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HENDERSON, Ky. — Helped by climbing sales of commercial trucks, Accuride Corp. saw a 26.9 percent jump in sales in the second quarter of this year compared with a year ago.

Sales of large truck wheels — which Accuride produces at its plant in Henderson and at other locations — jumped 47 percent as production of new trucks continues to rebound from recent lows.

But the truck-components maker’s profits tumbled because of higher costs for steel and aluminum used to manufacture wheels and other products.

From April through June, Accuride’s sales totaled $248.2 million, up from $195.6 million in the same period last year.

But net income amounted to just $1.3 million, down from $6.5 million in the same period last year.

The company indicated that it expected that it expects to recover the higher raw material costs through increased prices to truck makers in the last half of this year.

While profits are down, the Evansville-based company reported a continued recovery in its industry, which suffered during the recession when fewer products were being shipped, reducing demand for new semi-trailer-trucks and other commercial vehicles in North America.

Production of Class 8 vehicles, the largest trucks, surged 72 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, and orders in April were the highest since March 2006. It sa

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Heavy construction increased 0.8% in February with gains in every sector except water and sewer. Ebbing stimulus funding is depressing these markets but this will be brief since private site development is expected to rise quickly later this year. The large public portion of the heavy market will stall later this year as public funding is cut and then likely dip later in 2012. But this will be largely offset by rising investment in private facilities and innovative private investment in public facilities.

Month to month changes will continue to be volatile about an underlying trend of sluggish growth. Little, if any, inflation adjusted growth is expected in the next two years. The drying up of public funding is the key restraint on this market.

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WASHINGTON – There is a chasm between the Sixth Amendment “right to counsel” and a right to quality representation in judicial proceedings, according to the Justice Policy Institute.

The Rhode Island Public Defender’s approach, however, is a model to follow, it said in its July report “System Overload: The costs of under-resourcing public defense.”

The public defense system in the United States serves millions of people every year, it said, but many systems across the country have been in a state of “chronic crisis” for decades.

“The defender systems that people must rely on are too often completely overwhelmed; many defenders simply have too many cases, too little time and too few resources to provide quality or even adequate legal representation,” the institute said.

Under-resou

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CHESTER-based identity management company GB Group has acquired a Glasgow company which specialises in checking driving licences in a deal which could cost up to £5m.

Advanced Checking Services uses driving licence checks to help organisations meet health and safety and corporate manslaughter regulations.

It also carries out checks for the insurance sector to prevent fraudulent claims.

GB will pay £420,000 in cash initially, plus a further amount for surplus cash depending on completion accounts.

The acquisition price could grow, depending on ACS’s profitability over the next four years, up to a limit of £5m.

In the year to February 28, 2011, ACS achieved a £420,000 turnover and a profit before interest and tax of £73,000.

GB chief executive Richard Law said today: “This acquisition is an excellent strategic fit which will further strengthen GB Group’s ID verification business by enriching its solutions to include confirmation of driver entitlement to drive.

“It also represents an opportunity for the new business to extend its reach into new markets, such as insurance, transportation and fleet management, where driver checking is a major compliance issue.”

Story first appeared in USA Today.
Not many Baby Boomers have taken the time to think about where they want to retire.
Many are willing to just stay put as they grow older. And while some want to be close to family members, others are forced to stay where they are because their current home values have declined so much, reducing their equity.
AARP The Magazine decided to help Boomers do some shopping. It has come up with a list of the most affordable and desirable places to retire. The magazine has previously produced issues on the best college towns, the healthiest cities and other lists to help people figure out where to retire. But this is the first time it’s focused on affordability.
Gabrielle Redford, editorial projects manager for AARP The Magazine said given the economy, they were interested in finding places that were less expensive to live. Full Article…

Story first appeared in USA TODAY.
Non-financial companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, an index that includes the biggest companies in the world, are sitting on a record pile of $963 billion in cash.
Companies have this good problem to have, large cash balances, for several reasons. First, the string of robust corporate profit continues. Earnings are expected to rise by a double-digit percentage in the second quarter, extending six-straight quarters of double-digit growth. Meanwhile, companies are able to keep investment down as they are still using excess capacity. Meanwhile, employee productivity continues to rise.
Eventually, companies will either need to, or want to expand and invest in hiring and expansion. Full Article…