Manufacturing news
January 2005
Dubai company buys $1 billion stake in DaimlerChrysler
Dubai International Capital announced its purchase of a $1 billion stake in automaker DaimlerChrysler.
31 Jan 2005 20:35
Lockheed Martin awarded $208.7 million US Navy contract
The US Navy awarded defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin a $208.7 million contract to produce three Aegis Weapon Systems.
31 Jan 2005 16:37
Ford to recall 792,000 pickups and SUVs
Ford will recall 792,000 pickups and sport utility vehicles because of the potential for the cruise control switch to short circuit and pose a fire hazard.
28 Jan 2005 18:51
Procter & Gamble to acquire The Gillette Company
Manufacturing giant Procter & Gamble announced today that it has signed a deal to acquire The Gillette Company for $57 billion, creating the world's largest consumer products company.
28 Jan 2005 15:00
BTD Manufacturing buys Performance Tool & Die
Minnesota machinery maker BTD Manufacturing announced that it has acquired die manufacturer Performance Tool & Die.
27 Jan 2005 17:11
New orders, shipments up
New orders for manufactured durable goods in December increased $1.2 billion, or 0.6 percent, to $200.3 billion, the US Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau reported today.
27 Jan 2005 17:41
ATS surpasses $100 million in revenue
Advanced Technology Services, a leader in factory production equipment maintenance, IT infrastructure support and industrial parts repair for manufacturers, today announced that it surpassed $100 million in revenue in 2004, a 22 percent jump from the previous year.
26 Jan 2005 17:48
Manufacturing mass layoffs, initial unemployment claims down in 2004
Manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 35 percent of initial claims filed during 2004, the lowest annual percentages in manufacturing for any year for which data are available.
26 Jan 2005 18:04
Arena Solutions announces 150 percent revenue increase
Arena Solutions, a provider of on-demand Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software systems, today announced a 150 percent increase in revenue for 2004 from the previous year.
25 Jan 2005 16:41
US Senate confirms Kellogg's CEO as Commerce Secretary
The US Senate confirmed Carlos Gutierrez, CEO of the Kellogg Company, the world's largest cereal maker, as the new Secretary of Commerce by a voice vote.
25 Jan 2005 18:53
Lear announces new Asian territory leadership
Automotive systems manufacturer Lear today announced several organizational changes today regarding its Asian operations.
24 Jan 2005 20:20
Monsanto to acquire Seminis
Agricultural product maker Monsanto announced today that it signed an agreement to acquire fruit and vegetable seed company Seminis for $1.4 billion in cash and assumed debt, plus a payment of up to $125 million payable by the end of fiscal year 2007.
24 Jan 2005 21:34
General Electric profit up 18 percent
General Electric's fourth-quarter net profit climbed to $5.38 billion, up 18 percent from $4.56 billion one year earlier.
21 Jan 2005 17:05
Weyerhaeuser earnings, costs up
Forest products company Weyerhaeuser on Friday posted increased earnings in the fourth quarter of $199 million, compared to $92 million one year earlier.
21 Jan 2005 17:04
Thermalcast names new president and CEO
Thermalcast, which specializes in manufacturing advanced die-cast parts, announced today that Russell D. Davis has been named president and CEO.
20 Jan 2005 16:05
US outpacing European Union in productivity: study
The European Union, spurred by gains by both its old and newest members, has registered rising productivity growth, but it still significantly trails the United States, The Conference Board reports in a new productivity study released today.
20 Jan 2005 16:05
Airbus unveils giant A380 aircraft
The world’s first full-length twin-deck aircraft, the enormous Airbus A380, was officially revealed to the public for the first time at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, changing the landscape for aerospace companies worldwide.
19 Jan 2005 17:45
Gill Industries announces new president and COO
Gill Industries, the automobile assemblies manufacturer, today named Richard Perreault as its new president and chief operating officer.
18 Jan 2005 21:31
Krispy Kreme CEO steps down
Stephen F. Cooper has been named CEO of doughnut maker Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, replacing Scott A. Livengood, who has retired as chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer and a director of the company.
18 Jan 2005 16:58
Intel announces two new divisions, resignation of VP
Computer chip manufacturer Intel announced a reorganization plan which would create two new divisions: one to focus on digital healthcare technologies and one to serve its distribution channel.
17 Jan 2005 17:48
Spartan Chassis names executive director of operations
Automobile equipment manufacturer Spartan Chassis, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, today announced it has named Arthur Ickes as executive director of operations.
17 Jan 2005 22:04
First-time unemployment filings continue to climb
Initial unemployment filings rose by another 10,000, to a total of 367,000, for the week ending January 8, the US Department of Labor reported today, following a massive 43,000 jump the previous week.
13 Jan 2005 17:23
Lockheed Martin, GE sell stake in TUSAS Aerospace Industries
Aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor Lockheed Martin has sold its 42 percent stake and General Electric has sold its seven percent stake in the joint venture company TUSAS Aerospace Industries (TAI) to Turkish Aircraft Industries.
13 Jan 2005 21:23
KUKA Robotics appoints key technology manager
KUKA Robotics, a manufacturer of industrial robots, announced the appointment of John Nelson as Key Technology Manager - Plastics for North America.
12 Jan 2005 17:57
Associated Material Handling Industries names new president
Associated Material Handling Industries, the material-handling equipment supplier, today announced that Michael B. Romano has become the majority shareholder and president of the company.
11 Jan 2005 21:22
General Motors recalls more than 98,000 vehicles
Big Three automaker General Motors is recalling more than 98,000 pickups, vans and sport utility vehicles due to a potential problem with their power steering and braking systems, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today.
11 Jan 2005 16:28
Toyoda Gosei to open San Antonio plant
Auto parts maker Toyoda Gosei North America announced their plans to establish a new manufacturing facility, Toyoda Gosei Texas (TGTX), in San Antonio, TX.
10 Jan 2005 16:44
Vastera acquired by JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase and Global Trade Management (GTM) software maker Vastera today announced that they have signed an $129 million agreement in which Vastera will be acquired by and combined with the Logistics and Trade Services businesses of JPMorgan Chase's Treasury Services unit.
07 Jan 2005 18:37
Wacky Warning Label Contest winners announced
A flushable toilet brush that warns users, “Do not use for personal hygiene,” has been identified as the nation’s wackiest warning label in an annual contest of US manufacturers’ consumer product labels sponsored by a consumer watchdog group.
07 Jan 2005 16:07
General Dynamics announces $54 million US Army contract addition
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems announced today that the US Army has awarded it a $54 million addition to an existing multi-year ammunition contract for the production of tank training ammunition.
06 Jan 2005 17:55
Initial unemployment filings spike unexpectedly
First-time unemployment filings jumped unexpectedly by 43,000, to a total of 364,000, for the week ending January 1, the US Department of Labor reported today—the highest level claims have reached since September 2004.
06 Jan 2005 15:46
Harris receives $30 million US Army contract
Harris, a manufacturer of tactical radios for worldwide defense forces, today announced it has been awarded radio and service contracts by the US Army valued at more than $30 million.
05 Jan 2005 17:02
Smucker CFO named
The J. M. Smucker Company, the foods manufacturer, today announced that Mark R. Belgya, currently its vice president and treasurer, has been elected to the position of chief financial officer, effective today.
05 Jan 2005 21:07
New orders, shipments up
New orders for manufactured goods in November, up six of the last seven months, increased $4.5 billion, or 1.2 percent, to $377.4 billion, the US Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau reported today.
04 Jan 2005 16:47
Rayovac to acquire United Industries
Battery manufacturer Rayovac announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire lawn-care product maker United Industries for approximately $1.2 billion, including the assumption of approximately $880 million of United Industries debt and a cash tax benefit of $140 million.
04 Jan 2005 15:52
Armor Holdings acquires Bianchi International
Armor Holdings, a manufacturer of vehicle armor systems for law enforcement, military, homeland security and commercial markets, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Bianchi International for $60 million in cash.
03 Jan 2005 21:06
Manufacturing growth up in December: ISM report
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in December for the 19th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 38th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
03 Jan 2005 17:08
Boeing 7E7 fuselage assembly goes to South Carolina
The ongoing saga of Boeing’s 7E7 Dreamliner continues, as two international aero-structures manufacturers are forming a new company to supply integrated fuselage structures for the passenger airliner, which will be assembled at a South Carolina integration site.
01 Jan 2005 21:16
Florida tax reform proposal to help manufacturers
Governor John Ellis “Jeb” Bush (R-FL), the brother of President George W. Bush, has proposed tax cuts to save manufacturers in the Sunshine State up to $66 million annually.
01 Jan 2005 21:16
GM to close Baltimore plant
General Motors announced that its Chevy Astro and GMC Safari vans will be discontinued this year, causing the closure of the company’s Baltimore, MD-based assembly plant, which exclusively builds the two models.
01 Jan 2005 21:15
Two small manufacturers given Baldrige Award by Bush, Evans
President George W. Bush and outgoing Commerce Secretary Donald Evans named two manufacturers as recipients of the 2004 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only Presidential award for quality and organizational performance excellence.
01 Jan 2005 21:15