Manufacturing news
February 2005
Orion Bus cranks out hybrids
Orion Bus Industries has completed delivery of the first of two production orders for hybrid electric buses destined for New York City’s transit agency.
28 Feb 2005 14:39
GDP surges to highest level since 1999
In spite of a fourth-quarter slowdown, the US gross domestic product grew 4.4 percent in 2004, the strongest for any year since 1999, according to numbers released today by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
25 Feb 2005 19:57
Cubic Corporation upgrades Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force is the first to field a next-generation electronic warfare simulator developed by San Diego-based Cubic Corporation.
24 Feb 2005 16:08
Jobless numbers spike
Initial unemployment claims jumped significantly to 312,000 last week, according to figures released today by the US Department of Labor.
24 Feb 2005 17:56
Delphi CEO drives off
The chairman and CEO of automotive systems manufacturer Delphi, J.T. Battenberg III, today announced his intention to retire later this year.
23 Feb 2005 17:39
Red Wing Shoe in search for America's Master Tradesmen
Celebrating 100 years of efforts made by America’s tradesmen, The Red Wing Shoe company is searching for America’s Master Tradesmen.
23 Feb 2005 17:27
BAE Systems wins with Navy
BAE Systems, one of the world’s foremost national security, aerospace, and information systems companies, recently scored a lucrative contract with the US Navy.
22 Feb 2005 14:41
Boeing flies north
Aerospace giant Boeing and Canadian manufacturer Onex today announced an agreement under which Onex will acquire the Wichita/Tulsa Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
22 Feb 2005 21:35
Learjet lifts Bombardier
Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier Aerospace made 329 aircraft deliveries during its financial year ended January 31, marginally up on the 324 aircraft deliveries in the previous 12 months, despite fewer orders for its regional aircraft.
22 Feb 2005 14:18
Ex-Boeing CFO gets jail time
Former Boeing Chief Financial Officer Michael Sears was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine for illegally recruiting a US Air Force acquisitions official to work at the aerospace company.
18 Feb 2005 18:00
Shaw Group digs deep for tsunami relief
The Shaw Group Inc. announced a $133,000 cash donation to aid victims still suffering from the devastating effects of last month’s tsunami in southern Asia. Since the news of the disaster broke, Shaw employees have already contributed $117,000 of their own funds to an array of relief agencies.
18 Feb 2005 14:55
International to beef up engines for 2007
The Class 8 category of highway tractor trailer will soon have something more under the hood. International Truck and Engine Corporation has announced plans to develop 11 to 13 liter engines for their line of tractor trailers and severe service trucks.
17 Feb 2005 15:20
Unemployment filings drop to lowest level since 2000
Fewer workers are filing for unemployment, reflecting an ongoing and fortunate trend in manufacturing, according to US Department of Labor figures released today.
17 Feb 2005 16:46
Lockheed Martin rockets to $108 million contract
Military contractor Lockheed Martin has received a $108 million contract from the US Army to produce 1,014 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets.
16 Feb 2005 17:28
US Air Force general named VP at Pratt & Whitney
General William J. Begert (USAF, Ret.) has joined Pratt & Whitney as vice president of international programs and business development in the company's Military Engines unit.
16 Feb 2005 21:23
Boston Beer Company names new director
The Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams brand beers, announced today that Dave Burwick has been appointed as a director of the company, effective immediately.
15 Feb 2005 21:07
Palomar Products awarded US Navy contract by Boeing
Palomar Products today announced that it has been awarded the contract to develop the Intercommunications Systems (ICS) for the US Navy Multi-mission Aircraft (MMA) program from Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
15 Feb 2005 18:23
Carly packs – Johnson bites Apple
Carly Fiorina’s hasty departure from Hewlett-Packard last week has now been followed by that of Allison Johnson, senior vice president of marketing.
14 Feb 2005 20:25
Parker Hannifin acquires Bayside Controls
Control systems manufacturer Parker Hannifin today announced it has acquired Bayside Controls, a manufacturer of equipment and software for industrial and precision automation applications.
14 Feb 2005 16:23
Pennsylvania awards alternative-fuel grants to manufacturers
On behalf of Governor Edward G. Rendell (D-PA), Environmental Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty today awarded more than $1 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants, some of which went to Pennsylvania manufacturers.
14 Feb 2005 16:32
Molson Coors to close Memphis plant
Molson Coors Brewing Company today announced that it will close its brewery in Memphis, TN, in early 2007.
11 Feb 2005 16:47
Spectrum Control acquires Amplifonix
Spectrum Control, a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic control products and systems, today announced that Spectrum Microwave, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has acquired Amplifonix for $10 million.
11 Feb 2005 21:22
General Motors to recall more than 193,200 vehicles
Big Three automaker General Motors is recalling more than 193,200 vehicles to fix various equipment problems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
10 Feb 2005 21:37
Sara Lee announces new CEO, plans to spin off or sell businesses
Foods company Sara Lee today announced plans to spin off or sell several businesses and also announced the election of a new CEO.
10 Feb 2005 16:34
Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina ousted
The board of directors of Hewlett-Packard today announced that Carly Fiorina, one the most powerful women in the US business world, has stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
09 Feb 2005 15:50
SpiceJet orders 20 Boeing 737s
Indian airline SpiceJet today said that it is ordering up to 20 Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes for domestic routes within India.
09 Feb 2005 21:20
Newell Rubbermaid creates new manufacturing post
Newell Rubbermaid today announced that Ray Johnson has been promoted to president of global manufacturing and supply chain.
08 Feb 2005 22:02
Vertex Pharmaceuticals announces management changes
Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced today that Dr. Vicki Sato will retire as president of the company effective during the second quarter of 2005.
08 Feb 2005 17:47
Lockheed Martin awarded $45 million missile contract
Lockheed Martin has received $45 million from the US Army Aviation and Missile Command for the purchase of Army Tactical Missile System missiles.
07 Feb 2005 21:09
Manufacturing productivity and output grow in fourth quarter
Manufacturing productivity grew 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2004, as output increased 4.5 percent and hours decreased one percent, according to figures released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics today.
07 Feb 2005 17:48
Herley Industries buys Micro Systems
Microwave technology manufacturer Herley Industries announced today that it has acquired Micro Systems in a cash transaction totaling approximately $20 million.
04 Feb 2005 20:56
Manufacturing employment drops
In January, manufacturing employment declined by 25,000, with widespread, though mostly small, losses among its component industries, according to figures released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics today.
04 Feb 2005 16:30
Initial unemployment filings drop
First-time unemployment filings dropped by 9,000, to a total of 316,000, for the week ending January 29, the US Department of Labor reported today.
03 Feb 2005 16:23
Boeing reports 84 percent drop in quarterly earnings
Aerospace giant Boeing reported fourth-quarter 2004 net income of $186 million, down from $1.13 billion one year earlier—a whopping 84 percent drop, due mainly to charges the company took on canceled orders.
02 Feb 2005 19:44
Raytheon awarded $32.5 million US Marines contract
Military contractor Raytheon recently received $32.5 million in US Marine Corps contract awards for the M1A1 tank Firepower Enhancement Program.
02 Feb 2005 21:35
Manufacturing economic activity up for 20th straight month
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in January for the 20th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 39th consecutive month, said US supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business by the Institute for Supply Management.
01 Feb 2005 17:59
Mercedes-Benz USA reports sales drop
Mercedes-Benz USA today reported sales of 12,101 new vehicles for January 2005, down a sharp 20.2 percent from last January.
01 Feb 2005 20:44
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.
01 Feb 2005 17:37
US outpaces European Union in productivity growth
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 research organization reported in a new study.
01 Feb 2005 17:28
US Senate confirms new 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. He replaces Donald Evans, who resigned in November after serving as the Secretary of Commerce for four years.
01 Feb 2005 17:35
Wacky Warning Label winners
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.
01 Feb 2005 17:37