RPM International Inc. acquires floor system producer Hummervoll of Norway, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 11, 2010
Medina, Ohio—RPM International Inc. said its Performance Coatings Group has acquired Hummervoll Industribelegg AS, a supplier and installer of industrial flooring systems based in Bergen, Norway.

SEC inquiry prompts Libbey CFO reassignment, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, June 11, 2010
Toledo—Toledo glassmaker Libbey Inc. Thursday reassigned its chief financial officer after he was named in a federal complaint alleging securities and accounting fraud at Diebold, Inc., his previous employer from 2002 to 2005.

Local entrepreneur starts vinyl record manufacturing company, by David C. Barnett, WCPN IdeaStream, June 11, 2010
Cleveland—Gotta Groove Records is one of only a dozen record pressing plants in the country. Their clients are mostly indie rock groups and other non-mainstream acts.

Editorial: Wind power for development, by Editorial Board, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 11, 2010
Cleveland—The Brookings Institution think tank has a suggestion that should appeal to Great Lakes policymakers: Set up a series of federally funded energy laboratories aimed at speeding new products and technologies to market -- and do it where there already are top-shelf university, research and manufacturing assets on which to build.

Verizon to buy Ford natural gas vans, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 11, 2010
Dearborn, Mich.—The phone company plans to use the 2010 model Ford E-250 cargo van that will save an estimated 1.62 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year compared to the output of models that run on conventional gasoline.

ArcelorMittal buys remaining stake in Czech unit, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 11, 2010
Luxembourg—Steel maker ArcelorMittal SA said Friday that it would acquire the remaining minority stake in its Czech unit for $89 million.

Eaton breaks ground for $170 million headquarters project in Beachwood, by Michelle Jarboe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 10, 2010
Beachwood, Ohio—Eaton Corp. broke ground today for its new corporate headquarters, a $170 million project that will move the Fortune 500 manufacturer from downtown Cleveland to Beachwood in late 2012.

Viva Chevy: GM says it didn't plan to nix nickname, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 10, 2010
Detroit—General Motors Co. on Thursday backed off a "poorly worded" internal memo that asked employees to refer to the brand only as "Chevrolet" in an effort to create consistency.

Liquidator to sell remaining assets of Chrysler's Twinsburg stamping plant, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 10, 2010
Twinsburg, Ohio—Maynards Industries Ltd. said it has been unable to attract new businesses to the site, so it plans to auction the facility's remaining assets on Sept. 15.

U.S. makers will increase car production in Mexico, by Thomas Black, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, June 10, 2010
New York—Mexico's share of North American auto production might rise at a quicker pace as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler seek out workers making less than 10 percent of what their U.S. counterparts earn.

RPM International names new president of its Building Solutions Group, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 10, 2010
Medina, Ohio—The maker of coatings and sealants said Randall J. Korach will succeed Jeffrey Korach, his father, who retired June 1. Randy Korach previously served as chief operating officer of the Building Solutions Group.

Auto-parts coating firm fined for safety issues, Toledo Blade, June 10, 2010
Toledo—Electro Prime, a firm that applies coatings to parts for use by the auto industry, has been fined $52,250 by federal regulators following a five-month inspection that found safety violations at its plant in Rossford.

New Chrysler is still finding its way with partner Fiat, by Sharon Silke Carty and James R. Healey, USA Today, June 10, 2010
Detroit—Marchionne has touted the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee as the showcase for Chrysler's new quality and execution standards. "We are absolutely confident that the restructuring plan we announced in November places Chrysler on track" to survive and thrive, says CEO Sergio Marchionne.

• Chrysler spends $300 million to build new transmissions, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 9, 2010
  
• Chrysler ads aim to rebuild image, by Jeff Bennett, Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2010

Manufacturing, home sales improve in Cleveland region, Fed's Beige Book survey finds, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 9, 2010
Cleveland—Factory production has increased, and most respondents are confident about near-term prospects. They expect sales to continue modest improvement, although they do not expect a strong rebound this year.

Vita-Mix Corp. introduces new logo, tagline as part of branding effort, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 9, 2010
Cleveland—A new tagline, "Plug Into the Movement," reflects what Vita-Mix said is “the essence of the rebranding initiative and the company's vision: to improve the vitality of people's lives by liberating the world from conventional food and beverage preparation boundaries.”

Goodyear Tire & Rubber changes leadership in finance operations, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 9, 2010
Akron—Goodyear Tire & Rubber announced Damon Audia, senior vice president, finance and treasurer, was elected senior vice president, finance for the company's Asia Pacific region, which is headquartered in Shanghai, China. Scott Honnold has been elected vice president and treasurer, replacing Mr. Audia.

Ferro Corp. investing in photovoltaic technology operations in Asia, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 9, 2010
Cleveland—Ferro's existing technology center in Suzhou, China, is undergoing expansion and its new Advanced Technology Center in Taipei, Taiwan, should be completed by the end of 2010.

GM recalls 1.5M autos for possible fire hazard, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, June 9, 2010
Washington—General Motors Co. said yesterday it was recalling about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide to address a problem with a heated windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire.

NE Ohio is ready to make materials, Ryan says, by Grace Wyler, Youngstown Vindicator, June 8, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—The United States is on the brink of a green-energy revolution, and Northeast Ohio is poised to take advantage of the manufacturing opportunities that sustainable-energy industries will present, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, told about 100 academics, government leaders and clean-energy enthusiasts gathered for Youngstown State University’s Sustainable Energy Forum.

Titan owns Denman Tire, Youngstown Vindicator, June 8, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—Titan Tire, the Quincy, Ill.-based tire company, a subsidiary of Titan International Inc., purchased a selection of Denman Tire’s assets for $4.4 million.

Manufacturers' hiring gears up, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
Cleveland—Some area companies are running nearly at full throttle, and are looking for more employees to ramp up production even further. Not only did Ohio lead the nation in job growth in April — creating 37,000 jobs, compared to second-place Pennsylvania's 34,000 — but more than 12,000 of those jobs were in the manufacturing sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Subscription)

Q & A: Jason Watts, vice president of business development, Sheffield Metals International, by Amy Ann Stoessel, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
Sheffield, Ohio—Sheffield Metals vice president of business development Jason Watts answered questions regarding the 15-year-old company and its focus on the green building sector. (Subscription)

Manufacturers aim for new end markets, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
—Crain's reporter interviews a number of area manufacturers about the evolution of their markets during the recession, including: Cardinal Fastener CEO John Grabner, Die-Matic Corp.'s president Jerry Zeitler, GrafTech director of corporate research and development Lionel Batty , and Corsa Performance Exhausts vice president Craig Kohrs. (Subscription)

Immersion Corp. settles patent infringement lawsuit against Simbionix USA, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
Cleveland—Cleveland-based Simbionix CEO Gary Zamler said the agreement “lets us get past the cost and distraction of dispute, and allows us to focus on our continued record growth.”

Austen BioInnovation Institute gains momentum, by Shannon Mortland, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
Akron—The Austen BioInnovation Institute aims to become a world leader in the use and creation of biomaterials and to improve delivery in the health care system, said Dr. Frank Douglas, who came to the institute last September as its first president and CEO. (Subscription)

'Card check' dead, but union efforts not, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 7, 2010
Cleveland—Local experts interviewed by Crain's say card check is probably dead, but that doesn't mean the NLRB couldn't tilt the playing field in favor of unions, possibly by speeding up the certification and election processes. (Subscription)

Chicago Fed auto conference survey predicts continued U.S. growth, by Michael S. Derby, Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2010
Chicago—Participants who attended a Federal Reserve automotive industry forum last week are upbeat about the economic outlook, seeing continued growth and declining unemployment this year and next.

Ford's Alan Mulally on how auto companies are at last entering the digital age, by Walt Mossberg and Karaswisher, Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2010
New York—Mr. Mulally talked with WSJ technology reporters Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher about the connected car. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation.

Ford offers natural gas, propane pickups for fleets, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 7, 2010
Dearborn, Mich.—Ford has told roughly 500 fleet customers that it will provide conversions for engines later this year. The features will be available in the 6.8 liter F-450 and F-550 Super Duty chassis cabs.

Chrysler to recall about 600,000 Jeeps, minivans, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 7, 2010
Detroit—Chrysler is recalling almost 600,000 minivans and Jeep Wranglers in the United States and another 100,000 elsewhere because of brake or wiring problems that could create safety problems.

Olympic Steel recognized for safety excellence, by , Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 6, 2010
Bedford Heights, Ohio—The Fabricators & Manufacturers Associations, International recognized Olympic Steel Inc. for excellence in safety at its facilities here and in seven other cities.

Case Western Reserve names head of energy storage research center, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 5, 2010
Cleveland—Chris Mather has been named executive director of the newly established Energy Storage Validation Center at Case Western Reserve University. Mather has been president for six years of JumpStart Tech Life Advisors.