Manufacturing news
April 2008
Dell to cut Irish workforce
Dell has announced it is to shed 250 jobs across its two plants in Ireland.
30 Apr 2008 11:13
Green loans for manufacturers
Barclays Commercial Bank has launched a new loan with cash back payments to support businesses in financing green initiatives.
30 Apr 2008 15:20
Harris Tweed firm sheds jobs
Harris Tweed maker Kenneth Mackenzie is to reduce its workforce by 36 people.
30 Apr 2008 10:53
Electrolux feels economic strain
Home appliance maker Electrolux has seen a dramatic profit loss for the first quarter of 2008 having seen demand for its products drop in the current economic climate.
28 Apr 2008 13:32
Mars to buy Wrigley
Mars Inc is set to announce a $22 billion (£11.1 billion) acquisition of Wrigley, which will create the world’s largest confectionery firm.
28 Apr 2008 14:19
POWERLASE wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise
POWERLASE has been celebrating its milestone achievement having been selected as winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.
28 Apr 2008 11:49
Union to take legal action over print firm closure
Union representatives have vowed to take legal action following the sacking of Frome-based Butler and Tanner Printers employees.
28 Apr 2008 11:38
Uniq to close Paignton factory
Uniq has announced the closure of its Riviera Desserts site in Paignton, which will result in the loss of up to 390 jobs.
28 Apr 2008 11:22
Ecomold yet to be saved from closure
Car component manufacturer Ecomold, formerly known as Linpac, is likely to be forced to close its sites in Dunstable and Southend having fallen into administration last year.
25 Apr 2008 14:41
Unilever saves Pot Noodle factory but jobs will be lost
Unilever has announced that its factory in Crumlin, South Wales will be kept open, but with the loss of up to 62 jobs.
25 Apr 2008 15:02
Prices rise sharply a manufacturers try to cover record costs
Manufacturers are raising the prices of their goods to try to counter the fiercest increases since 1990 in unit costs, driven by more expensive energy and raw materials, according to the CBI.
24 Apr 2008 16:16
Palm oil protests at Unilever
Over 40 Greenpeace members staged a protest at the Unilever factory in Port Sunlight, Wirral, to campaign against the use of palm oil in its products.
22 Apr 2008 11:06
Chrysler and Nissan enter second agreement
Chrysler and Nissan Motor have entered into an agreement to make vehicles for each other – the second deal of its kind for the two companies so far this year.
17 Apr 2008 16:45
Michelin makes Northern Ireland investment
Michelin is to invest £14 million in its Ballymena bus and truck tyre factory in a bid to improve efficiency.
17 Apr 2008 16:33
Palm Paper to build world’s biggest mill
Palm Paper, Germany’s largest paper company, has begun building a £400 million paper mill in King’s Lynn, Norfolk – the first international investment made by the company.
17 Apr 2008 16:22
3M to cut Swansea jobs
3M has announced it is to cut up to 185 jobs at its Gorseinon, Swansea, factory over the next 14 months following a decline in demand for its products.
16 Apr 2008 16:00
Closure threat for Kimball Electronics
Kimball Electronics has announced it may close its US-owned Bridgend site and relocate to Poland, which would result in the loss of 190 jobs.
16 Apr 2008 16:58
Ex-Pann Crisp site goes into administration
Wrexham’s Fenmarc factory, formerly known as Pann Crisp, has gone into administration, with 190 workers now fearing for their jobs.
16 Apr 2008 16:44
Faccenda Group hit by rising costs
Soaring wheat and fuel prices have taken their toll on operations at Faccenda Group, resulting in the possible loss of 450 jobs at one of its chicken processing factories.
16 Apr 2008 15:57
SABMiller sees satisfactory sales
SABMiller, maker of Peroni, Carling Black Label and Miller Lite, has been experiencing satisfactory sales growth, despite rising costs and bad weather which have been hampering the beer industry.
16 Apr 2008 16:34
Soaring sales for Coca-Cola
Soft drink maker Coca-Cola has reported a 19 per cent increase in profits for the first quarter of 2008 thanks to sales success in the international market.
16 Apr 2008 16:23
Caterpillar awards first European certificate
Bolgers, the Ireland-based fabricated sheet metal manufacturer and exporter, has become the first European fabrication supplier to be awarded a silver certificate for Caterpillar’s Supplier Quality Excellence Process (SQEP).
15 Apr 2008 14:18
South Texas to advance its manufacturing
An alliance of 60 education, business, industry, finance and government partners have joined forces to develop the Rio South Texas region into a hub for manufacturing development.
15 Apr 2008 9:42
Tyrrells founder sells up for £30 million
The founder of premium crisp maker Tyrrells, Will Chase, has sold his company to private equity firm Langholm Capital for £30 million ($59 million).
14 Apr 2008 16:51
Cadbury reports sales rise
Cadbury Schweppes has announced a 7 per cent rise in its confectionery sales for the first quarter.
11 Apr 2008 10:15
Airlines seek 787 delay compensation
Several Boeing customers are seeking compensation following the announcement of further delays to delivery of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
10 Apr 2008 9:46
Heineken looks to strengthen Swiss market position
Heineken, the Dutch brewer, has expressed interest in buying the beverage division of Eichhof Holding in order to increase its influence in the Swiss market.
10 Apr 2008 10:06
SFO acted unlawfully in BAE probe
The High Court has ruled that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) did act unlawfully in its abandonment of the BAE Systems corruption inquiry.
10 Apr 2008 10:50
Boeing announces more 787 delays
Boeing has announced further set-backs to the delivery of its 787 Dreamliner, blaming slow assembly and continued problems with suppliers for the delay.
09 Apr 2008 16:00
Factory output beats expectations
UK factory output for February rose at its strongest rate in more than a year, achieving an increase of 0.4 per cent, compared to the 0.1 per cent that had been predicted (Office for National Statistics figures).
09 Apr 2008 11:17
Nissan North America to enter LCV business
Nissan North America (NNA) is to begin light commercial vehicle (LCV) manufacture following a significant business investment.
09 Apr 2008 10:39
Philips discontinues US market TV manufacture
Electronics conglomerate Philips has announced it is to stop manufacturing televisions for North American sale as of September as the flat-panel TV market continues to struggle.
09 Apr 2008 12:15
Auto industry gains government backing
A new automotive industry-specific investigation has been launched by Business Minister Shriti Vadera, aiming to identify ways of balancing and tackling the current challenges of low cost competition and the developing need to produce lower-carbon vehicles.
08 Apr 2008 12:10
Caterpillar awards Lincoln Electric supplier award
Caterpillar has continued in its commitment to quality by awarding one of its new supplier certifications to Ohio-based welding consumable manufacturer The Lincoln Electric Company.
08 Apr 2008 11:42
Flowcrete sold to US firm
Flowcrete Group has been sold for an undisclosed sum to American-based RPM International – a holding company with speciality chemical manufacturing subsidiaries.
08 Apr 2008 17:01
EADS Astrium acquires SSTL
EADS Astrium – a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS – has signed an agreement to acquire University of Surrey spin-out Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), the small and micro satellite designer and manufacturer.
07 Apr 2008 14:12
Economy leading to business failures
Industry figures have shown that business failures have increased by 8.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2008, suggesting that the unstable economy is beginning to take its toll.
07 Apr 2008 11:48
Hutton grants tidal power project permission
Secretary of State for Energy John Hutton has given the go ahead to the testing of a prototype tidal stream generator to be positioned in the Humber Estuary near Grimsby.
07 Apr 2008 11:02
Novartis plans Alcon takeover
Pharmaceutical firm Novartis has made plans for a $40 billion (25.5 billion euro) acquisition of Alcon – the world’s biggest eye care company – from Nestle.
07 Apr 2008 17:06
EU and US join forces over Chinese toymakers
The European Union and United States are to work together in encouraging toymakers in China to improve the quality and safety of their products following the mass recall of 2007.
04 Apr 2008 10:55
Ford to install third wind turbine
Automotive manufacturer Ford is to increase its environmental commitments with the addition of the third wind turbine to its Dagenham diesel engine manufacturing facility.
04 Apr 2008 9:44
Powertrain launches new clean engine technology
Powertrain Technologies based in Snetterton, Norfolk, has launched its radical new engine technology at a Coventy seminar.
04 Apr 2008 11:31
BAE to axe 600 engineering jobs
BAE systems has announced plans to cut almost 600 jobs across its Woodford and Brough sites following a review that shows there will not be enough ongoing work to sustain the current staffing level.
03 Apr 2008 13:11
Manufacturing diploma partners are announced
The new manufacturing diploma came a step closer to reality today with the announcement of the first areas to be approved for its delivery.
03 Apr 2008 14:47
Manufacturers lagging behind in Olympic tendering race
A survey by Lloyds TSB Commercial & Corporate has shown that manufacturing organisations are failing to take advantage of the London 2012 Olympic Games opportunities on offer.
02 Apr 2008 12:00
Sony replaces president
Sony has replaced its TV business president in a bid to improve operations which have been hit by the falling costs of flat-panel televisions.
02 Apr 2008 10:32
Tata sees revenue source shift
Indian firm Tata looks likely to see its revenue centre move from businesses in its home country to those in the UK having won the bid for the Land Rover and Jaguar brands.
02 Apr 2008 10:57
Unite fights against brewery closure
Unite union has launched a campaign to save the Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) brewery in Reading.
02 Apr 2008 16:50
CIPS/NTC report sees output costs continue to soar
The CIPS/NTC Purchasing Managers’ Index report on manufacturing has identified record-breaking output price inflation for March, with costs rising at the second strongest rate since the survey began.
01 Apr 2008 11:26
Dell announces site closure
Dell is to close its PC manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas, with 900 workers set to lose their jobs.
01 Apr 2008 12:11
Evidence uncovered in EADS probe
France’s stock market regulator claims it has discovered evidence of EADS insider trading as part of the investigation into allegations the aerospace giant sold shares in its A380 aeroplanes despite knowing of the problems surrounding them.
01 Apr 2008 11:58
SMMT to collaborate with brewers
April Fools: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and the brewing industry are to work together to examine possible ways of cutting the costs and environmental impact of transport systems.
01 Apr 2008 9:51
