Strong pound subdues manufacturing exports, the CBI says March 23, 2015 The strong sterling and continued uncertainty for the Eurozone are subduing Britain's manufacturing sector. The CBI said that export orders had fallen to their lowest in more than two years. Just 10 per cent of businesses reported total order books that were above normal for this time of the year. while 35 per cent said [...]
Gatwick Airport slams new findings on Heathrow as “manufacturing an outcome to support third runway ambitions” March 16, 2015 Gatwick Airport has hit out at the findings of the National Connectivity Taskforce (NCT), which singled out Heathrow as being in need of government attention. The two London airports have been at loggerheads for months as they both attempt to gain approval to construct a new runway. A decision on which one of the capital’s [...]
Manufacturers ask Osborne for bigger cuts to the cost of energy March 9, 2015 MANUFACTURERS today called on the chancellor to help out with their energy bills and with more advice and support on exporting. Rapid drops in global oil prices have driven down UK energy bills, dragging inflation into negative territory and so putting giving a break to hard-pressed firms and consumers. But in its budget submission, manufacturers’ [...]
UK manufacturing sector picking up steam March 2, 2015 The speed at which the UK’s manufacturing sector is expanding reached a seven-month high in January, new survey data show. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – a survey of private sector firms – rose to a score of 54.1 in February from January’s 53.1, according to figures released yesterday. Any figure above 50 [...]
Eurozone manufacturing flat in February March 2, 2015 The Eurozone's manufacturing sector showed disappointing growth in February, figures out this morning have shown. Markit's Eurozone manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) hit 51 in February. That's down from the flash estimate of 51.1, and flat on the 51 it hit in January. Still, at least the region's manufacturers can take some solace in the [...]
Sterling’s strength hampers chemical manufacturer Croda February 24, 2015 CHEMICAL manufacturer Croda became the latest victim of sterling’s strength after the company yesterday blamed declining profits last year on the currency. The company struggled during 2014 as fragile consumer confidence and significant exchange rate volatility compounded a general slowdown in all its main markets, especially in Europe, a situation it expects to continue into [...]
Growth surges in manufacturing sector as export orders recover February 19, 2015 MANUFACTURERS are seeing business pick up this month, new survey data shows. They are also expecting to grow more quickly over the next three months, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Output volumes had increased for 40 per cent of firms in February compared with the 23 per cent who said they had [...]
Smart materials: Why the future face of manufacturing matters to investors February 16, 2015 The traditional resources services sector had a challenging year in 2014. While growth rates have trended positively in most parts of the world, resources equities and commodity prices, including oil and gold, declined because of uncertainties and increased supply. Longer term, population growth and demographic shifts will alter consumption patterns and place additional strain on [...]
Manufacturers line up for Arm’s blockbuster smartphone chip February 3, 2015 BRITISH chip designer Arm Holdings last night unveiled its next generation in mobile processors which it says will make next year’s smartphones 50 times more powerful than those from five years ago. The FTSE 100 firm’s marketing chief Ian Drew said the new high end chip design, known as the ARM Cortex-A72 processor, already has [...]
PMI: UK manufacturing gets off to a good 2015 as costs drop while orders grow February 2, 2015 UK manufacturing has had a good start to the year, with output and new orders both shrugging off the slowdown at the end of last year. Figures out this morning show that the UK's manufacturing PMI rose to 53 in January, up from 52.7 in December, which was itself revised up from 52.5. [...]