Manufacturing

Appleton Papers Inc. and Hicks Acquisition Company II Inc. announced a definitive agreement under which Appleton will engage in a business combination with Hicks in a transaction valued at $675 million.

Janesville Acoustics, a company owned by Milwaukee-based Jason Inc., has opened a 90,000-square-foot plant in central Mexico.

Plexus Corp. announced today it intends to construct a $50 million, 410,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Neenah.

A healthy manufacturing sector is key to better jobs, rising productivity and higher standards of living. Today, U.S. manufacturers, both small and large, are locked in a fierce global battle for customers with China, Japan, Germany and others.

Racine-based Ruud Lighting, a subsidiary of Cree Inc., has landed a global contract to provide outdoor lighting for Walmart stores.

Douglas Dynamics Inc., a Milwaukee-based designer and manufacturer of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks, reported a first quarter net loss of $4.3 million, or 19 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $0.8 million, or 4 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Menomonee Falls-based Magnetek Inc. reported first quarter net income of $6.9 million of $2.14, up from $971,000, or 30 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp. completed its first quarter as a public company with net earnings of $9 million, or 12 cents per share.