Students and supporters applaud opening of new digs for new STEM school in Akron, by John Higgins, Akron Beacon Journal, September 3, 2010
Akron—The National Inventors Hall of Fame School held the official dedication of its new $14.5 million facility on South Broadway in downtown Akron. The new STEM school is the result of a founding partnership among Akron Public Schools, the city of Akron, the University of Akron and Invent Now (formerly known as the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation), joined later by the business people and community leaders from Greater Akron Chamber and Akron Tomorrow.

Chamber honors GM team effort, by Grace Wyler, Youngstown Business Journal, September 3, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—The members of United Auto Workers Locals 1112 and 1714, which represent the Lordstown complex, and the plant’s management team were honored with the Salute to Labor Achievement award at the Youngstown/ Warren Regional Chamber’s annual Salute to Business breakfast.

Sherwin-Williams CEO paints bright picture, by Christopher M. Connor, Youngstown Business Journal, September 3, 2010
Boardman, Ohio—In his address to the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber's annual Salute to Business breakfast, Sherwin Williams CEO Christopher M. Connor said what distinguishes northeastern Ohio from the rest of the United States is its people and their work ethic. Connor also hailed the Mahoning Valley's robust infrastructure investment in the last two years.

Advanced materials, software hub focuses entrepreneurship on Valley's strengths, by George Nelson, Youngstown Business Journal, September 2, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—The $250,000 state grant announced Wednesday to launch the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Hub of Advanced Materials Commercialization and Software Development is only the beginning, officials vowed Wednesday.

O-I buys Brazil’s No. 3 glassmaker for $603M, Toledo Blade, September 2, 2010
Perrysburg, Ohio—Owens-Illinois Inc., a Fortune 500 firm in Perrysburg which makes glass bottles, said Wednesday it bought Brazil’s third-largest glassmaker for $603 million in cash as part of a plan to expand in emerging markets.

Park-Ohio Holdings unit buys Assembly Component Systems from Lawson Products, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 2, 2010
Cleveland—The diversified manufacturing and logistics company did not say what it paid for Assembly Component Systems, which provides supply chain management services throughout North America.

Manufacturing expands more than expected, Bloomberg News via Toledo Blade, September 2, 2010
New York—Manufacturing in the United States expanded in August at a faster pace than forecast, signaling the sector that led the recovery will keep it from faltering.

• Factory orders rise 0.1% in July, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 2, 2010
• Manufacturing sector grew faster in August, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1, 2010
  
• Surprising many, manufacturing is a bright spot, by Kathleen Madigan, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2010 (Subscription)
• Amid job cuts, factories expand, by Kathleen Madigan, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2010 (Subscription)

Auto sales hit the brakes in August, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, September 2, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—Area auto dealers say year- over-year comparisons for new automobile sales in August isn't a reliable barometer of the industry, noting that 2009's "cash for clunkers" government program was so popular that it skewed the numbers.

• U.S. auto sales in August sink when compared with year ago, Akron Beacon Journal, September 2, 2010
• GM reports 7 percent sales dip compared with July, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, September 1, 2010
• Automakers say U.S. sales turn frail in August, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1, 2010
• Automobile sales drop for month to 28-year low predicted, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, September 1, 2010

Manufacturing Institute Survey: Americans concerned about government policies that disadvantage manufacturers, Industry Week, September 2, 2010
Cleveland—According to a new Labor Day survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, Americans expressed faith in the country’s workforce but voiced concerns that government policies may be putting the manufacturing sector at a disadvantage.

CODA to launch all-electric sedan in Hawaii, by Maraline Kubik, Youngstown Business Journal, September 2, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—Coda Automotive, the privately held start-up electric car manufacturer that plans to build a factory to manufacture its automotive-grade lithium-ion batteries near Columbus, creating 1,000 jobs, will distribute its all-electric sedan in Hawaii beginning next year.

Syncro Medical lands big account, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, September 1, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—The president of Syncro Medical Innovations, Gary Wakeford, said that Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore placed its first order a few weeks ago for the company's BlueTube feeding tube, a small-bowel feeding tube used for trauma patients.

American Greetings says it hasn't made decision on whether to leave Brooklyn, by Janet Cho, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1, 2010
Brooklyn, Ohio—American Greetings Corp. hopes to announce in the fall whether it will move its world headquarters out of Brooklyn. Leaders of the greeting card maker said Wednesday that they have not made a decision.

Waste Management Inc. buys majority interest in Garick LLC, maker of organic lawn and garden products, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1, 2010
Garfield Heights, Ohio—Houston-based Waste Management Inc. has bought a majority equity interest in Garick LLC, a 30-year-old Garfield Heights company that has grown into a national producer of organic lawn and garden products from wood, farm and food wastes.

A. Schulman Inc. to realign production at European operations, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 1, 2010
Akron—A. Schulman Inc. plans to reduce production at a plant in South Wales of the United Kingdom and move some of that output to two other, larger plants in Europe.

New breed of patent claim bedevils product makers, by Dionne Searcey, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2010
New York—In December, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruled that defendants could be held responsible for up to $500 per offense. Lawyers for product manufacturers now fear clients are liable for up to $500 for every tube of mascara or box of garbage bags marked with an expired patent—an error that turns out to be quite common.

Whirlpool to invest in U.S. plants, by Bob Tita, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2010
New York—Whirlpool Corp.'s $120 million Cleveland, Tenn., project features a 400,000-square-foot distribution center and comes alongside a $175 million revamp of a plant in Clyde, Ohio, that will produce a new generation of washing machines.

U.S. finds China unfairly helped aluminum industry, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Washington—The Commerce Department stopped short of making a stronger ruling on claims by U.S. leaders and manufacturers that an undervalued Chinese currency gives Beijing's exporters a lopsided price advantage.

• Mixed ruling on Chinese aluminum, by Meena Thiruvengadam and Robert Guy Matthews, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2010 (Subscription)
  

Workers on day-to-day pact at Severstal, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, September 1, 2010
Warren, Ohio—The labor contract covering about 1,300 steelworkers at the Severstal Warren steel mill, along with two other Severstal mills, is expected to continue day-to-day after another extension expired Tuesday.

Company moving to Campbell park, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, September 1, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—Magnetic Lifting Technologies US LLC, a new tenant in the Casey Industrial Park in Campbell, will hire at least 19 people over the next three years to repair, service, inspect and re-manufacture industrial electro-lifting magnets, the Regional Chamber said Tuesday.

GM offers comparative shopping, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, September 1, 2010
Lordstown, Ohio— Automotive News reported Tuesday that GM is asking its Chevrolet dealers to provide a Civic and Corolla for shoppers to test drive so they can directly compare them to the Cruze.

Lorain County campus to get long-sought sensor testing center; other Ohio Third Frontier grants announced, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Cleveland—Lorain County Community College will open a long-sought testing center for sensors with $5.5 million from the state. The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute will get $2.67 million to establish a Center for Sensor and Microdevices, collaborating with CSU and CWRU.

EPA rates Chevrolet Cruze at 24 mpg city, 36 highway for most models

Warren-area companies make Inc. magazine's "fastest-growing" list, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 31, 2010
Warren, Ohio—InterGroup International, a local company that provides sustainable plastic-scrap recycling, processing and recovery, was ranked No. 1 in the manufacturing category and 239th over all. Vista Window, also based in Warren, was named the 27th fastest-growing manufacturing company.

Shearer's, Smith Dairy get state loans for expansions, Akron Beacon Journal, August 31, 2010
Columbus—Snack company Shearer's Foods Inc. of Brewster and Smith Dairy in Orrville each received loans to assist with expansion, the Ohio Department of Development said Monday.

• O-I unit gets approval for $3M loan from state, Toledo Blade, August 31, 2010
• Syncro Medical Gets $490,000 State Grant, Youngstown Business Journal, August 31, 2010
• State OK's tax breaks for Magnetic Lifting Technologies and Syncro Medical Innovations, Youngstown Business Journal, August 31, 2010
  

GM lists prices for vans with compressed natural gas equipment, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Detroit—General Motors said Tuesday that it will cost $15,910 for customers to outfit full-size Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans with compressed natural gas equipment.

, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Cleveland—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week rated the Lordstown-built Cruze at 24 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 on the highway for versions using the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine.

Bankruptcy court approves Visteon Chapter 11 plan, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Wilmington, Del.—Visteon, a major supplier of parts to Ford Motor Co., said that it expects to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Oct. 1.

Updated car stickers to include fuel-efficiency, environmental data, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, August 31, 2010
Washington—The Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency said Monday they were considering two options to upgrade the energy and environmental information that will adorn labels on new vehicles in car- dealership showrooms, beginning with the 2012 model year.

• U.S. wants report card for car emissions, fuel economy, by Josh Mitchell, Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2010 (Subscription)

Deere sells wind energy business for $900 million, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 31, 2010
Moline, Ill.—Deere & Co. will sell its wind energy business to a subsidiary of Exelon Corp. for $900 million, the company said Tuesday, potentially signaling an active merger and acquisition period ahead for the power industry.

New plant manager "Cruzes" into Lordstown, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, August 30, 2010
Lordstown, Ohio—The leadership of locals 1714 and 1112 of the United Autoworkers say Robert Parcell, the new plant manager at General Motors Co.'s Lordstown Complex, is a perfect fit, and that they look forward to a long, productive relationship with the man now in charge of one of the automaker's most closely watched operations.

• Chief: Cruze on track, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 28, 2010

Witness this, local giant in mining says, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Cleveland—Cliffs is beginning its “Witness” advertising campaign today, Aug. 30, which pokes fun at the departure of LeBron James and is running in local business publications, at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, on area billboards and in the local editions of national publications such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Forbes. (Subscription)

• Aggressive moves by Cliffs Natural Resources helped it grow into one of Cleveland's biggest companies, by Alison Grant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 28, 2010
  

Research at CWRU's new structural laboratory could aid Lake Erie wind farm effort, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 30, 2010
Cleveland—CWRU researchers at the Vanderhoof Infrastructure Research and Education Facility and Schuette Structural Laboratory are testing the strctural limits of a wind turbine foundation.

Timken Co. raises prices on certain steel tubing by up to 30%, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Canton—The maker of bearings and steel said the price increases are effective with shipments beginning on Oct. 1. Timken said raw material surcharges will remain in effect.

Local flavor lies in acquisition of Nutek, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Chagrin Falls, Ohio—Nutek LLC , a company that sells soy-based cleaning products through several major retailers, has been bought by the Hoover unit of TTI Floor Care North America in Glenwillow, Ohio.

MAGNET confident in loan program, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Cleveland—Current county commissioner Peter Lawson Jones said he's not only satisfied with the results of the Cuyahoga County New Product Development Loan program to date, but he's already lobbying that the program be continued with anyone who will listen. (Subscription)

Port's planned rail loop could improve shipping capabilities, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Cleveland—Making good on his commitment to expand shipping business through the Port of Cleveland, William Friedman, the new CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, is pursuing a plan for a $3.16 million rail loop that would make it easier and less expensive to move cargo from the port's docks by rail.

Joslyn adding design center, jobs, by Frank Esposito, Plastics News via Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Macedonia, Ohio—After more than six decades in business, Joslyn Manufacturing Co. Inc. still is working to grow. The Macedonia-based thermoformer is spending $350,000 on equipment for a new design center, an improved quality-control lab and an enterprise resource planning computer system.

Step2 bringing on the toys, by Bill Bregar, Plastics News via Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Streetsboro, Ohio—Jack Vresics, the new president and CEO of Step2 Co. LLC in Streetsboro, has held a wide variety of executive positions in manufacturing companies. Vresics, 50, talked about his background and the state of the toy industry during a July 26 interview in the toy showroom at Step2 headquarters, surrounded by ride-on toys, playground sets, and sand and water tables.

Manufacturers gloomy about economy, more optimistic about their own firms, by Thomas Gnau, Dayton Daily News, August 30, 2010
Chicago—Grant Thornton's quarterly survey of U.S. business leaders shows 77 percent of manufacturing business leaders are optimistic about their own business' potential growth over the next six months.

In China, Western firms keep secrets close, by Dana Mattioli, Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2010
New York—Intellectual property concerns are changing the China playbook for Western firms, counterbalancing the prospect of cheap manufacturing and a massive consumer market. (Subscription)

U.S. likely to find China subsidized aluminum, by Robert Guy Matthews, Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2010
Washington—The U.S. Commerce Department is expected Tuesday to find that $550 million in imported Chinese aluminum was illegally subsidized by the Chinese government, people familiar with the situation said, potentially leading to higher import duties as early as next week. (Subscription)

In Toledo, the 'Glass City,' new label: Made in China, by James T. Areddy, Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2010
Shahe, China—No one in the U.S. had the capability to satisfy cutting-edge architectural specifications for the Toledo Museum of Art's curving pavilion, even though the 2006 job involved techniques advanced decades ago by Toledo inventors: bending and laminating glass.Shenzhen, China-based Avic Sanxin Co. got the Toledo Glass Pavilion job because of its willingness to invest in technology necessary for complex glass. (Includes slide show, interactive graphics and video) (Subscription)

Environmental groups push for coal ash regulations, by Bill Rice, WCPN IdeaStream, August 29, 2010
Cleveland—An environmental study has identified four Ohio sites where they say coal ash dumps are contaminating groundwater with heavy metals. The four sites in Ohio are the first in the state to be publicly identified. The U.S. EPA will soon begin regional hearings on whether and how to regulate coal ash dumping at the federal level.

NorTech pushing for advanced-energy industry growth in Northeast Ohio, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 28, 2010
Cleveland—NorTech is using a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to hire one or more consultants to help craft the advanced-energy strategies, which NorTech calls "roadmaps."

Cleveland State University striving to turn research into jobs, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 28, 2010
Cleveland—The university has established a new technology transfer office, seeking to turn discoveries by its faculty into patents that can be licensed or spun off to create new companies, thereby adding jobs and wealth to Northeast Ohio.

Ford recalls 575,000 Windstar vans, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 28, 2010
Washington—Ford is recalling 575,000 1998 to 2003 Windstar vans in the United States and Canada over concerns that the rear axles can corrode and potentially break.

Eaton Corp. promotes Lennart Jonsson to post of chief technology officer, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 28, 2010
Cleveland—Lennart Jonsson joined Eaton in 2004 as senior engineering manager responsible for the development of all power quality products globally. In 2007 he was named vice president – technology, and chief technology officer for Eaton's Electrical Group in 2007.