Manufacturing news
December 2004 - View Entire Month
Growth in manufacturing productivity slows
In the third quarter of 2004, manufacturing productivity, on an output per job basis, increased by 4.2 per cent compared with the same quarter of 2003, but down from growth of 6.2 per cent for the previous quarter.
24 Dec 2004 11:05
BAE wins Hawk upgrade contract
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems a £158.5 million design and development contract to upgrade the Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer.
23 Dec 2004 11:10
Threat from the East
China is the biggest threat to UK manufacturing. The number of companies who feel that way has grown to 57 per cent from just 18 per cent in 2001 and 27 per cent in 2002, according to a report from the EEF.
22 Dec 2004 10:35
November 2004 - View Entire Month
Rolls’ global ambition
Rolls-Royce’s global partnership ambitions were underlined yesterday with separate announcements of a big new gas turbine order and a major new continental European plant.
30 Nov 2004 10:33
£30m network for manufacturers
A new £30 million network to support the production of light materials that can be used to benefit industries such as automotive, aerospace and healthcare was today launched in London by Industry Minister Jacqui Smith.
30 Nov 2004 16:10
Government puts up £80m for R&D
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt MP today offered £80 million to help companies kick start new ideas and move them into production.
29 Nov 2004 10:21
October 2004 - View Entire Month
DaimlerChrysler bucks the trend
German based DaimlerChrysler has bucked the trend that is blighting the automotive sector by recording growth for the year through to September 2004.
29 Oct 2004 10:15
Jobs boost at Geest
Fresh foods group Geest is set to create more than 100 as it moves towards making healthier ready meals.
28 Oct 2004 9:00
TUC pushes 50p minimum wage rise
The minimum wage should rise by 50p an hour from 2005 with a bigger rise the following year, the TUC has said.
28 Oct 2004 9:04
September 2004 - View Entire Month
Nissan to sign up trainees
Car giant Nissan is to take on 100 trainees after announcing its plans to build a new model at its Sunderland site.
30 Sep 2004 9:02
Amicus takes the pension fight to Europe
Amicus is demonstrating in Germany to highlight the plight of 350 former workers of Felix Schoeller who stand to lose as much as 60 per cent of their pension.
29 Sep 2004 14:04
Japanese company joins Rolls-Royce as RRSP
Rolls-Royce has announced Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) as its risk and revenue sharing partner (RRSP) on the Trent 1000 engine developed for the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner.
29 Sep 2004 14:14
August 2004 - View Entire Month
MG Rover Parts sale complete
Caterpillar Logistics Services and Phoenix Venture Holdings have announced the completion of the sale of MG Rover’s parts business.
28 Aug 2004 10:02
Dairy Crest loses £60m Tesco contract
Milk supplier Dairy Crest said today that it had lost its contract to supply fresh milk to supermarket giant Tesco.
27 Aug 2004 14:24
Irish brewery closes manufacturing facility
The owners of the Bass Ireland Ulster Brewery say they have failed to find a buyer for its manufacturing facility forcing them to close the west Belfast brewery, resulting in 85 job cuts.
25 Aug 2004 9:12
July 2004 - View Entire Month
Jarvis gains lenders support
Engineering group Jarvis has announced its survival plans after gaining lenders support for another eight months.
30 Jul 2004 10:32
RJ Reynolds’ merger backed by investors
Shareholders back tobacco giant RJ Reynolds’ proposed $3.2 billion merger with Brown & Williamson.
30 Jul 2004 10:44
BAT blames strong pound for half year profits
The world's second-biggest cigarette manufacturer BAT, has announced first half pretax profits at well below the expected figure.
28 Jul 2004 9:33
June 2004 - View Entire Month
Western Europe risks losing manufacturing investment
One of the world’s largest car manufacturers General Motors, has warned that there is a risk of losing manufacturing investment in western Europe due to substantial labour and regulatory costs.
30 Jun 2004 10:44
Coke is testing the water again
Coca-Cola is said to be planning a return to the UK bottled water market, just a few months after the disastrous launch of its Dasani brand.
29 Jun 2004 10:49
Mayflower disposal complete
The disposal of the UK assets of The Mayflower Group has finally been completed, with the sale by administrators Deloitte & Touche of the collapsed engineering group’s automotive components manufacturing subsidiary.
29 Jun 2004 10:10
May 2004 - View Entire Month
Manufacturers braced for oil price hike
The terrorist attack on al-Khobar in Saudi Arabia at the weekend will have Britain’s oil-dependent manufacturing sector bracing itself for a surge in the cost of crude oil that could hamper the sector’s fragile recovery.
31 May 2004 11:03
Turmoil at Fiat
Shares in Fiat were on the slide today after the accident prone Italian car maker lost the man credited as the architect of its revival plans.
31 May 2004 11:20
Leadership change at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Tony Gott, chairman and chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, has resigned unexpectedly, for “personal reasons”, according to parent company BMW Group.
28 May 2004 9:05
April 2004 - View Entire Month
Boost for UK manufacturing
More than 200 jobs are being created at three firms which supply a washing machine factory in north Wales.
30 Apr 2004 9:36
Rolls-Royce to invest £100m in UK facilities
Rolls-Royce is set to invest more than £100 million in the UK over the next two and a half years in manufacturing facilities specialising in compression systems, combustion systems, component services and turbine systems.
30 Apr 2004 9:41
Government to block sale of BAE’s submarine yard
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is insisting that BAE Systems does not dispose of its submarine yard during the sale of its shipbuilding arm, citing concerns about security, according to a report in the Telegraph today.
29 Apr 2004 10:09
March 2004 - View Entire Month
EMI to cut 1500 jobs
British music group EMI has announced a restructuring of its manufacturing operations, involving the loss of 1500 jobs worldwide.
31 Mar 2004 10:32
Johnson finds it hard to sweep up
Low order levels and problems integrating its specialist airport vehicles and Canadian acquisitions have punctuated a troubled year for aggregates to roadsweepers group Johnson.
31 Mar 2004 11:34
Manufacturers urge Europe to keep working time opt out
With the European Commission’s consultation exercise on the Working Time Directive coming to an end today, EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, is calling for the Commission to retain the individual opt out from the average 48 hour working week.
31 Mar 2004 9:38
February 2004 - View Entire Month
US court blocks Oracle bid
Enterprise software specialist Peoplesoft has welcomed a decision today from the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice to block an unwelcome takeover bid from rival Oracle.
27 Feb 2004 14:31
Working for free
According to research from the TUC, workers in the UK are giving away the equivalent of £23 billion of free work each year through unpaid overtime.
27 Feb 2004 9:16
BAE Systems performs better than expected
The UK’s largest defence contractor, BAE Systems has announced year-end earnings at the high end of analyst forecasts, and better-than-expected cash flow.
26 Feb 2004 10:32
January 2004 - View Entire Month
Prices threaten Tate & Lyle profits
Tate & Lyle, the sweetener and starches manufacturer, is set to suffer as the price of raw materials prices in its European business soar.
30 Jan 2004 10:20
Robots rise up
Last year’s sales of industrial robots in the UK rose for the first time in three years, according to new figures from the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) out today.
30 Jan 2004 10:53
AstraZeneca’s profits dip
Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca reported an 11 per cent drop in annual profits today but said it was well placed for strong growth in 2004.
29 Jan 2004 11:33
