LaFrance shifting production

Week in Review

Ailing vehicle maker American LaFrance LLC is shifting its firetruck business out of its Summerville plant and eliminating 35 local jobs under a major retooling of its business. The company's fire-body production unit is being moved to factories in Ephrata, Pa., and Hamburg, N.Y., partly to open up room for prospective new manufacturing ventures at its nearly year-old headquarters off Jedburg Road. As of this spring, American LaFrance had about 500 employees at the Summerville operation, which will remain open and continue making heavy-duty trash haulers and other commercial trucks.

Cummins to expand

Cummins Turbo Technologies said it will expand its local operations by adding 100 jobs and investing $11 million in new machinery at its turbocharger assembly plant off Ladson Road. The company, formerly known as Holset Turbochargers, began operations at a newly built North Charleston plant two years ago.

The expansion brings Cummins Turbo's total payroll in the region to about 750 workers; it also has operations on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston. The company said most of the workers it needs for the expansion have been recruited already. Starting hourly pay is about $13.

InterTech sells HBC

The family of Jerry Zucker has sold one of the late industrialist's most-visible business conquests, a historic 338-year-old company that is Canada's largest department store chain.

Toronto-based Hudson's Bay Co. was sold by the InterTech Group Inc. of North Charleston to Lord & Taylor owner NRDC Equity Partners for undisclosed terms. InterTech founder Zucker engineered the roughly $1 billion buyout of Hudson's Bay in March 2006. Anita Zucker, who succeeded her husband as chief executive officer of InterTech, said the sale proceeds will be reinvested in "other global opportunities to continue to build and strengthen our portfolio of companies."

Jasper port plan OK'd

Historically port rivals, South Carolina and Georgia are a step closer to sharing a massive marine cargo terminal proposed for Jasper County.

Ports Authorities in both states approved the nearly $7.6 million acquisition of more than 1,500 acres for the Savannah River development. Officials lauded the future terminal, which is an estimated 10 years away from completion, as a boon for international trade.

Though the land is in South Carolina, it is owned by Georgia's Department of Transportation. The two state ports authorities together will pay $5,000 per acre in a transfer that could be finalized as early as next week.