Ford to build 33% more vehicles in fourth quarter, AP via Toledo Blade, August 14, 2009
Dearborn, Mich.—Ford said yesterday it will build more Focus and Escape models and boost overall production of cars and trucks this year to help dealers restock depleted showrooms.

GM plans $43M plant just north of Monroe County, AP via Toledo Blade, August 14, 2009
Brownstown Township, Mich.—General Motors Co. chief Fritz Henderson says a new $43 million plant in Michigan will assemble battery packs for the company's upcoming rechargeable electric car, as the automaker continues relying on suppliers for key elements of the batteries.

Car plants bet on sales rebound, by Matthew Dolan and Jeff Bennett, Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—Many car makers plan to raise U.S. production for the rest of the year, reflecting improved confidence in the economy as well as the boost from the government's "cash for clunkers" rebates.

Industrial production up for 1st time in 9 months, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 14, 2009
Washington—The Federal Reserve reported that production from America's factories, mines and utilities rose more than expected in July, with the first gain in nine months driven by increased output from auto companies.

Industrial production climbs, consumer prices flatt, by Jeff Bater and Brian Blackstone, Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2009 (Subscription)
Washington—.S. industries lifted production for the first time in nine months in July, driven by resurgence within the stricken auto industry.

VW seals deal for Porsche in reversal of fortune, by Kevin Kingsbury and Ulrike Dauer, Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—After a 10-month wild ride, German auto makers Volkswagen AG and Porsche Automobil Holding SE Thursday said they reached a broad agreement to merge the premium sportscar manufacturer into VW.

Food firms fret over potential impact of climate bill, by Lauren Etter, Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—Some of the nation's biggest food and agriculture companies are planning to release a flurry of studies in coming weeks that scrutinize the potential impact of climate-change legislation, warning that it could lead to higher food prices.

This Week's Earnings Reports

• Sifco Industries sees third-quarter earnings rise despite decline in sales, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 12, 2009
• Sifco Industries Inc. reports $2.4 million profit, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
• Energy Focus Inc. says it lost $2.3 million in second quarter, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
• Hickok Inc. reports smaller third-quarter loss, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 13, 2009
• Energy Focus posts larger second-quarter loss than year earlier, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 14, 2009
• Preformed Line Products posts lower second-quarter profit, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 7, 2009
• Applied Industrial Technologies Inc. posts fourth-quarter loss, full-year profit, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 7, 2009
• Auto woes fuel Dana sales dip of 49%, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, August 7, 2009

Sifco Industries CEO Gotschall to step down after two-decade run, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 13, 2009
Cleveland—Sifco Industries Inc. announced longtime CEO Jeffrey Gotschall, 61, is stepping down from that post and will be succeeded by interim CEO Michael Lipscomb effective August 31.

Oatey, a Cleveland plumbing manufacturer, is dipping into rain barrels, by Michelle Jarboe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
Cleveland—Oatey, a Cleveland manufacturer of valves, solvents and other plumbing products, recently designed a device to divert water from gutter downspouts into barrels that collect rainwater at homes and businesses.

New lead limits take effect for small businesses, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
Washington—Tighter limits on the amount of lead the government allows in children's products and a requirement for new tracking labels are stirring fear among small business owners, already hurting in a tough economy.

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority unveils makeover plan for lakefront, by Olivera Perkins, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
Cleveland—At the Cleveland Waterfront Development Project meeting Thursday, Jill Akins, principal of Van Auken Akins Architects LLC, unveiled the outline of the first phase of the lakefront plan, which could start in 2011.

Stimulus loans for small businesses off to a slow start in Northeast Ohio, by Marcia Pledger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
Cleveland—Small business owners trying to stay afloat during the recession have yet to get much relief from a loan program that the Small Business Administration rolled out in May under the economic stimulus plan.

American Honda to add overtime shifts, by Alex P. Kellogg, Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—At its East Liberty Auto Plant in East Liberty, Ohio, the company will be adding multiple additional Saturday shifts as well, though it is not releasing the exact number, according to a spokesman.

Ford moves to increase production, by Bill Vlasic, New York Times, August 13, 2009
Dearborn, Mich.—The Ford Motor Company will increase its production significantly in the fourth quarter to meet the higher demand from the government’s “cash-for-clunkers” program.

Small-business stimulus loans slow to trickle, by Robb Mandelbaum, New York Times, August 13, 2009
New York—Small-business owners hoping for some assistance of the sort given to the nation’s biggest banks applauded when the Small Business Administration unveiled a lending program in May.

Automakers race to meet demand for fuel-efficient cars, McClatchy Newspapers via Youngstown Vindicator, August 13, 2009
Detroit—After slashing production over the past year of dismal sales, Detroit’s automakers are now racing to keep up with demand for fuel-efficient models that are hot sellers under the federal “cash-for-clunkers” program.

Regional summit is seeking to change culture, economy; Speakers focus on fostering sustainable practices, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 13, 2009
Cleveland—More than 700 people attended the invitation-only Sustainable Cleveland 2019 summit Wednesday. The attendees took part in an ongoing workshop developed by David Cooperrider, a professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management.

Rubbermaid begins area layoffs, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, August 13, 2009
Akron—Newell Rubbermaid has started laying off workers at its Macedonia factory that makes Graco children's car seats. Newell Rubbermaid in June announced it was shifting production to a factory in Mogadore that also makes Rubbermaid parts.

Eaton Corp. hopes stimulus grant will help turn experimental battery pack into market-ready product, by Olivera Perkins, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 12, 2009
Cleveland—Eaton Corp. is hoping that a $45.4 million economic stimulus grant it plans to be a part of will help transform its experimental battery pack technology for "plug-in" hybrid commercial vehicles into a market-ready product.

ArcelorMittal will bring 165 people back to work next week, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 12, 2009
Cleveland—ArcelorMittal will bring 165 people back to work next week, but it will still be more than a month before the Cleveland steel plant's blast furnace fires up and starts melting metal again.

Two Hancock County firms win $270,000 in grants, Toledo Blade, August 12, 2009
Findlay, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and TH Plastics Inc. have received grants from the State of Ohio to help fund expansions.

JumpStart to invest $250,000 in Catacel Corp. of Garrettsville, by Marcia Pledger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 12, 2009
Cleveland—JumpStart Inc. said today it will invest $250,000 in Catacel Corp., a Portage County company that engineers and manufactures catalytic heat exchanging materials used in industrial reactors.

Sustainability is the future of Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson says, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 12, 2009
Cleveland—The city-sponsored event Sustainable Cleveland 2019 runs today through Friday at the Cleveland Convention Center.

Eaton Corp. to be part of nation's largest deployment of commercial hybrid vehicles, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 12, 2009
Cleveland—Eaton Corp. said it will work with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the recipient of $45.4 million in federal money, in the deployment of 378 plug-in hybrid electric commercial vehicles to more than 50 utility and municipal fleets nationwide. The company also will provide infrastructure for the electrical charging of these vehicles.

Visteon to halve jobs at plant in Sandusky, Toledo Blade, August 12, 2009
Sandusky, Ohio—Visteon Corp. has announced plans to cut its work force in half this year at its Automotive Components Holdings LLC plant on Tiffin Road here.

Electricity prices plummet; recession sends demand, rates lower, by Rebecca Smith, Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—Slack demand for electricity across the U.S. is leading to some of the sharpest reductions in power prices in recent years. Slowdowns at major industrial companies such as Alcoa Inc. help account for the decline in electricity usage this year.

Alcoa, Bridgestone, receive state grants to help retain jobs, by Olivera Perkins, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 11, 2009
Cleveland—Alcoa will receive a $2 million state grant to help repair a disabled press at its Cuyahoga Heights facility and Bridgestone Americas will receive a $1 million state grant to help build a technical center in Akron.

Independence chemicals firm awarded $20.6M in stimulus funds, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 11, 2009
Independence, Ohio—Specialty chemicals maker Novolyte Technologies Inc. has been awarded $20.6 million in federal stimulus money, which it will use to expand its plant in Baton Rouge, La., so it can produce more chemicals for automobile batteries.

Timken, Steelworkers set to begin contract talks, by G. Patrick Kelley, Canton Repository, August 11, 2009
Canton—Timken Co. and United Steelworkers Local 1123 will begin contract negotiations Aug. 25. The present four-year contract, which covers about 1,840 workers who make steel and 486 who manufacture bearings, expires Sept. 28.

Parent company says B&W future bright, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, August 11, 2009
Barberton, Ohio—Barberton's Babcock & Wilcox campus will continue to play a major technology role for one of the nation's largest energy and fossil fuel engineering firms, according to top executives at its parent company, Houston-based McDermott International.

New Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid projected to get 230 mpg in city, GM says, by Martin Zimmerman, LA Times via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 11, 2009
Warren, Mich.—General Motors said Tuesday that its long-awaited Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is expected to achieve fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon in city driving.

Toledo Powertrain Plant shifts up a gear, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, August 11, 2009
Toledo—More than three dozen laid-off workers at General Motors Co.'s Toledo Powertrain Plant have been called back to work and hundreds of other plant employees are being asked to work extra hours—signs that the moribund auto industry may be coming back to life.

New GM quits partnership on toxic parts, Youngstown Vindicator, August 11, 2009
Washington—General Motors has quit working with a partnership that collects toxic parts from scrapped automobiles, jeopardizing an effort to prevent mercury pollution just as hundreds of thousands of clunkers are headed to recyclers.

Look for slow long-term growth in clean energy, U.S. official predicts, by Oskar Garcia, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, August 11, 2009
Las Vegas— Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Monday that she believes hiring in the alternative-energy industry will pick up in the next 12 months, but it will take longer than that for so-called green jobs to become a bigger part of the U.S. job market.

Productivity rises more than expected in second quarter, by Martin Crutsinger, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 11, 2009
Washington—Productivity surged in the spring by the largest amount in almost six years while labor costs plunged at the fastest pace in nine years.

• Productivity leaped in 2nd quarter, by Tom Barkley, Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2009

GM says Volt plug-in hybrid to get 230 mpg in city, by Tom Krisher, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 11, 2009
Detroit—General Motors Corp. said today its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius.

U.S. recession to end in third quarter: survey, by Lucia Mutikani, Reuters, August 10, 2009
Washington—The Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey of private economists released on Monday showed about 90 percent of the respondents surveyed believe the economic downturn will be declared to have ended this quarter.

• Manufacturing output is poised to rise, by Timothy Aeppel, Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2009 (Subscription)
• Numbers suggest recession nears end, by Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers via Akron Beacon Journal, August 8, 2009

A jolt for auto suppliers, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 10, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—At least a few automotive suppliers in Northeast Ohio say the federal “Cash for Clunkers” program has jump-started the stalled auto industry on which they depend. Crain's interviews Kevin Cleary, president of Soundwich Inc., Bill Adler, president of Stripmatic Products and Larry Tyler, president of K-Tec Inc.

Hungarian firms see polymer growth here, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 10, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Eight Northeast Ohio business leaders traveled to Hungary in May to meet with 11 Hungarian polymer companies that showed significant interest in setting up operations in Northeast Ohio or in working with local businesses

New GM tightens clamp on worker absenteeism, by William K. Alcorn, Youngstown Vindicator, August 10, 2009
Lordstown, Ohio—According to a new memorandum of understanding between GM and the United Auto Workers, union employees are now subject to much stricter absenteeism rules.

Third Frontier bond issue may be on May ballot to replenish funds, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 10, 2009 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Gov. Ted Strickland and leaders of both houses of the Legislature have agreed to put a renewal, and perhaps an expansion, of bond financing for the state's Third Frontier technology advancement program on the May 4, 2010, ballot.

Rolls-Royce role grows in NE Ohio fuel cell sector, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 10, 2009 (Subscription)
North Canton, Ohio—The U.S. headquarters of Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems will lease more space in the Fuel Cell Prototyping Center at Stark State College of Technology. CEO Mark Fleiner said the state's Third Frontier grant for fuel cell projects was the deciding factor that caused Rolls-Royce to choose Ohio for its development center over Michigan.

TransDigm pays $48 million for valves line, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 10, 2009
Cleveland—Aircraft parts suppliers TransDigm Group Inc. said it has acquired certain aerospace-related assets from a subsidiary of Colorado-based Woodward Governor Co.

Book traces fallout from global trading, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, August 9, 2009
Warren, Ohio—The Alliance for American Manufacturing recently published Manufacturing a Better Future for America. The book was written by 11 trade and manufacturing experts including coauthors Youngstown State University professors John Russo and Sherry Linkon.

Toledo auto supplier to close next year, by Jon Chavez, Toledo Blade, August 8, 2009
Toledo—The Japan-based parent company of New Mather Metals Inc. announced the local auto industry supplier will close by March 2010. Union members were told operations will be moved to a Kentucky location.

Analyst disputes top replacements for clunkers, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, August 8, 2009
Toledo—Edmunds.com, a leading auto industry analysis firm, says the government's list of the 10 most popular cars being purchased through the "Clunkers" program is based on a faulty analysis. It released its own list of top 10, which puts the Ford Escape and the Ford Focus at the top of the list.

Inventory of Cobalts takes a plunge in July, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, August 8, 2009
Lordstown, Ohio—The inventory of Chevrolet Cobalts plunged by almost half at the end of July from June as cash for clunkers made the Lordstown-built small car the 10th most popular vehicle in the government program.

• Demand for Lordstown-built cars rises, by William K. Alcorn, Youngstown Vindicator, August 8, 2009

Warren coke plant restart unclear, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, August 8, 2009
Warren, Ohio—Any restart at ArcelorMittal's Warren coke plant remains unclear after the steelmaker announced the restart of production at its Cleveland mills, according to a spokeswoman Friday.