Manufacturing

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) reported that 12 of its 23 business activity indicators for the local economy improved in December, down from the 15 upward pointing indicators in November.

Generac Power Systems Inc., a manufacturer of backup power generation equipment, announced it will invest $8 million to $10 million to expand its Waukesha headquarters and create an additional 200 jobs over the next three years.

Menomonee Falls-based Actuant Corp. announced it has acquired Jeyco Pty Ltd , an Australian designer and provider of specialized mooring, rigging and towing systems and services to the offshore oil and gas industry.

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it will partially close its Milwaukee site, eliminating 43 of 100 jobs at the facility.

Rentapen Inc. makes precision weld fixtures that hold a product together while it’s being robotically or manually welded.

Manufacturing resources

Cleveland-based Action Industries announced that it has recently expanded its operations to include a 45,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Franklin. Intended to lower shipping times and costs, the facility provides a logistical advantage for Action Industries when distributing its products across the Midwest.

Cincinnati-based AdvancePierre Foods and Sheboygan Falls.-based Johnsonville Sausage have formed a strategic alliance, leveraging AdvancePierre Foods’ foodservice organization and distribution system to deliver Johnsonville Sausage to foodservice customers across the United States.

Racine-based Johnson Outdoors Inc. reported a fiscal first quarter net loss of $2.9 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $1.2 million, or 13 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Snap-on Inc. reported fourth quarter net earnings of $74.3 million, or $1.27 per share, up from $57.9 million, or 99 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.