Tenants transform Hoover's old home, by Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, August 27, 2010
North Canton, Ohio—Myers Controlled Power LLC employs about 130 people in 127,000 square feet of the former Hoover plant here. Today, the site is home to nine companies.

Geely plans to adapt Southwest China factory to restore Volvo brand, by Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2010 (Subscription)
Beijing—Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. is considering partly repurposing a nearly completed Geely plant in southwestern China to make Volvo cars—part of a turnaround strategy for the Swedish brand that its new owner hopes will kick-start sales in the world's biggest auto market.

This week's earnings reports:

• Nordson Corp.'s profit rises 131 percent in third quarter, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 21, 2010

Toledo's MicroDevices grows on strength of advanced materials used in tiny devices, by Colin McEwen, HiVelocity Newsletter, August 26, 2010
Toledo—Chris Melkonian, the CEO and founder of Midwest MicroDevices, a manufacturer of micro-electro mechanical systems, founded in 2004 has found funding and support even in the down economy, thanks to its location in Northwest Ohio.

Editorial: Regional entity could play role in V&M Star expansion project, Youngstown Vindicator, August 26, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—Can 32 counties in four states find happiness in a regional planning endeavor? The participants include Mahoning, Columbiana and three other counties in Ohio, and Mercer, Lawrence and 13 other counties in Pennsylvania.

Environmentalists, power companies debate coal ash regulations, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 26, 2010
Cleveland—Using public documents pulled from the records of states with heavy coal use, a coalition of three environmental groups Thursday released a massive national report concluding that the patchwork of state regulations has been ineffective.

• Environmental groups push for coal ash regulations, by Bill Rice, WCPN IdeaStream, August 26, 2010

Toyota recalls 1.13 million Corollas, Matrixes, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 26, 2010
New York—Toyota recalled 1.13 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks Thursday because their engines may stall, the latest in a string of quality problems at the Japanese automaker.

Johnson & Johnson recalls 2 hip replacement systems for problems, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 26, 2010
Trenton, N.J.—Johnson & Johnson's artificial joint business is recalling two hip replacement products, just two days after getting hit with a government warning that it is illegally marketing two other products. It is the 11th J&J recall since September.

Timken Co. opens office in Jakarta, Indonesia, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 26, 2010
Canton, Ohio—"Establishing an office to provide local support to distributors and customers is an important step to enhance our service in this market," Roger W. Lindsay, senior vice president of Timken Asia-Pacific.

Olympic Steel to add service center in Kentucky, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 26, 2010
Cleveland—The company said the Kentucky service center will better enable it to distribute steel to manufacturers in and around Kentucky, similar to the way its Cleveland service center provides those products to manufacturers in this region. The Kentucky plant will perform plate burning, machining, forming and shot blasting operations on the steel it sells.

University of Akron secures $6 million for new program dealing with corrosion, by Timothy Magaw, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 26, 2010
Akron—The University of Akron has secured $6 million to help launch a new undergraduate program that will train students to understand the impact of corrosion on equipment and infrastructure.

Ford furthers Asia push in India and Thailand, AP via Toledo Blade, August 26, 2010
Mumbai, India—Ford Motor Co. is furthering its push into Asia, announcing plans for eight new vehicle models in India and a $350 million investment with partner Mazda Motor Corp. in their pickup truck plant in Thailand.

• Ford plans eight new models to drive sales in growing Indian market, by Santanu Choudhury and Anirban Chowdhury, Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2010 (Subscription)

Ford uses Wi-Fi to customize cars, by Matthew Dolan, Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2010 (Subscription)
Oakville, Ontario—Here at an assembly plant outside Toronto, Ford Motor Co. is using Wi-Fi transmitters to load customized phone and entertainment features into its Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers as the vehicles chug down the production line.

U.S. plans to strengthen anti-dumping trade regime, by Doug Palmer, Reuters.com, August 26, 2010
Washington—The U.S. Commerce Department plans to toughen rules against what it sees as unfair foreign trade practices that threaten U.S. jobs, senior department officials said in advance of new proposals coming on Thursday.

ODOT seeks federal grant to establish statewide network of electric cars and charging stations, by Karen Farkas, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 25, 2010
Cleveland—ODOT would place 136 electric vehicles and more than 800 charging stations in 11 cities in 2011 and 2012, according to a grant application submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will award $600 million in September.

Durable goods orders rise 0.3 percent in July, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 25, 2010
Washington—Taking out the volatile transportation category, orders fell 3.8 percent -- the steepest decline since January. And businesses orders for capital goods fell 8.0 percent.

• Durable-goods orders rise less than expected, by Darell A. Hughes and Tom Barkley, Wall Street Journal, August 25, 2010 (subscription)

Recovery may be slowed by shortage of skilled workers, Dayton Business Journal, August 25, 2010
Dayton—Shortages of skilled workers are acute in many of the world's biggest economies, including the United States, the report by Manpower, which is the second-largest staffing firm in the Dayton region. Unless national governments and employers develop effective strategies for fueling the pipeline of skilled workers, economic growth will likely suffer.

Grand Cherokees investigated for fire risk in crash, AP via Toledo Blade, August 25, 2010
Detroit—The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is short of a recall, and a Chrysler Group LLC spokesman said owners of the 1993-2004 model year vehicles should take no action at this time.

State approves cleanup money for Campbell site, by Raymond L. Smith, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 25, 2010
Campbell, Ohio—The Ohio Department of Development's Controlling Board has approved a request to provide the City of Campbell $299,818 to study what pollutants are on land owned by Sherman International Group. The company is looking to build a steel mill on the 42 acres in Campbell that could employ up to 700.

Shoppers get first look at Chevy Cruze, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, August 25, 2010
Warren, Ohio—Demonstration floor models of the Cruze are popping up at area Chevrolet dealerships this week in order to give the public a closer look at the vehicle GM is counting on to compete head-to-head with foreign automakers.

• Cruze coming to area, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 24, 2010

Parker acquires Micro Thermo Technologies, Youngstown Business Journal, August 25, 2010
Cleveland—"This acquisition strengthens our ability to establish the most complete range of electronic and mechanical control systems for supermarket refrigeration and HVAC systems," said Tom Healy, president of Parker's climate and industrial controls group.

Deere quits cap-and-trade coalition, by Bob Tita, Wall Street Journal, August 25, 2010 (Subscription)
Chicago—Deere, the world's largest manufacturer of farm machinery, opted to leave the U.S. Climate Action Partnership in May because the group's legislative strategy "no longer served as a foundation for moving forward" with climate change regulation, Ken Golden, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday.

Ohio auto industry will thrive, Biden says. AP via Youngstown Vindicator, August 24, 2010
Toledo—Addressing autoworkers, Biden painted a rosy picture of an industry that only a year ago was facing questions about whether it could survive and still is struggling to sell cars and other vehicles.

• Vice President Joe Biden visits Toledo to talk about auto industry. Ohio News Network / WTOL11, August 22, 2010

A. Schulman Inc.'s 'whole wheat plastic' is lighter, stronger and greener, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 24, 2010
Fairlawn, Ohio—With more of its customers asking for products that use renewable resources, Fairlawn plastics and additives company A. Schulman Inc. saw an opportunity. Its AgriPlas engineered plastic is made with wheat straw, which takes the place of much of the petroleum used in plastics.

Parker Hannifin Corp. acquires Micro Thermo Technologies from Carrier Corp., Crain's Cleveland Business, August 24, 2010
Cleveland—Parker did not say what it paid for Micro Thermo, which makes refrigeration controls and energy management systems for supermarkets. Parker said the acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings in its first full year of operations.

OSU electric car shatters speed record at 292 mph. Columbus Dispatch, August 24, 2010
Columbus—Ohio State University's Buckeye Bullet set a tentative world record for electric vehicles yesterday, registering a 292 mph on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.

• Electric cars: Leading the charge. AP via Youngstown Vindicator, August 24, 2010

State agency OKs loan for transportation hub. Findlay Courier, August 24, 2010
Kenton, Ohio—The State Controlling Board on Monday approved a $3.5 million loan for a $4.9 million transportation hub for wind turbine parts in southern Kenton. The logistics center, planned to open by March 2011, will receive wind turbine parts by rail.

Real Time Economics Blog: Q&A: Prospects for manufacturing growth, by Timothy Aeppel, Wall Street Journal, August 24, 2010
New York—The Journal discussed the prospects for manufacturing with Thomas J. Duesterberg, president and CEO of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, a public policy group in Arlington, Va.

Fiber-reinforced plastics maker finds new markets, by Thomas Gnau, Dayton Daily News, August 24, 2010
Dayton—FiberSystems, a Dayton fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) manufacturer, found ways to diversify its markets after its traditional utility customers began cutting back during the recession. Now it is   branching out into materials for wind turbine production and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Carmakers initiating more recalls voluntarily, by Nick Bunkley and Bill Vlasic, New York Times, August 24, 2010
Detroit—In the wake of Toyota’s extensive recalls, automakers are initiating more themselves rather than waiting for government regulators to step in. The new mind-set has produced a flood of recalls, some occurring in reaction to just a few complaints from car owners, or maybe only one.

U.S. steps up scrutiny into stalling Toyota Corollas. AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 24, 2010
Tokyo—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a written statement that it was raising its preliminary evaluation to a more serious scrutiny called an engineering analysis to look into problems with Toyota's Corolla and Matrix vehicles that could cause the engine to stall, not start or to shift gear harshly.

CWRU builds a formidable structure, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 23, 2010
Cleveland—In April, Case Western Reserve University opened its new 2,400-sq.-ft. infrastructure laboratory, a concrete-filled room built to test whether towers, bridges and buildings will be able to withstand whatever forces might come their way. (Subscription)

Financing spigot re-opens, aiding acquisitions, money flow, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 23, 2010
Cleveland—Various private equity firms and big companies say they finally can access the financing needed to complete acquisitions or raise money for their balance sheets — even from sources that were as dry as the Mojave Desert six to 12 months ago. (Subscription)

Record surge in positive ratings of auto industry, by Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Daily News, August 23, 2010
Princeton, N.J.—Americans' opinions of the automobile industry brightened considerably after reaching an all-time low last year, and now tilt more positive than negative for the first time in three years. The 15-point increase in the percentage rating the auto industry positively ties the largest one-year improvement in Gallup's 10-year history of measuring public opinion on major U.S. business industries.

FDA commissioner says agency needs more authority on food safety, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 23, 2010
Washington—Giving a series of network interviews in the wake of the egg and salmonella breakout, Hamburg said the FDA is taking the issue "very, very seriously." At the same time, she said Congress should pass pending legislation that would provide her agency with greater enforcement power, including new authority over imported food.

Egg industry faces new scrutiny after outbreak, by Erik Eckholm, New York Times, August 23, 2010
—As it reeled from the recall of half a billion eggs for possible salmonella infection, the American egg industry was already battling a movement to outlaw its methods as cruel and unsafe, and adapting to the Obama administration’s drive to bolster health rules and inspections.

Talk With the Boss: Tremco CEO Randall Korach, by Shaheen Samavati, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 22, 2010
Beachwood, Ohio—In its regular Sunday feature, the PD talks with Randall Korach, president of Tremco Inc., a manufacturer of roofing materials and sealants.

Howland manufacturers grow during tough times, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 22, 2010
Howland, Ohio—"We haven't experienced a lot of the downturn. We diversified and have been able to increase our market share," said Dale H. Gebhardt, president and general manager of Flex-Strut Inc., which is preparing land on the Larchmont Avenue, N.E., side of its factory for a 34,500-square-foot addition.

Bioforum Applied Knowledge Center to start offering courses come October, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 21, 2010
Beachwood, Ohio—Bioforum Applied Knowledge Center has scheduled 14 courses for fall 2010, with the first starting Oct. 18. The courses, which target professionals in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, will take place at Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights.

Goal of Ohio tax-credit program is to create jobs, Akron Beacon Journal, August 21, 2010
Akron—The state said Friday it is launching the Ohio New Markets Tax Credit program, which is designed to create jobs in low-income areas.