Manufacturing news
August 2002
Marconi shareholders to lose all
Marconi has confirmed that its shareholders are set to end up with virtually nothing following a financial restructuring at the firm.
28 Aug 2002 9:07
Bombardier hit by warning on profit target
Shares in the Canadian transport equipment group Bombardier plunged more than 17 per cent yesterday after the company warned it would miss its profit target for the year due to faltering aircraft sales.
27 Aug 2002 8:38
GCSE results - business concerned at numbers failing to achieve in basic subjects
The CBI has said it is concerned at the numbers failing to do well in basic subjects at GSCE level.
22 Aug 2002 9:10
Profits fall at Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce has has announced a dramatic fall in profits. The aero-engines firm posted underlying half-year pre-tax profits of £104 million. This compares with £190 million in the same period last year.
22 Aug 2002 9:10
IBM, Microsoft team on BEA on web services
IBM and Microsoft have come up with three new specifications for web services, but once again rival Sun Microsystems has been left out of the loop.
21 Aug 2002 13:12
Peugeot workers agree to extra shift
Peugeot increased its chances of surviving the motor industry's global overcapacity crisis when workers at Peugeot's Coventry car plant have voted by a large majority for a fourth daily shift.
20 Aug 2002 9:14
Manufacturing pay rises stay low
Pay rises in manufacturing are the lowest in the country as low inflation keeps UK wages down.
19 Aug 2002 9:22
Corus sells its 20 per cent stake in Alouette
Corus has agreed to sell its entire 20 per cent stake in Canadian smelter Alouette to Alcan for US$165m (£108 million) in cash.
16 Aug 2002 11:21
GM unveils engineless car
General Motors has unveiled the world’s first fuel cell and by-wire concept vehicle. It’s fully drivable yet there is no engine to see over, no instrument panel, no steering wheel and no foot pedals to operate.
15 Aug 2002 16:13
Good A-level results but still too few taking maths and sciences
The increase in good A-level passes has come as welcome news for employers but they are concerned that too few pupils are taking maths and sciences, said the CBI today.
15 Aug 2002 8:53
UK factory gate prices remain flat
The price of goods leaving UK factory gates remained flat in July, according to the Office for National Statistics.
15 Aug 2002 9:09
E-mail abuse rife in UK's manufacturing sector
Sixty six per cent of employees in the manufacturing sector are unable to resist opening suspected inappropriate e-mails sent to their work e-mail address, according to a new report.
14 Aug 2002 11:52
Agile Software launches new PLM product
Agile Software has launched Agile Engineering, a comprehensive suite of business-ready solutions that extends product lifecycle management (PLM) directly to the engineering organisation.
13 Aug 2002 9:01
Small manufacturers recovery hopes dashed
Expectations of a revival in small and medium-sized manufacturing failed to materialise in the last quarter, according to the CBI.
12 Aug 2002 9:53
E-procurement applications firm goes under
UK e-procurement applications provider Izodia has closed business. The move comes amid heavy losses and an inability to find a buyer for the company.
08 Aug 2002 9:50
GKN chief to retire
GKN reporting interims today announces that Chief Executive Marcus Beresford is to retire in December.
08 Aug 2002 10:19
US manufacturing grows for sixth straight month in July
The overall US economy grew for the ninth consecutive month in July, according to the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
08 Aug 2002 9:49
Big regional differences in manufacturing trends
From region to region new orders received by manufacturers and their output expectations have shifted in differing directions.
07 Aug 2002 8:49
90 pc of manufacturers say government performance 'poor'
A comprehensive survey of manufacturers, pubilished on Friday 9th August, will show that 90 per cent of manufacturing establishments rate government performance as poor in terms of government impact on the manufacturing sector.
05 Aug 2002 9:11
IBM to acquire PricewaterhouseCoopers' Consulting
IBM has signed a definitive agreement to purchase PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Consulting. IBM will pay PricewaterhouseCoopers an estimated $3.5 billion in cash and stock..
05 Aug 2002 8:55
Alvis acquires Vickers Defence Systems
Alvis, the specialist in armoured vehicles, has bought Vickers Defence System (VDS) from Rolls-Royce for £16.2 million.
02 Aug 2002 11:22
£17 million for West Midlands manufacturing
Manufacturers in the West Midlands are being encouraged to diversify into new products and markets with the launch of a £17 million three-year support programme.
02 Aug 2002 11:07
Farnborough emerges from the shadows of September 11
There was an air of cautious optimism at the 2002 Farnborough Air Show as some aerospace manufacturers predicted that passenger levels could return to pre-September 11 numbers by the end of the year.
01 Aug 2002 9:36
Hewitt admits the failings of the previous years
Trade and Industry Minister Patricia Hewitt is hoping that her recently announced manufacturing strategy will fill the credibility gap between the relative success of her government’s macro economic performance and manufacturers’ daily dose of reality.
01 Aug 2002 9:31
Human resources - Big Brother for business
While the writer would like to make it clear that he eschews anything to do with Big Brother, it cannot be denied that it is big business.
01 Aug 2002 16:33
Logistics - Christian Salvesen wins Goodyear/Dunlop contract
A five-year contract to be the sole distributor of Goodyear and Dunlop’s outbound after-market tyre products to retailers throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, has been awarded to Christian Salvesen.
01 Aug 2002 16:32
New UK factory for Ercol
At a time when lower costs are enticing many manufacturers to relocate overseas, Ercol Furniture, the largest manufacturer of solid wood furniture in the UK, has decided to remain in Britain.
01 Aug 2002 16:31
UK interest rates remain unchanged
The Bank of England today left UK interest rates unchanged for the ninth consecutive month.
01 Aug 2002 15:47
UK Nissan plant is most productive in Europe
With an output of 95 cars per employee during 2001, Nissan’s Sunderland plant -which makes the Micra, the Primera and Almera models - has been named as the most productive in Europe for the second year running.
01 Aug 2002 9:34
US Steel returns to profit
The US steel industry is moving back into profit, which will put greater pressure on the Bush administration to remove the tariffs imposed in March this year.
01 Aug 2002 9:32
US takes first step towards admitting environmental responsibility
After a fierce battle with car industry lobbyists, California has become the first US state to voice its concerns for the environment, and acknowledge the link between car emissions and global warming.
01 Aug 2002 9:33
