Like the first green shoots after a long winter, some local industries are showing signs of an economic spring.

DeKalb County's largest employer with 625 on its roster, Steel Dynamics Inc. has been operating near full capacity for several months, officials said.

"We've really been running wide open since December," said Glenn Pushis, vice president and general manager of SDI's Flat Roll Division.

The steel mill near Butler set a new production record of 267,547 tons in January.

"April's still looking pretty solid for us," Pushis said.

Four steel-processing plants near the mill employ about 200 people.

"Presumably if we're making steel at high production rates, they're probably pretty busy, too," said Fred Warner, a spokesman for SDI.

Pam Lambright, of People Link said the employment agency's offices in Elkhart, Goshen, Ligonier, Kendallville and Auburn all are busy.

"We are very busy in all locations. I'm surprised at how busy we are," she said.

Lambright said People Link's offices are seeing requests for work from the automotive industry, as well as recreational vehicle industry suppliers in Elkahrt and Goshen. The agency also is seeing some demand for construction workers.

"It's kind of a mix," she said. It's diversified."

Lambright said demand stated picking up ion October and November of last year.

"We've seen a real surge since the first of the year. It's kind of unusual," she said. "Usually we don't start peaking until mid-April. We've been very happy. Clients say they're going to be strong through the fall. A lot of our jobs go from temporary to permanent."

Covington Box of Waterloo and its Waterloo International Funeral Supply division have added 15 full-time and four part-time jobs recently.

"The outlook is very bright for our future," said Tony Fifer, president of Covington Box. The corrugated packaging company is forecasting a 25 to 30 percent increase in sales over 2009, thanks to a new contract with Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.

The funeral supply division holds a patent on direct-cremation corrugated caskets, a budget-minded option for people who do not wish to have public viewing of the casket. It also produces cloth-covered corrugated caskets that are suitable for viewing and either burial or cremation.

Contech LLC of Auburn makes aluminum steering components for Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota vehicles.

"We have been on a good upswing here in Auburn, and we've added some labor," said Asher Forrester, plant manager for Contech. Specific numbers were not available.

Other industries are holding their own.

"The good news is we're very stable," said Rod Schoon, president of Ashley Industrial Molding. "Our employment's stable at this point in time, and we don't see any deterioration in our markets."

Metal Technologies in Auburn also is steady after taking on more employees about six months ago.

"We're pretty full at the moment. I kind of see us holding where we're at with maybe a slight increase in the future," said Brian Wessley, vice president of human resources at MTI.

Elsewhere in northeast Indiana:

. On March 8, two Ligonier factories announced plans to add a total of 50 new jobs.

Silgan Plastics is putting in $5.5 million in equipment, with most of that coming from a plant that recently was closed by the company in Ohio. About 24 new jobs are being created with that expansion, and the possibility exists that more jobs could come to Silgan during the coming year, according to Bob Rose, plant manager.

The company produces more than 1 million plastic containers at its plant on Gerber Street in the city's industrial park.

Guardian Automotive, which produces glass products for vehicles, recently signed on Volkswagen of America as a new customer, and will be supplying windshields and other glass panels for that company's plant in Tennessee.

Plant manager Jim Recob said the new line will allow Guardian to hire about 24 people.

. Creative Liquid Coatings Inc. is planning to expand in Kendallville and add 65 full-time jobs to its workforce.

The Fort Wayne-based firm plans to introduce new automated equipment on a paint line Noble Paint Co. is installing in the former Budd Co. building in the East Industrial Park.

. In Albion, B & J Specialty has announced plans to purchase the former Walton Tool building and open a new division doing tool-and-die work on medical and surgical equipment.

B & J co-owner John Wicker said he is pursuing the expansion because he wants to bring jobs to the county in a time when they are needed.

"The economy is so bad, if somebody doesn't step up and create jobs, we have to," he said.