Global Manufacturing
Dole To Appeal EU Court Fines
March 14, 2013 10:38 pm | News | CommentsDole Food Company Inc. said Thursday it will appeal a decision by a European court that fines the company €45.6 million ($59.3 million). The European Union fined Dole and several other produce companies in 2008, saying the companies were part of a cartel that fixed prices for bananas in eight EU countries roughly 10 years ago.
Brewery To Make 'Shipwreck Beer'
March 14, 2013 1:48 pm | News | CommentsLocal authorities on the Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea say a local brewer will begin producing a beer inspired by bottles found in a 19th century shipwreck three years ago. Five bottles of beer, along with 168 bottles of champagne, were pulled from a submerged schooner that experts believe sank in the 1840s.
Swiss Commits To Buy 6 Boeing 777s
March 14, 2013 1:45 pm | News | CommentsBoeing Co. said Thursday that it received a commitment from Swiss International Air Lines to buy six of its 777-300ERs. Boeing said it will work with Swiss to sign a firm order. The large, long-haul planes have a list price of $1.9 billion, although discounts are common.
U.S. Current Account Trade Deficit Narrows
March 14, 2013 1:15 pm | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe U.S. current account trade deficit narrowed in the final three months of 2012. But that didn't prevent the deficit for the entire year from climbing to the highest level in four years. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the current account deficit in the October-December quarter narrowed to $110.4 billion, down 1.8 percent from the previous quarter.
MAPI: Slower Activity In 2013 To Precede Pickup in 2014
March 14, 2013 12:19 pm | by Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation | News | CommentsMAPI forecasts that industrial production will increase 2.2 percent in 2013, an increase from 2.0 percent in the December 2012 forecast. A further pickup is likely in 2014, with growth anticipated to be 3.6 percent, above the 3.2 percent in the previous report.
Volkswagen CEO Stresses Cautious Outlook
March 14, 2013 9:46 am | News | CommentsVolkswagen's chief executive Martin Winterkorn said Thursday the company faces a challenging year particularly in Europe where many countries are in recession. Winterkorn told the company's annual news and analyst conference that "Volkswagen is feeling the headwinds — especially in Europe."
U.S. Business Bemoans India Trade 'Protectionism'
March 14, 2013 8:23 am | by Matthew Pennington, Associated Press | News | CommentsThere's strong bipartisan support for deeper U.S.-India ties, which have been pushed by the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and trade has grown markedly in the past decade and is approaching the $100 billion mark. But experts say that total is small, considering the size of the two economies.
China Accuses Coca-Cola Of Misusing GPS Equipment
March 14, 2013 7:47 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsBeijing tightly controls map-related activities due to both national security concerns and political sensitivities about the location of its borders. Providers of map services for websites and mobile phones must obtain government licenses and locate their servers within China.
UGN, Inc. Expands Global Production Into Mexico
March 13, 2013 11:21 am | News | CommentsUGN has six manufacturing facilities across the United States producing superior acoustic, interior trim, and thermal management products for North American and Japanese automotive manufacturers, and no U.S. jobs will be lost because of the recent expansion.
Renault, Unions Reach Deal To Cut Costs, Jobs
March 13, 2013 10:15 am | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsFrench carmaker Renault SA reached a potentially groundbreaking deal with leading unions Wednesday that allows it to reduce its workforce and cut costs in exchange for keeping jobs and production in France. Renault and other European carmakers have been struggling to stay competitive globally as Europe's car market flails.
Panel: No Cover-Up Attempt By Japan Nuke Plant
March 13, 2013 8:32 am | News | CommentsAn independent panel says the operator of Japan's tsunami-crippled nuclear plant misinformed investigators and blocked inspection of key equipment last year, but that there was no cover-up attempt. The case involves a parliamentary probe of equipment at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant's Unit 1 reactor.
India Agency Files Case Against Air Force Ex-Chief
March 13, 2013 3:46 am | by Nirmala George, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Central Bureau of Investigation filed the charges under India's corruption prevention laws against Shashi Tyagi, three of his cousins and officials of four defense companies after an investigation revealed that huge bribes were paid to steer the contract to Italian defense group Finmeccanica's helicopter division.
China Willing To Talk With U.S. Over Cyberattacks
March 12, 2013 1:41 pm | News | CommentsForeign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeated China's assertion that it is firmly opposed to cyberattacks and one of the countries that has suffered most from them. She says the country cracks down on such hackers according to the law.
Lamborghini 2012 Deliveries Up
March 12, 2013 10:40 am | News | CommentsLamborghini says its worldwide deliveries of super sports cars rose 30 percent last year to 2,083 units but remained shy of pre-crisis highs. The Italian carmaker owned by Volkswagen said Tuesday that deliveries were up by half in its top U.S. market and up by 34 percent in Europe despite the region's financial crisis.
China Wrestles With Cost Of Cleaner Environment
March 12, 2013 8:48 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsPollution and public frustration about it are hardly new to China. But now, the ruling party is under pressure from entrepreneurs and professionals who are crucial to its development plans and want cleaner living conditions. Pressure intensified after this winter's record-shattering smog in Beijing.
Drug Makers, Interpol Ramp Up Fight Against Fakes
March 12, 2013 7:52 am | by Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsInterpol's newly created Pharmaceutical Crime Program aims to help health agencies, police and customs bureaus in countries around the globe stem the supply of bogus brand-name and generic medicines, as well as identify and dismantle the organized crime rings distributing them.
AMT: Jan. Manufacturing Tech Orders Off 12.2 Pct. From 2012
March 11, 2013 3:47 pm | News | CommentsJanuary U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $370.62 million. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 26.5 percent from December and down 12.2 percent when compared with the total of $422.33 million reported for January 2012.
Markets Sluggish After Recent Run
March 11, 2013 11:43 am | by Pan Pylas, Associated Press | News | CommentsMarkets have started the week sluggishly Monday as investors pause for breath following a dash that's seen the Dow Jones index in the U.S. record a series of all-time highs. The Dow Jones industrial average was flat at 14,400 while the broader S&P 500 index fell 0.1 percent to 1,551.
Old Sausage Found At Polish Meat Plant
March 11, 2013 11:19 am | News | CommentsLast week, TVN24 showed footage of green-colored sausages at the plant, while an anonymous worker was heard saying they would be cleaned, dried and added to new products. Another man said that tons of old meat were added to products instead of being destroyed.
China's Auto Sales Up 19.5 Percent
March 11, 2013 9:48 am | News | CommentsChina's auto sales accelerated in the first two months of this year, rising 19.5 percent over the same period of 2012 in a possible positive sign for an economic recovery. Automakers sold 2.8 million cars in January and February, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported Monday.
China Pulls 2,800 Pigs From River Amid Pork Crackdown
March 11, 2013 8:20 am | by Louise Watt and Didi Tang, The Associated Press | News | CommentsA surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai — with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday — has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. The effort to keep infected pork off dinner tables may be fueling new health fears.
EU Bans Cosmetics With Animal-Tested Ingredients
March 11, 2013 8:06 am | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe EU has banned animal testing of finished cosmetic products since 2004. The ban on cosmetics containing animal-tested ingredients was first decided four years ago but initially left loopholes for certain tests following resistance from cosmetics companies.
2 Japanese Firms Snared In Price-Fixing Probe
March 8, 2013 2:13 pm | News | CommentsThe Justice Department says two Japanese air freight forwarding companies have agreed to plead guilty and pay a combined $18.9 million in fines — the latest of 16 firms ensnared in a price-fixing conspiracy. The department says the 16 companies have agreed to pay more than $120 million in criminal fines.
Survey: Manufacturers Targeting 1.5 Pct. Cost Reduction In 2013
March 8, 2013 10:42 am | News | CommentsWith GDP growth stabilizing in major regions of the world, manufacturers are expecting reduced sales forecast uncertainty, enabling them to plan supply requirements and manufacturing capacity with far greater confidence, the study found.
China's February Exports Surge But Imports Fall
March 8, 2013 8:15 am | by Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsEconomic growth rebounded in the final quarter of 2012 from a three-year low. The latest trade data might help to reassure analysts who say China's recovery is still shaky and will be too weak to drive a global rebound without a revival in the United States and Europe.
