Manufacturing

Altair Engineering, a global provider of simulation technology and engineering services, today announced an expansion of its presence in Huntsville, Alabama, one of the major centres of aerospace research and development in the United States.

The new office, only a short distance from NASA's Marshall Space Center, will provide local aerospace engineers with free training courses on Altair’s HyperWorks computer-aided engineering tools, along with technical services support.

Industrial products supplier Affinia Group has relocated and expanded its west coast Global Brake & Chassis Distribution Center after continued growth in the western United States and Canada.

Distribution services have been moved from a 150,000-square-foot facility in Modesto, California to a new 390,000-square-foot facility in Patterson, California.

UK drinks company Diageo has announced the acquisition of Turkish spirits firm Mey Icki Sanayi & Ticaret for £1.3 billion.

Mey is one of the largest alcohol producers in Turkey, controlling around 80 per cent of the market for the Turkish national drink, raki. It also controls around 65 per cent of the country’s vodka market.

The deal will give Diageo access to Mey’s extensive distribution network as well as its production facilities. The Istanbul-based company currently has 50,000 retail outlets across Turkey.

France’s Lafarge and UK mining company Anglo American have announced they are to combine their tarmac and cement businesses in the UK.

The 50-50 joint venture will see the two companies merge their cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and contracting businesses in the UK—currently operating as Tarmac UK and Lafarge Cement UK.

The combined sales of the two businesses in 2010 was £1.8 billion.

Innovation is part of company DNA at Marcotte Mining Machinery. General manager Denis Rienguette tells Gay Sutton how customization and R&D help the company stay ahead in this volatile industry.

Jeffrey Liker and Mike Rother, world renowned authorities on the Toyota Production System, argue that lean is not just about using tools to improve operational processes, but more about perfecting the improvement process itself.

The US antidumping law is not working, says William E. Perry. It destroys US jobs instead of protecting them, while Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) could be just what they need.

GE has entered an agreement with international energy services company Wood Group to acquire its Well Support Division for $2.8 billion.

Wood Group's Well Support division comprises three business platforms: ESP (electric submersible pumps), Pressure Control (surface wellhead and flow control systems) and Logging Services (wireline logging).

Rolls-Royce has signed a long-term service contract with Emirates worth £1.4 billion.

Under the terms of the TotalCare agreement, Rolls-Royce technicians will maintain the Trent engines of 70 Airbus aircraft that Emirates is due to acquire over the next few years.

The deal follows Rolls-Royce’s $1.2 billion contract signed in November to service engines on a further 48 Emirates aeroplanes. The number of Emirates aircraft now being serviced under the TotalCare scheme is 128.

Over 40 years after the original Boeing 747 stunned the world in September 1968, Boeing unveiled its new 747-8 Intercontinental yesterday at the same factory in Everett, Washington.

Sunday's event, branded "Incredible, Again", took place in front of a crowd of almost 10,000 Boeing employees, their families, government officials, partners, suppliers and industry VIPs.