Manufacturing news
March 2008
Airbus site sale talks cease
Airbus has ended its talks with the Germany-based OHB and MT Aerospace consortium over the possible sale of three of its German sites.
28 Mar 2008 10:04
EADS wins second military deal
EADS, parent company of Airbus, has been awarded a £13 billion ($26 billion) air refuelling tanker contract with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
27 Mar 2008 16:51
Northern Foods cuts its losses
Northern Foods is to cut some of its less profitable products in order to increase its operations in faster-growing markets.
27 Mar 2008 17:10
Ford sells Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata
Ford has sold its Jaguar and Land Rover brands to Indian manufacturer Tata for $2.3 billion (£1.15 billion) after many months of negotiations.
26 Mar 2008 14:40
Second Singapore Airlines A380 grounded
Singapore Airlines has been forced to ground a second one of its Airbus A380s due to a problem with the fuel pump.
26 Mar 2008 14:53
Motorola shareholder to take legal action
Carl Icahn, Motorola’s second-biggest shareholder, is planning to sue the company to force it to make documents about its struggling mobile phone handset unit accessible.
25 Mar 2008 17:08
Strong profits for Nike
Nike has experienced an increase in profits as the weak US dollar has caused its products to become cheaper to overseas customers.
20 Mar 2008 16:41
Slow sales growth for Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson has warned it expects profits to be lower than previously expected for the first quarter of 2008 due to slow sales growth.
19 Mar 2008 16:48
Toshiba to discontinue HD DVD production
Japanese electronics firm Toshiba has predicted that the decision to stop making high definition DVD players, coupled with falling flash memory chip prices, will damage its 2007 profits to the effect of 125 billion yen (£0.63 billion, $1.26 billion).
19 Mar 2008 15:52
Drayson-Barwell and JCB in green racing partnership
International British GT sports car racing team Drayson-Barwell has formed a technical partnership with construction equipment manufacturer JCB in the hope of furthering its environmental commitments.
17 Mar 2008 10:14
News International opens world’s biggest print plant
News International has opened a brand new state-of-the-art printing facility – covering an area the size of 23 football pitches.
17 Mar 2008 11:25
China output weakening
Data has shown that China’s industrial output growth reduced noticeably during January and February.
14 Mar 2008 10:17
Chrysler orders shutdown
Chrysler has ordered a two-week company-wide shutdown in July following a dramatic fall in sales of its vans and lorries.
14 Mar 2008 15:03
Parmalat scandal trial begins
The main trial has begun into the collapse of Italian food firm Parmalat, following the revelation of a £10.7 billion ($21.7 billion) hole in its 2003 accounts.
14 Mar 2008 15:29
Russian steelmakers secure US pipe deal
Two Russian steelmakers – Evraz and TMK – have been awarded a $4 billion deal to supply specialist pipes to the US energy industry.
14 Mar 2008 11:57
Soaring profits for Embraer
Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer – the world’s fourth largest commercial jet maker – has announced a marked rise in profits thanks to an increase in orders.
14 Mar 2008 11:12
Tayto continues on acquisition path
County Armagh crisp and snack firm Tayto is to expand yet further following its acquisition of Red Mill Snack Foods.
14 Mar 2008 15:49
Automotive chief to join BMW board
Ian Robertson, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been appointed sales and marketing director for BMW Group.
13 Mar 2008 16:33
EADS hopes for dollar supplier payments
EADS, parent company of Airbus, has expressed its wish to pay its suppliers in dollars to reduce the currency risk.
13 Mar 2008 8:57
Nestle confident over future
Confectionery firm Nestle has announced a predicted sales growth for 2008 to match the 7.4 per cent rate of the previous year.
13 Mar 2008 12:17
Record profitability for Bentley
Bentley Motors has announced its financial results for 2007, which show an impressive growth in volume, turnover and profit.
13 Mar 2008 16:52
Continued workforce expansion for Nissan
Nissan is to create a further 50 jobs at its Sunderland plant following continued sales success of its Qashqai model.
12 Mar 2008 15:06
Renault achieves 300 units-per-day
Renault Trucks has broken the 300 vehicle-a-day production threshold across its plants during February.
12 Mar 2008 14:32
BMW to invest in US production
BMW has announced plans to invest $750 million (£373 million) in increasing its industrial presence in the United States.
11 Mar 2008 12:13
Cadbury announces demerger timetable
Cadbury Schweppes has signed a credit agreement alongside a consortium of five banks, marking the start of its planned demerger.
11 Mar 2008 14:56
Student success in design competition
SolidWorks Corporation has announced the winners of its second annual Student Design Contest.
11 Mar 2008 14:27
Glaxo case prompts tighter drug trial laws
GlaxoSmithKline has avoided criminal proceedings following claims it withheld potentially life threatening information on its antidepressant drug Seroxat.
06 Mar 2008 12:08
Study finds China losing competitive edge
The first China Manufacturing Competitiveness survey, conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Shanghai, has suggested the nation’s manufacturing attractiveness may be diminishing.
06 Mar 2008 11:13
Corus wins major navy contract
Corus Construction & Industrial has won a £65 million deal with the Royal Navy to supply 80,000 tonnes of steel for two new aircraft carriers.
05 Mar 2008 14:32
Premier Foods continues to struggle
Premier Foods, maker of Mr Kipling cakes, has halved its dividend and been forced to borrow an additional £225 million to improve its financial situation.
05 Mar 2008 16:56
Toyota makes North Wales investment
Toyota has announced it is to make an £88 million investment at its Deeside, North Wales facility.
05 Mar 2008 15:51
EADS/Airbus deal to be examined
US Congress is to investigate the US military tanker order which was placed with European firm EADS following an outcry from US rival Boeing.
04 Mar 2008 10:48
Engine remanufacturers to join forces
Representatives of engine remanufacture from around the globe are to join together for the first time next month to discuss mutual industry sector issues and concerns.
04 Mar 2008 10:32
Ford gains stamp of approval from allergy organisation
Ford has become the first automotive manufacturer to be awarded the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation’s (ECARF) Seal of Quality.
04 Mar 2008 10:06
New partnership for Aston Martin
Aston Martin has announced its partnership with automotive specialist Magna Steyr, which will result in a facility in Graz, Austria, dedicated to the production of the Rapide model.
04 Mar 2008 14:29
Airbus secures tanker deal with US military
Airbus has received a huge boost following the US Air Force’s selection of the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker, based on the EADS A330 MRTT (multi role tanker transport) system and the Airbus A330-200 platform.
03 Mar 2008 15:40
Glaxo gains priority drug review
GlaxoSmithKline has been awarded priority US Food and Drug Administration review of its experimental platelet-boosting drug Promacta.
03 Mar 2008 17:01
Profit boost for Volkswagen
Automotive manufacturer Volkswagen has announced record sales of 6.2 million cars for 2007.
03 Mar 2008 16:32
US manufacturing in decline
An Institute for Supply Management report has indicated a reduction in manufacturing activity in the US, further highlighting the current fragile economic state.
03 Mar 2008 16:42