Accuride Corporation Signs Agreement to Acquire TTI
Accuride Corporation, a manufacturer of wheels for trucks and trailers, has signed an agreement to acquire Transportation Technologies Industries, Inc. (TTI). TTI, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the largest North American manufacturers of truck components for the trucking industry. The merger is expected to make the company one of the predominant suppliers in the commercial vehicle industry. Both are privately held companies.

Alltech Plans New Manufacturing Plants
Alltech, a global company that specializes in animal health products, has announced plans to build a solid-state fermentation plant in Springfield, Kentucky. The plant will produce Allzyme SSF, a product beneficial in lowering feed costs, and will utilize $1.1 million of locally grown wheat bran. The company expects to hire 35-50 people for the new facility, with an average annual salary of $50,000. The economic impact for the total economy is estimated at $10 million annually. The company owns another fermentation plant in Serdan, Mexico.

Alltech is currently represented in 85 countries around the world and employs 1,500 people. The company recently started building a new $15 million yeast facility in Brazil that will be capable of producing 20 tons of Alltech products per year. Alltech’s investment will make Brazil the largest biotechnology producer and exporter in the area.

“Best Places to Work in Kentucky” Recognizes 5 KWTC Member Companies
Five KWTC member companies were among the winners of the first annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky competition: Crowe, Chizek and Company LLC; Dean, Dorton and Ford PSC; Fifth Third Bank; Stites & Harbison PLLC; and UPS.

The program is a multi-year initiative to motivate companies in the Commonwealth to focus, measure, and move their workplace environments towards excellence. The selection process is based on an assessment of the company’s employee policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey. Further details about the Best Places to Work in Kentucky initiative can be found online at www.bestplacestoworkky.com.

Thomas Industries Opens New Production Facility in China
Thomas Industries Inc. recently opened its new plant in Wuxi, China with a formal ceremony attended by employees, members of the community and local dignitaries. The city of Wuxi is approximately two hours west of Beijing.

The new $6 million plant encompasses 50,000 square feet, 40,000 of which will be used for manufacturing. According to John Kuecker, Thomas Industries’ Corporate Director of Manufacturing Services, the size of the plant can easily be expanded if necessary. “The facility sits on plenty of land which will allow us to triple its size should we find that we need more manufacturing capacity,” he said. Thomas Industries manufactures pumps and compressors for worldwide applications.

The new plant will be ready for its first production run in May. The first product to come down the line will be a compressor used in medical equipment, which is one of Thomas Industries’ largest markets. Once production fully gears up, the facility will serve as a “feeder plant” for the company’s other seven factories in the United States and Germany.

In China, Thomas currently has Sales offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Its Asia Pacific Group employs approximately 200 workers and generates about $40 million in annual revenue.

Thomas Industries Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, designs, manufactures and markets Rietschle Thomas brand pumps and compressors for use in global OEM applications, supported by world-wide sales and service for key customer applications and end-user markets. High quality automotive component castings are also a key offering. Other products include Welch laboratory equipment and Oberdorfer bronze and high alloy liquid pumps. Thomas has wholly-owned operations in 21 countries, spanning five continents.

Gardner Denver to Buy Thomas Industries
Thomas Industries has announced its plans to sell the company to Gardner Denver, Inc. The transaction is valued at $743 million. Gardner Denver is a leading world-wide manufacturer of pumps and compressors and is headquartered in Quincy, Illinois. The company has approximately 1,900 employees. The merger is pending approval by regulatory agencies as well as Thomas shareholders. Upon closing of the transaction, Thomas will become a subsidiary of Gardner Denver and will no longer be publicly traded.

Lexmark CEO Honored as One of America’s Best Leaders
Paul Curlander, Chairman and CEO of Lexmark, has been named to Institutional Investor magazine’s list of America’s Best CEOs for the second year in a row. Curlander was also voted as the best overall CEO in the Imaging Technology section of the list. The rankings were compiled based on votes from 1,700 investment professionals at 500 brokerage and asset management firms. Curlander has held his position with Lexmark since April 1999.

UPS Opens Distribution Centers as Part of China Growth Plans
UPS is planning an aggressive growth strategy for its operations in China that could result in more planes and packages flowing through the company’s Worldport hub in Louisville.

UPS has opened three warehouse and distribution centers in Shanghai, Suzhou and Fujian, China. The company also plans to add another 20 facilities during the next two years, and more than double the number of warehouse operations in China. The new facilities are designed primarily to distribute textile/apparel, high-tech, automotive and consumer goods for both export an import.

In November, UPS began flying the first 6 of 12 new flights to China with service to Shanghai. The new flights will triple the current service from 6 to 18 flights per week to China. UPS has also filed with the U.S. Transportation Department to add three flights to China in 2006 and will open an air hub in Shanghai in 2007.

New UPS Facility will Bring over 700 Jobs to Kentucky
In December, UPS acquired Menlo Worldwide Forwarding Inc., a global freight company providing heavy air-freight and ocean forwarding services, with plans to integrate the company into the UPS Supply Chain Solutions brand. UPS recently decided to close Menlo’s Dayton, Ohio sorting hub in mid-2006 and move this operation to the WorldPort facility in Louisville. The expansion of the WorldPort site by 700,000 square feet is an $82.5 million investment that is expected to bring 720 new jobs to Louisville with an estimated annual payroll of $12 mission.