Cruising the local business section I found the following:
Caterpillar Opening Facility in Mexico
Peoria-based Caterpillar said Friday it is building a parts distribution center in Mexico that will employ up to 150 people. …The 500,000-square-foot facility will be in San Luis Potosi, and it’s expected to be operational in mid-2013. The new plant will be under the company’s logistics unit, which has also opened distribution centers in California, Ohio, Washington, Texas and Dubai
via Chicago Tribune.
Strike One!
Business in the Midwest Slips
Business activity in the Midwest decreased slightly in March due to a decline in new orders and employment, according to a monthly survey of members of the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago.The Chicago Business Barometer fell to 62.2 in March from 64 in February. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the regional economy. …
Businesses said they are being affected by high oil prices, which are increasing transportation costs and raising the price of commodities
via Chicago Tribune.
Strike Two!
R.R. Donnelley Closing Mendota Plant
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.will close its Mendota printing plant at the end of May in a move that will affect 207 employees.The pending closure will be devastating for the city, Mayor David Boelk said Thursday. Boelk said the company’s announcement caught him off guard, adding that he learned about the closing on Wednesday when an employee called him in tears. …
R.R. Donnelley is one of the largest employers in the city of 7,340 residents. As such, the closing will affect other businesses, including the local post office, which Boelk said was spared in the latest round of Postal Service closings because of the volume of mail generated by the plant. Boelk said he hopes to find a buyer for the plant that could rehire the workers. …
R.R. Donnelley has sought to adapt itself to an increasingly digital world in the last eight years. As part of that reorganization, it laid off 2,899 workers in 2011.
via Chicago Tribune.
Strike Three!!