Manufacturing news
October 2004
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
Initial unemployment filings go back up
First-time unemployment filings went up by 20,000, to 350,000, for the week ending October 23, the US Department of Labor reported today.
28 Oct 2004 16:03
Durable goods orders increase slightly, shipments decrease
US orders for durable goods went up by a mere 0.2 percent in September to $195.7 billion, factoring in a decrease in commercial aircraft orders.
27 Oct 2004 16:27
Infor Global Solutions acquires Lilly Software Associates
Infor Global Solutions, a provider of enterprise software solutions to over 13,000 customers in manufacturing and distribution industries, announced today that it has acquired Lilly Software Associates.
27 Oct 2004 20:33
Parker Hannifin chairman retires
Duane E. Collins, chairman of the board of directors of motion and control technology system manufacturer Parker Hannifin, today announced he is retiring as chairman, but will continue as a board member.
27 Oct 2004 22:01
International Steel Group to become part of world’s largest steel company
The world’s largest steel company will be created by the $13.3 billion combination of two steel companies controlled by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, combined with a $4.5 billion cash and stock purchase of International Steel Group, the largest US steelmaker.
26 Oct 2004 20:57
Smurfit-Stone contains its losses
Paper and cardboard packaging manufacturer Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. reported a $28 million profit in the third quarter, a turnaround from a $75 million loss during the same period a year ago, despite significant losses caused in part by recent hurricanes.
26 Oct 2004 16:32
DaimlerChrysler to add jobs at Canadian plant
The Canadian Auto Workers Union and Big Three automaker DaimlerChrysler have reached an agreement to add a third shift to DaimlerChrysler’s Brampton, Ontario-based assembly plant.
25 Oct 2004 16:11
Reynolds American rebounds
Reynolds American, the second-largest US cigarette manufacturer, posted a third-quarter profit of $339 million, up from a staggering $3.5 billion loss during the same period last year.
25 Oct 2004 19:11
Boeing confirms 7E7 sales to Primaris Airlines
Aerospace manufacturer Boeing today confirmed that Primaris Airlines has chosen the Boeing 7E7-8 Dreamliner and the 737-800 for the new airlines’ future fleet development.
22 Oct 2004 21:02
Fortune Brands reports income spike, record sales
Diverse manufacturer Fortune Brands today reported that its net income increased 55 percent to $226.8 million in the third quarter.
22 Oct 2004 16:09
September mass manufacturing layoffs down from a year ago
The manufacturing sector had 191 mass layoffs, or 27 percent of all mass layoff events, and a total of 439,392 claims filed in September—37 percent of all initial unemployment claims—according to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
21 Oct 2004 17:08
Zippo recalls more than 101,000 lighters
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that lighter manufacturer Zippo because is recalling 101,557 of its Multi-Purpose Lighters because the utility lighters may spill fuel from the nozzle when first used, causing a potential fire hazard.
21 Oct 2004 20:25
General Motors to cut 900 jobs from Michigan plant
General Motors announced plans to cut about 900 jobs in early 2005 at a pickup truck plant in Pontiac, MI—about 20 percent of its workforce there.
20 Oct 2004 20:34
Raytheon gets missile system contract for United Arab Emirates Navy
Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract by Abu Dhabi Ship Building in the United Arab Emirates for the production and delivery of MK56 Evolved Seasparrow Missile Vertical Launching Systems for the UAE Navy.
20 Oct 2004 15:58
Ford numbers up despite losses
Big Three automaker Ford today reported net income of $266 million, for the third quarter of 2004, up significantly from a net loss of $25 million in the third quarter of last year, despite heavy losses in its automotive sector.
19 Oct 2004 16:06
Lockheed Martin sells fourth C-130J aircraft to Denmark
Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Royal Danish Air Force for a fourth C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.
19 Oct 2004 20:57
Mattel third-quarter numbers down
As the holiday season approaches, leading toy manufacturer Mattel today reported net income of $255.9 million in the third quarter, down from last year’s third quarter net income of $270 million.
18 Oct 2004 18:54
Pfizer announces Celebrex clinical study
Drug manufacturer Pfizer announced today it is sponsoring a major clinical study to further assess its Celebrex medication in osteoarthritis patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease, following the recent recall of a similar drug by drug company Merck.
18 Oct 2004 16:19
Manufacturing production down in September
Manufacturing output declined 0.3 percent last month, while industrial production as a whole rose 0.1 percent, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve today.
15 Oct 2004 15:42
Parachute company CEO bails out
Parachute manufacturer Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) announced that Mark B. Thomas has resigned as chief executive officer, president and director for undisclosed personal reasons.
15 Oct 2004 16:24
First-time unemployment claims rise again
After a sharp decline the previous week, first-time unemployment filings rose again, by 15,000, to 352,000 for the week ending October 9, the US Department of Labor reported today.
14 Oct 2004 15:42
Trade deficit widens to second-highest ever
The US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the US Department of Commerce, announced today that August exports of $96 billion and imports of $150.1 billion resulted in a trade deficit of $54 billion—$3.5 billion more than the previous month, and the second-highest on record.
14 Oct 2004 18:21
Harley-Davidson reports record earnings
Harley-Davidson, Inc., the only major US-based motorcycle manufacturer, today announced record earnings for its third quarter of $1.3 billion, up from $1.13 billion in the same quarter one year ago.
13 Oct 2004 16:22
Intel revenue up
Semiconductor manufacturer Intel Corporation today announced third-quarter revenue of $8.5 billion, up five percent from the previous quarter and up eight percent from the same quarter a year ago.
13 Oct 2004 16:35
Axle Alliance and UAW announce national multi-plant agreement
Axle Alliance, an affiliate of DaimlerChrysler that manufactures axles for its plants in North America, and the United Auto Workers union announced a new national multi-plant collective bargaining agreement today—the first multi-plant agreement negotiated by the UAW in two decades.
12 Oct 2004 18:39
JOBS Act passes US Congress, benefits manufacturers
A bill intended to eliminate a tax break for US exporters that had been declared illegal under World Trade Organization rules passed the US Congress—but before it passed, billions of dollars in tax breaks, benefiting numerous manufacturing sectors, were attached to the bill.
12 Oct 2004 17:01
Krispy Kreme announces SEC investigation
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. announced today that it has been notified by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the SEC had entered a formal order of investigation concerning the company.
08 Oct 2004 15:18
Manufacturing employment drops
Employment in the manufacturing sector dropped in September by 18,000 jobs, with small job losses occurring throughout the durable and nondurable goods components of the industry, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor reported today.
08 Oct 2004 16:06
FKI Logistex awarded $22 million airport contract
FKI Logistex, a manufacturer of automated materials-handling equipment, announced that it has won a $22 million contract for an automated baggage screening system at the South Terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger airport.
07 Oct 2004 22:06
Henkel strikes $2.1 billion deal with Clorox, buys Sovereign Specialty Chemicals
German soap and adhesives manufacturer Henkel and US-based detergent maker Clorox signed an agreement for Henkel to exchange its 28.8 percent stake in Clorox for $2.1 billion in cash and other considerations.
07 Oct 2004 17:38
Initial unemployment filings drop at last
After weeks of rising, first-time unemployment filings finally fell, by 37,000, to 335,000 for the week ending October 2, the US Department of Labor reported today.
07 Oct 2004 14:54
Coors and Molson merger cleared
The Federal Trade Commission has cleared the merger of two major breweries, US-based Adolph Coors Co. and Canadian brewery Molson Inc.
06 Oct 2004 15:55
Krispy Kreme to close Ohio plant
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. announced that it will close a plant in Ravenna, OH, due to lack of sales and overabundant supply.
06 Oct 2004 14:06
Kodak announces restructuring and job cuts in England and France
Eastman Kodak Company today announced restructuring at manufacturing sites in England and France, which will lead to hundreds of job cuts and relocations.
05 Oct 2004 15:27
TAMSCO gets $8.3 million order from US Army for Afghan Border Police
Military electronics manufacturer Engineered Support Systems' subsidiary, Technical and Management Services Corporation (TAMSCO), has been awarded an $8.3 million task order by the US Army to provide the Afghan Border Police with a communications system to enable it to secure that country's borders.
05 Oct 2004 18:05
GM, DaimlerChrysler report higher sales; Ford sales decline
The Big Three automakers released their sales reports for September, with GM and DaimlerChrysler reporting double-digit increases from a year ago and Ford reporting a four-percent drop.
04 Oct 2004 15:24
ISM Report highlights manufacturing growth
According to US supply executives surveyed in the latest Manufacturing Report On Business from the Institute for Supply Management, economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in September for the 16th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 35th consecutive month.
04 Oct 2004 16:01
A new hope dawns at IMTS
The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, IL, the biennial gathering of machine tool manufacturers and their supporting technologies, presented an upbeat outlook this year.
01 Oct 2004 21:27
Ford recalls over 200,000 vans
Big Three automaker Ford announced that it is recalling 234,208 Econoline vans sold in North America for repairs to an electronic unit that controls the anti-lock brakes. 2003 and 2004 Econoline models are affected by the recall.
01 Oct 2004 21:29
Hamilton Sundstrand gets eighth 7E7 contract
Boeing has selected aerospace equipment manufacturer Hamilton Sundstrand to supply an electric motor pump sub-system for its 7E7 Dreamliner passenger airliner.
01 Oct 2004 21:28
Twinkies maker files bankruptcy
Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC), the largest wholesale baker and distributor of fresh baked bread and sweet goods in the United States, and the maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, announced that it and its operating subsidiaries have filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
01 Oct 2004 21:27