By Mike Boyer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Alcoa Home Exteriors has announced the closing of its Richwood, Ky., plant and merging of its operations with a larger plant in Gaffney, S.C.

Alcoa acquired the former Richwood Building Products Inc., late last year. The plant, which makes plastic window shutters, gable mounts and other molded items, employs 57. Alcoa said an unspecified number of workers were offered severance. Some others were offered relocation, the Pittsburgh-based company said.

GE completes flight test program on 747

The world's most powerful jet engine, GE Aircraft Engines' GE90-115B, has completed its flight test program on the company's 747 flying test bed based in Mojave, Calif.

At the same time, the GE90-115B, which is being certified at a record 115,000 pounds of thrust, is continuing to power Boeing's new 777-300ER jets as part of a 1,600-hour flight test program begun in February.

GEAE and Boeing Co. expect Federal Aviation Administration certification for the engine-aircraft combination early next year.

GE's Boeing 747 test bed is a flying laboratory that accumulates in-flight data on new GE engines. With a GE90-115B installed on the left wing, the 747 recently completed 48 flights and 217 flight hours over 152 days.

Caterpillar dealership changes hands

Ohio Machinery Co., the Caterpillar equipment dealer in eastern Ohio, has acquired the Caterpillar dealership for western Ohio, including Cincinnati. The western Ohio dealership was formerly owned by Texas-based Holt CAT.

The dealership, renamed Ohio CAT, serves all of Ohio and portions of Northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana.

Based in Broadview Heights, Ohio CAT employs more than 800 and operates in 12 cities.

AP Technoglass to expand Ohio plant

AP Technoglass Corp., Florence-based supplier of automotive glass, has broken ground on a $40 million expansion of its plant in Bellefontaine, Ohio.

The company, which supplies glass to Saturn, Honda and Toyota among others, received a $150,000 training grant from the State of Ohio to train about 490 employees at the plant on new machinery in the expansion.

Miller Brewing Co. recognizes suppliers

Miller Brewing Co. in Trenton has recognized two suppliers with its Partners in Excellence award.

Portman Equipment Co., Monroe material handling equipment supplier, and Applied Industrial Technologies, a Middletown industrial products supplier, received the outstanding supplier recognition.

It's the fourth time each supplier has received the award.

ITI TranscenData wins Motorola contract

ITI TranscenData, a unit of Milford's International TechneGroup Inc., has won a contract from Motorola Inc. for its CADIQ software.

Financial details weren't disclosed but Motorola's Personal Communications Sector division, supplier of wireless subscriber and server equipment, will use CADIQ to inspect computer-automated design models for hidden defects and errors, the companies said.

E-mail mboyer@enquirer.com