First Solar: How crucial are costs? by Keith Johnson, Wall Street Journal, Environmental Capital Blog, July 31, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—The collapse of prices for polysilicon makes First Solar’s rivals cheaper all the time. The good news for First Solar is that both core manufacturing costs and total production costs are still coming down as manufacturing scales up.

• First Solar Inc.’s profit doubles in second quarter, Toledo Blade, July 31, 2009

B&W testing liquid solvent to capture carbon dioxide, Akron Beacon Journal, July 31, 2009
Barberton, Ohio—Pilot-scale testing has started at Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Inc.'s new, 7,500-square-foot, $11.8 million Regenerable Solvent Absorption Technology seven-story plant.

Toyota Camry tops list of cars made in U.S., by Steven Cole Smith, Orlando Sentinel via Akron Beacon Journal, July 31, 2009
Orlando—The Web site Cars.com released its most recent "American Made Index" showing Toyota Camry beating out the Ford F-150 pickup for the first time.

Recession eases; GDP dip smaller than expected, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2009
Washington—The economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year, a new government report shows. It was a better-than-expected showing that provided the strongest signal yet that the longest recession since World War II is finally winding down.

Chinese leader cites need for 'industrial restructuring,' by Jonathan Cheng, Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2009 (Subscription)
Guangzhou, China—The global financial crisis has been a wake-up call for southern China, adding urgency to official efforts to move beyond the region's traditional reliance on low-end manufacturing. Wang Yang, Communist Party secretary of southern China's Guangdong province and a member of the party's Politburo, said China needed to push "industrial restructuring" and encourage innovation and green business models.

• Murder bares worker anger over China industrial reform, by Sky Canaves and James T. Areddy, Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2009 (Subscription)

This Week's Earnings Reports:

• Brush Engineered Materials posts a second-quarter loss, but sales trending up, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2009
• O-I, Libbey surpass profit expectations, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, July 31, 2009
• First Solar Inc.’s profit doubles in second quarter, Toledo Blade, July 31, 2009
• Goodyear's latest results look good to investors, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, July 31, 2009
• Lubrizol profit surges on lower oil prices, cost-cutting, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Chart Industries' second-quarter profit falls 20 percent, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Steris profits hold steady, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 30, 2009
• Parker Hannifin profits plunge 80%, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 30, 2009
• Cliffs Natural Resources posts profit on lower revenue, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• GrafTech International loses $37 million in second quarter, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Olympic Steel loses $33.8 million in second quarter, by Alison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Brush Engineered reports small second-quarter loss vs. year-ago profit, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 31, 2009
• Goodyear sees signs of hope amid second-quarter loss, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Parker Hannifin earnings decline 46.4%, by Alison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
• Timken posts second-quarter loss, sells needle bearings business for $330 million, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 29, 2009
• Lincoln Electric sees second-quarter profits plunge, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 28, 2009
• Keithley Instruments posts larger third-quarter loss, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 28, 2009
• RPM International reports improved bottom line for fourth quarter, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 27, 2009

Energy Focus secures Navy work, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 30, 2009
Solon, Ohio—Energy Focus Inc., a provider of energy-efficient lighting products, said it has received a $1.4 million contract from the Naval Research Warfare Center to develop and produce solid-state lighting fixtures for use on Virginia Class attack submarines.

House passes far-reaching food safety bill, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 30, 2009
Washington—The House passed a far-reaching food safety bill Thursday that would require more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers and give the Food and Drug Administration new authority to order recalls.

Opinion: Those wild and crazy Fords, by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—There’s something Randian about the family’s decision to defend its legacy at all costs. Here’s where the dynamics of family control, plus blind luck, set Ford apart.

New Severstal leaders take positions today, Warren Tribune Chronicle, July 29, 2009
Warren, Ohio—The North American parent of the idled Severstal Warren steel mill got a new boss today, as Sergei Kuznetsov took over for Gregory Mason as chief executive officer of Severstal International and Severstal North America Inc.

Barberton company revived, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, July 29, 2009
Barberton, Ohio—A federal bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved financing that will allow B&C Machine Co. to restart operations while it explores a possible sale of the company to a company in India.

Alcoa Executive Chair, former CEO Alain Belda to retire, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 29, 2009
Pittsburgh—Alcoa Inc. said Wednesday executive chairman and former CEO Alain Belda will retire as an executive of the aluminum company effective Aug. 1, but will continue as board chairman until his term expires next year.

Timken in talks to sell needle bearings unit, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, July 28, 2009
Canton—Timken officials declined to provide details but acknowledged the company is holding discussions about selling its needle bearings business to a Toyota affiliate. Timken's technical center in Greenville, S.C., is the company's lead center for needle bearing products.

• Timken in talks to sell needle roller bearings business, by G. Patrick Kelley, Canton Repository, July 27, 2009

Ohio issues tax credits to three companies with Northeast Ohio operations, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 28, 2009
Columbus—Greenfield Solar Corp. and Pressco Technology Inc. won job creation tax credit awards from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority in exchange for committing to expansion projects in the state. Greenfield Solar will expand operations in Oberlin and North Ridgeville; Pressco Technology will expand in Solon.

Boards OK funds to spur northwest Ohio job creation, Toledo Blade, July 28, 2009
Columbus—Roppe Corp. won a 10-year, $1.3 million loan and a 45-percent job creation tax credit in support of the company's planned $4.6 million expansion in Fostoria. Also, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority awarded a 10-year, 55 percent job creation tax credit to Johns Manville Corp. in hopes of luring the building materials company to open a $43 million facility in Milan to produce roofing membranes for commercial, industrial, and residential customers.

Timken targets growth in fast-moving wind industry, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 27, 2009 (Subscription)
North Canton, Ohio—Since 2007, Timken has invested $200 million either to build or expand facilities in South Carolina, China, India and Romania that make bearings for wind turbines. The company does much of its engineering work in North Canton and makes the steel it and other manufacturers use for producing parts for wind turbines from its mill in Canton, where it is headquartered.

Ohio may get $8 million for pollution cleanups, by Tom Henry, Toledo Blade, July 27, 2009
Toledo—The federal stimulus package includes $200 million more to address one of America's most pervasive environmental problems: underground storage tanks that leak gasoline and other petroleum products. Ohio has learned it is likely to get an additional $8 million for cleanups.

TransDigm Group buys Acme Aerospace from Acutuant unit, Crain's Cleveland Business, July 27, 2009
Cleveland—TransDigm Group Inc., a supplier of aircraft parts, has acquired Acme Aerospace Inc. from a subsidiary of Actuant Corp. for about $40 million cash. The acquired business has annual revenues of about $18 million and employs around 90 workers at its operation in Tempe, Ariz.

Manufacturers cautiously optimistic about mid-year economic outlook, Business Wire via Industry Week, July 27, 2009
Madison, Wisc.—57% of manufacturing executives are cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the next six months and nearly 70% are planning to keep staff levels steady, according to a survey released today by CPA firm Baker Tilly. However, 45% of respondants cited lack of customer demand as their greatest challenge.

Ford Motor Co. launches new Taurus luxury sedan, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 27, 2009
Cleveland—Nearly 25 years after the first Taurus convinced many buyers that Ford could build a great car, the company is launching a new version of the vehicle that it hopes will do the same.

Task force head says government wants to sell car stock, by Kimberly S. Johnson, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, July 27, 2009
Detroit—The Obama administration plans to sell its shares in General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC as soon as it can, the head of the autos task force told a congressional panel today.

Made in Stark: Stark Metal Sales shapes steel, G. Patrick Kelley, Canton Repository, July 26, 2009
Alliance, Ohio—In its Sunday feature on Stark County manufacturers, the Canton Repository profiled Stark Metal, a steel processor for more than 500 companies, including fabricators, original equipment manufacturers and other distributors.

One killed in China steel riot, BBC News, July 26, 2009
Hong Kong—A Hong Kong human rights group reported that 30,000 Chinese steel workers rioted at news that that Jianlong Steel would buy a majority share of the plant in the northeastern city of Tonghua.

First Solar will build panel plant in France, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, July 25, 2009
Perrysburg Township, Ohio—First Solar Inc. is getting ready to clone its Perrysburg Township solar panel manufacturing plant once again. The company has teamed with France's EDF Energies Nouvelles to build the European nation's largest solar panel manufacturing plant at a yet-undetermined site.