Manufacturing

Carr’s Milling, the UK-based animal feed and agricultural machinery group, has reported a strong growth in profits during the year ending August 2010.

The Carlisle-based company, which owns fertiliser manufacturing and fuel operations, saw pre-tax profits rise 27.4 per cent to £9 million.

Business is all about accepting risks but if you have the ‘do it yourself’ attitude, nothing remains out of reach, as Alan Swaby learns.

The mark of a true entrepreneurial spirit is when challenges turn into opportunities. In the 1970s, the Zamil family business in Saudi Arabia found that pioneering steel buildings to a predominantly concrete market was no easy task, as it involved educating and converting end-users to the benefits and advantages of locally manufactured steel buildings.

Hatti Zeppel, CEO of Green Cross Manufacturing, South Africa’s leading comfort footwear manufacturer, has been caught off guard by the company’s success over the past year. Jayne Flannery reports.

Italian tyre maker Pirelli has announced plans to invest €1.9 billion over the next five years in its core tyre business, with a focus on its premium range as well as emerging markets.

Revealing its 2011-2013 Industrial Plan and Vision to 2015, Milan-based Pirelli, Europe’s largest tyre maker, forecast annual revenue growth of eight per cent over the next three years, with profitability expected to rise to between 10.5 and 11.5 per cent.

The company is also planning a rise in total output to around 88 million units in 2015 from 61.8 million this year.

General Motors has finalized terms for what is expected to be one of the largest-ever IPOs, to begin to repay its $50 billion government-funded bailout and reduce the US Treasury to a minority shareholder.

Potential investors are expected from all over the world, including some sovereign wealth funds.

GM plans to sell 365 million common shares, or 24 percent of its common stock, at between $26 to $29 each, which would raise around $10 billion if sold at the midpoint, according to updated IPO papers filed with the SEC.

Italian automaker Piaggio, the maker of Vespa scooters, is planning to launch an eco-friendly mini-car in India that will rival the Tata Nano.

The prototype was revealed at the Milan bike show, with the finished product scheduled to be launched within the next three years.

In an effort to attract buyers for its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner, Boeing today announced it will introduce a rotable exchange services program to support the operation of the aircraft.

The program will help airline customers reduce inventory costs by providing access to a Boeing-managed inventory pool of parts, available to ship within 24 hours of request.

As part of a comprehensive plan to modernize and expand its fleet of equipment, Amtrak is buying 70 new electric locomotives to provide improved performance and reliability for its Northeast intercity passenger rail services.

The six-year, $466 million contract was awarded to Siemens and will create 250 jobs primarily at a facility in Sacramento, California, but also at plants in Norwood, Ohio and Alpharetta, Georgia.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mezhgosmetiz-Mtsensk OAO (MGM), a privately-held welding wire manufacturer based in the Orel region of Russia.

The acquisition will provide Lincoln its first manufacturing operation in Russia as well as established distribution channels to serve the growing Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) welding markets. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisition has been approved by the Russian Federation regulatory agencies and is expected to close tomorrow.

The automotive industry certainly suffered during the global financial crisis and the knock-on effect for many lower tier affiliates was devastating. Jackie Barclay, managing director at Acoustex, tells Andrew Pelis how reduced order volumes lead to a re-think on inventory strategy that saw the company ride out the storm.