Other Manufacturing News
European retailers speak with one voice on bringing safety to Bangladesh
After a tragic construction disaster in Bangladesh, European retailers, including H&M and Wal-Mart, signed the Bangladesh safety accord which will introduce measures aimed at boosting safety conditions in garment factories, taking a step to securing lives of workers. Undeniably, unions had a big part in pushing the European retailers to take action in improving workplace safety at Bangladeshi garment facilities.
What is KALQ keyboard?? Let’s ask Dr Per Ola & Dr Antti
The KALQ keyboard is to liberate us from pain which often accompanies us while we are simply typing. The question is whether the KALQ keyboard will replace the QWERTY.
Foxconn’s Parent Company to pay Microsoft for licenses
In what many regard as a much-anticipated triumph of Microsoft Corp., Foxconn through its parent company Hon Hai has agreed to pay license fees to the US-based giant every time a Microsoft-patent is used in a product that the Tucheng-based company manufactures. Through its various manufacturing units located in Taiwan and across industrial units of China, Hon Hai produces nearly 40 percent of the world’s smartphones, tablets and other devices.
David Cameron’s trade mission to India focused on partnership
UK Prime Minister David Cameron arrives in India on the 18th of February with the biggest ever trade mission and will take part in three-day talks with Indian authorities. The delegation is aimed at tightening economic ties and increasing trade between the United Kingdom and India. UK Prime Minister David Cameron will be accompanied by a 100-person entourage, among which are parliamentarians and officials from companies and universities. The business delegation to India is a clear signal that the European nation is much interested in deepening relations with India which is expected to be the world’s third economy by 2050.
Maker of Cartier jewelry Richemont sees Q3 sales grow
The maker of Cartier jewelry Richemont SA posted its third quarter results showing that sales in the period grew by approximately 5 percent at constant exchange rates and about 9 percent at actual rates. The Geneva-based company saw satisfying growth in the Americas, but witnessed lower growth rate in other regions, including the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, the rate of China’s sales slackened as demand for luxury goods dropped in the world’s second economy.
Toymakers threatened by growing popularity of tablets
While the world is becoming more computer-dependent, children are not anymore interested in traditional toys. Little ones are just drawn to tablet computers. And this holiday season most children’s Christmas gifts letters are controlled by mobile devices such as iPads and Kindles. The growing popularity of tablets is expected to be the final nail in the toymakers’ coffin.
Emerald green becomes prime color for 2013
Emerald green is to dominate 2013 as Pantone LLC has chosen it to be the color of the coming year. To be exact, PANTONE® 17-5641 Emerald has been chosen to be the color of the year for 2013 by the worldwide guru on color for a wide range of industries.
Osram cuts jobs to save €1bn
On the 30th of November, Osram informed that it would downsize another 4.700 jobs as well as sell its plants to better compete with Asian rivals. The job cuts at Osram will help the company save approximately €1 billion ($1.3 billion) and improve profitability as the market for traditional light bulbs shrinks significantly. Earlier this week Siemens AG announced to spin off Osram.
Titanium Metals Takeover Bid: $2.9 Billion Offer from Precision Castparts
Precision Castparts Corp. seems to have offered a huge sum of approximately $2.9 billion to buy Titanium Metals Corp. which happens to be one of the world’s top producers of alloys used in the construction of aircraft engines.
ArcelorMittal in search of buyer for 30% Canadian iron ore stake
ArcelorMittal SA, a global steel company, is exploring a sale of a 30 percents stake in its Canadian iron ore business, according to a source familiar with the matter. The world’s biggest steelmaker struggles to cope with the downturn as demand in Europe and China visibly decreased. ArcelorMittal stake in Canadian iron ore business is valued at approximately $10 billion.
JJB Sports puts itself for sale while warning that its shares may be worthless
JJB Sports put itself up for sale on Thursday. Company’s officials informed investors that JJB Sports’ shares might be worthless. As the company failed to secure the fresh injection of cash from investors JJB Sports’ shares dropped 71 percent to 0.67 pence. The retailer is at risk of becoming the next British retail casualty of the financial crisis.
Apple’s Low key debut for iPad 3 launch in China
According to the reports released on Friday, Apple Inc has staged a low key launch for its latest iPad in the market of China. It was clean and free of the chaotic scenes and hustles that accompanied some of the previous product launches for the tech darling. China has been always been the most promising market for Apple in terms of growth and fame.
Domestic Demand Leads to Unprecedented Growth in Economy of Thailand
Spurred on by the ongoing Thailand manufacturing recovery as well as domestic consumption in Thailand, the country witnessed an unprecedented rate of growth in the period extending from April to June. The second quarter of the year saw an economy growth in Thailand of 3.3% compared to the performance exhibited in the past quarter.
Deere quarter net gains 11% as economy slows down
Deere & Co. published its fiscal third-quarter results showing that its earnings increased by 11 percent. However manufacturing expenses as well as a drop in international sales caused lower profit than it was initially expected by analysts. Deere & Co. reported a net income of 788.0 million, or $1.98 per share, for the quarter ended July 31, compared with $712.3 million, or $1.69 per share, for the same period previous year.
Factory Slump Proves Recession Not Over So Soon
A review carried out by purchasing supervisors on Wednesday proved that the manufacturing sector in England had witnessed its quickest rate of shrinkage in July after a period of over three years. This piece of news dealt a harsh blow to hopes that the nation was soon going to get over recession.
China’s manufacturing index moving downhill
The annual growth rate for the first quarter is 8.1 percent, the slowest in three years for China. Considering the slack and downturn in Chinese Manufacturing market raising all the fears of a worse than expected setback, the Chinese government has revised the economic growth target to just 7.5 percent, downgrading itself from its 9.2 percent growth last year and 10.4 percent growth in 2010.
Eurozone Manufacturing slips while Asia is on a roll.
The manufacturing sector of Eurozone showed a sharp shrink in almost three years in April, while the data from Asia seems to be very impressive for the quarter. The numbers from the US manufacturing sector also showed a surprising rise in factory growth which left Eurozone as the weakest link in the economic chain with the austerity programs and fiscal crisis taking a toll.
Fading Moment for Bankrupt Eastman Kodak
Even after a Fantastic failure to re-invent itself over the last decade, Eastman Kodak, the iconic film manufacturer, is forcing down its current strategy for rejoining the ranks of leading technology companies. Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection early Thursday morning, trying to follow the path of similar American corporations that have reinvented themselves after a court-supervised reorganization.
Fruity coupes… Pineapples and bananas for more fuel-efficient cars
Imagine dashboards, bumpers and side panels of your car being made from fruit… seems unrealistic huh ? Well, get used to the idea, because according to a Brazilian research team, their new plant fiber-based plastic, which is lighter yet stronger, and obviously more eco-friendly than conventional plastics currently in use, would offer enormous mechanical advantages [...]
