More manufacturers reported cost cuts this week, including Gibraltar Industries Inc., Buffalo, NY, and Regal Beloit Corp., Beloit, WI. Regal Beloit is a $1.8 billion manufacturer of mechanical and electrical motors and generators. It’s closing a Leeson Electric plant. Baldor Electric is cutting jobs an estimated 900 by next June through attrition and retirement.Gibraltar Industries will close its Enterprise, MS, facility and consolidate its operations into two other existing facilities. Since the start of 2007, Gibraltar has streamlined its operations with 24 facility consolidations and the reduction of work force by nearly 20%. Gibraltar’s president and COO said: ‘Business conditions have deteriorated sharply in the last month. Due to the very tight credit market, many of our commercial building and industrial customers, both domestic and international, have delayed their projects as they look for financing alternatives. In addition, the turmoil in the automotive sector has negatively impacted their manufacturing schedules in the fourth quarter. The residential housing market remains suppressed, with some positive signs in the rebuild/repair market. As a result, our margins have been compressed, due to lower unit volumes and the FIFO effect on margins in some of our product lines, as material cost and product pricing decline.’