Top business stories: Western Indiana update.

• Author: Mayer, Kathy
• Position: Business developments in Western Indiana

Looking for an area where a strong manufacturing base is fueling economic health? Try Western Indiana.

Manufacturing in the eight-county area that includes hubs in Crawfordsville, Frankfort and Lafayette is posting a strong showing in increased employment and expansions.

CLINTON COUNTY

"We're doing well," reports Larry Price, president of the board of Partners in Progress, Clinton County's economic development organization. He cites two new motels - a Holiday Inn Express and a Super 8 - and a surge in housing starts as spin-off effects of Frankfort's strong manufacturing climate.

Among the county's top industrial newsmakers are Frito-Lay, Federal-Mogul Corp., Donaldson Co. and UNR-Rohn.

Frito-Lay is expanding its snack product lines by adding pretzel manufacturing at its Frankfort plant this fall. The company employs 840 workers in Frankfort.

Federal-Mogul Corp. boosted employment by 100 this year to 850. The plant pioneered the company's highly successful unipistons, a new-style transmission seal that replaces what once took several parts. Federal-Mogul has about 90 percent of the unipiston market, and production has jumped from 18,000 a day five years ago to 100,000 a day now.

Donaldson Co. currently is adding 60,000 square feet to its existing 120,000-square-foot facility. The plant, which makes filtration systems for heavy-duty diesel engines, plans to increase its 260-employee work force to 320 over the next three years.

UNR-Rohn built a new facility in Frankfort's industrial park, replacing four smaller operations in the area. The company makes telecommunication towers, shelters and cabinets.

The only downturn came when Exide, which had employed 475, trimmed its Frankfort work force to about 150. The company has closed its Frankfort manufacturing operations, which made batteries, but is maintaining a distribution center.

Partners in Progress and the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce welcomed a new leader to the organizations in August. Joyce Efferdink has joined the staff as chief executive officer and economic development director. The organizations' offices, too, are expanding with a year-end move to the Coapstick Insurance Building.

A community planner, John Egelhaaf, has also joined the county staff. "We have many issues of a county starting to see a lot of growth, and we need to develop proactively, so we need to work on a plan," Price says.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

One manufacturer has moved into a new facility and another has...