UK manufacturing sector growth slumps to a two-year low July 1, 2015 The UK manufacturing sector grew at its slowest pace in more than two years, partly due to a strong pound strangling European demand for exports. The Markit/CIPS manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 51.4 in June, the lowest since April 2013, and from a downwardly revised figure of 51.9 a month earlier. However, the [...]
Manufacturers put their money behind productivity programmes June 28, 2015 THE VAST majority of UK manufacturers are picking up the pace of investment, according to a new survey out today. The survey of 750 UK businesses with a turnover of £2m to £25m was carried out by Lombard Asset Finance for EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. Seventy-one per cent of manufacturers surveyed said that they felt [...]
Oil and gas fires up industrial production – but manufacturing output slides June 10, 2015 Industrial output rose by 0.4 per cent in April, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), beating economists' forecasts of a 0.1 per cent rise. The bumper figure was driven by mining and quarrying which rose by 5.6 per cent – and this was helped along by oil and gas extraction which [...]
Car manufacturer Renault offers RCI Banque bank account for UK savers June 8, 2015 Car manufacturer Renault’s finance arm is launching savings accounts in the UK for the first time, diversifying its funding base. Motor companies often run finance businesses to fund customers’ purchases of their cars, as well as related insurance products. But offering a wider range of services is not as common. RCI Banque, as the unit [...]
Ghost in the machine: Rolls-Royce’s new Ghost hits the almost imperceptible sweet spot between manufacturing and art June 4, 2015 Automobiles are no strangers to art galleries. Among the MoMA’s permanent collection in New York is a pristine multi-story car park that includes a scarlet 1946 Cisitalia 202 GT, a matt olive ‘52 VW Beetle, and a blue metallic 1961 Jaguar E-type roadster. For three days in London last Christmas, though, there was a marque [...]
Strong UK market lifts manufacturers amid lacklustre export sales June 1, 2015 The UK’S manufacturing sector grew at a slightly quicker rate in May, according to a survey, but its growth remains subdued due to weak demand from abroad and lower investment in the oil industry. Markit’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index, a survey of private sector firms, ticked up to a score of 52, from April’s [...]
FTSE and pound hit as manufacturing survey’s results weaker than expected June 1, 2015 Uk shares and the pound were down against the dollar after a survey revealed that the UK's manufacturing sector was not growing as quickly as hoped. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for manufacturing rose to 52 in May – 2 points into expansion. This was up on April's 51.8 figure, but was lower than expectations. [...]
Stronger UK sales lifts car manufacturers as export markets wane May 27, 2015 A SURGE in demand from the domestic market has helped support British car manufacturers, despite a fall in orders from overseas. The number of cars manufactured in the UK in the first four months of this year was 530,505, according to figures released yesterday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). It is [...]
Commodity firms: The new manufacturers? – CNBC Comment May 11, 2015 Resources firms were matter of fact about cutting capital expenditure when conditions took a turn for the worse in emerging markets. For too long, energy and base metals giants used their big diversified structures to bamboozle investors about returns stretching across vast geographies, while shoveling cash into more projects to achieve scale. That’s all changing. [...]
Inflation is zero, but retailers and manufacturers are charging you more for less April 14, 2015 Consumer price inflation may be at zero for the second month in a row, but new research suggests the goods we buy are getting smaller while prices are edging up. Take your Tetley's Blend of Both tea, for example. If you bought that in Sainsbury's a few months back it would have been £2.55 for [...]