Manufacturing news
December 2004 - View Entire Month
General Motors to recall more than 717,000 minivans
General Motors, the world’s largest automaker, plans to recall 717,302 minivans due to the potential for arm or wrist injuries when opening power sliding doors by using their interior door handles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
23 Dec 2004 17:11
Manufacturing mass layoffs up
The manufacturing sector had 29 percent of all mass layoff events, or 412 mass layoff events in total, as well as 34 percent of all initial unemployment claims filed in November, according to figures released today by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
23 Dec 2004 15:39
New orders up, shipments down
New orders for manufactured durable goods in November increased $3.1 billion, or 1.6 percent, to $198.9 billion, the US Department of Commerce reported today.
23 Dec 2004 15:50
November 2004 - View Entire Month
Weak dollar boost for manufacturers
The U.S. dollar has fallen to a record low against the euro and is at its lowest against the Japanese yen in almost five years.
26 Nov 2004 10:31
Manufacturing mass layoffs up
The manufacturing sector had 30 percent of all mass layoff events and 38 percent of all initial claims filed in October, according to data from the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
24 Nov 2004 17:23
New orders down, shipments up
New orders for manufactured durable goods in October decreased $0.9 billion, or 0.4 percent, to $196.3 billion, the Census Bureau of the US Department of Commerce reported today.
24 Nov 2004 17:57
October 2004 - View Entire Month
DHB Industries announces $19 million in orders
Body armor manufacturer DHB Industries Inc. announced today that its Armor Group has recently received new purchase and delivery orders in excess of $19 million from various branches of the United States military, federal government and domestic law enforcement agencies.
29 Oct 2004 20:57
Gross domestic product numbers up
Real gross domestic product—the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States—increased at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the third quarter of 2004, according to advance estimates released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
29 Oct 2004 17:10
General Motors announces expansion of Louisiana plant
General Motors announced its selection of its Shreveport, LA, plant for its new Hummer H3 product line, and will invest approximately $250 million to expand the plant.
28 Oct 2004 18:01
September 2004 - View Entire Month
Initial unemployment claims spike again
First-time unemployment filings spiked by 18,000, to 369,000, for the week ending September 25, the US Department of Labor reported today, continuing an upward trend.
30 Sep 2004 18:23
Merck announces Vioxx recall
Merck & Co., Inc. has announced the voluntary withdrawal of Vioxx, the company’s arthritis and acute pain medication.
30 Sep 2004 16:26
McCormick profit down, sales and earnings up
Spice maker McCormick reported a decline in profit for its latest quarter of 4.1 percent, but also reported higher sales and earnings for the quarter.
29 Sep 2004 17:03
August 2004 - View Entire Month
Mass layoffs in manufacturing up
The manufacturing sector had 885 mass layoff events in July, up from 222 in June, according to figures released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor.
31 Aug 2004 21:24
Shell Martinez Refinery awards $5.3 million contract to Honeywell
The Shell Martinez Refinery, which refines and markets petroleum products under the Shell and Texaco brands, has awarded manufacturer Honeywell a $5.3 million contract to modernize the refinery’s Flexicoker refining unit.
31 Aug 2004 16:00
Durable goods spending jumps
Consumer spending on manufactured durable goods, including automotive purchases, rose 4.1 percent, up significantly from June's revised 3.2 percent drop, according to figures released by the US Department of Commerce today.
30 Aug 2004 16:04
July 2004 - View Entire Month
Schering-Plough pleads guilty to kickback charge, pays $52.5 million fine
Drugmaker Schering-Plough announced that it has reached an settlement agreement with the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the US Department of Justice to settle an investigation of the company's managed care marketing programs.
30 Jul 2004 18:39
Initial unemployment filings jump
First-time unemployment filings rose 4,000 to 345,000 for the week ending July 24, the US Department of Labor reported today.
29 Jul 2004 18:29
Wages and benefits up slightly for US workers
US workers saw wages and benefits rise by a modest 0.9 percent in the second quarter of this year. This is down from the 1.1 percent increase seen in the first quarter.
29 Jul 2004 18:23
June 2004 - View Entire Month
Manufacturing job growth weak in 2003, says report
Manufacturing was the weakest industry for job growth in 2003, with 175 of 274 metropolitan areas posting employment losses over the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor reported today.
30 Jun 2004 15:54
Taser gets military contract
Taser International, Inc., announced today that it has received a $1.8 million order from the US military for its non-lethal conducted energy weapons and accessories.
30 Jun 2004 15:15
McCormick earnings up
Sparks, MD-based McCormick and Company, the world's largest spice manufacturer, reported a seven percent jump in earnings during their most recent quarter.
29 Jun 2004 15:32
May 2004 - View Entire Month
Bombardier reports loss, cuts jobs
Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc. announced that it would soon cut 500 more aircraft jobs in Canada as it slows production of its regional jets, said CEO Paul Tellier in May.
28 May 2004 18:57
Consumer confidence drops in May
US consumer confidence dropped in May for the second month in a row according to the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index. May’s final reading was 90.2, down from April’s reading of 94.2.
28 May 2004 16:30
Economy sees first quarter growth
The US gross domestic product, the measure by which output is gauged, expanded at a rate of 4.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter according to the Commerce Department.
27 May 2004 15:00
April 2004 - View Entire Month
Numbers looking up
Estimates released yesterday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2004.
30 Apr 2004 16:14
Kerry stumps on manufacturing
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry yesterday unveiled what he called his three-point plan for American manufacturing to a crowd at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
29 Apr 2004 16:19
Boeing first quarter earnings, revenue up
Chicago, IL-based aerospace company Boeing posted first-quarter earnings of $623 million, due in part to increased military sales.
28 Apr 2004 15:44
March 2004 - View Entire Month
Numbers looking up
The Department of Commerce, Census Bureau reported today that new orders for manufactured goods increased $1.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $343.0 billion in February
31 Mar 2004 20:42
Kraft Foods acquires Veryfine Products
Northfield, IL-based Kraft Foods, the largest North American branded foods and beverage company, announced that it has closed on its purchase of Littleton, MA-based beverage manufacturer Veryfine Products.
30 Mar 2004 20:28
ATK receives $140 million ammunition order from US Army
Edina, MN-based Alliant Techsystems (ATK), the largest US ammunition supplier, received a $140 million order from the Rock Island, IL-based US Army Joint Munitions Command, to supply small-caliber ammunition to the US Department of Defense.
29 Mar 2004 21:51
February 2004 - View Entire Month
DoJ blocks Oracle bid
Enterprise software specialist Peoplesoft has welcomed a decision today from the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice to block an unwelcome takeover bid from rival Oracle.
27 Feb 2004 14:35
Evans announces MEP eligibility for $45.4 million in federal grants
Following the recent uproar from manufacturers following the recent cut in funding from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, US Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans announced, during budget hearing testimony before Congress, that MEP will soon be eligible to compete for up to $45.4 million in economic adjustment assistance grants.
27 Feb 2004 16:56
Following plunge, unemployment claims rise
After an impressive decrease for the week ending February 14, initial unemployment claims rose again for the week ending February 21.
26 Feb 2004 17:56
January 2004 - View Entire Month
Fourth-quarter GDP down, full-year GDP up
Real gross domestic product—the output of goods and services produced in the United States—increased at an annual rate of four percent in the fourth quarter of 2003, according to advance estimates released today by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
30 Jan 2004 17:22
Boeing posts fourth-quarter and full-year results
Chicago, IL-based aerospace giant Boeing, after a tumultuous year which saw the resignation of its CEO, posted its fourth-quarter and full-year results today.
29 Jan 2004 16:12
First-time unemployment filings drop
There were 342,000 first-time unemployment filings for the week ending January 24, down 1,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 343,000, the US Department of Labor reported today.
29 Jan 2004 21:13