, 2009
Lordstown, Ohio—The Vindy reporter goes into detail about some of the new equipment being installed in manufacturing cells and assembly lines as the Lordstown plant prepares to begin manufacturing GM's new Cruze.

• Lordstown prepares to Cruze into the future, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, June 24, 2009

Judge gives final OK to GM's bankruptcy financing, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, June 25, 2009
New York—A bankruptcy judge ruled today that General Motors Corp. can have access to its full $33.3 billion in bankruptcy financing.

Federal Reserve reports progress in U.S. economy, by Jeannine Aversa, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, June 25, 2009
Washington—The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that the weak economy likely will keep prices in check despite growing concerns that the trillions it's pumping into the financial system will ignite inflation.

Number of Ford suppliers in trouble more than doubled in past year, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, June 25, 2009
Dearborn, Mich.—Tony Brown, Ford’s vice president for global purchasing, said Wednesday the number of the automaker’s suppliers that are under distress, bankruptcy protection or under observation has more than doubled in the last year.

• Ford says more of its suppliers are ailing in 2009, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009

Auto plant reopenings bring supply chain fears, by Sharon Silke Carty, USA Today, June 25, 2009
Detroit—Next week, when Chrysler begins ramping up production again, industry watchers say they fear smaller suppliers may begin buckling because they don't have the cash to start making parts.

Michigan judge orders Republic Engineered Products of Canton to continue supplying steel to American Axle, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009
Oakland County, Mich.—A county judge in Michigan on Wednesday ordered Canton steel company Republic Engineered Products to resume supplying material to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., a struggling auto parts manufacturer. The judge also ordered American Axle to pay Republic promptly.

Biden lauds Toledo solar work, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, June 24, 2009
Perrysburg, Ohio—Vice President Joe Biden watched attentively as a solar-energy panel slowly emerged from a production line, and then stepped before a local audience to talk about America's struggling manufacturing sector. "There is no reason American manufacturers can't dominate again," the vice president told about 400 elected officials and local residents at Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC in suburban Toledo.

• Visiting Ohio, Biden touts job retraining, by John Seewer, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009
  
• Obama creates council to help auto industry, AP via Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009 (Subscription)

Ohio Honda official resigns, citing personal reasons, by Dan Gearino, Columbus Dispatch, June 24, 2009
Marysville, Ohio—Larry Jutte, 53, a senior vice president of Honda based in Marysville, will resign on July 24, after more 24 years with the company. Jutte joined Honda in 1985 as an engineer at the Anna Engine Plant in Shelby County, rising through several management positions to his present position in 2001, overseeing manufacturing.

GM to cut 4,000 jobs among white-collar ranks, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009
Detroit—About 4,000 more salaried workers at General Motors Corp. will lose their jobs by the end of the year as the automaker continues to downsize.

Durable goods orders rise unexpectedly in May, by Martin Crutsinger, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, June 24, 2009
Washington—Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rose sharply for a second straight month in May, and a key indicator of business investment surged by the largest amount in nearly five years.

Ford, Nissan, Tesla reportedly to get government loans, by Ken Thomas, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, June 24, 2009
Washington—The Energy Department is expected to announce today it is lending money to the Ford Motor Co. and two other automakers from a $25 billion fund to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.

MAGNET receives royalty check as initial orders are taken for photobiotherapy device commercialized through an Ohio Third Frontier Grant, MAGNET Press Release, June 23, 2009
Cleveland—A new medical product developed through a public/private partnership established in 2005 using a grant of $1.2 million from the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier program has reached the marketplace.

Myers names chief officer of operations, Akron Beacon Journal, June 23, 2009
Akron—Akron plastics maker and tool distributor Myers Industries Inc. announced Monday that David B. Knowles, 48, president and chief executive of manufacturer Aristech Acrylics LLC since 2003, is Myers' new chief operating officer and executive vice president, starting immediately.

Eaton Corp. steps closer to building new headquarters in Beachwood, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 23, 2009
Cleveland—The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority voted Tuesday to help finance the $170 million project to move Eaton Corp.'s headquarters to Beachwood's Chagrin Highlands development.

Economic tensions with China boil over as U.S. files unfair-trade case, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 23, 2009
Washington—Long-simmering economic tensions between the U.S. and China boiled over Tuesday as the Obama administration filed its first unfair-trade case against Beijing, accusing it of restricting exports of materials needed to produce steel, aluminum and other products.

• Tit for tat on trade; China and the U.S. take their differences to the WTO, Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2009 (Subscription)
• Chinese official criticizes U.S., Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, June 21, 2008
• U.S. trade board rules against Chinese tire makers, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 18, 2009

Manufacturers urged to adapt to defense, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 22, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Many of the manufacturers still doing well in Northeast Ohio can claim that status because they make things for the military, often from steel, polymers or composite materials. More companies could do the same — if they'd learn to work with titanium and other advanced metals, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Hendrickson Trailer lays off 74 workers in Canton, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 22, 2009 (Subscription)
Canton, Ohio—Trouble in the trucking industry has led to layoffs at Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems in Canton, which on June 22 laid off 45 Teamsters-represented employees and another 29 non-union salaried staff members.

Senate panel faults wheat speculators, by Bill Tomson, Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009
New York—Speculation in wheat futures by commodity index traders, who control billions of dollars worth of contracts, is ruining the price-hedging system used by the farm sector and could translate into higher prices for food manufacturers and consumers, a Senate panel said in a report released Tuesday.

Beyond Products: More manufacturers are branching out into service businesses, by Stephen W. Brown, Anders Gustafsson and Lars Witell, Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—For many manufacturers looking to boost their business, simply selling products doesn’t cut it anymore. Companies in a range of fields have decided that they have to branch out into services to stay competitive. Some truck manufacturers, for instance, don’t just offer vehicles; they sell maintenance and service packages, as well as driver-training programs.

Akron-area polymer businesses attend Chicago-area exhibition, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, June 21, 2008
Akron—Several of the region's polymer businesses and chambers of commerce are attending this week's NPE2009 Plastics & Elastomers Exposition at the McCormick Place exhibition center in Chicago. As many as 75,000 people are expected to attend.

GM zaps Vibe model while phasing out Pontiac brand, by Tom Krisher, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, June 21, 2008
Detroit—The Vibe is the latest Pontiac model to be officially killed by General Motors Corp. as the automaker moves to phase out the storied brand sometime next year.

• China 'to block' Hummer takeover, BBC News, June 26, 2009