Global Manufacturing
The Lead
Toyota Raises Sales Target To 9.76M Cars
August 3, 2012 9:25 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | Comments
Toyota's quarterly sales soared nearly 60 percent to $70.5 billion, showing how strongly the company has recovered from last year's earthquake.
Obama Renews Calls For Nuclear Reductions
June 19, 2013 10:32 am | by Julie Pace, Associated Press | News | CommentsIssuing an appeal for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time."
Obama Warns EU Over High Youth Unemployment
June 19, 2013 10:01 am | News | CommentsObama said at a news conference in Berlin Wednesday that he has confidence in the eurozone's policies to resolve the 17-nation bloc's debt crisis, but also warned that policymakers must not lead to lose sight "of our main goal, which is to make people's life better."
EU Fines Pharma Firms Over Generics Delay
June 19, 2013 10:00 am | News | CommentsThe European Union has fined Danish pharmaceuticals multinational Lundbeck and several other producers a combined 146 million euros ($195 million) for delaying the market entry of cheaper generic alternatives to a major antidepressant. The EU claimed that the companies sought to capitalize profit at the expense of patients.
Japan Formally OKs New Nuke Safety Requirements
June 19, 2013 8:21 am | News | CommentsJapan's nuclear watchdog has formally approved new safety requirements for atomic plants, paving the way for the reopening of facilities shut down since the Fukushima disaster. The new requirements approved Wednesday by the Nuclear Regulation Authority will take effect on July 8, when operators will be able to apply for inspections.
Bribery Trial Of Former Finmeccanica CEO Opens
June 19, 2013 7:49 am | by Colleen Barry, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe former head of Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica , accused by prosecutors of making bribery part of the company culture, went on trial Wednesday for his alleged role in the payment of bribes to secure a crucial $670 million helicopter contract in India.
GM Breaks Ground On China Cadillac Plant
June 19, 2013 5:14 am | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. executives broke ground for a new Cadillac factory in China on Wednesday to target luxury buyers in the world's biggest auto market, though they said the segment would grow slower than expected this year.
Obama: Difference Between Spying And Hacking
June 18, 2013 12:25 pm | News | CommentsObama says every country engages in intelligence gathering, which he called an occasional source of tension. But the president says there's a big difference between China trying to find out what he's saying in meetings with the Japanese and a hacker connected with the Chinese government breaking into Apple Inc. or other U.S. companies.
S. Korea Begins Bidding For $7.3B Fighter Buy
June 18, 2013 11:39 am | by Sam Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Korea has begun accepting bids from aircraft makers to supply 60 new fighter jets at an estimated cost of $7.3 billion. Two arms procurement officials said the bidding began Tuesday and is scheduled to end next week. Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle, EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are competing.
Stora Enso Lays Off 2,500 Workers
June 18, 2013 7:48 am | News | CommentsNordic paper maker Stora Enso says it will lay off 2,500 workers, or some 9 percent of its total global workforce, as part of a major cost-cutting program and streamlining of operations. The Finland-based company says the measures are aimed at achieving fixed annual savings of $265 million by the second quarter of 2014.
European Car Sales Hit 20-Year Low
June 18, 2013 7:38 am | by Colleen Barry, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsPassenger car sale demand for May dropped by 5.9 percent on the same month last year in the 27-country European Union to 1.042 million units, the lowest level since May 1993 when sales dropped below 1 million, according to new figures released by ACEA.
Lego To Expand Czech Facility To Meet Demand
June 18, 2013 7:35 am | News | CommentsDanish toymaker Lego says it will expand a factory in the Czech Republic and create some 800 jobs to meet growing regional demand for its popular building blocks. Carsten Rasmussen of Lego's European packing division did not reveal the size of the investment except to say it was "a large two-digit million euro figure."
EU Official: Trade Deal With U.S. A 'Game-Changer'
June 17, 2013 2:12 pm | News | CommentsThe top official with the European Union's executive arm says a free trade deal with the United States would be a "game-changer" for the global economy. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the statement Monday ahead of a formal launch of the trade effort at the Group of Eight Summit in Northern Ireland.
Hundreds Sickened In Bangladesh Garment Factory
June 17, 2013 1:50 pm | News | CommentsSeveral hundred garment workers were sickened at their factory outside Bangladesh's capital on Sunday, apparently after drinking water there. Police official Mohammad Jahid said many of the workers were treated at various hospitals after the incident at East West Factory in Gazipur district.
Chinese Supercomputer Named World's Fastest
June 17, 2013 9:58 am | News | CommentsThe semiannual TOP500 official listing of the world's fastest supercomputers released Monday says the Tianhe-2 developed by the National University of Defense Technology in central China's Changsha city is capable of sustained computing of 33.86 petaflops per second. That's the equivalent of 33,860 trillion calculations per second.
Long-Haul Jets Get Boost At Paris Air Show
June 17, 2013 8:00 am | by Lori Hinnant, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe global aviation event at Le Bourget airfield north of Paris is once again showcasing the rivalry between U.S.-based Boeing and French-based Airbus. After several years of success for their smaller models, the world's leading plane makers are hoping this year generates orders for the bigger, more expensive long-haul jets.
China Announces New Measures To Curb Air Pollution
June 17, 2013 7:54 am | by Louise Watt, Associated Press | News | CommentsChina's growing middle class has become increasingly fed up with air, water and soil pollution that has resulted from development-at-all costs policies. Members of the public have virtually no say on industrial projects, and often protest against factories or petrochemical plants they fear could affect their health.
Europe Seeks Ways To Ease Youth Unemployment
June 14, 2013 9:33 am | News | CommentsEconomic and labor ministers from France, Germany, Italy and Spain are meeting in Rome to find a way to reduce record youth unemployment. Italian Premier Enrico Letta has made finding jobs for the young one of the battle cries of his new administration. About 40 percent of Italians aged 15-24 and active in the job hunt are unemployed.
Gov't: LNG Export Decisions Due By End Of Year
June 13, 2013 4:15 pm | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsMoniz, who took office last month, told a House energy panel Thursday that he has been reviewing the issue and will soon begin evaluating applications on a case-by-case basis. Asked whether he would make decisions on export applications this year, Moniz said "yes, absolutely," but he did not give a more specific timeframe.
GM's Opel Unit To Start Building Cars In Belarus
June 13, 2013 8:20 am | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co.'s European Opel unit says it will start assembling cars for Russia and other eastern markets in Belarus next year. Germany-based Opel said GM signed an agreement Thursday to start building its Corsa model at facilities owned by partner Unison in Belarus.
Fiat: Supplier Delays Will Force Shutdowns
June 13, 2013 7:46 am | News | CommentsItalian carmaker Fiat says it will temporarily stop production at some European car plants in the coming days due to insufficient deliveries of plastic parts. Fiat said in a statement Wednesday that more than 5,500 vehicles can't be completed due to missing components from the Italian supplier Selmat, creating an "unmanageable" backlog.
China's Shenzhou 10 Ship Docks With Space Lab
June 13, 2013 4:47 am | News | CommentsChina's latest manned space capsule docked with an orbiting space station Thursday, and the three astronauts climbed aboard what will be their home for the next week, state media reported. Automated controls guided the Shenzhou-10's docking with the space lab, the Xinhua News Agency said.
AP: Bangladesh Factory Flaws Highlighted
June 13, 2013 4:39 am | by Ravi Nessman, Associated Press | News | CommentsBangladeshi garment factories are routinely built without consulting engineers. Many are located in commercial or residential buildings not designed to withstand the stress of heavy manufacturing. Some add illegal extra floors atop support columns too weak to hold them, according to a survey.
GlaxoSmithKline: No China Bribery Found
June 13, 2013 2:39 am | News | CommentsDrug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday it has investigated an accusation that its salespeople in China bribed doctors and found no evidence of wrongdoing. The company said it conducted a four-month investigation after receiving complaints from an anonymous source. It said it found "no evidence of corruption or bribery in our China business."
Czechs Present Bicycle That Can Fly
June 12, 2013 2:02 pm | News | CommentsIs it a bike? Is it a plane? Three Czech companies have teamed up to make a prototype of an electric bicycle that successfully took off Wednesday inside an exhibition hall in Prague and landed safely after a remote-controlled, five-minute flight.
P&G Exec Says Work To Do In China, Russia
June 12, 2013 1:56 pm | by Mae Anderson, Associated Press | News | CommentsProcter & Gamble must do more to improve overall sales in Russia and China, according to the company's chief financial officer, and it has a "disproportionate" amount of work to do in developed markets to revive beauty product sales, once one of its most profitable ventures.
