Manufacturing

Reporting its second quarter 2010 results today, Ford Motor Company announced the company’s best quarterly performance since the first quarter of 2004, with each of its major business operations around the world recording improved profits.

The company posted net income of $2.6 billion (61 cents per share), an improvement of $338 million over the second quarter of 2009.

Johnson Controls, a global technology and industrial leader, has reported a 22 percent increase in revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, with higher sales in each of its three business segments.

Net income in the quarter ended June 30 rose to $418 million (61 cents per share), up from $163 million (26 cents per share), in the same period last year. Revenue rose 22 percent to $8.54 billion. The company also said earnings for fiscal 2010 are expected to be at the high end of its previously disclosed guidance.

Orders for new aircraft are flying in at the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, the largest of its kind in the world, and an event at which aerospace companies traditionally make major announcements.

After spending $11 billion on Airbus A380s at last month's Berlin Airshow, Emirates led the way at Farnborough with an order for 30 Boeing 777 aircraft worth £5.9 billion ($9.1 billion). The airline was originally expected to order only twenty.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner landed at Farnborough in the UK Sunday for its first appearance at an international air show. “This is the first time we've had a new airplane at an air show since the early 1990s," said Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The 787 Dreamliner is considered a revolutionary new aircraft, as it is largely built from light-weight composite material. It is now two years behind schedule, however, after delays caused by a series of hitches, and rival Airbus has been catching up with its new model, the A 350.

For the first time since 1997, domestic auto brands, collectively, have surpassed import brands as a whole in vehicle appeal, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study just released.

Germany’s Siemens AG has signed multi-billion euro deals to supply railway technologies and wind power to Russia.

Under the agreements, Siemens will modernise 22 railway switching yards by 2026 and supply Russian Railways (RZD) with 240 regional trains (a total of 1,200 coaches)over the next 10 years.

The trains will be a specialised version of the Desiro, which will be produced in Russia starting in 2012. Siemens is planning a joint venture with RZD subsidiary Aeroexpress to manufacture the trains.

Boeing is set to go head-to-head once again with European rival EADS for the lucrative $35 billion Pentagon contract to build refueling aircraft for the US Air Force.

The Pentagon first invited bids to replace the aging fleet of tankers several years ago, and has actually awarded the contract twice (once to each side), but successful challenges have forced it to start the process all over again. Meanwhile the US Air Force is still flying takers which date back to the late-1950s.

Replica cars are being taken to a whole new level at one company in South Africa, as Alan Swaby learns.

Petrol heads will need no reminding of the iconic 1960s AC Cobra—often referred to as the Shelby Cobra, due to its association with US racing driver Carroll Shelby. Production ceased in England in 1969 by which time around 1,000 Cobras had been produced. Today, if such a car comes on the market it can fetch millions of dollars if it has a race history. Even with no track experience it could sell for $200,000.

Afripack Pty Ltd is today a leading player in South Africa’s flexible packaging market. CEO Arnold Vermaak talks to Jayne Flannery about the company’s evolution from being a simple manufacturer of paper sacks.

A comprehensive product portfolio, market expansion and customization add up to make Bunting Bearings a leader in its field.