U.S. Companies Poised to Meet Order Demands, But Hiring May Not Increase.

By Michael Oneal, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Aug. 29--Four years ago, when times were good and business was plentiful, it took Parker Hannifin Corp.'s manufacturing plant in Rockford three weeks to turn out a hydraulic accumulator. But these days, the Parker team can do it in less than four hours, without breaking a sweat.

"I can get a whole order out in three days --one day if it's an emergency," says Mark Gagnon, the division's 49-year-old general manager. And because the plant is more efficient, Parker can produce 25 percent