By Mike Boyer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

GE lands $50M order from Japan

GE Aircraft Engines has won a $50 million order from the Japanese Defense Agency to supply T700 helicopter engines to power up to 80 Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters.

The T700-701C engine, which powers the latest AH64-D Apaches and UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, shares common features with the current Japanese helicopter fleet and can be supplied on the existing infrastructure base to cut costs. GEAE said.

Delivery of the T700 engines, assembled in Lynn, Mass., is to begin in 2005.

Another T700 variant is being considered for another Japanese military helicopter program.

CECO adds contracts worth $5.7 million

CECO Environmental Corp., parent of Kirk & Blum in Oakley, has won four industrial air pollution control contracts valued at more than $5.7 million.

The largest is a $2.75 million deal to design, fabricate and install a complete ventilation and pollution control system for a new foundry in central Mexico.

The second contract, for CECO's newest unit, CECO Abatement, is valued at $1.6 million to design, fabrication and installation of a system to control volatile organic compounds at a rubber manufacturing plant in the Midwest.

The third contract, valued at $875,000, is for a Midwest steel mill's ventilation system. The four deal is for more than $500,000 for a dust control system for a coal handling operation at a Midwest utility.

Tristate printers win trade awards

Greater Cincinnati printing firms took nine of 35 best-of-category awards presented last week by the Printing Industries Association Inc. of Northern Kentucky and Ohio.

Hennegan Co. in Florence won four awards. Other winners were Alliance Packaging & Printing Services Inc. in Cincinnati; Berman Printing Co. of Cincinnati; Multi-Craft Litho, Newport; and Joseph Berning Printing Co. in Cincinnati.

Makino names Oklahoma distributor

Makino, the Mason provider of metal-cutting and die-mold equipment, has named Innovative Solutions LLC, formerly Precision Technologies Inc., as its exclusive distributor in Oklahoma.

Based in Jenks, Okla., Innovative Solutions has been selling machine tools for more than 20 years.

Midwest offers case study

Midwest Manufacturing Solutions will offer its 11th benchmarking case study April 11 at the Manor House in Mason.

NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz will kick off the event beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Chuck Harrell, director of manufacturing at Nisbet Brower, will discuss how his company improved its productivity.

To register for free event, call Sherri McDonald at 381-7200 or go to www.MMSresults.com.

TechSolve sponsors compliance meeting

Money-saving tips on pollution prevention will be offered at the next of TechSolve's environmental compliance collaborative meetings Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the manufacturing assistance center's campus off Paddock Road in Bond Hill.

The free session for manufacturers will focus on practices to reduce the cost of waste disposal and improve safety.

Information: Rene Wall at 948-2076 or rwall@techsolve.org.

E-mail items for manufacturing notes to mboyer@enquirer.com.