Manufacturing rebounding in Cleveland area, but business leaders unsure how long it will last, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 6, 2010
Mayfield Heights, Ohio—There is growing evidence that manufacturing in Greater Cleveland is rebounding and more jobs are being created, the head of a regional manufacturing advocacy group and two manufacturing executives said Thursday. "We are actually doing better. Cleveland metropolitan area job growth has been the highest among major metropolitan areas in the country," said Daniel Berry, president and chief executive officer of MAGNET.

• Manufacturers encouraged by trends, by Bill Rice, WCPN IdeaStream, August 6, 2010
  

New GM models are under study, by David Welch, Bloomberg news via Akron Beacon Journal, August 6, 2010
Traverse City, Mich.—According to several people familiar with GM's process, the company is studying whether it can increase the size of its Opel Zafira van sold in Europe, the people said. That model is built on the platform of GM's new Chevrolet Cruze.

• GM wants to go public as soon as possible, shed 'Government Motors' label, CEO Ed Whitacre says, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
  
• Toyota not likely to agree to UAW recruitment terms, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
  

Perrysburg chemical firm masters economic grind, by Homer Brickey, Toledo Blade, August 6, 2010
Perrysburg, Ohio—Perrysburg's Master Chemical Corp., a maker of cutting and grinding oils and other metalworking fluids, say they saw the recession coming and prepared for it. Now the company is looking for a rebound, especially in Asia, where it has five plants and a technology center.

This week's earnings reports:

• Cooper Tire announces profit, but stock drops, Toledo Blade, August 6, 2010
  
• Hawk Corp. sees profits soar, by Alison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
  
• OM Group Inc. returns to profitability in second quarter, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 5, 2010
  
• Olympic Steel Inc. swings to a profit in second quarter, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 5, 2010
  
• Preformed Line Products Co. profits rise 70% in second quarter, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 5, 2010
• The Andersons report higher profit of $25.2M, Toledo Blade, August 4, 2010
• Toyota posts $2.2 bln profit as car sales recover, by Yuri Kageyama, AP via Yahoo News, August 4, 2010
  
• RTI posts income of $10.2M for quarter, Youngstown Vindicator, August 4, 2010
  
• Work on oil spill boosts RTI profit, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 4, 2010
• Parker Hannifin Corp. fourth-quarter net income rises more than fourfold, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
  
• Steris Corp. swings to a first-quarter loss on costs of System 1 rebate program, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
  
• PolyOne Corp. reports second-quarter profit of $45.7 million, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2, 2010

Installing wind turbines on Lake Erie could generate thousands of jobs, study says, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
Cleveland—An analysis commissioned by NorTech says creating an industry to build and maintain hundreds of power-generating turbines on Lake Erie by 2030 would support up to 8,000 jobs and cost $31 billion. The analysis renders no judgments on the feasibility of or the prospects of success for efforts to erect five massive turbines on Lake Erie by 2012.

• Wind touted as jobs maker by 2030, by Rick Jackson, WCPN IdeaStream, August 5, 2010

Aleris International adds former General Motors CEO to its board, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 5, 2010
Beachwood, Ohio—G. Richard Wagoner, the former chairman and CEO of General Motors Co., has been elected to the board of directors of Beachwood-based Aleris International Inc., an aluminum recycler and producer of aluminum rolled products.

Turning Tech to open office in Europe, by Raymond L. Smith, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 5, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—The Youngstown-based maker of audience-response devices is opening an office in Amsterdam in order to further expand its reach into Europe.

Remaining laid-off GM workers return to Toledo Powertrain, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, August 5, 2010
Toledo—Plant manager Joe Choate said the high-volume Cruze, which will go on sale next month for about $16,000 and gets 40 miles per gallon, will mean more work for the Toledo plant, and could lead to new hiring by the end of the year.

Site closer to clean-up, by Raymond L. Smith, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 5, 2010
Campbell, Ohio— A vote by the Ohio Department of Development's Clean Ohio Fund has moved an effort to build a steel mill a little closer to realization. Earlier this year, Krishna Sharma, a co-owner of Pennsylvania-based Sherman International Group, announced that it wants to build a steel mill on the property that could eventually employ 700 people.

Ford to add more jobs than UAW deal requires, by Mark Clothier, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, August 5, 2010
—Ford Motor Co. plans to add 27 percent more United Auto Workers-covered positions at its U.S. plants than originally planned, citing flexible labor contracts that reduced the cost of employing union members.

Obama caps victory tour of Big 3 automakers, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
Chicago—President Barack Obama declared Thursday that the U.S. auto industry is not just rebounding from its problems but on its way to being No. 1 in the world again.

• Obama highlights auto industry turnaround as bank to unveil Ford loan guarantee, Reuters via Toledo Blade, August 5, 2010
  

Ford bringing jobs back to plants in Ohio and Michigan, top executive says, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 4, 2010
Traverse City, Mich.—Ford Motor Co. has brought 1,340 jobs back to its U.S. plants from suppliers or plants in Mexico since 2008, and the company plans to bring back 635 more jobs by 2012, Mark Fields, the company's president for the Americas said Wednesday at the Center for Automotive Research's annual Management Briefing Seminars in Michigan.

• Consumers need to see a personal benefit to driving electric cars, auto experts say, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
• GM running out of Chevrolet Cobalt models, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
• Gasoline and diesel engines will still rule in a decade, auto executives say, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
• Ford boosts power, economy of its diesel truck engines, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
  

Ford passes GM in pickup truck power struggle, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, August 4, 2010
Akron—Ford Motor Co.'s 2011 heavy-duty pickups came out in April, but already the company is boosting the power in their diesel engines and giving free upgrades to owners.

• GM buys into plug-in truck company, by Peter Valdes-Dapena, Plain Dealer Wire Services via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010

Eaton Corp. buys Massachusetts manufacturer, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 4, 2010
Cleveland—Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. said it agreed to buy Wright Line Holding Inc., a maker of data center enclosures and air flow management systems.

Olympic Steel Inc. elects political veteran as a director, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 4, 2010
Cleveland—Olympic Steel Inc. said today that its board of directors elected Dirk A. Kempthorne as a director, effective immediately. He also will serve on the nominating committee of the board.

V&M to use Indalex site during construction, by George Nelson, Youngstown Business Journal, August 4, 2010
Vienna, Ohio—V&M Star will use the idled Indalex plant in Girard for equipment and materials storage and construction offices during construction of its new $650 million pipe mill under an agreement reached with the Western Reserve Port Authority.

• V&M buys former Indalex factory, by Ed Runyan, Youngstown Vindicator, August 4, 2010

Sales up at Ford, Chrysler, GM in July; Toyota, Honda fell, by Chris Woodyard, USA Today, August 4, 2010
Detroit—Automakers saw sales creep up a modest 5.2% in July from the same month last year thanks to easier credit and more lavish sales-incentive spending, according to researcher Autodata.

• U.S. auto sales rise, helped by credit, promotions, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
• Cobalt sales start slide into oblivion, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 4, 2010
  

New Democratic strategy for creating jobs focuses on a boost in manufacturing, by Lori Montgomery and Brady Dennis, Washington Post, August 4, 2010
Washington—President Obama and congressional Democrats are shifting toward a longer-term strategy that promises to tackle persistently high unemployment by engineering a renaissance in American manufacturing. That approach, dubbed "Make It in America," is still evolving and so far focuses primarily on raising taxes on multinational corporations that Democrats accuse of shipping jobs overseas.

Smoother ride for auto-parts makers, by Jeff Bennett, Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2010
Detroit—A year ago the U.S. auto-supplier industry was all but left for dead.Now, auto suppliers are not only doing better, but they are profitable, their stocks are surging, they are hiring and they're putting the finishing touches on restructurings. (Subscription)

Alcoa to cut its third production shift at the Cleveland Works and lay off 71, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 4, 2010
Cleveland—"It's the depressed economy, reflected in our sales projections," said Alcoa spokeswoman Marian Lowes. "We are experiencing reductions in demand for aerospace products and forged specialty wheels. We have to align our work force to production needs."

Ford says it is bringing more jobs back to U.S. plants than it agreed to, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 4, 2010
Traverse City, Mich.—Since 2005, union workers at Ford have given up wage increases and benefits and agreed to let the company hire new workers at half the traditional United Auto Workers wage.

Hyundai wants to boost fuel efficiency to 50 mpg by 2025, by Hibah Yousuf, CNN via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 4, 2010
New York—"Getting to 50 miles per gallon seems like a huge leap, but by making this commitment and aligning our research and development initiatives now, we know we can get there," said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and chief executive, in a statement.

Private employment in Cleveland is up, by Tracy Carloss, Newsnet5, August 3, 2010
Cleveland—A new report says not only are more jobs being created in our region, but for the first half of the year the unemployment rate is below the national average. To illustrate the report, Channel 5 reporter Tracy Carloss interviewed Rich Peterson, Vice President, and other employees of Astro Manufacturing in Eastlake, Ohio. The two-part report includes an interview with MAGNET President and CEO, Dan Berry.

• Manufacturing lifts recovery with year of steady growth, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, August 3, 2010
  

Goodyear taps Kramer for board chairman, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, August 3, 2010
Akron—Rich Kramer will succeed his former boss, Robert Keegan, who is retiring as executive chairman and was Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s previous chief executive. Keegan, 63, is retiring from the company completely, Goodyear announced.

• Goodyear's Robert Keegan to step down as chairman, retire, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
  

Nestle Prepared Foods Co. to expand in Solon, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
Solon, Ohio—Nestle Prepared Foods Co. is expanding in Solon with the purchase of a Keithley Instruments Inc. building at 30500 Bainbridge Road.

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority sets $3.2 million plan for rail loop on lakefront docks, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
Cleveland—New Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority CEO William Friedman today told Port Authority board members of a $3.16 million plan to create a new rail loop on the lakefront docks.

Preformed Line Products Co. completes Electropar Ltd. acquisition, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
Mayfield Heights, Ohio—Preformed Line Products Co. said it completed its acquisition of Electropar Ltd., a New Zealand company that makes pole line and substation hardware for the electrical utility industry.

FDA moves toward tighter medical device oversight, by Matthew Perrone, AP via Yahoo News, August 3, 2010
Washington—Makers of X-ray machines, drug pumps and other medical devices would have to submit more safety information to win federal approval under a proposal designed to tighten regulation of thousands of products reviewed each year.

GM defends Volt's $41,000 price tag, by Brent Snavely, McClatchy-Tribune News Service via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
Detroit—General Motors on Tuesday defended the price of the Chevrolet Volt, saying its starting price of $41,000 is a good value, even though both popular commentators and industry insiders have questioned the price since it was announced last week.

Factory orders drop for second straight month, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 3, 2010
Washington—The Commerce Department said Tuesday that factory orders dropped by 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted $406.4 billion. Analysts expected a much smaller drop.

Cooper offers new winter tire, Akron Beacon Journal, August 3, 2010
Findlay, Ohio—The company said the product was designed for SUVs, smaller pickups and some autos on slushy and snow-covered roads.

Solon firm starts pilot project to clean up water, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 3, 2010
Solon, Ohio—Mar Systems LLC late last month set up a pilot manufacturing line to produce more of the proprietary compound called Sorbster the company uses to pull toxic heavy metals from water. (Subscription)

River crane system nears completion, by Jeremy Lydic, Youngstown Business Journal, August 3, 2010
East Liverpool, Ohio—The Columbiana County Port Authority has taken took another step toward completing the 60-ton river crane system at the Wellsville Intermodal Industrial Park. Funding for the projects comes from a $5.7 million grant the port authority received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Tech gadgets steal sales from appliances, clothes, by Emmeline Zhao, Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2010
Washington—Americans are spending more on electronics like iPads and flat-screen televisions and less on durable goods like furniture, washing machines and lawn mowers, according to government data released Tuesday. (Subscription)

Factory growth slows around world, by Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2010
New York—Although the manufacturing sector is still expanding in most regions, the weaker pace indicates factories won't be the strong driver of growth that they were earlier in the year. The story includes a link to a sortable chart of world-wide factory activity by country. (Subscription)

Bold manufacturers buck fears, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 2, 2010
Cleveland—Fear and loathing be damned — from buying land to investing in new equipment and workers, some of the area's strongest manufacturers are plugging money back into their businesses. (Subscription)

GE spins off new turbine for lake use, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 2, 2010
Cleveland—GE is finalizing the development of a gearless offshore wind turbine that will be bigger and easier to maintain than land-based turbines. It plans to give the new product a test run a few miles off the shores of Cleveland as part of a Cuyahoga County-led effort to put wind turbines in Lake Erie. (Subscription)

GM, Ford, Chrysler and UAW officials discuss future of auto manufacturing, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2, 2010
Traverse City, Mich.—Auto industry executives are meeting here for the Center for Automotive Research's annual Management Briefing Seminars. In addition to talking about flexibility, carmakers, suppliers and regulators on Monday discussed new technologies that should allow cars to share data with traffic planners and vice versa.

Applied Industrial Technologies buys UZ Engineered Products of Cleveland, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 2, 2010
Cleveland—The seller was State Industrial Products Corp., also based in Cleveland. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Babcock & Wilcox Co. begins trading today on New York Stock Exchange, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 2, 2010
Barberton, Ohio—Brandon C. Bethards will continue to serve as Babcock & Wilcox's president and CEO. He also serves on the company's board of directors.

Manufacturers say economy stabilizing, Youngstown Business Journal, August 2, 2010
New York—According to the latest survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, almost half of U.S. industrial manufacturers are optimistic about the next 12 months, while only 12% are pessimistic. But among those who are marketing abroad, 38% have high hopes, down 15 points from last quarter.

Factories expected to create jobs despite slowing growth, by Paul Davidson, USA Today, August 2, 2010
Washington—Reports from organizations tracking the recovery indicate that factories will step up hiring in the second half of the year even as the growth in production slows, helping spark a sluggish job market.

Manufacturing grows for 12th straight month, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2, 2010
New York—The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its manufacturing index slipped to 55.5 in July from 56.2 in June. That marked the third straight month of declines. Still, a reading above 50 indicates growth and the index has been above that level for the past year.

Warren incubator to launch in 2011, by Marly Kosinski, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 1, 2010
Warren, Ohio—John Pogue, chairman of the board of directors for the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center said within the next month, the board will file paperwork to gain nonprofit status, grant proposals will be finalized, a location will be chosen and fundraising will begin.

With its Lordstown-built Cruze, Chevrolet is marketing practicality, not excitement, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 1, 2010
Washington—As workers in Lordstown start building the first versions of the Chevrolet Cruze that are destined for dealer lots, auto writers from around the country got a chance to put the car through its paces last week around the nation's capital. Some described the Cruze as competent and refined. Others called it solid with a dependable feeling.

E-waste recycling, begun with lofty goals, now awash with greed, fraud, by Tom Knudson, McClatchy-Tribune News Service via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 1, 2010
Sacramento, Calif.—By paying more than $320 million to collect and recycle computer monitors and televisions, California has built a magnet for fraud totaling tens of millions of dollars, including illegal material smuggled in from out of state.

Local metal maker predicts growth, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, August 1, 2010
Hudson, Ohio—Officials at ADMA Products Inc., a small, advanced-materials company, predict its recent work to create high-quality titanium powder for the manufacturing of components will expand this company of six employees to more than 400 in the next five years.

Auto plants putting quality control to the test, Dallas Morning News via Toledo Blade, August 1, 2010
Arlington, Texas—Every day at the General Motors Co. assembly plant in this Texas town, employees pull 15 of their freshly built sport utility vehicles off the line and climb all over them. But as Arlington and other surviving domestic plants continue to stretch their production capacities with month after month of 50-hour weeks, they may test the limits of their quality-control systems.

EPA rejects Big Coal's greenhouse-gas appeal, Columbus Dispatch, August 1, 2010
Washington—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week gave a thumbs-down to a request by the Ohio Coal Association and industry groups in Texas and Virginia for the federal agency to reconsider its view that greenhouse-gas emissions damage the environment and cause health problems in people.

State awards $3.5 million grant to MidTown Tech Park in Cleveland, by Michelle Jarboe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2010
Cleveland—Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher announced that the state will give its maximum grant for job-ready sites to the MidTown Tech Park, a $21 million project formerly known as the Euclid Tech Center. T he project has a new name and a bigger footprint -- 128,500 square feet of offices, labs and research space aimed at growing biomedical and technology companies.

GM hikes production capacity for Volt by 50%, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2010
Detroit—GM will now have a production capacity of 45,000 vehicles in 2012, up from previous plans for 30,000 vehicles.

Obama hails auto bailout as good news in Michigan, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2010
Detroit—A year after the government's big auto-industry bailouts, President Barack Obama on Friday trumpeted increased car sales and progress on battery-powered vehicles as a beacon of success in his administration's battle to revive a hurting U.S. economy. But his upbeat assessment can't mask daunting challenges for U.S. automakers and painfully high unemployment.

Chrysler to add 900 jobs to Sterling Heights, Michigan assembly plant, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 31, 2010
Detroit—Chrysler Group LLC said Friday that it will add nearly 900 jobs at a factory in suburban Detroit and spare it from a planned closure. The decision is a show of optimism that consumers will embrace the company's refurbished midsize sedans

Chrysler to add 900 jobs to midsize-car plant near Detroit, AP via Toledo Blade, July 31, 2010
Detroit—Chrysler Group LLC said Friday that it will add nearly 900 jobs at a factory in suburban Detroit and spare it from a planned closure. The decision is a show of optimism that consumers will embrace the company's refurbished midsize sedans.