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Article: U.S. Companies Poised to Meet Order Demands, But Hiring May Not Increase.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- August 29, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Michael Oneal
Aug. 29--Four years ago, when times were good and business was plentiful, it took Parker Hannifin Corp.'s manufacturing plant in Rockford three weeks to turn out a hydraulic accumulator. But these days, the Parker team can do it in less than four hours, without breaking a sweat.
"I can get a whole order out in three days --one day if it's an emergency," says Mark Gagnon, the division's 49-year-old general manager. And because the plant is more efficient, Parker can produce 25 percent more than it could a year ago with the same number of workers.
Casual readers might be excused at this point for stifling a yawn. Hydraulic ...