Manufacturing news
April 2003
Honda’s income record high
Honda’s net income for the year ended 31 March 2003 has set a record high totalling $3,550 million, an increase of 17 per cent from the same period last year.
28 Apr 2003 12:56
American Chrysler facing tough year ahead
The world’s fifth-largest car maker DaimlerChrysler has admitted that the outlook for American Chrysler remains bleak for the next 12 months.
25 Apr 2003 10:19
Dell overtakes HP as leading PC vendor
Dell has once again overtaken Hewlett-Packard as the leading vendor in the midst of a slow worldwide PC market.
18 Apr 2003 9:35
Ford expects to meet full-year target
Ford Motor has reported a return to profit in the first quarter of the year and has confirmed that it expects to reach its full-year profits goal.
17 Apr 2003 10:04
Profits up at IBM
The computer giant IBM has reported a rise in its first quarter profits.
15 Apr 2003 14:34
US manufacturing unemployment at crisis level
Forty nine US states have experienced a marked loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector since 2000, according to information gathered by The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
14 Apr 2003 22:15
Boeing wins $2.25B ANA deal
In a deal said to be worth up to $2.25 billion, Boeing has been chosen by Asia’s second largest carrier, All Nippon Airways (ANA), to replace approximately one third of its fleet with 45 Boeing jets.
11 Apr 2003 22:08
Microsoft shares source code
Microsoft has announced the first Windows CE shared source program to allow commercial distribution of modified source code.
10 Apr 2003 19:06
GM dumps electric vehicle
A sign of the environmental times and the idea that there is no longer much by way of a preceived danger to US oil supplies appears to have led to the demise of GM's once celebrated electric vehicle.
09 Apr 2003 11:52
Delta pensions off last 727
After 30 years in service, Delta Air Lines retired its remaining Boeing 727 aircraft today (Tuesday 8 April).
08 Apr 2003 18:16
450 jobs to go at packaging plants
MeadWestvaco Corporation, a global supplier of packaging for the media and entertainment, pharmaceutical and healthcare, and cosmetics and consumer products markets, announced today (Monday 7 April) that it will close its folding carton plants in Richmond, Va., and Cleveland, Tenn., by the end of June.
07 Apr 2003 18:03
HP shareholders say no to fat cat pay-offs
In defiance of Hewlett Packard's bosses, company shareowners have narrowly approved a proposal to curtail over-generous executive pay-offs.
05 Apr 2003 13:18
Manufacturing employment down for 32 months
Employment in manufacturing has declined for 32 straight months, according to the Labor Department’s latest release.
04 Apr 2003 22:47
Outsourcing’s popularity on the rise
Manufacturing has experienced a growing trend toward outsourcing over the past several years. The overall value of the largest 100 outsourcing contracts between 1997 and 2001 crested $228 billion, according to IDC’s latest survey entitled The Big Deal: Trends in Top 100 Outsourcing Contracts, 1997-2001.
03 Apr 2003 22:47
Chicago PMI dropped below 50 in February
Chicago’s purchasing managers index (PMI) dropped below 50 in February, a point at which the region’s manufacturing sector went from expansion to contraction, according to the National Association of Purchasing Management’s latest report.
02 Apr 2003 22:10
Factory orders fell 1.5%
Orders at US factories fell 1.5% in February, marking the biggest drop in five months, according to the Commerce Department’s latest release.
02 Apr 2003 22:50
ISM manufacturing index down in March
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported that economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in March, while the overall economy expanded for the 17th straight month.
01 Apr 2003 23:00
BMW uses flexible measurement system
Perceptron’s AutoGauge FMS robot-based flexible measurement system was chosen by BMW to improve quality and decrease cost and time from its new model launch.
01 Apr 2003 13:45
Hyundai and Kia form company, outsource logistics
Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America have announced the formation of HK Logistics America (HKLA), based in Costa Mesa, Calif., to be responsible for total vehicle logistics management for the two companies.
01 Apr 2003 13:44
Manufacturers call for high-gas price relief
America’s manufacturers are struggling under the brunt of skyrocketing natural gas prices.
01 Apr 2003 13:47
Secretary Evans says ‘tell us what you want’
During his keynote address on March 5 at National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans asked US manufacturers what actions they need the government to take in supporting them through this difficult economic time.
01 Apr 2003 13:42