The Engineer back issues from July 2000:
'Meltdown' scare stories spinning out of control.
Jul 07, 2000 ... CLAIMING THAT manufacturing is heading for 'meltdown' is the kind of damaging scaremongering we can all do without. Looking at some of our figures this week for the first six months of the year (Financial News, page 10) it is evident that in some sectors companies that make ...
GOOD WEEK.
Jul 07, 2000 ... * Research High-tech researchers will gain an extra [pounds]1bn from the government and the Wellcome Trust. Part of this will be used to bolster PhD grants, which are expected to receive a [pounds]50m boost. * Oil Inflation fears eased this week as the oil price fell to just ...
BAD WEEK.
Jul 07, 2000 ... * Lara Croft Once proposed by Lord Sainsbury as 'engineering ambassador' for British technology, the sexy cyber-star of Tomb Raider goes abroad as Eidos is bought out -- by a French company. Au revoir. * London's skyline The City's burghers are in a pickle over a building ...
'Meltdown' fears exaggerated as industry predicts recovery.
Jul 07, 2000; ... WARNINGS OF A UK 'manufacturing meltdown' if the government does not commit to joining the euro have been exaggerated, industry experts said this week. A leaked memo on Monday from Andrew Fraser, head of the Invest in Britain bureau, warned of potential high profile ...
UK should learn from Ireland's boom, urges report.
Jul 07, 2000 ... BRITAIN SHOULD LEARN from the policies that have driven Ireland's recent economic boom, according to a report published this week by financial consultants, Business Strategies. Since 1994 Ireland has experienced GDP growth of 9.2% per year, compared to 2.8% in the UK, and ...
Aerospace suppliers '10 years out of date'.
Jul 07, 2000; ... UK AEROSPACE SUPPLIERS are under threat from outdated ways of working and growing overseas competition, according to a report by the Society of British Aerospace Companies. Suppliers to the aerospace industry are up to a decade behind the automotive sector on working practices, ...
BG plans centre to develop natural gas-powered cars.
Jul 07, 2000 ... GAS GROUP BG will open a development centre for gas-powered vehicles in the south east before the end of the year. The centre will become the hub of BG's effort to market natural gas vehicles in the UK and overseas. 'What we're trying to do is centralise our activities in this ...
UK population.
Jul 07, 2000 ... More than half the UK population have mobile phones, according to the big four network operators. In Europe, only Italy and the Nordic countries have a higher rate of ownership. The introduction of pre-paid phones boosted growth in ...
Investment in the UK.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Investment in the UK by foreign companies reached record levels last year, with nearly half comong from the US. More than 52,000 new jobs were created through 757 inward investment projects from 30 countries, according to the government's Invest in Britain Bureau. ...
Gordon Brown.
Jul 07, 2000 ... A [pounds]1bn fund to improve the UK's science teaching and research base was announced by chancellor Gordon Brown, in an effort to stem the brain drain of scientists moving to the US. The money, which will come from the Treasury and the Wellcome Trust science charity, will be used to ...
euro-zone.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Manufacturing growth in the euro-zone may be about to peak after several months of strong expansion, according to a survey by news agency Reuters. Countries within the single currency area are expected to see growth of around 3.5% this ...
Engineering media.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Engineering media users are to be surveyed on their reading and internet surfing habits later this year. The engineering and national press, websites and the jobs market will be the focus of the joint industry research project. Backed by Centaur Publishing, which owns The Engineer, the ...
Phoenix consortium leader John Towers.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Phoenix consortium leader John Towers has written to Rover workers asking for more volunteers for redundancy. So far only 300 workers have come forward, but the ...
Babcock Engineering is to cut 390 jobs.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Babcock Engineering is to cut 390 jobs at its Rosyth naval dockyard base in Fife. The company, which employs about 2,700 full-time workers at the base, said ...
Delphi Automotive Systems.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Delphi Automotive Systems, the international parts group which demerged from General Motors last year, ...
The Ministry of Defence.
Jul 07, 2000 ... The Ministry of Defence said it will need new rear fuselages for the RAE's Harrier II GR7 attack aircraft because the current ones will not ...
Adtranz has won a [pounds]120m contract.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Adtranz has won a [pounds]120m contract to build and maintain 28 new Electrostar trains for c2c Rail, formerly LTS Rail, which operates ...
The board of Welsh water and power company Hyder.
Jul 07, 2000 ... The board of Welsh water and power company Hyder has advised shareholders not to accept the takeover bids of either Nomura of Japan or WPD of the US ...
Nissan's options limited for moving Micra from Sunderland.
Jul 07, 2000; ... A THREAT last week by Nissan president Carlos Ghosn to halt further investment at the company's Sunderland plant if the pound remains strong could come to nothing because of a lack of suitable alternative sites, it has emerged this week. Sundarland produces about 100,000 units ...
Hawtal Whiting consultancy may be for sale.
Jul 07, 2000 ... AUTOMOTIVE CONSULTANCY Hawtal Whiting is considering putting itself up for sale after taking a battering from the strength of the pound. The Essex-based firm has asked KPMG Corporate Finance to review its ...
Diesel car sales slowdown in UK bucks continental trend.
Jul 07, 2000 ... THE UK MARKET for diesel cars is collapsing despite surging demand in the rest of Europe, according to a report by automotive consultancy Ricardo. Diesel's higher price at the pumps, along with consumer perceptions of it as a 'dirty' fuel, cut its penetration of the UK car ...
Large gas users face interrupted supplies.
Jul 07, 2000; ... LARGE INDUSTRIAL gas users -- already facing 50% hikes in their gas bills -- also face interruptions to their supplies because of alleged market manipulation by leading shippers. Shippers supply gas to the market and thus can influence the price, and include many of the major ...
BNFL appoints 'new brooms' in drive to restore reputation.
Jul 07, 2000 ... BRITISH NUCLEAR FUELS has made several new management appointments as part of an effort to restore its reputation following the scandal over falsification of fuel documentation at its Sellafield site. The company said a 10-strong team of compliance inspectors and advisers - at ...
BAE Systems is the real winner in EADS deal.
Jul 07, 2000; ... LAST MONTH'S announcement of the creation of the Airbus Integrated Company appeared at a stroke to show just how badly BAE Systems has been outmanoeuvred in Europe by the creation of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. EADS, the merger of France's Aerospatiale Matra, ...
Australian airline Qantas.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Australian airline Qantas has joined the six airlines which have expressed interest in the Airbus A3XX 'super jumbo' airliner. ...
Siemens Automation & Drives.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Siemens Automation & Drives has acquired gas analysis and chromatography specialist Applied Automation. The Nottingham-based ...
Land Rover.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Land Rover officially became part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group on 1 July. The subsidiary's new ...
Manufacturing investment.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Manufacturing investment rose by 5% to [pounds]4.7bn in the first quarter of 2000. This was the second consecutive quarterly rise, and ...
Deaths caused by asbestos at.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Deaths caused by asbestos at work are rising, despite a ban on new installations of the fibre, a report by the Trades Union ...
Rapid product development specialist ARRK Styles RPD.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Rapid product development specialist ARRK Styles RPD is to double its workforce to over 120 and ...
Second and third tier automotive suppliers.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Second and third tier automotive suppliers face a period of rapid consolidation, with 10,000 firms ...
India 'threatens' [pounds]lbn BAE Hawk jet trainer contract.
Jul 07, 2000; ... THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT is threatening to rule out BAE Systems for a $1.6bn ([pounds]1bn) contract to supply Hawk advanced jet trainers to the Indian Air Force, according to a report by a French news agency. Indian defence ministry sources were quoted as saying the threat followed ...
MoD may hold fresh contest for Bowman radio contract.
Jul 07, 2000 ... THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE'S [pounds]1.7bn Bowman digital radio programme appeared to be up for grabs again after its equipment acquisition committee last week said ministers should consider holding a fresh competition for the contract. The committee is believed to be losing ...
Pace plans more centres in south east.
Jul 07, 2000 ... PACE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, the television set-top box developer, is to expand in the south east of England with two new research bases. An engineering centre will be set up in Bracknell, Berkshire, close to Pace's customers in the broadcasting sector. The centre will develop ways of ...
Tomkins shares perk up as Hutchings steps down.
Jul 07, 2000; ... New chairman David Newlands will refocus the conglomerate towards its core businesses, but denies the changes are due to shareholder unease at over-diversification TOMKINS, THE LAST of the UK's old-style manufacturing conglomerates, saw its chairman of 17 years step down last ...
Investors still happiest to 'think electric'.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Round-up of performance over the first six months of the year shows electronics shares are still the most attractive buy Aerospace/Defence: * up 3.75% UK aerospace companies BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce have outperformed their European rivals. This is ...
Intelek.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Intelek, the aerospace and electronic components group, returned to profitability in the year to 31 March following the disposal of loss-making ...
Druck Holdings.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Druck Holdings, which makes pressure measurement and control equipment, saw a small rise in pre-tax profits in the year to 31 March ...
First Technology.
Jul 07, 2000 ... First Technology, the crash test dummy and sensor manufacturer, almost doubled its turnover in the ...
IBM has entered a strategic.
Jul 07, 2000 ... IBM has entered a strategic alliance with Swedish ERP supplier IBS to provide integrated e-business software, hardware and ...
wireless internet.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Revenue from a new breed of wireless internet portals is forecast to grow from $747m in 2000 ...
Slough-based Syncra Systems.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Slough-based Syncra Systems has launched Syncra Xt. an internet-based supply chain collaboration tool for online trading ...
Marconi Communications.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Marconi Communications has placed a $1 .4m order for Mentor Graphics Board Station ...
Vertex International.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Vertex International is the new name for a multinational merger of European supply chain software suppliers which includes Portable Software ...
Fujitsu ICL Malaga.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Fujitsu ICL Malaga has selected glovia.com/5 ERP tools for controlling all ...
Tribon launches e-market for shipbuilding suppliers.
Jul 07, 2000; ... SWEDISH CAD/CAM supplier Tribon Solutions is to launch a [pounds]7.4m electronic marketplace for the shipbuilding industry. It is due for launch in October this year, and is targeting many of the 4,000 component suppliers and 400 shipbuilding and repair yards worldwide, with an ...
ABB takes stake in Paperloop Portal.
Jul 07, 2000 ... TECHNOLOGY GROUP ABB is to team up with online paper industry e-marketplace PaperLoop.com to develop a web portal for the pulp and paper industry, as the latest stage of an extensive e-business strategy. ABB is the world's largest supplier of automation products to the pulp and ...
Richardo's engine software will cut development time.
Jul 07, 2000; ... LEADING car industry design engineer Ricardo has developed a new generation of software for engine management systems which promises to cut vehicle development time. It has developed torque-based algorithms for a range of engines, and is demonstrating them on a BMW 540 at its ...
Centric brings its solution to the UK.
Jul 07, 2000 ... US-BASED Centric Software has set up offices in the UK to sell software that it claims can overcome many of the technical problems associated with concurrent engineering. Until now, according to Toby Gold, Centric's UK managing director, concurrent engineering has been carried ...
If the UK reduces emissions first, others will follow...
Jul 07, 2000; ... A KEY conclusion of the recent report from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is that if humanity is to prevent damaging climate change, then developed nations like the UK must take the lead in making large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. If the UK takes ...
...but will we sacrifice our global competitiveness?
Jul 07, 2000; ... OVER RECENT years, the CBI has taken an active role in the development of climate change policy. We recognise the threat of climate change and its implications as legitimate areas of concern. Indeed, we have been involved in numerous activities intended to help the UK meet the ...
Light years ahead of the competition.
Jul 07, 2000 ... David Payne, chairman of [pounds]37m spin-off Southampton Photonics, sees a bright future for UK optical technology Southampton Photonics, a spin-off from the Optoelectronics Research centre at Southampton University, recently secured [pounds]37m in venture capital funding, ...
High rollers.
Jul 07, 2000 ... When Roll-Royce bought Vickers in 1999 it was accused of having more money than sense but, as MARK VENABLES explains, acquiring Vickers Marine Services Division was just one part of the aerospace giant's bigger plans to rule the waves When Rolls-Royce paid [pounds]576m for ...
Variations on a theme.
Jul 07, 2000; ... In Sunderland and Barcelona, Nissan is leading the way in maximising capacity by building several models in each factory. As European car makers face increasing pressure on profits, they are keen to run their plants as efficiently as possible, wringing the maximum capacity from ...
Pneumatic specialist Norgen.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Pneumatic specialist Norgen has created a family of pneumatically powered creatures for a Hollywood blockbuster now in production by Fox titled Gargantua. Norgen fitted the ...
Metrology equipment manufacturer Taylor Hobson.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Metrology equipment manufacturer Taylor Hobson has won a GTMA World Class Award. The annual awards held at the Savoy Hotel, London, were contested by companies from all disciplines of ...
Parametric Technology Corporation.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Parametric Technology Corporation has received a five-year contract from Airbus, renewing its commitment to PTC solutions. The contract for $22m of software and maintenance services includes PTC's web-based ...
West Midlands still faces Rover fallout.
Jul 07, 2000 ... THE WEST Midlands automotive components industry is likely to find itself under more pressure, not less, now the sale of Rover has been completed, an industry partnership has warned. Although Rover's Longbridge plant is to stay open, the company will need to look for savings and ...
Encoder buys Eplon Engineering.
Jul 07, 2000 ... MOTION SENSOR manufacturer Encoder Technology has announced that contracts have been exchanged for the purchase of Eplon Engineering. The sale has been prompted by the decision of Ron Epps, Eplon's managing director, to retire. Eplon was established 30 years ago and the business ...
Q & A.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Richard Pell, 41, UK marketing manager for IMI Norgren based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. What are your company's main areas of business? We are the UK's leading supplier of pneumatics and fluid control equipment to a wide customer base. What are the ...
Masterfil provides the chilled solution.
Jul 07, 2000 ... A NEW family-owned business is bringing the authentic taste of Indian cuisine into the home with help from a new filling and capping system. The Meah's Flavours of India sauce business was formed after Moklish and Khaled Meah responded to requests for curry sauces from diners ...
Double Vision Signs.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Double Vision Signs has teamed with Huco Engineering Componentsin a bid to reduce the vibrations found in rotating slatted signs. The result is a ...
BSH Balay.
Jul 07, 2000 ... BSH Balay of Zaragoza has begun painting oven handles and knobs using a new painting process, developed by DuPont. It enables BSH Balay to paint the plastic handles of their latest ...
Celesco.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Celesco has manufactured the Velocity Limiting System (VLS), limiting cable retraction to 1.25-1.5mls, to prevent cables from reaching damaging velocities during the retraction process. The ...
Coventry Gauge.
Jul 07, 2000 ... Coventry Gauge has launched the Digi-Thread digital depth gauge. It is the first product to be developed and manufactured using the synergies within the ...