Ford, UAW discuss labor-cost disadvantage, by Keith Naughton, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, September 11, 2009
Detroit—Ford Motor Co. said it's talking with the United Auto Workers to avoid being put at a long-term labor-cost disadvantage to General Motors and Chrysler Group.

Cliffs Natural Resources raises production, sales volume expectations, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 11, 2009
Cleveland—With the steel industry that it supplies showing signs of life, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. has announced increased production and sales volume expectations in its North American Business Unit.

Cleveland Mayor Jackson lays out long-range plan for city's harbor, river banks, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 11, 2009
Cleveland—Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson gave 450 civic leaders, business and nonprofit executives and waterfront enthusiasts a boat tour of the city's lakefront assets on Wednesday and, in the process, for the first time laid out his long-range plan for the city's harbor and river banks.

Brown to seek increased business incubator aid, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, September 11, 2009
Warren, Ohio—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown plans to introduce the Business Incubator Promotion Act. If passed, it would make Ohio communities with high jobless or poverty rates eligible for increased financial assistance through the Economic Development Administration.

Sonoco to close Orrville paper plant in 2010, Akron Beacon Journal, September 11, 2009
Orrville, Ohio—Sonoco, a global packaging company, said Thursday it will close its Orrville rigid paper plant by March 2010. The first phase of the 84-employee plant's shutdown is expected to begin in late November and affect about half the work force. The plant will remain in partial operation until March 2010.

Honda to build Accord Crosstour in Ohio, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2009
Cleveland—Honda Motor Co. said today it will build its upcoming Accord Crosstour in East Liberty. Honda hopes the Crosstour, a hatchback version of the popular Accord sedan, will compete with Toyota's Venza, a vehicle that much of the automotive press has nicknamed the Camry station wagon.

Chrysler ends alliance with Mitsubishi and Hyundai, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2009
Detroit—Chrysler Group LLC said Thursday it ended an engine building alliance with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. and is in talks to replace it with Fiat Group SpA, bringing the Italian automaker's technology to engine manufacturing in the U.S.

• Dundee plant to get a boost, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, September 11, 2009

U.S. Railcar LLC hopes to build a $14 million factory outside Columbus, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2009
Columbus—State transportation officials agreed Thursday to support U.S. Railcar LLC's bid to make passenger trains that would run on President Barack Obama's proposed high-speed rail network.

GM to sell Opel to Magna International of Canada, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2009
Berlin, Germany—General Motors Co. said Thursday that Canada's Magna International Inc. and Russian lender Sberbank would take a majority stake in its European subsidiary Adam Opel GmbH.

Auto makers unlikely to repay loans fully, by Meena Thiruvengadam, Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2009 (Subscription)
Washington—A congressional panel overseeing government bailouts reported that the Treasury Department is unlikely to recoup taxpayers' entire investments in GM and Chrysler. The panel suggested the Treasury consider putting government holdings of the auto companies' shares in a trust to insulate them from "political pressure and government interference."

Toledo-born plant gets OK to erect solar field in China, Toledo Blade, September 9, 2009
Tempe, Ariz.—First Solar Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of thin-film solar modules (founded in Toledo, with its only North American plant in Perrysville, Ohio), has received initial approval from the Chinese government to build what may become the largest solar field in the world. The project would blanket 25 square miles of Inner Mongolia—slightly larger than the size of Manhattan—with a sea of black, light-absorbing glass.

• US firm in China solar mega-deal, BBC News, September 9, 2009

Severstal posts big 1Q loss, Warren Tribune Chronicle, September 9, 2009
Moscow, Russia—Russia's largest steelmaker Severstal, the parent of the idled Severstal Warren mill, posted Monday a $290 million loss in the second quarter, a sharp fall from profits last year but better than the previous quarter.

Pushing diesel as an energy saver, by Joseph B. White, Wall Street Journal, September 9, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand are fierce rivals that share one common goal: They want—make that need—to convince more Americans to identify diesel passenger cars and SUVs as green transportation, on par with Japanese hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight.

A grand goal for more U.S. manufacturing jobs, by Jessie Scanlon, Business Week, August 31, 2009
Detroit—At a speech given to the Detroit Economic Club in June, GE Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt called for U.S. policy to set a goal of having manufacturing jobs make up 20% of total employment, about twice what it is today. ? Immelt thinks the bulk of new manufacturing jobs will be in clean energy and health care, not in more traditional, low-skill areas. Immelt revealed GE plans to "insource" some higher-value activities such as aviation component production and manufacturing-related software development.

Proposed Goodyear-USW pact includes cost-of-living increases, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, September 8, 2009
Akron—The new four-year tentative agreement between Goodyear and the United Steelworkers includes cost-of-living raises and pension increases while also guaranteeing minimum staffing levels at six of seven U.S. plants, including in Akron.

• USW's tentative contract with Goodyear would keep some jobs in Akron until 2013, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 9, 2009

U.S. comes in second in global economic competitiveness poll, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, September 8, 2009
Geneva, Switzerland—The U.S. is second ranked in a poll of over 13,000 business leaders conducted by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum, behind Switzerland. Singapore is third and Sweden comes forth.

NorTech leads initiative to build high-tech industry in region, seeks local input, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, September 7, 2009
Cleveland—In a series of public meetings, NorTech is sharing the draft of a yet-unnamed ''advanced energy initiative'' that would accelerate commercial activity, add jobs and attract capital to projects in the industry.

ScottsMiracle-Gro to add 100 jobs, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 2009
Marysville, Ohio—ScottsMiracle-Gro Co. has announced expansion of its main manufacturing plant, building of a new office and purchase of a new facility.

Feds to start immigration crackdown on contractors, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 2009
Washington—Beginning Tuesday, the federal government is requiring federal contractors to use the E-Verify system to check the immigration and citizenship status of the people they hire and assign to new federal contracts.

Cleveland port officials want to start a shipping line with Montreal, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 2009
Cleveland—The Cleveland port authority will apply for $35 million to $45 million in federal stimulus money to establish a shipping line with Montreal, in hopes of landing a regular flow of containers.

• Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority edges closer to $10 million expansion, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 8, 2009

Diebold Inc. celebrates its 87 patents in 2008, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, September 6, 2009
Green, Ohio—Diebold Inc. recently held annual ''Dreams of Excellence'' luncheon that inducts employees into the Diebold Inventors Hall of Fame. This day's event recognized 92 Diebold inventors whose names are on the 87 patents awarded to the company in 2008.

Cooper Tire to expand Miss. plant, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, September 5, 2009
Tupelow, Miss.—Construction is expected to begin this month on a $6 million expansion of Findlay-based Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s plant in Tupelo, Miss. The expansion is the result of Cooper Tire's decision in December to close its Albany, Ga., plant.