Weeks after it cut 138 hourly employees, Parker Hannifin said Monday that it will rehire between 10 and 15 at its New Haven plant in the next two months.

The plant, which makes air conditioner components, got some orders after it decided last month to make the cuts, spokesman Jim Cartwright said Monday.

The job cuts were caused by the worst housing market since 1959, Cartwright said.

As orders for air conditioners rise with the temperature, the company traditionally has hired seasonal workers to help fill them. Those whose jobs were cut will get the first shot at seasonal jobs if Parker Hannifin creates them this year, Cartwright said.

About 400 hourly employees work at Parker Hannifin’s New Haven plant.

Medical practices attracted to city

Fort Wayne is one of the best places in the country to open a medical practice, according to a Pennsylvania-based firm that estimates small-business values.

Fort Wayne ranked fourth in the latest rankings from BizEquity. Business values are based on what they would be sold for in the open market, said Tom Taulli founder of BizEquity, which released the rankings Friday.

Taulli said 150 cities with populations exceeding 100,000 were evaluated for the study. Indianapolis ranked 15th.

BizEquity’s rankings consider revenue, number of employees, local economic environment and market share. The firm doesn’t consider medical practices valued at more than $10 million, Taulli said.

Mattel forced to cut spending

As toymaker Mattel Inc. reported that its profit fell almost by half for the key fourth quarter and more than one-third for the year, it said Monday that it will raise its prices and cut its 2009 spending, including on advertising.

Analysts had expected Mattel to report weak results for the quarter that included the worst holiday season in decades. But the company’s profit and sales fell further than most predicted, and its shares fell more than 16 percent in trading Monday.

Chairman and CEO Robert A. Eckert said in a call Monday with investors that lackluster sales, lower gross margins and higher expenses led the company to miss analysts’ and its own estimates for the quarter and all of fiscal 2008.

Cummins offers workers buyouts

Engine maker Cummins Inc. said Monday it offered voluntary retirement packages to about 700 hourly employees in southern Indiana as the company continues to pare its workforce.

Columbus-based Cummins said it will accept up to 350 voluntary retirement applications, or about 12.5 percent of its southern Indiana workforce.

The company said hourly workers with 30 years at the company, or workers who are at least 55 with at least 10 years at the company, are eligible for the offer.

Humana earnings fall in fourth quarter

Health insurer Humana Inc. reported a 28 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit Monday, driven by higher claim expenses from its stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans, lower investment income and a loss in its commercial business.

Top company executives also gave assurances that the drag on Humana’s 2008 earnings from its Medicare prescription drug plans was now in the past.