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Manufacturing & Technology
Local manufacturer tops in laundry coin machines
May 14, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonStandard Change-Makers employs 118 people who make 3,500 change machines each year for self-service laundries, self-service
car washes and arcades nationwide. Local workers design, build and service change machines.
MoreFormer sales rep alleges Ohio roofing firm overcharged: Tremco denies civil charges of unfair business practices in its work
for Indiana school corporations
May 7, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerA longtime sales representative for one of the roofing industry's largest manufacturers alleges his former employer defrauded
Indiana public schools out of more than $1.5 million. Brennen Baker charges that the company, Beachwood, Ohio-based Tremco
Inc., circumvented Indiana's public bidding laws for school projects; overcharged for its services; and billed for materials,
services and equipment it never delivered. Baker was a Tremco sales rep for southwest and central Indiana from 1991 until
January 2004. Baker, who later founded the Fishers-based...
MoreMICKEY MAURER Commentary: The classy dame is still classy
May 7, 2007
"Pat Miller is a classy dame." Michael S. Maurer, Indianapolis Star, Dec. 13, 2005 The above response to an Indianapolis Star
reporter on the occasion of Pat Miller's resignation as secretary of commerce was meant with all sincerity to be complimentary
but was morphed by Indianapolis Star columnist John Ketzenberger into a slur on the order of Don Imus or Howard Stern. The
Star piled on with a letter to the editor from someone who does not even live in...
MoreVC expert: Businesses enjoy 'seller's market': In Q&A, private-equity veteran Scolnik discusses industry trends
April 30, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerreporterWith $116.5 million in capital under management, Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co. Inc. is Indiana's largest private equity firm
focused on mergers and acquisitions. It regularly creates $5 million to $15 million deals to buy small and middle-market manufacturing
companies with low risk of technical obsolescence. Founded in 1903, HKW maintains its headquarters in New York, but the bulk
of its operations and activities are in Indiana. Its portfolio includes the Indianapolis-based centrifuge-maker CentraSep
Technologies and corrugated sheet manufacturer Flutes...
MoreEntrepreneur's fortune cookie biz grows by breaking tradition
April 30, 2007
Anthony SchoettleFulfilling a wish list was how Mike Fry came to found Indianapolis-based Fancy Fortune Cookies, by all accounts the only non-Asian-owned
fortune cookie operation in North America. Fry started Fancy Fortune Cookies near Fort Wayne in 1989. He moved the company
to Indianapolis in 1992.
MorePension changes fill state's VC coffer: Indiana Investment Fund has $155 million to pour into Hoosier companies
April 30, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerThe diversification of the state's two enormous public pension funds into private equity is transforming Indiana's venture
capital sector. And their $155 million Indiana Investment Fund is the largest factor in the equation. If it's successful,
the Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund and the Indiana State Teachers' Retirement Fund will save Hoosiers untold millions
of dollars and help launch a host of new high-tech companies. If it's not, taxpayers will one day have to foot the bill. Indiana
State Budget...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: State's growth in incomes is still lagging the nation's
April 23, 2007
Patrick BarkeyIt was 1980 when then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan asked audiences whether they were better off than four years earlier.
It was smart politics-1980 was a recession year. But politics aside, it's always a relevant question. For if the economy is
not growing the pie that we all share, then those who manage it, not to mention those in political leadership roles, have
cause for concern. But how do we answer such a question? With the due date for tax filings...
MorePROFILE: Williams Beck & Hess Inc.: Demand fueled growing pains When quality suffered, Camby firm slowed down to work out
the kinks
April 16, 2007
Julie YoungWilliams Beck & Hess Inc. Demand fueled growing pains When quality suffered, Camby firm slowed down to work out the kinks
At 24, Harry Beals turned down a job working for a once-prominent petroleum tank company that had lost its luster following
its founder's retirement. Four months later, he bought it. After 30 years under Beals' control, Williams Beck & Hess Inc.
has grown into a business that generates nearly $1 million in revenue each year-not a bad return on...
MoreRelax, you better get used to it-it's only globalization: VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY
April 16, 2007
Roger SchmennerGlobalization, like all sweeping economic trends, provokes a widespread disquiet. Specifically, we fear that somehow, if it
continues unchecked, people in the United States will lose their high-paying jobs and we will devolve into a lowwage service
economy. As China gains, we lose. To borrow a phrase from Thomas Friedman, they're frightened that the flattening of the world
economy will flatten us. It is true that traditional manufacturing jobs are fewer now than before. And, lots of things are
made...
MoreOverseas strategy has Hurco roaring back: Local manufacturer sells most of its products abroad
April 16, 2007
Anthony SchoettleEven with the U.S. auto industry under pressure and the North American manufacturing market experiencing relatively slow expansion,
Indianapolis-based Hurco Cos. Inc. is on a tear. The maker of metal- and machine-cutting tools and software has stayed ahead
of the curve by growing aggressively overseas while keeping a lid on expansion costs. That double feat is easier said than
done, said Ananth Iyer, professor of operations management at Purdue University and director of the Dauch Center for the Management
of...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Jobs news is negative however you slice it
April 9, 2007
Patrick BarkeyWhat's the news on Indiana employment? Odd as it might seem, that phrase is almost a contradiction in terms. For while we
do receive very timely, detailed information on how many jobs are carried on Indiana employers' payrolls each month, the practical
challenges in keeping close tabs on the latest zigs and zags in the 3 million-strong Hoosier labor force make the interpretation
of the fresh data difficult. Only after the data have sat on the shelf for half a...
MorePurdue professor developing weapon for AIDS battle: Lower-cost testing device could save money for more treatment in disease-ravaged
Africa, other countries
April 9, 2007
Scott OlsonThe professor of cytomics-the study of cell systems-is leading an effort to develop a low-cost device that would help more
Africans get tested for the deadly disease. His goal, bolstered by his Cytometry for Life not-for-profit, is to build thousands
of units that can be delivered to third-world countries around the globe. Robinson has completed the prototype and returned
in March from a weeklong trip to Nigeria, where he and fellow university researchers met with government and health care officials...
MoreChanges flowing at Delta; is sale next?
March 26, 2007
Anthony SchoettleAmid sagging profits, locally based Delta Faucet Co. has parted ways with two of its top executives. And some analysts think
Delta's parent corporation--tiring of its sagging performance--is considering selling the faucet manufacturer.
MoreProfessor hits right note in guitar engineering class: Purdue course lets students build, test instruments
March 26, 2007
Scott OlsonPlaying guitar seems much more alluring than building one-unless you're a member of the Instrument Manufacturing and Testing
class at Purdue University. The course is the creation of Mark French, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology,
who introduced it just last year. It is already striking a major chord with students. Eighteen are enrolled now, which is
as many as the professor can handle, and the waiting list for next spring's session is full. French is teaching the class...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: It's time we change those modular-home stereotypes
March 26, 2007
Don AltemeyerMention modular housing and the first image that comes to mind is probably a TV reporter standing in front of a devastated
trailer park in Tornado Alley. The "double-wide" with the screened-in porch somewhere in Florida may offer a much more comforting
image. Nonethe- Americans their first chance at homeownership by manufacturing houses in factories and shipping the prepackaged
kits to home sites. The visionary homes featured open floor plans, modern appliances, lighting fixtures and mechanical equipment.
Sears sold more...
MoreOnce-hot cooler company's new owners trying to rejuvenate business
March 26, 2007
Anthony SchoettleAfter almost 60 profitable years that saw Elliott-Williams Co. install walk-in refrigerators and freezers in almost every
Indiana school, hospital and hotel, the venerable firm was brought to its knees last year. But an unlikely savior, a new locally
based venture capital firm, bought EW out of bankruptcy for $507,000, about the cost of 10 EW walk-ins.
MoreAuto-job slide accelerating
March 19, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerIndiana's automotive manufacturing employment for the last decade peaked at 142,000 in 1999. Since then, the sector has shed
20,300 jobs-a staggering one-seventh of its total. Another 5,220 are slated to be cut soon. And there's no end in sight.
MoreMICKEY MAURER Commentary: Hoosiers, wake up to the world
March 12, 2007
Don't rest the chopsticks on your food. Don't blow your nose during the meal and never pour the soy sauce on your rice. These
and other tidbits of Japanese dining etiquette had to be digested before our first trade mission to Japan in 2005. That 74-person
mission, led by Gov. Mitch Daniels, was the largest delegation of Indiana business leaders and state and local officials ever
on foreign shores. Indiana is the No. 1 manufacturing state in the union. More...
MoreBULLS & BEARS: Amid all the complaining, U.S. continues to prosper
March 5, 2007
Dave GilreathA few weeks ago, I heard Ben Stein speak about politics and the economy. The noted lawyer, writer, actor and economist spouted
off various positive statistics about the U.S. economy and then lamented that the public seemed morose about the financial
sunshine. Even though our standard of living is at an all-time high, it seems as if Americans like to grovel and complain.
Stein said, in his best Ferris Bueller drone, the American public was the most "unhappy happy society"...
MoreBrightpoint's buy turns the tables
February 26, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerOn Feb. 20, Plainfield-based cell phone distributor Brightpoint Inc. announced a blockbuster deal to buy Dangaard, its largest
European rival, for $308 million, a reversal of fortunes from five years ago between the competitors.
MoreGoodwill plotting a $10 million reuse strategy: Not-for-profit renovates HQ for expanded charter school
February 19, 2007
Cory SchoutenGoodwill Industries of Central Indiana supports its job and educational programs by reselling used clothes, household items
and even cars. But the virtues of reuse and recycle aren't confined to the not-for-profit's 34 local thrift stores. Goodwill
has adapted its headquarters several times since it was built in 1960, to fill a variety of needs. Some of the same space
within the 195,000-square-foot building has served as a retail store, an office full of cubicles, an industrial packing facility
and...
MoreAllison Transmission might be ripe for management buyout
February 19, 2007
Anthony SchoettleAs struggling General Motors Corp. tries to raise cash by unloading Allison Transmission, the fate of the city's third-largest
manufacturer hangs in the balance. But analysts say its market dominance, strong management team and abundance of private
equity could spare it the fate of other auto plants here.
MoreSTATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Tax reform is tricky, but legislators aren't giving up
February 19, 2007
Ed FeigenbaumThe coming week will bring intense action in both the House of Representatives and the Senate as the chambers complete committee
deliberations on bills in their respective chambers of origin. As of this writing, final floor action that would allow bills
to cross the Statehouse Rotunda would take place by early in the last week of February. Missing from this session seems to
be any real sense of urgency in moving measures through committee and on to the floor of...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Fate of U.S. auto industry is controlled by investors
February 19, 2007
Patrick BarkeyOn the same black Thursday that Borg Warner announced it would close its 780-worker Muncie manufacturing facility in 2009,
the price of its stock surged 6 percent. Are the traders on Wall Street heartless, or prejudiced against Muncie, or do they
simply like bad news? In truth, none of these answers is probably correct, although we really have no way of knowing. But
the divergent reactions of stockholders and workers and their families to the news that nearly a century...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Are we spending too much on pets?
February 19, 2007
Morton Marcus"It's such a hassle, day after day after day," she said. "What's a hassle?" I asked. "Oh, you know," she answered, mixing
her yogurt deep into the cereal. "Why," she continued without continuity, "don't you write about global warming? It's a very
serious problem that they need to do something about." "Who are 'they'?" I inquired. "All the big guys," she said "the power
brokers, the decision-makers and the office-holders, all of them." "Pandy," I said politely, "global warming and...
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Can IBJ please stop referring to this property as "Kessler Mansion"? What a ridiculous title for the biggest, bloated, blight in our city. It's not a mansion. At best, it's an ideal site to shoot low-budget porn. Ahhh! Another business use!
Its stories like these that prove that a Ball State diploma is worth less than the paper that its printed on. A real institution of higher learning would have taken care of this long ago. No way should this crap be taught in a SCIENCE class.
It is such a shame that King Ballard has made Indianapolis into Chicago south with all of the rampant corruption.
How many of these 1,259 bills were actually heard and voted on on the floor vs how many were shot down in committee?
When a an arrogant young guy with essentially no experience and no qualifications for the job, was dropped into an Administrator position out of nowhere by his "mentor" in the Mayor's office things seemed fishy. Sometimes things are what they seem.