New president named for JR Manufacturing

Shin Omae has been named president of JR Manufacturing Inc. of Fort Recovery, succeeding Tomo Yamamoto, who is returning to Tokyo to assume a new post with the Global Headrest System of Nippon Steel-Sumikin Bussan (NSSB).

JR Manufacturing is a subsidiary of NSSB, a Tokyo-based holding company.

Established in 1999, JR Manufacturing produces automotive headrests, seat adjustment bars and seat forms for Honda, Toyota, Ford, General Motors and 15 other manufacturers.

The company ships about 1.4 million headrests from its Fort Recovery plant each month globally.

Shin Omae has been serving as the company’s senior vice president and has been in a leadership position with the company for seven years.



Not for sale

Philadelphia Magazine reported this week that Comcast has no plans to sell its customers’ online privacy information, despite the fact that Congress has now made that possible.

The cable TV and internet provider was one of several telecom companies that said they would continue to abide by the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission privacy protections in spite of the changes by Congress and the Trump administration.

“We do not sell our broadband customers’ individual web browsing history. We did not do it before the FCC’s rules were adopted, and we have no plans to do so,” said Comcast senior vice president, deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer Gerard Lewis.

Congress’ decision to repeal the FCC regulations “had zero effect on the privacy protections afforded to consumers,” other telecom corporate representatives said.



First Thursdays

A group of Jay County merchants is launching a First Thursdays effort to promote local shopping, the Jay County Chamber of Commerce reported.

On the first Thursday of each month, participating merchants will be open until 7 p.m. and will offer specials and discounts.



Leadership course

Ivy Tech will be offering a leadership development course at John Jay Center for Learning in Portland in May.

Participants will focus on the role of the leader and team members in development planning, assessing strengths and opportunities for growth and measuring the effectiveness of development efforts.

The course is set for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 3 and costs $199.

The deadline for registration is April 26. To register or for more information, contact Carolyn Carducci at John Jay Center at (260) 729-5525.



Growing again

Motherson Sumi, parent company of MSSL Wiring Systems of Portland, has completed another acquisition and has its eye on growing again.

Reuters reported this week that Motherson Sumi had completed its buyout of Finland’s PKC Group and is now the controlling shareholder, meanwhile The Times of India reported that chairman Vivek Chaand Sehgal is now weighing whether to make a bid on Bosch’s global starter motors and generators division.

The PKC acquisition was valued at $619.4 million, while the potential Bosch deal is valued at another $600 million.

"We always evaluate opportunities for inorganic growth and select options that are best suited to meet our customer’s requirements as well as create shareholders value," a spokesperson for Motherson Sumi told The Times of India in response to questions. Bosch, based in Stuttgart, Germany, has declined to comment.



Not over yet

Walgreens effort to acquire Rite Aid continues, roughly 18 months since the deal was originally announced.

The company told USA Today this week it still expects to get Federal Trade Commission approval for the deal and wrap things up by the end of July. The deal was originally announced in October of 2015.

Anti-trust concerns have forced the sale of hundreds of stores in order to satisfy federal regulators.



Joins staff

Eric Jutte, Fort Recovery, has joined the staff of 1st Call Realty Ltd. in Celina, Ohio, hoping to concentrate of the Fort Recovery and St. Henry areas of Mercer County.

A part owner of Jutte’s Landscaping and Ralph Jutte Farms, he is a graduate of the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute. He recently attended Hondros College and passed the Ohio real estate sales licensing examination.



Plan to sue

Four environmental groups have announced that they plan to sue Allegheny Technologies Inc., parent company of Portland Forge, over air pollution from the company’s steel mill in Harrison, Pennsylvania.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the Clean Air Council, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Penn-Environment and Environmental Integrity Project announced their plans this week.

The suit will center on emissions from two electric arc furnaces used in the production of specialty steel in the older section of the Harrison mill, the newspaper reported.

According to the Allegheny County Health Department, ATI is not currently violating any federal clean air standards.



Likes Ardagh

Citadel, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, has emerged as a major investor in Ardagh Group, parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester.

The Irish Independent reported this week that Citadel now owns 6.9 percent of the glass and metal container manufacturing company.

Paul Coulson, chairman of the Luxembourg-based company, owns about 33 percent of the stock.

Ardagh makes 84 billion packaging units a year and had revenues last year of 6.34 billion Euros.

Meanwhile, the company announced that it will debut new glass and metal packaging for beer at the 2017 Craft Brewers Conference/BrewExpo America. The company has focused on the craft beer market in recent years in its North America division.



Under fire

French, German and Italian groups are pressing their governments to take action against McDonalds over alleged anti-trust concerns. The complaints, reported this week by Fortune, focus on franchising terms and conditions, including prices set for products.



Checking poles

Indiana Michigan Power is again conducting inspections of poles and overhead equipment in parts of the region.

A company called Osmose and Badgerland has been hired to examine distribution lines both overhead and underground, while another company, GeoForce, will visually examine poles.

The inspections are expected to continue throughout 2017.



Join staff

Family LifeCare of Berne and Marion has added three new staffers: Kaitlin Christlieb of Adams County has been hired as an aide, Carey Brunswick RN of Jay County has been hired as a case nurse and Tamara Fields of Adams County has been hired as a community resource specialist.

Family LifeCare provides home care, hospice, and palliatative services in Jay, Adams, Allen, Blackford, Grant, Huntington, Randolph Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.



Sponsoring

Red Gold Tomatoes, which has a facility in Geneva, will be among the sponsors of the 2017 Sandwich Category of the Ultimate Food Fight in Orange Beach, Alabama, in November.

The winner in that category will represent Red Gold in the World Food Championships.



Reporting soon

First Merchants Corporation will report its first quarter earnings April 27, according to a press release this week.

A webcast is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. that day. In order to view the webcast and presentation slides, go to http://services.choruscall.com/links/frme170427.html during the time of the call.