Ohio exports dip for first time in decade
Ohio exports dip for first time in decade
CLEVELAND
Exports from Ohio took a dive in 2009, the first dip in 10 years.
Data compiled by The Plain Dealer show that Ohio exports dropped to $34.1 billion in 2009, a 25 percent drop from the $45.6 billion in 2008, compared with an 18 percent drop nationwide.
Randy Nemetz of the manufacturing advocacy group MAGNET says the state will take a “major hit” because of a manufacturing-related drop in demand.
About 12,000 companies in Ohio export products. The U.S. Department of Commerce says one of 13 jobs in the state in 2008 was tied to manufacturing exported goods.
Joe Lynch owns Doyle Systems Inc. in Barberton, which makes cleaning systems for printing presses. He says 25 percent of his sales generally go overseas, but in 2009, exports were only a couple percent.
China’s influence grows in car market
BEIJING
Nissan’s Teana sedan has a full-size back seat, conservative looks and a reasonable price — just the thing for a Chinese entrepreneur with a family.
That Chinese buyer is why the car exists. Nissan says the Teana, though also sold in Japan and other countries, was created with China in mind — one of a growing number of models designed by global automakers for the world’s biggest car market.
“The Teana is a Chinese product,” said Nissan Motor Co.’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn, at this week’s Beijing auto show. “Without any doubt, the Chinese consumer now is becoming a big target for a lot of products that we are developing.”
China’s car buyers have become an important force in the design decisions of automakers from Nissan to General Motors Co. to Volkswagen AG. Their influence is starting to be seen in vehicles sold worldwide.
The reason is obvious: China’s auto market surged past the United States last year to become No. 1 at a time when sales elsewhere are so weak that major brands make most of their global profit in China.
Associated Press
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