Manufacturing

Swing and a ground ball to third… the runner sprints toward first, while the first baseman rushes to beat him to the bag.

Kenosha-based Snap-on Inc. reported second quarter net earnings of $88.4 million, or $1.50 per share, compared with $76.4 million, or $1.30 per share, in the same period a year ago.

The common stock for Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. last week reached a new 52-week high of $40.06, above its previous high of $38.33.

Milwaukee-based Badger Meter Inc. reported record second quarter net sales of $88.3 million, up 7.8 percent from $82.0 million for the same period a year ago.

The Paranet Group, a Milwaukee-based manufacturing trade group, will host its 2013 golf outing at Ozaukee Country Club, 10823 N. River Road in Mequon, on Monday, August 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Private manufacturing companies in Wisconsin pay less than their Midwest counterparts, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

We have just passed the five-year mark for this column. In an effort to understand where we started, I have revisited and updated my first BizTimes Dispatches From China column as if I was writing it for the first time. As the French say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Swing and a ground ball to third… the runner sprints toward first, while the first baseman rushes to beat him to the bag.

Milwaukee-based Badger Meter Inc. reported record second quarter net sales of $88.3 million, up 7.8 percent from $82.0 million for the same period a year ago.

Total Quality Plastics Inc. in North Prairie has closed its doors, leaving all 32 employees out of work.