Manufacturing

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a $23 million contract by Spirit AeroSystems in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to produce winglets for commercial business-jet aircraft.

GDATP will produce and deliver composite winglets to Spirit AeroSystems, which then will assemble them onto wings for delivery. Production of the winglets will begin immediately at the company's Marion, Virginia, facility, with deliveries starting in the third quarter of 2012.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz reached record figures in 2011, Germany’s Daimler has announced.

Record sales in China and what the company termed “outstanding” development in the US contributed towards the figures reaching an all-time high. The brand also remains the strongest premium marque in Germany, the car maker said.

A total of 1,362,908 vehicles of the brands Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach were delivered to customers—around 77,000 units more than the previous record set in 2007 (1,285,900 units).

French automotive components manufacturer Valeo has acquired 80 per cent of the China-based lighting specialist Ruby.

Chery Technology, a subsidiary of the Chinese automotive manufacturer Chery Automobile, will retain a 20 per cent stake in the company, to be renamed Wuhu Valeo Automotive Lighting Systems.

The new joint venture will design, manufacture and sell Valeo Lighting Systems products—predominantly for Chery Automobile in the Chinese market—and will be integrated within Valeo’s Visibility Systems Business Group.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to purchase 84 new Boeing F-15 fighter aircraft from the US government and upgrade 70 of its existing F-15s.

Boeing chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney welcomed the announcement. "For Boeing, this agreement represents the continuation of an enduring partnership between the company and the Kingdom that dates back to 1945 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented a DC-3 Dakota airplane to King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said.

Bombardier Transportation has secured an additional order for 130 of its Electrostar rail carriages from UK rail operator Southern, in a contract valued at £189 million (€227 million/$296 million).

“We are delighted to be awarded this contract by Southern. This is a significant project which emphasises the performance of Bombardier’s products in the UK,” said Paul Roberts, chief country representative and president of Bombardier Transportation, Services UK and Passenger Fleet Management Service Line. 

ThermoEnergy Corp has announced the completion of a 28,000 square foot expansion of the manufacturing facility at its Worcester, Massachusetts corporate headquarters.

The expansion will more than double the manufacturing space available to ThermoEnergy, a diversified technologies company engaged in the development and sale of municipal and industrial wastewater recovery and clean power generation technologies.

Toyota is planning to increase production by 24 percent in 2012 as it recovers from the effects of the Japanese earthquake and the floods in Thailand.

The company said it plans to produce almost 8.5 million vehicles next year (Lexus and Toyota brands) and to increase sales by 20 percent to 8.65 million.

Figures released a few days ago show that Toyota aims to increase production in Japan by 23 percent to 3.4 million and overseas by 25 percent to 5.25 million.

SPX Corporation has completed its acquisition of CLYDEUNION Pumps, a UK based global supplier of pump technologies used in oil and gas processing, power generation and other industrial applications.

In the final agreement as amended 22 December, 2011, the total purchase price comprises £500 million sterling, paid at closing, plus a potential earn-out payment in 2013 based on 2012 EBITDA performance.

Henk Pauw, CEO of Sohar Aluminium, talks to Gay Sutton about the company’s role in promoting industry in Oman and creating jobs for local people.

Nyanza Bottling Company Limited (NBCL), a joint venture between Sumaria Corporation and the CMG Group of Companies, is one of East Africa’s most dynamic companies. Christopher M Gachuma talks to Jayne Alverca about his passion for excellence.