U K
B U S I N E S S
P A R K
home page


Engineering 2001
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996

The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
Click here for further details

Cobham is forming a £9m joint venture between its FR Aviation subsidiary and Singapore Technologies Aerospace to service commercial airliners at Bournemouth International Airport, which will create 200 jobs over the next 12 months. 31-Dec-2001 Allvac is planning to shed more than 50 jobs at its steel and engineering business in Sheffield. 24-Dec-2001 Trelleborg Industrial is to build a £10m anti-vibration systems plant at Bursom Park near Leicester. 21-Dec-2001 The National Assembly for Wales is providing a £1.2m grant to MCS for the development of a £7m compact disc factory at Ystradgynlais in the Swansea valley, which will create 77 jobs. 20-Dec-2001 SPX Fluid Power is to close its hydraulic systems factory in Witney next March with the loss of about 130 jobs, in order to transfer production to its other site in Romford. 20-Dec-2001 Perkins is to close its military and agricultural engines plant in Shrewsbury next year, with the loss of 520 jobs. 19-Dec-2001 Unidare is to close its Cutting & Welding operation in York with the loss of 50 jobs, in order to focus on its core business of distribution. 19-Dec-2001 Insilco Technologies is to shed 44 jobs at its cables factory in Larne, County Antrim, while Saintfield Yarns is to shed up to 50 jobs at its textiles plant in County Down. 17-Dec-2001 Inditherm, the supplier of lagging and thermal blankets, has raised £3.3m in a flotation on Aim to fund the expansion of its manufacturing capacity. 17-Dec-2001 R Griggs is to close a Dr Martens shoe factory at Shepton Mallet with the loss of up to 265 jobs. 17-Dec-2001 Copyrite is planning to relocate its office equipment business and 40 staff to Chester or Conway, having been refused permission to expand in Denbigh. 14-Dec-2001 GKN is to shed up to 650 jobs at its aerospace plant in Cowes on the Isle of Wight over the next 12 months. 14-Dec-2001 Pennon is to transfer about 200 South West Water customer services staff in Exeter to a new company next year, having decided to jointly run the operation with South Staffordshire Group. 14-Dec-2001 Interface Europe is to close the Firth Carpets factory in Brighouse early next year with the loss of 270 jobs. 13-Dec-2001 Whatman, the filtration and separations specialist, is to close a paper slitting plant in Maidstone and a DNA extraction site in Cambridge, as well as six sites in other countries. 13-Dec-2001 BA Components is planning a £1m expansion at its kitchen furniture components factory in Cookstown, with the creation of about 15 jobs. 13-Dec-2001 Goodrich Landing Services is to close its aircraft maintenance facility in Basingstoke with the loss of about 70 jobs. 12-Dec-2001 Yorkshire Forward is setting up the Manufacturing Advisory Service in Leeds, a £2.7m centre for manufacturing excellence that will send experts on trouble-shooting visits to factories. 11-Dec-2001 Brand-Rex is to close its cables factory at Helsby in Cheshire with the loss of up to 224 jobs, in order to transfer production to its Glenrothes site. 10-Dec-2001 Kocher & Beck, the Coalville-based manufacturer of steel cutters, is moving to a larger £1.5m site on the Stephenson Industrial Estate, with the creation of 15 jobs. 06-Dec-2001 BAe Systems has announced that its Silicon Sensing Systems venture will set up a factory in Plymouth to produce micro machined sensor heads for the new Segway Human Transporter invention in the US, creating 200 jobs. 06-Dec-2001 British Alcan has announced plans to shed 310 jobs at its aluminium plant in Rogerstone, South Wales, and all 200 jobs at its Glasgow site. 05-Dec-2001 Charlton Kings Engineering is to shed 91 jobs at its sheet metal plant in Cheltenham. 05-Dec-2001 Curver Consumer Products is to shed 72 of the 300 jobs at its toy factory in Corby, in order to transfer some production to Poland. 04-Dec-2001 Connolly, the leather supplier, is to shed about 60 jobs at its Ashford head office and liquidate its US joint venture. 04-Dec-2001 Rolls-Royce is to shed up to 450 jobs at its aircraft engines plant in Hillington, near Glasgow, and is looking into the possibility of building a new factory in Scotland. 30-Nov-2001 Waste Recycling Group is in discussions with Edinburgh City Council about plans for a £20m waste recycling and refuse disposal site at Kirknewton. 30-Nov-2001 Pirelli Cable is to close its fibre optic cable plant in Harlow next year with the loss of 150 jobs. 29-Nov-2001 Hughes Christensen is to shed up to 45 jobs at its industrial drill bits factory in Belfast. 29-Nov-2001 Anglian Water is looking to subcontract the management and operation of many of its water and sewerage services, as part of a restructuring programme by parent company AWG. 29-Nov-2001 Aspira Leg & Bodywear is to stop manufacturing socks at its factory in Hinckley, with the loss of more than 100 jobs. 28-Nov-2001 Moll Industries is to close its plastic mouldings factory in Gloucester early next year, with the loss of 48 jobs. 28-Nov-2001 BAe Systems is to close its jet manufacturing operation at Woodford in Cheshire with the loss of 900 jobs, while a further 600 jobs will go in its aero structures business. 28-Nov-2001 Bolton Protective Clothing has gone into liquidation and closed its industrial clothing factory in Bury, with the loss of 70 jobs. 27-Nov-2001 Cambridge University is to set up a £10m manufacturing research centre to help local businesses develop new ideas, as part of a £60m nationwide initiative being co-ordinated by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. 27-Nov-2001 Plymouth City Council is considering up to six potential sites for a new waste disposal plant, as the existing Chelson Meadow landfill site is expected to reach capacity in 2006. 27-Nov-2001 Diploma is looking to invest up to £32m in its industrial components distribution business, having completed a programme to dispose of non-core operations. 27-Nov-2001 Joseph Sykes Brothers is to shed 29 of the 200 jobs at its wire products factory in Huddersfield. 26-Nov-2001 Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon is planning to shed about 30 of the 163 jobs at its pumps and turbines factory in Kendal. 26-Nov-2001 North Norfolk District Council has approved plans from XLFX for the development of a £1m fireworks factory at Tattersett near Fakenham, which will create about 25 jobs. 23-Nov-2001 The Scottish Executive is planning to locate the new Scottish water authority in Dunfermline with a staff of about 60, while the Edinburgh locations of Scottish Natural Heritage and HM Inspectorate of Education are under review. 22-Nov-2001 Southfields Coachworks is to relocate 90 staff from Loughborough to a larger manufacturing site at Langar Airfield next month. 22-Nov-2001 ACCO is to close the Rexel stapler factory at Ogmore Vale near Bridgend with the loss of 125 jobs, while 50 workers will be transferred to Llantrisant. 22-Nov-2001 L Gardner is to shed 250 of the 2,250 jobs in its aerospace engineering business. 22-Nov-2001 Enron is considering plans to sell Wessex Water, the supplier of water and sewage services to 2.4m people, and at least four financial institutions are said to be interested. 22-Nov-2001 Enodis is planning to shed a further 100 jobs in its food equipment business, as part of a strategy to reduce debt and cut annual costs by £10m. 22-Nov-2001 Ferraris is looking to raise about £4m from the sale of its engineering interests, in order to fund acquisitions for its medical equipment business. 21-Nov-2001 Alcoa is to close an aluminium plant in Dolgarrog, Gwynedd, with the loss of 190 jobs, and 38 jobs will go at a rolling facility in Swansea, as part of a plan to shed 6,500 jobs worldwide. 20-Nov-2001 The University of Manchester is linking up with Sheffield University to create an aerospace research institute called the Northern Technology & Knowledge Exploitation Centre, funded by a £4m government grant. 20-Nov-2001 Rafiki Protection of Cwmbran is planning a new sales and recruitment drive following the launch of a new fire alarm system, and the workforce is expected to increase from 25 to 35 next year. 19-Nov-2001 Rolls-Royce is to close its aircraft fan casings plant at Heaton on Tyneside next year with the loss of 55 jobs, in order to transfer production to its Ansty site near Coventry. 19-Nov-2001 Fruit of the Loom is to close all its Buncrana textile operations next year with the loss of 65 jobs, and the work will be transferred to its Ballymacarry site in County Donegal. 19-Nov-2001 Step2 of the US is closing its toy factory in Coleraine with the loss of 27 jobs. 19-Nov-2001 Dana Spicer Europe is planning to shed 300 of the 500 jobs at its axles production plant in Leeds over the next 18 months. 15-Nov-2001 Welsh Water has announced plans to invest an additional £41m in reducing the risk of flooding, improving the environmental performance of waste water treatment works and increasing water resources in certain areas. 13-Nov-2001 Pechiney is planning to shed 90 of the 280 jobs at its aluminium aircraft parts factory in Lillyhall. 13-Nov-2001 Trefn is to shed 124 of the 403 jobs at its aircraft components factory at Llay near Wrexham. 12-Nov-2001 Fine Tubes is to shed 80 of the 330 jobs at its stainless steel tubes factory in Plymouth. 12-Nov-2001 Pittards is to close a leather factory near Kirkcaldy with the loss of 100 jobs, in order to transfer sheepskin production to sites at Langholm and Leeds. 12-Nov-2001 Agfa Gevaert is planning to shed 400 of the 550 jobs at its printing plate factory in Leeds, in order to transfer some production to Germany. 09-Nov-2001 Morinoak International is planning to create up to 80 jobs in Great Yarmouth following its recent acquisition by US drilling equipment group Varco International. 09-Nov-2001 Waterford Wedgwood of Ireland is to shed 1,400 jobs, including 500 in Stoke-on-Trent, 220 at its crystal manufacturing plant in Stourbridge and 400 in UK-based retail and administrative positions. 08-Nov-2001 Whitley Willows is to transfer its headquarters and textile manufacturing operation from Lepton in Huddersfield to nearby Shelley next year. 08-Nov-2001 Interface Europe is planning to shed 95 jobs at its carpet tiles business in Northern Ireland, including 45 at a manufacturing plant in Lurgan. 08-Nov-2001 Leyland & Birmingham Rubber Company is to close its factory in Leyland with the loss of 200 jobs. 08-Nov-2001 Scottish Power has announced plans for the £1.9bn refinancing of its Southern Water business through the bonds market, having dropped plans to find a buyer. 08-Nov-2001 Daniel Measurement & Control is to set up a new European headquarters at Stirling University, with the creation of up to 30 jobs. 07-Nov-2001 Benson Turner is planning to shed up to 150 jobs at its textile spinning and dyeing plants in Bradford. 07-Nov-2001 Brintons is to shed up to 40 of the 1,000 jobs at its carpet factory in Kidderminster. 02-Nov-2001 Express Reinforcements, the processor of steel bars for the concrete industry, is to invest £1m in a new factory in Neath, with the creation of 70 jobs. 02-Nov-2001 Aluminium Lighting Company has acquired UK Extrusion & Plastic Bag's 36,000 sq ft factory at Cymmer in South Wales, in order to manufacture lighting columns and create new jobs. 01-Nov-2001 Sheffield Forgemasters has secured £25m from the US-based Burdale Financial banking group to finance the expansion of the company in the wake of rising demand for forgings and castings for safety critical applications. 31-Oct-2001 GKN has announced plans to shed 1,250 jobs in its automotive and aerospace engineering business, with the UK-based civil aerospace operations being hit hardest. 31-Oct-2001 Ames Europe is planning to close its fabrics factory in Westhoughton with the loss of 47 jobs. 30-Oct-2001 Eastern Contracting is planning to create about 150 jobs over the next six months, having won a number of new orders for electrical engineering work in East Anglia. 30-Oct-2001 Angus & Ross has announced the discovery of tantalum ore at its site in Greenland, and a world-class mine could be developed over the next three years. 30-Oct-2001 AK Holdings is investing £0.7m in a new waste recycling plant near Nottingham, with the creation of 30 jobs. 29-Oct-2001 Boeing is setting up a new office at 16 St James in London for between 10 and 20 UK directors, and will relocate from Jermyn Street in December. 29-Oct-2001 Monotub is planning to raise £3m in a share placing to expand production of the Titan washing machine. 29-Oct-2001 Anderson Greenwood Crosby, the valves manufacturer, is to close its factory in Market Harborough next March with the loss of up to 107 jobs. 26-Oct-2001 Alenia Marconi Systems is to shed 98 of the 113 jobs at its aviation control systems facility in Cwmbran, and the work will be transferred to sites in Edinburgh and Portsmouth. 26-Oct-2001 Sita is preparing plans for the development of an integrated waste management facility at Altens in Aberdeen. 26-Oct-2001 Royal Doulton is to shed a further 360 jobs at its potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, following a downturn in the ceramics market. 26-Oct-2001 Centrax is to shed 250 of the 1,000 jobs at its turbine blades and engineering components factory in Newton Abbot. 26-Oct-2001 Xchanging has won a 10-year £800m deal to take over the procurement operations of BAe Systems, which will involve the transfer of 40 staff. 26-Oct-2001 Clan Douglas, the Hawick-based cashmere producer with 200 staff, has been put up for sale by Japanese parent Toyoboshi Kogyo Corporation. 25-Oct-2001 Stoddard International is to relocate its Kilmarnock-based carpet yarn operation to its larger Riverside site, freeing up land in the town centre for Safeway to build a new supermarket. 24-Oct-2001 LS Starrett is to shed 25 jobs at its tool-making business in Jedburgh. 23-Oct-2001 Rolls-Royce has confirmed plans to shed about 5,000 jobs at plants in the UK, US and Germany, following a fall in profits in its civil aerospace operations. 22-Oct-2001 DPS Composites Aerospace is to shed 50 of the 110 jobs at its aircraft components factory in Pembroke Dock. 22-Oct-2001 Smiths is to shed 95 jobs at its Hamble Aerostructures factory in Southampton. 22-Oct-2001 Leaf Technologies is to create 45 jobs at its factory in Newtownabbey to produce the new Conversor electronic hearing device for the partially deaf. 18-Oct-2001 Synseal Extrusions is planning a £7m expansion at its plastics factory in Huthwaite, Notts, with the creation of 40 jobs. 18-Oct-2001 OyezStraker, the office supplies company with 28 sites and 1,200 staff, has been put up for sale by Bridgepoint Capital and could be worth up to £90m. 18-Oct-2001 GE Caledonian is to shed 170 of the 1,000 jobs at its aircraft components factory in Prestwick. 17-Oct-2001 TRW Aeronautical Systems is to shed about 1,100 jobs in its worldwide aerospace equipment business, including 670 at sites in the UK. 16-Oct-2001 Cromwell Tools has started relocating its industrial supplies business to a new £10m headquarters in Leicester, and is also planning to quadruple its turnover and increase its UK branches to 55 over the next 10 years. 16-Oct-2001 Desk Link, the Tredegar-based office furniture manufacturer, is to move to the Tafarnaubach industrial estate in a £3.4m investment that will create 75 new jobs. 15-Oct-2001 RF Shielding is planning to double the 50-strong workforce at its electronic shielding business in Abertillery over the next year. 15-Oct-2001 Siemens is planning to close its gas and electricity meters factory in Oldham with the loss of up to 200 jobs. 15-Oct-2001 Pickering Electronics has shed a further 30 jobs at its electrical products factory in Clacton. 15-Oct-2001 Rolls-Royce has announced plans to close Control Systems, the Gateshead-based transformer manufacturer, with the loss of 60 jobs unless a buyer can be found within three months. 12-Oct-2001 Newcastle City Council and other local authorities in Tyne & Wear are asking firms to submit tenders to set up kerbside recycling schemes, in order to meet government waste reduction targets. 11-Oct-2001 Sandusky is to shed 40 of the 81 jobs at its papermaking machine components factory in Glenrothes. 11-Oct-2001 Imperial Tobacco is to shed 200 jobs in a restructuring programme that will involve the relocation of a Dublin factory and the closure of cigar factories in Ireland and the Netherlands in order to concentrate production in Bristol. 10-Oct-2001 Boosey & Hawkes, the musical instruments manufacturer, has received a £50m joint takeover approach from Music Sales and Graphite Capital of the US. 09-Oct-2001 Interface Europe is looking to sell its Firth Carpets business, which employs almost 300 people at a mill in Brighouse. 08-Oct-2001 Daks Simpson is to close its clothing factory in Larkhall early next year with the loss of up to 400 jobs. 08-Oct-2001 3M is to create 35 new jobs at its Newton Aycliffe site by relocating the production and development of respiration face masks from London. 05-Oct-2001 Corning Optical Fibres has announced plans to close its fibre optics factory on Deeside, with the loss of 430 jobs. 05-Oct-2001 GE Aircraft Engine Services is planning to shed a further 350 jobs at its plant in Nantgarw, south Wales. 05-Oct-2001 SSL International is to close its plastic products factory in North Lincolnshire following a fire, with the loss of up to 276 jobs. 05-Oct-2001 Schneider Electric is to shed 57 of the 116 jobs at its circuit breakers factory in Chippenham. 05-Oct-2001 Cookson is to shed 1,740 jobs following a fall in demand for electronic materials. 05-Oct-2001 Xerox is to shed up to 1,300 jobs at its photocopier factory in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, and is expected to transfer the work to the Czech Republic. 03-Oct-2001 British Ceramic Tiles is to expand its sales and IT divisions with the creation of up to 30 jobs, and a further 50 jobs will be created when it expands the Devon factory next year. 03-Oct-2001 Schlumberger is planning to relocate its smart card division and up to 100 staff from Felixstowe to its other card base in Fareham. 03-Oct-2001 CW Fletcher is planning to build a new 61,000 sq ft aerospace engineering factory at its site in Sheffield, and Gleeson has been asked to carry out the work. 03-Oct-2001 Bernstein is to shed 95 jobs at its furniture factory in Bolton in October. 02-Oct-2001 Ingersoll-Rand is to close its compressors factory at Hindley Green, Lancashire, by 2003, with the loss of up to 250 jobs. 02-Oct-2001 Aberdeenshire Council is considering plans from Dundas Brothers for the development of a £10m energy-from-waste plant at an animal rendering site in Kintore, which would create 30 jobs. 02-Oct-2001 Stoddard International is to shed 45 jobs at its carpet factory in Renfrewshire, although some staff will be offered transfers to its site in Kilmarnock. 01-Oct-2001 Cobham is to shed 99 of the 400 jobs at its Westwind air bearings factory in Dorset, and some work will be transferred to sister company Flight Refuelling's sites at Wimborne and South Molton in Devon. 01-Oct-2001 Invensys is looking to raise up to £750m from the sale of a number of unidentified businesses, in a restructuring programme aimed at reducing its £3.2bn debt. 01-Oct-2001 JEB Engineering Design is shedding 50 of the 185 jobs at sites in Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket, following the loss of a major contract. 28-Sep-2001 Fotolec Technologies has secured £2m in a private share placing to fund the development of a shatter-resistant coating for energy-efficient fluorescent lamps, and expects to create 30 new jobs over the next three years. 28-Sep-2001 Perlos is planning to shed 97 of the 320 jobs at its plastics factory near Sunderland, following a fall in demand for mobile phone casings. 28-Sep-2001 Whessoe International is creating 20 new jobs at its Darlington-based engineering business, having won a number of contracts to design liquid gas storage facilities. 27-Sep-2001 Bombardier is to shed up to 2,000 of the 7,600 jobs at its Shorts aerospace factory in Belfast by the end of 2002. 27-Sep-2001 Sony is to shed 220 of the 1,100 jobs at its television plant in Bridgend. 27-Sep-2001 Diamonite Aircraft Furnishings is creating 50 new jobs at its Bristol factory, having won a £10m contract to refurbish aircraft interiors for the Russian government. 27-Sep-2001 Isocrylic Fabrications, the Kirkby-based plastic engineering company, is to close with the loss of 25 jobs. 27-Sep-2001 Mueller Industries is to open a new £29m copper tube facility at its Bilston site next month. 27-Sep-2001 Enodis is planning to raise £50m from the sale of non-core businesses, in order to focus on the manufacture of kitchen equipment. 26-Sep-2001 Nacco Materials Handling is to shed 85 manufacturing jobs at its forklift truck plant in Irvine, which employs 540 people, and a number of office jobs will also be lost. 25-Sep-2001 Northern Rubber is to set up a new research laboratory and clean production unit at its rubber factory in Retford, with the creation of 20 jobs, following its £5.5m acquisition by Icon. 25-Sep-2001 British American Tobacco is planning to build a £100m cigarette factory in Nigeria by 2003, employing 1,000 people. 25-Sep-2001 Trifast is to shed about 30 jobs at its industrial fastenings business in Uckfield. 21-Sep-2001 Cheshire County Council has approved plans from Cleanright Industrial Services for the development of a new treatment centre for water-based waste at Oil Sites Road in Ellesmere Port, which will create 100 jobs. 21-Sep-2001 The Industrial Development Board is supporting a £1m textile finishing joint venture between Samuel Lamont and Valley Dyeworks, which will lead to the creation of 30 jobs at the former Clendinnings site in Lurgan. 19-Sep-2001 Lebus Furniture is to expand production at its furniture factory in North Lincolnshire, with the creation of 70 jobs. 18-Sep-2001 Pressfold is investing £1.6m in a new steel products production facility in Lisburn in order to centralise its operations at the Knockmore Industrial Estate, and plans to recruit 18 additional staff over the next three years. 14-Sep-2001 Corporate Graphic Group is planning to relocate its audio-visual services business from Rochdale to a larger £2m office at the Broadway Business Park in Oldham next year, with the creation of 20 jobs. 14-Sep-2001 Rittal-CSM is planning to shed an unspecified number of the 700 jobs at its electronic enclosures plant in Plymouth. 13-Sep-2001 Time 24, the supplier of advanced wiring systems, is opening a new plant at Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the creation of 40 jobs, and a further 60 staff will be recruited over the next 12 months. 12-Sep-2001 Barlow, the supplier of forklift trucks and materials handling equipment, is changing its name to Barloworld Handling and is launching a dedicated finance arm for local companies seeking to hire or purchase equipment. 11-Sep-2001 TriVirix has secured £9.3m of funding to expand its Belfast-based medical devices manufacturing business. 11-Sep-2001 IMI is looking to sell its Polypipe plastic and copper pipes business, in order to focus on core activities such as fluid controls and retail dispense. 11-Sep-2001 Waste Recycling Group has bought four properties and their related waste management and quarrying activities from SITA Holding for £8m, including sites in Kirk Smeaton, North Hykeham and Cridling Stubbs. 10-Sep-2001 Glen Dimplex is planning to shed up to 60 administration and technical jobs at its Stoves cooker plants in Prescot and Warrington. 10-Sep-2001 Baird Group is to set up a £3m linen-based dyeing and finishing plant for its John Hanna subsidiary in Kells, Co Antrim, with the creation of 24 jobs. 10-Sep-2001 W Lucy is to close its cast-iron components foundry in Thame later this year, with the loss of 130 jobs. 10-Sep-2001 Alps Electric, the manufacturer of television tuners, is to shed up to 250 jobs in Milton Keynes in order to transfer some work to the Czech Republic. 07-Sep-2001 Kidde is looking to spend about £40m on acquisitions to expand its fire protection and safety products business this year, while £3m will be spent on a cost-cutting programme in the UK. 07-Sep-2001 Gamma Beta Holdings is to shed 85 of the 190 jobs at its textile manufacturing operations in Bradford and Kirkburton. 06-Sep-2001 Gaskell is to shed 60 jobs at its carpet factory in Kidderminster, in order to transfer production of Axminster carpets to Rishton, Blackburn. 05-Sep-2001 General Electric of the US is to transfer its European headquarters from London to Brussels as part of a strategy to expand in Europe, but some of the 25 staff will remain in London. 05-Sep-2001 Nico is to recruit 20 new toolmakers and maintenance workers at its hinges factory in Clacton. 04-Sep-2001 Lee Colourplan, the Ilkeston-based supplier of fabric sample books with 80 staff, has undergone a management buy-out, and there are plans to expand the factory from 25,000sq ft to 36,000sq ft. 04-Sep-2001 Portasilo is seeking permission to build a £1m factory for its materials handling and storage division at Elvington near York. 04-Sep-2001 British Vita, the rubber and plastic manufacturer, is considering plans to sell its 46% stake in the US plastics associate Spartech. 04-Sep-2001 Corning Optical Fibres is to shed up to 50 jobs at its fibre optics factory on Deeside, as part of a worldwide restructuring programme. 03-Sep-2001 Matsushita Industrial Equipment has announced plans to close its transformer factory in East Kilbride in November with the loss of 100 jobs. 03-Sep-2001 NSK-RHP Bearings is to relocate about 90 staff from Ruddington to Newark later this year, as part of an ongoing reorganisation of the business. 31-Aug-2001 Border Fine Arts, the giftware manufacturer, is to shed more than 20 jobs at sites in Carlisle, Workington and Langholm. 31-Aug-2001 Whitley Willows is to close its textile weaving department at Shelley near Huddersfield, with the loss of up to 30 jobs. 30-Aug-2001 Andor Technology is planning a £5m expansion at its scientific imaging equipment factory in Belfast over the next three years, with the creation of 75 new jobs. 29-Aug-2001 Myson Radiators is to invest £18m at its radiator factory in Gateshead over the next three years, securing the future of hundreds of jobs. 24-Aug-2001 AvestaPolarit is to invest £14m at its Shepcote Lane stainless steel plant in Sheffield, which will involve a new continuous caster at the melting shop. 24-Aug-2001 Gardiners of Selkirk is to close with the loss of 40 jobs, due to falling exports of woollen yarn. 23-Aug-2001 Waste Recycling Group has acquired the Waverley Wood landfill site at Bubbenhall near Coventry from Smiths Concrete of Banbury for £3m. 22-Aug-2001 Magnet, the kitchen manufacturer, is to close its Keighley head office and switch 140 jobs to Darlington and Crossflatts, near Bingley. 21-Aug-2001 Island Plastics, the Isle of Wight-based manufacturer of glass reinforced plastic, has gone into voluntary liquidation. 20-Aug-2001 Sherratt & Simpson, the Staffordshire-based manufacturer of hand-painted resin figurines, is to close down next month with the loss of 42 jobs. 20-Aug-2001 Unilever has put its Myhome home cleaning business up for sale, following a trial in south-west London. 20-Aug-2001 Cambridge Water is to contract out its maintenance work to Norwest Holst, which will involve the transfer of 40 staff. 16-Aug-2001 Shanks Waste Solutions has won a £100m deal to provide waste management and recycling services to Dumfries and Galloway Council, which will involve spending £15m on new process plants. 16-Aug-2001 Sureclean is investing £2m in the expansion of its high-pressure water-jetting and asbestos removal divisions, with the creation of up to 20 jobs a year over the next three years. 15-Aug-2001 Greaves Brothers, the Liverpool-based precision engineering company, is to go into liquidation with the loss of about 50 jobs. 14-Aug-2001 WS Atkins is to create dozens of jobs at its Faithful & Gould project management office at Thornaby on Teesside, having won a contract to help decommission the Dounreay nuclear plant. 14-Aug-2001 WK Test and Hitek Power are considering plans to leave their existing premises in Bognor Regis, which could lead to the loss of up to 200 jobs. 14-Aug-2001 BAe Systems has announced plans to shed 260 jobs at its Warton and Samlesbury aircraft plants. 10-Aug-2001 SRS Technology has raised £3m in a share placing to fund the development of wireless domestic devices for people with impaired mobility. 10-Aug-2001 British American Tobacco has announced plans to build a £57m cigarette factory at Sachon in South Korea. 09-Aug-2001 Brambles Industries is considering plans to relocate to a new head office following the group's creation from the merger of the Brambles support services business with the industrial services division of GKN. 08-Aug-2001 Three Star Engineering, the Sheffield-based environmental engineering company, is being closed down with the loss of 105 jobs. 06-Aug-2001 Sunseeker International is to set up a £10m boat building design and development centre in Poole, which will create 300 jobs and secure the future of its existing 1,100 workers. 30-Jul-2001 Border Circuits is to relocate its circuit boards factory and 47 staff to larger premises at Wilderhaugh in Galashiels, and 15 new jobs will be created. 27-Jul-2001 MFI is to create 90 new jobs in a £2m investment at its Hygena furniture factory in Stockton, but up to 358 jobs will be lost at plants in Hull. 27-Jul-2001 ARC Euro is investing £5m at its new IMD Solutions plastics manufacturing facility in Stirling, which could lead to the creation of more than 100 jobs over the next three years. 26-Jul-2001 British Rema is planning to relocate its Sheffield-based powder processing and milling machine business to new premises in Sheepbridge, at a cost of £0.4m. 26-Jul-2001 Dresswise, the North Lincolnshire-based clothing manufacturer, has gone into liquidation with the loss of 40 jobs. 25-Jul-2001 Invensys, the supplier of industrial control equipment, has announced plans to shed a further 2,800 jobs this year, on top of the 3,200 that were lost in the first three months. 25-Jul-2001 TRW Aeronautical Systems has selected a site in Coleshill to set up a new £12m repair and maintenance centre, which will involve the transfer of 400 staff from Marston Green, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Solihull. 24-Jul-2001 Bailey Caravans is investing £5m to increase production at its caravan factory in Bristol, which will lead to the expansion of its 250-strong workforce. 24-Jul-2001 Emmerson Industrial Doors is planning to create 12 new jobs following the relocation of its door manufacturing business to larger premises at Sherburn-in-Elmet. 23-Jul-2001 North East Lincolnshire Council has approved plans from Newlincs for the development of an integrated waste management facility near Stallingborough. 23-Jul-2001 Wilkotex International, the Derby-based textile machinery company, has gone into voluntary liquidation. 20-Jul-2001 B Braun Medical is to close its Braintree plant with the loss of up to 59 jobs, in order to transfer production to Sheffield. 20-Jul-2001 Thermo Goring Kerr is planning to relocate the production of metal detection equipment from Windsor to Rugby, which will lead to the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 20-Jul-2001 Woods Air Movement is to shed 29 administrative jobs at its factory in Colchester. 19-Jul-2001 UCM Group is to invest £3.5m in the expansion of capacity at its zirconia production plants in the US. 17-Jul-2001 The University of Ulster is to create up to 100 jobs at a new £2.5m Technology & Engineering Innovation Centre at the Jordanstown campus in County Antrim. 17-Jul-2001 Flymo is to shed 80 of the 600 jobs at its lawnmower plant in Newton Aycliffe. 16-Jul-2001 Staffordshire Public Works, the manufacturer of traffic control systems and other equipment, has agreed a plan to rescue the business from administration, saving 60 jobs. 16-Jul-2001 W Pearce is planning to close its tannery in Northampton with the loss of 75 jobs. 16-Jul-2001 Lunar Caravans has shed 22 of the 150 jobs at its caravan manufacturing site at Lostock Hall near Preston. 13-Jul-2001 Adria is to shed 40 jobs at its lingerie factory in Campsie near Londonderry. 12-Jul-2001 Yorkshire Water is to invest £60m in improvements to the water supply in Bradford over the next four years, starting with the £10m upgrade of the Chellow Heights water treatment works. 12-Jul-2001 Elequip Projects is planning to create a further 30 jobs at its Leicester-based electrical engineering business, having won a number of new orders to supply train equipment. 12-Jul-2001 Baxi is to shed 250 jobs at its Bamber Bridge heating plant over the next two years, in order to use the site as an administration centre. 10-Jul-2001 Arrow Abrasives is to shed about 80 jobs at its Hampshire factory, following a fall in export demand for cutting and grinding components. 09-Jul-2001 Collins & Hayes, the Sussex-based sofa manufacturer, is planning to raise £2m in a flotation on Aim in order to fund acquisitions. 09-Jul-2001 Scapa is to acquire Lusa, the US manufacturer of specialist cable materials, for £26m. 09-Jul-2001 Herdmans is to shed 85 jobs at its linen plant at Sion Mills, Co Tyrone, and a further 85 at its Ballybofey plant in Co Donegal. 06-Jul-2001 Crepe Weavers is to invest £1.7m in the modernisation of its nylon and polyester fabrics plant in Newtownards, securing the future of 70 jobs. 06-Jul-2001 Airflow Streamlines is planning to shed 118 of the 700 jobs at its cab manufacturing plant in Northampton. 06-Jul-2001 Carpets International is planning to cease carpet manufacturing and sample production at its Bradford site with the loss of about 200 jobs, while a further 20 jobs will be lost in Hartlepool. 05-Jul-2001 Kvaerner is to close its fabrication yard at Methil in Fife next month with the loss of 110 jobs. 04-Jul-2001 Siddall & Hilton is to acquire the 220,000 sq ft former Crosrol factory in Halifax in order to manufacture healthcare and wire products. 03-Jul-2001 HW Plastics, the window frames manufacturer, is to open a new distribution centre in Stoke-on-Trent later this year, which will involve 20 new jobs and the relocation of existing staff from Talke. 03-Jul-2001 Sanyo is planning to close its microwave oven plant in Newton Aycliffe with the loss of almost 300 jobs, while a further 31 jobs will go at its site in Thornaby-on-Tees. 02-Jul-2001 Hellermann Tyton, the manufacturer of electrical cables, is planning to shed 5% of the 764 jobs at its three factories in Plymouth, Birmingham and Manchester. 02-Jul-2001 Luxury Lifestyles is looking to raise up to £5m to expand its Mackintosh and Chester Barrie clothing brands. 02-Jul-2001 Denis Ferranti Meters is to shed up to 100 of the 400 jobs at its factory in Bangor, having lost a contract to supply telephones to an Irish company. 29-Jun-2001 Laura Ashley is planning to create 120 jobs at its Texplan Manufacturing factories in Powys over the next four years, in order to expand the output of clothing, wallpaper and textiles. 29-Jun-2001 BOC Edwards is planning to announce job cuts at its five vacuum pump factories in Sussex, which employ about 1,500 people. 29-Jun-2001 Luxfer Gas Cylinders is to close its gas cylinder manufacturing plant in Aldridge with the loss of up to 70 jobs, in order to transfer production to its Nottingham site. 29-Jun-2001 W&J Tod is planning to close its glass fibre materials plant in Weymouth and transfer production to its site in Crewkerne, which will involve the relocation of some of the 80 workers. 28-Jun-2001 PHS has raised £250m in a flotation in order to reduce debts and fund the expansion of its washroom services business. 28-Jun-2001 Inco Europe is to invest £3.8m in the expansion of its Swansea Valley nickel refinery, which will secure the future of 300 employees and create 30 construction jobs. 27-Jun-2001 Corac is planning to raise £10m in a flotation on Aim to fund acquisitions and the development of a new assembly facility for its oil-free compressors. 25-Jun-2001 Stadium is planning to sell its plastic injection moulding operations in order to focus on the supply of electronic manufacturing services, and most of its production will be based in China. 25-Jun-2001 Gallaher is planning to acquire Austria Tabak, the Austrian tobacco company, for up to £1.1bn. 25-Jun-2001 Carter Thermal Industries has put its Carter Mechanical & Electrical Services business into liquidation, with the loss of up to 80 jobs at Hay Mills in the West Midlands. 22-Jun-2001 Johnsons Apparelmaster is to close its industrial dry-cleaning business in Nottingham with the loss of 150 jobs. 21-Jun-2001 TDI Batteries is to shed up to 95 jobs at its factory in Dundee, following a fall in demand from the mobile phone sector. 21-Jun-2001 Airbus UK is planning to recruit 400 design engineers and 500 manufacturing workers at its Filton plant in Bristol, to produce wings for the A400M transporter aircraft. 21-Jun-2001 Apollo Fire Detectors is to restructure its Havant-based business, with the creation of a number of new manufacturing jobs and the loss of 13 office jobs. 21-Jun-2001 Endeva, the electrical appliance installation business created by Boxclever, is to create 25 jobs at its new head office in Swindon. 20-Jun-2001 Halma, the safety equipment group, is planning to spend up to £80m on acquisitions. 20-Jun-2001 Apollo Metals has sold its Metalweb industrial services division to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms. 19-Jun-2001 Ingersoll-Rand is considering plans to close its industrial compressors factory in Wigan with the loss of up to 250 jobs, in order to transfer production to central Europe. 19-Jun-2001 MPower Batteries is forming a joint venture with Panda Electronics of China to manufacture batteries and battery packs in the city of Nanjing. 19-Jun-2001 The National Assembly for Wales is to invest up to £40m in local authority waste recycling projects over the next three years. 18-Jun-2001 Doughty Hanson is in negotiations to sell Dunlop Standard Aerospace to Charterhouse Development Capital for up to £900m. 18-Jun-2001 Pacson Engineering is looking to relocate its Carnoustie-based valve manufacturing business to larger premises, possibly in Dundee or Angus, and the workforce could grow from 80 to 200. 15-Jun-2001 British American Tobacco is to shed almost 50 of the 600 production jobs at its factory in Southampton. 15-Jun-2001 Chubb is planning to move its Chubb Locks Custodial Services office and manufacturing operation to a new factory in Wednesfield, safeguarding about 100 jobs. 14-Jun-2001 Polaroid is planning to shed 25% of its worldwide workforce of 8,000 following a decline in its instant photography business, which is expected to include cuts at the St Albans sales office and the Glasgow factory. 14-Jun-2001 North of Scotland Water Authority has launched a £180m project to improve water supplies at 240 locations, which will include 120 new water treatment works, the refurbishment of water storage reservoirs and the laying of 50km of water main. 13-Jun-2001 R Griggs is creating 68 new jobs at its shoe factory in Whetstone, Leicestershire, following the introduction of a new cell system of working. 13-Jun-2001 Richards is to close its hand knitting and blending wool production operations in Aberdeen with the loss of 30 jobs. 13-Jun-2001 Bowthorpe EMP is to shed 40 of the 100 jobs at its electrical components business in Brighton, following a review by parent company Tyco International. 13-Jun-2001 The National Assembly for Wales has awarded £1.3m for the creation of 112 new jobs at six companies in Tredegar and Ebbw Vale, including Universal Batteries, Dambi, Yajima, Newpress Plastics, Eastern Choice Ingredients and M&J Europe. 13-Jun-2001 Victrex is planning to spend £20m increasing its production capacity of speciality plastics over the next 30 months. 13-Jun-2001 Parker Hannifin is to close its hydraulic filtration equipment factory in Thetford later this year with the loss of 70 jobs, although some jobs will transfer to a second Thetford factory and to Dewsbury. 11-Jun-2001 Dawson International is opening new premises at the Arbroath Business Centre for its Ballantyne Cashmere business, and will recruit 12 collar binders. 11-Jun-2001 Lec Refrigeration is planning to restructure its freezer factory in Bognor, prompting speculation that up to 500 of the 750 jobs could be lost. 11-Jun-2001 British Home Doors is considering plans for a £30m management buy-out backed by Lloyds Development Capital. 11-Jun-2001 Virotec International, the Australian toxic sludge cleaning company, is planning to raise £3m in a flotation on Aim next month to expand operations into Europe and the US. 11-Jun-2001 FE Aerospace is to create a further 80 jobs at its new £1.5m aircraft components business at Sherwood Park in Nottinghamshire over the next two years. 08-Jun-2001 Kelda is looking to spend up to £250m on the acquisition of water companies in the north-east of the US. 08-Jun-2001 Johnson Matthey, the chemicals and precious metals group, is to increase capital spending to £140m this year and has identified a suitable site near Swindon for a new factory to assemble membrane electrodes. 08-Jun-2001 Boosey & Hawkes has confirmed plans to move its musical instruments factory from north London to Germany, while 120 skilled workers will be relocated to a new site in Watford. 06-Jun-2001 United Utilities is to shed 185 jobs as it reduces the volume of contracting work carried out for Welsh water company Glas Cymru. 05-Jun-2001 AEA Technology has sold its nuclear engineering division to NUKEM Nuclear for £24m, and is now looking to sell its engineering software and nuclear consultancy operations for about £170m. 05-Jun-2001 GE Aircraft Engine Services is planning to shed up to 250 of the 1,400 jobs at its aircraft maintenance facilities in south Wales. 04-Jun-2001 Derby Cycle Corporation has received a £50m management buy-out offer for its Raleigh Industries bicycle manufacturing business. 04-Jun-2001 J Albert & Co is to close its hat manufacturing operation in Luton with the loss of up to 29 jobs. 01-Jun-2001 Sylvia Jeffery Manufacturing is to close its Queensway clothing factory in Wrexham with the loss of 121 jobs. 01-Jun-2001 Invensys has announced a further 3,500 job cuts in its automation and controls business, and is looking to sell its Brook Crompton motors factory in Huddersfield. 01-Jun-2001 Dimensions Corporatewear is relocating its corporate clothing business and 55 staff from Hinckley to Castle Donington, with the creation of 10-15 new jobs. 31-May-2001 Porvair is looking to raise £27m in a rights issue in order to reduce debt in its materials and high-technology ceramics business. 31-May-2001 DPS Composites Aerospace is to create 50 new jobs at its Pembroke Dock plant following an increase in orders. 30-May-2001 Strebor Diecasting is considering plans to close its zinc and aluminium die castings factory in Manchester with the loss of 98 jobs. 28-May-2001 Aim Plastics Group has closed its plastic mouldings factory in Tunbridge Wells with the loss of 48 jobs, and now faces liquidation. 28-May-2001 Stuart Crystal is to shed 80 of the 340 jobs at its glassmaking business in Stourbridge. 28-May-2001 Cerro Extruded Metals is to shed 25 jobs at its brass tubing factory in West Bromwich, in order to safeguard the remaining 50 jobs. 28-May-2001 Medisys is to close its safety syringes factory in Woodbridge, Suffolk, with the loss of 50 jobs, in order to transfer production to the US. 25-May-2001 United Utilities is looking to outsource more activities to reduce the impact of regulatory price cuts on its water and electricity businesses, and is also considering plans to float part of its Vertex call centre division. 25-May-2001 Gencor ACP has shed 60 of the 150 jobs at its asphalt machine factory in Leicester. 24-May-2001 Kvaerner is selling its former John Brown engineering works in Clydebank to Texas Group, the Manchester-based conglomerate that specialises in the regeneration of industrial sites. 24-May-2001 BAe Systems is forming a joint venture with Boeing to produce military tankers, and the two companies are also exploring other co-operation opportunities. 24-May-2001 The Welsh Development Agency has earmarked a site in Broughton, Flintshire, for a new business park to house companies providing supplies and services for the nearby BAe Systems aerospace factory. 23-May-2001 BOC is setting up a £5.3m micro cylinder plant in Leatherhead to produce gas cylinders for Powderject's needle-free injection system, with the creation of 25 jobs. 22-May-2001 Moll Industries is planning to shed at least 20 jobs at its plastic mouldings factory in Morecambe. 22-May-2001 Heerema is looking to recruit 40 welders and pipe fitters at its Hartlepool yard, having won a contract to provide pre-assembled units for a BP offshore plant. 22-May-2001 Agra Birwelco is to close its industrial heating equipment business in Halesowen with the loss of up to 80 jobs. 22-May-2001 Royal Doulton has announced a further 93 job losses at its ceramics business in Stoke-on-Trent. 18-May-2001 Winson Model Technology has closed its locomotives factory in Drayton Fields, Daventry, putting more than 50 jobs at risk. 17-May-2001 Leicester City Council is to consider plans from Trelleborg Industrial AVS for the relocation of its suspension components factory and 300 staff from Evington Valley to the Bursom Industrial Estate. 17-May-2001 Slimma is reorganising its recently-acquired Frank Usher fashion manufacturing business, with the loss of 48 jobs at a factory in Hendon and the creation of 13 jobs at a new warehouse in Etruria, North Staffordshire. 17-May-2001 Ordnance Survey is seeking industry partners to help with the development of an aerial photographic image of the whole country, and flights will start later this year. 16-May-2001 Iceland Drilling Company is setting up a new subsidiary at the Tursdale Business Park near Spennymoor, where it will employ 10 staff initially. 15-May-2001 Rolls-Royce has formed a risk-sharing partnership with Volvo of Sweden for the development of the engine for the Airbus A380. 15-May-2001 Clayton Glass is planning to create up to 50 jobs at its toughened glass plant in Derwentside over the next three years. 14-May-2001 Fenner, the conveyor belt engineer, is planning to invest up to £100m in acquisitions and product development, and is particularly interested in China. 11-May-2001 Marconi has announced plans to set up a £5m photonics research centre at Warwick University, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. 11-May-2001 Rehau of Germany is to invest £7m in a new nationwide distribution centre for its Blaenau Plastics operation in North Wales, which will safeguard 300 jobs and create a further 35. 11-May-2001 Magee Clothing is planning to close its textile plant in Ballymena with the loss of 113 jobs. 10-May-2001 NMC UK is considering plans to relocate its thermal insulation business from County Durham to Brynmawr, near Gwent, which will affect 70 jobs. 09-May-2001 Titan Environmental Surveys is to invest £1m in the expansion of its business in South Wales, which will involve 20 new jobs and the acquisition of new equipment. 04-May-2001 Alexandra has put its Glasgow workwear factory on the market for £1.8m having outsourced manufacturing to Morocco, and will retain just 40 staff in the city. 04-May-2001 Cummins Diesel is to shed an unspecified number of the 130 jobs at its engine power packs factory in Wellingborough. 03-May-2001 FKI is to shed 70 of the 330 jobs at its Laurence Scott & Electromotors engineering plant in Norwich. 03-May-2001 Weir Group has shed 25 mostly office-based jobs at its Hopkinsons valve factory in Huddersfield. 03-May-2001 British American Tobacco is planning to build a cigarette factory in China's Sichuan province. 03-May-2001 Eden Industries is considering plans to close its shopfitting factory at Crewkerne in Somerset with the loss of 35 jobs. 01-May-2001 Coats Viyella is to close the Jaeger knitwear factory at Campbeltown, Kintyre, with the loss of about 160 jobs. 30-Apr-2001 Desmonds is to shed up to 64 jobs at two textile factories in Claudy and Drumahoe in Londonderry, while about 33 workers will be relocated to other sites. 30-Apr-2001 Invensys is to shed 180 of the 700 jobs at its Brook Crompton electric motors factory in Huddersfield, in order to transfer some production to Poland. 30-Apr-2001 Fife Joinery Manufacturing is to shed 44 jobs in Glenrothes over the next two months, following a fall in exports. 30-Apr-2001 Boxclever, the TV rental group, is planning to spin off its servicing and installation business into a new company called Endeva. 30-Apr-2001 Norman Emerson & Sons is to invest £1.5m in its construction and horticultural products business in County Armagh over the next three years, which will involve a new bagging operation, an expanded distribution network and up to 29 new jobs. 27-Apr-2001 Timken is to close its steel bearings plant in Duston, near Northampton, next year, with the loss of 950 jobs. 27-Apr-2001 Hull City Council is planning to develop two new household waste recycling plants at a cost of £0.7m, and 20 potential sites are being considered. 27-Apr-2001 Carpets International is to close the Wellington Mills yarn spinning plant in Huddersfield with the loss of more than 100 jobs, and a further 100 jobs will be lost at a spinning operation in Gomersal. 27-Apr-2001 Novar has acquired a 25% stake in China Aluminium Group from Global Applied Technologies of Hong Kong for £35m. 26-Apr-2001 Alder King is to market the 16-acre Alcoa plant in Llantrisant, and interest is expected from UK manufacturers wanting to consolidate operations on one site and from foreign companies seeking to expand their facilities into South Wales. 25-Apr-2001 West of Scotland Water is planning to upgrade Glasgow's Loch Katrine water supply over the next few years, at a cost of £90m. 23-Apr-2001 Littelfuse is to close its factory in Washington with the loss of more than 200 jobs, in order to transfer production of fuses to the Far East. 23-Apr-2001 Courtaulds Textiles is planning to shed 120 jobs at its factory in Peterlee, in order to consolidate production in West Auckland. 23-Apr-2001 Matsushita is considering plans to close its transformer factory in East Kilbride with the loss of 120 jobs, in order to outsource production and reduce costs. 23-Apr-2001 Locker is scaling back the workforce at its process machinery division in Warrington, and may be forced to sell the lossmaking business. 20-Apr-2001 East of England Development Agency is to fund a £2.4m scheme to redevelop a former trailer manufacturer's site in North Walsham, which could create up to 400 jobs. 20-Apr-2001 Lyle & Scott is to separate its brand development and knitwear manufacturing operations, with the Hawick production plant being renamed Elaness Manufacturing and the design department being moved to London. 20-Apr-2001 Scottish Power has been approached by Enel of Italy about the possible sale of its Worthing-based Southern Water subsidiary. 19-Apr-2001 Intertek Testing Services is expected to create dozens of new jobs in Leicester, following the recent expansion of its toy-testing laboratory. 19-Apr-2001 Chart Heat Exchangers is shedding 25 of the 130 jobs at its Wolverhampton factory, following a fall in orders. 19-Apr-2001 BAe Systems is seeking permission to build a £0.5m paint shop at Prestwick Airport, in preparation for development at the site following recent contract announcements. 18-Apr-2001 Steelite International is seeking permission to build an additional 74,000 sq ft tableware manufacturing plant at its Dalehall Works in Stoke-on-Trent. 18-Apr-2001 Moorcroft has started work on a new £3m pottery in Burslem, which will create 180 jobs over the next four years. 18-Apr-2001 Marconi is said to be looking to sell its medical systems business, in order to focus on the three core divisions of networks, wireless and enterprise. 18-Apr-2001 LB Plastics is planning to set up a plastic extrusions factory at the former Bridon Ropes industrial site in Ambergate, Derbyshire, later this year, with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 17-Apr-2001 Dawson International is planning to relocate its cashmere de-hairing operation from Bradford to Kinross, in a £2.5m investment that will create about 70 jobs. 13-Apr-2001 Trucast is to shed 67 of the 310 jobs at its engineering business on the Isle of Wight. 13-Apr-2001 Mulmuf is to set up a new factory at Killyman in Tyrone to manufacture industrial exhausts, with the creation of up to 20 jobs. 12-Apr-2001 Coats Viyella is to close a textiles factory at Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh, with the loss of about 200 jobs. 12-Apr-2001 Camtex Fabrics is to shed 30 of the 75 jobs at its shoe-lining fabric factory in West Cumbria, due to the effect of cheap imports. 12-Apr-2001 Pilkington Micronics is to close its electronic glass factory on the Deeside Industrial Estate in June with the loss of 84 jobs. 12-Apr-2001 Hepworth Heating is planning to shed up to 128 of its 700-strong workforce, which will affect plants in Belper and Milford. 11-Apr-2001 Delta Babygro is to close its baby clothing factory in Cowdenbeath with the loss of up to 150 jobs, in order to consolidate production in Kirkcaldy. 11-Apr-2001 Amtico is setting up a flooring factory at the Solar Park development in Solihull, with the creation of 50 jobs. 10-Apr-2001 Unifi Dyed Yarns is to shed 90 of the 210 jobs at its textiles factory in Radcliffe, in order to transfer yarn production to Ireland. 10-Apr-2001 Hindrichs-Aufermann Interiors is to close its wallcoverings factory in Lancaster with the loss of 180 jobs. 10-Apr-2001 TRW Aeronautical Systems is to set up a new £12m centre for its national repair and maintenance service in Birmingham, with the relocation of about 400 staff from Liverpool, Coventry, Marston Green, Shirley and Wolverhampton. 09-Apr-2001 AEA Technology is to centralise its battery operations at Thurso, which will involve the relocation of up to 50 jobs from Crawley and the creation of 20 new jobs. 09-Apr-2001 International Rectifier is planning to recruit an extra 400 people at its power semiconductors plant in Swansea over the next five years. 09-Apr-2001 Bentwood Nightwear is to close its textiles factory in Leek with the loss of 190 jobs. 09-Apr-2001 Mercury Recycling, the street light recycling company, is to seek a listing on Aim through a reverse takeover of the Argon shell company, and the £1m proceeds will be used to acquire new premises. 09-Apr-2001 CF Taylor is seeking permission to expand its aircraft interiors factory in Llanelli, with the creation of 80 jobs. 06-Apr-2001 Michelsons is looking to relocate its tie factory to smaller premises in Sittingbourne, with the loss of 50 jobs. 04-Apr-2001 AEA Technology, the science and engineering company, has received a number of approaches that could lead to the sale of all or parts of the company. 04-Apr-2001 Deniet & Son, the Suffolk-based supplier of metal shop-fitting equipment, has gone into liquidation with the loss of 26 of the 35 jobs. 03-Apr-2001 BCR Industries has closed its foundry in West Bromwich with the loss of 137 jobs, having run up debts of about £2m. 02-Apr-2001 Anson Cast Products is to close its factory in Castleford with the loss of 50 jobs. 02-Apr-2001 Dynex Semiconductor is creating 15 new jobs at its industrial power products factory in Lincoln, and many more jobs are expected over the coming year. 02-Apr-2001 Cleveland Circuits is creating up to 25 jobs at its new electronic components facility at Skelton on Teesside. 02-Apr-2001 Yeoman, the developer of mapping systems, is to raise £10m in a share placing to fund the development of navigation services for mobile phones. 02-Apr-2001 Anglian Water has been selected as preferred bidder to build a £140m water treatment plant in Beijing, in partnership with Mitsubishi of Japan. 02-Apr-2001 Strix has shed 50 jobs at its kettle components factory in Chester, in order to transfer some of the production to China. 30-Mar-2001 Eurospace Furniture is to shed 50 of the 320 jobs at its furniture factory near Selby. 30-Mar-2001 Chubb Fire is to shed 65 of the 233 jobs at its Maerdy factory in South Wales, in order to reduce costs. 30-Mar-2001 United Utilities has won a £450m outsourcing contract to manage water services in Wales, which will involve the transfer of 1,400 staff from Welsh Water. 30-Mar-2001 George Major Skip Hire is setting up a new waste management plant in Birkenhead, which will safeguard 28 jobs and create five new posts. 29-Mar-2001 WM Owlett is to relocate most of its ironmongery business from Dartford to sister company Jaton's site in Staffordshire, with the loss of about 100 of the 175 jobs. 29-Mar-2001 Tibbett is to shed 26 of the 75 jobs at its coat factory in Wellingborough as part of a restructuring programme. 29-Mar-2001 Hawtin is to invest £2m in the expansion of its PowerSport International subsidiary in Bridgend, which will involve the development of a number of new fitness equipment products. 29-Mar-2001 Koch-Glitsch is to shed up to 33 jobs at its distillation equipment factory in North Staffordshire, in order to relocate production to a sister factory in Kirby, Cumbria. 29-Mar-2001 Headlam is planning to restructure its Eclipse blind components business and will sell or close the operations in Germany and the Czech Republic. 28-Mar-2001 Aga Foodservice is planning to spend up to £150m on acquisitions to expand its cooking equipment business. 28-Mar-2001 Enodis is to shed 900 jobs in its kitchen equipment business, which will involve the closure of at least one plant in North America. 26-Mar-2001 Invensys is planning to shed a further 2,000 jobs in its automation and controls business, and is now expected to delay the flotation of its power systems division due to difficult conditions in the financial markets. 23-Mar-2001 Kidde, the fire protection and safety products group, is planning to spend up to £50m on acquisitions to expand its distribution network in Europe and North America. 23-Mar-2001 Meyer Prestige, the cookware company, is to set up a £6m office and warehouse complex at the Wirral International Business Park in Bromborough, and 130 staff will be transferred from its existing site in Birkenhead. 23-Mar-2001 Winsol, the blinds and shutters group, is planning to create a further 30 jobs over the next three years at its new manufacturing, distribution and training centre in Eastbourne. 23-Mar-2001 Smythson is expanding its stationery supplies business in Swindon, by combining its distribution arm with the existing production site on the Blackworth Industrial Estate. 23-Mar-2001 Ideal Standard, the bathroom manufacturer, has offered a voluntary redundancy package to about 110 workers in Hull. 22-Mar-2001 K Home Engineering is to create 50 new jobs in Thornaby on Teesside having opened a new office to house process, structural, instrumentation and electrical engineers. 22-Mar-2001 Weir is looking to spend up to £200m on acquisitions to expand its engineering business. 22-Mar-2001 Lothian & Borders Fire Brigade is planning to build a £3.3m training and support centre at Newbridge, near Edinburgh Airport. 21-Mar-2001 Prym Newey is to close its haberdashery and lingerie accessory factories in Tipton within a year with the loss of 150 jobs, in order to transfer production to Malaysia and the Czech Republic. 21-Mar-2001 Russ Berrie, the manufacturer of teddy bears, has awarded a £9m contract to Trant Construction to build a new office headquarters and warehouse at Hounsdown Business Park near Southampton. 21-Mar-2001 Delta is to cut 185 jobs at its Midland Electrical Manufacturing switchgear and control box factories in Birmingham and Holyhead. 20-Mar-2001 Bard is planning to consolidate its medical equipment factories worldwide, which could lead to the loss of 180 jobs in Clacton. 20-Mar-2001 Bulsare has closed its handbag manufacturing business in Norwich with the loss of 24 jobs. 20-Mar-2001 Green Tyre Company is planning a £1.2m expansion at its Middlesbrough base following a rise in demand for its puncture-proof tyres, and 40 new jobs are being created. 20-Mar-2001 TP Aspinall is to create 30 new jobs in Heysham having won a £8m contract to supply copper foil machinery to Taiwan. 19-Mar-2001 H Young, the marketing and distribution group, is planning to sell its bicycle and fishing tackle operations to management. 16-Mar-2001 Corus is planning to increase annual capital spending from £220m to more than £400m over the next five years, in order to increase production of high-value steel grades outside the UK. 16-Mar-2001 Premier Farnell, the electronic components distributor, is planning to spend £10m on new warehousing capacity in Europe. 16-Mar-2001 Chieftain Trailers is planning to double its trailer manufacturing workforce to 100 by 2004, following its move to new premises in Dungannon. 15-Mar-2001 Millbrook Industries is looking to recruit a further 60 staff in Southampton, including joiners, carpenters and decorators, in order to take its workforce to more than 800. 15-Mar-2001 Royal Crown Derby is investing £1m in the extension of its porcelain factory in Derby, in order to increase production by 25% and create 17 jobs. 14-Mar-2001 Pennon Group is looking to sell its Viridor waste management and environmental instrumentation business, which could be valued at about £300m. 14-Mar-2001 Relyon, the bed manufacturer valued at about £36m, has received a takeover approach from Steinhoff International of South Africa. 14-Mar-2001 Spinnaker International is planning to create up to 140 jobs in Saltash over the next three years, following the development of a new security system for cashpoint machines. 13-Mar-2001 IMI is planning to shed 1,200 jobs in a restructuring of its worldwide engineering business, and some operations will be moved to Poland, Mexico and the Czech Republic. 13-Mar-2001 Fairey, the instrumentation and controls group, is planning to sell three filtration businesses and change its name to Spectris. 12-Mar-2001 Gateshead Council is forming a partnership with One NorthEast and the Express engineering group to develop a £100m Knowledge Campus, which will be a centre of excellence for product development. 09-Mar-2001 Thyssen Krupp is to close the Access Industries stair lift factory in Thornaby with the loss of about 100 jobs, in order to focus UK production at its Leicester site. 08-Mar-2001 The Ministry of Defence is to reduce the size of the Defence Storage & Distribution Centre near Bicester with the loss of 200 jobs over the next three years, and similar reductions will take place at sites near Telford and Stafford. 07-Mar-2001 Wix Filtration Products is shedding 23 of the 350 jobs at its Southampton factory. 07-Mar-2001 BBA is to invest £25m on productivity improvements in its materials technology division, and has also announced plans to shed about 600 jobs in Europe and the US. 07-Mar-2001 Meggitt is looking to spend about £100m on acquisitions in aerospace and defence and may consider selling its electronics operations. 07-Mar-2001 PHS Group is seeking permission to build a hand-drier factory at Alderman's Green industrial park in Coventry, where it would employ 60 staff. 06-Mar-2001 Labor Ready, the US supplier of temporary manual labour, is planning to set up 28 offices across the UK this year. 06-Mar-2001 The Welsh Development Agency is working on plans to switch the Defence Aviation Repair Agency in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, to a new site alongside Cardiff International Airport, which could involve the relocation of up to 2,000 jobs. 05-Mar-2001 Lee Cooper, the jeans manufacturer, has put itself up for sale and is inviting international textile groups to make a bid. 05-Mar-2001 Start-rite is to shed 100 jobs at its shoe factory in Norwich in order to move part of the manufacturing process to India. 02-Mar-2001 Parker Hannifin is to relocate its pneumatics business from Carn Brea to smaller premises at nearby Treleigh later this year, with the loss of 30 jobs. 02-Mar-2001 Cookson is to shed 700 jobs in its electronic equipment and ceramics businesses, including more than 300 at sites in the UK. 01-Mar-2001 Birse Building has won a £9m contract from HLC Engenharia to build a materials recovery and energy centre for waste treatment at Port Talbot. 28-Feb-2001 Barker Shoes is to shed 25 of the 170 jobs at its shoe factory in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire. 27-Feb-2001 Chloride Safety Systems is to close its factory in Liverpool later this year with the loss of 100 jobs, and a further 78 jobs will go at its Peterborough site in order to relocate work to Leicester and Basildon. 26-Feb-2001 Polaroid is to shed 235 of the 850 jobs at its camera factory in the Vale of Leven near Dumbarton. 26-Feb-2001 South Staffordshire Group is planning to expand its Home Services division, which provides emergency plumbing, drainage and utility services, with the creation of 250 jobs in Walsall. 23-Feb-2001 Royal Doulton is to close the Holland Studio Craft works in Longton at the end of the year with the loss of 45 jobs, in order to move production to China or Thailand. 22-Feb-2001 Danka Business Systems is in negotiations to sell its document outsourcing business, which employs 3,000 staff in 13 countries, in order to reduce debt. 22-Feb-2001 RPS Group, the environmental consultancy, is planning to raise £40m in a rights issue in order to fund acquisitions in continental Europe. 22-Feb-2001 Firth Carpets is to shed 65 of the 380 jobs at its carpet factory in Brighouse, following a £6m investment in new looms. 21-Feb-2001 Christie Tyler is to close three of its six furniture factories in Wales with the loss of 305 jobs. 20-Feb-2001 Rayne Foundry near Braintree has closed with the loss of 54 metal working jobs. 20-Feb-2001 Adria is to close its textiles factory in Newry with the loss of 165 jobs, while Cooneen Textiles is to close its Enniskillen plant with the loss of 90 jobs. 19-Feb-2001 Alps Electric has confirmed plans to close its Arbroath electronic components factory with the loss of up to 180 jobs, although some workers will relocate to Milton Keynes. 19-Feb-2001 North West Water is planning to invest £120m in cleaning up Cumbria's coastal waters over the next 4 years, including the installation of new disinfection systems and screens to remove litter. 16-Feb-2001 Corus has announced plans to invest £9m in improvements at its continuous steel casting plant in Scunthorpe, and the town will become the new headquarters of both its engineering steels and industrial operations. 16-Feb-2001 Smith & Nephew, the medical devices group, is seeking acquisitions to expand its salesforce, and is interested in the Zimmer business being demerged from Bristol Myers Squibb. 16-Feb-2001 David Evans & Co is to close its silk mill at Crayford in London later this year with the loss of about 80 jobs, and the silk finishing business will move to a smaller mill in Adamesley near Macclesfield. 15-Feb-2001 Kalsi Plastics is to open a new injection moulding factory and distribution centre in Derby next month with the creation of 120 jobs, leaving its Birmingham plant to focus on plastic extrusion. 14-Feb-2001 Aristoc has announced plans to shed 214 jobs at its hosiery factory in Belper. 14-Feb-2001 Husky is creating 30 jobs at a new refrigeration factory in Blaby, Leicester, which will also house the sales and service departments and provide warehouse facilities. 14-Feb-2001 Fine Tubes is undertaking a £2m expansion at its Plymouth factory, which will include a new tube production mill, handling equipment and the creation of 10 jobs. 14-Feb-2001 Crownridge Steel has gone into liquidation with the loss of about 12 jobs at its specialist steel mill operation in Pembrokeshire. 14-Feb-2001 Rolls-Royce is to receive a £250m government loan to fund the development of new jet engines for superjumbo aircraft, which is expected to secure 7,000 jobs in Derby and at component suppliers. 14-Feb-2001 Aktrion, the Banbury-based engineering consultancy, is planning to create 50 new jobs in order to become a global player in the business services market over the next three years. 12-Feb-2001 Parker Pen in Newhaven is to become the European headquarters for its new US-based parent company Newell Rubbermaid, securing the future of 600 jobs. 12-Feb-2001 Citiraya UK is to create up to 48 jobs at its new computer waste recycling centre in Irvine over the next two years. 12-Feb-2001 Glynwed is to close its Falcon Castings foundry in Larbert with the loss of 50 jobs, in order to transfer the work to a plant near Telford. 09-Feb-2001 York International is to shed 50 of the 550 jobs at its air conditioning business in Basildon. 07-Feb-2001 Oxford Instruments has set up a new manufacturing site for its plasma technology division at Clevedon near Bristol, where it will employ 30 workers. 07-Feb-2001 Warrington Borough Council is considering plans from Sterile Technologies Ireland for the construction of a £6m hospital waste recycling centre on the site of the Warrington Metal Services foundry. 06-Feb-2001 Kent Woodware is to close its wood turning business at Hawkhurst, Kent, in April, with the loss of the 17 remaining jobs. 05-Feb-2001 Oystertec is to raise £7m in a flotation on Aim next month to fund the commercial development of a new device for joining pipes together. 05-Feb-2001 BAe Systems is to sell its 54% stake in its Canadian electronic products business to a management team backed by the Oncap investment fund in a £270m deal. 05-Feb-2001 Courtaulds Textiles has announced plans to shed 48 jobs at its lingerie factory in Limavady, Northern Ireland, and a further 20 will be transferred to Nottingham. 02-Feb-2001 GKN Aerospace has announced plans to shed 350 jobs on the Isle of Wight, including 150 sub-contract and temporary workers. 02-Feb-2001 Corus is to shed 2,800 jobs in Wales with the closure of tinplate production at Ebbw Vale and steel making at Llanwern, while a further 1,600 jobs will be lost at other sites in Yorkshire and Teesside. 02-Feb-2001 William Baird, the textiles group, has called off plans for a management buy-out following a disagreement with venture capitalist Alchemy Partners. 01-Feb-2001 Boeing is to invest £15m in a new aerospace research centre in Rotherham in partnership with the University of Sheffield, with the creation of up to 80 jobs. 01-Feb-2001 Pifco is to close its household appliances factory in Burntwood in March, and 50 of the 150 jobs will be transferred to its manufacturing base near Wolverhampton. 31-Jan-2001 Rickerby is to shed 50 jobs and close agricultural machinery depots in Cockermouth and Dumfries. 30-Jan-2001 Stanton Bonna is to create 20 new jobs in Ilkeston having won a £10m contract to provide concrete railway sleepers for a section of the Channel Tunnel rail link. 29-Jan-2001 The Health & Safety Executive is seeking 300,000 sq ft of office space on Merseyside, having decided to quit its existing office blocks in Bootle. 29-Jan-2001 Marconi is said to be interested in selling its 50% stake in General Domestic Appliances, the white goods manufacturer with more than 5,000 employees, as part of a strategy to focus on telecoms equipment. 26-Jan-2001 Britax, the manufacturer of aircraft interiors, automotive products and child safety seats, is in takeover talks with a number of potential suitors. 26-Jan-2001 Neath Port Talbot Council is to set up a £30m waste recycling plant at Crymlyn Burrows, with the creation of about 70 jobs. 25-Jan-2001 Johnson Radley, the manufacturer of moulds for the glass industry, is to shed 80 jobs at its Leeds factory and transfer a further 70 to parent company BRK's site in Gildersome. 25-Jan-2001 Porvair is to invest £4m in the development of fuel cell technology this year, which will involve adapting metallic and ceramic materials to solve problems associated with heat exchange and emissions. 25-Jan-2001 Knurr has bought Quante Telecom's production facilities at Snailwell in Cambridgeshire for £2.5m, in order to expand the manufacture of racks for the communications sector. 24-Jan-2001 Foster Refrigerator is planning to invest £5m in new equipment and layout improvements at its King's Lynn factory, but 80 of the 500 jobs will be lost. 24-Jan-2001 Victrex is forming a fuel cells joint venture with Ballard of Canada to research new manufacturing processes for ionomers, which could lead to the £17m development of two pilot factories. 23-Jan-2001 Babcock International is to take over maintenance management at the Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Clyde, as part of a government strategy to make savings at naval dockyards. 23-Jan-2001 GKN Technology is to shed 70 of the 155 jobs at its engineering testing and evaluation facility in Wolverhampton. 22-Jan-2001 Kastix has shed 30 jobs at its clothing factory in Dalbeattie, and the remaining 24 are being retained to complete current orders. 19-Jan-2001 Sita is to permanently close a tyre recycling site in Wolverhampton, having dropped plans to refurbish the facility. 18-Jan-2001 Courtaulds is to close its lingerie factory at Carn in County Armagh with the loss of 137 jobs. 18-Jan-2001 Thames Water has awarded a £80m contract to Taylor Woodrow and Black & Veatch to build a waste water treatment plant in Reading. 18-Jan-2001 Conroy Diamonds has announced the discovery of gold in Northern Ireland, in an area between Armagh and Co Monaghan. 18-Jan-2001 United Utilities is linking up with International Water to acquire a 50% stake in Tallinna Vesi, the Estonian water company, for about £50m. 17-Jan-2001 Weir is planning a major expansion of its engineering business in India and south-east Asia, and has acquired direct control of its Indian pump manufacturing joint venture. 16-Jan-2001 Gossard is considering plans to close its lingerie factory at Pontllanfraith near Blackwood, Gwent, with the loss of about 160 jobs. 16-Jan-2001 GKN is considering plans to merge its industrial services operation with Brambles of Australia, which could lead to the flotation of the combined business. 16-Jan-2001 Dewhirst is to close its clothing factory in Lampeter in April with the loss of up to 165 jobs, although some staff will be offered jobs in Swansea and Cardigan. 15-Jan-2001 Beaver & Tapley is relocating its furniture manufacturing business from London to Old Basford in Nottingham with the creation of 50 new jobs. 15-Jan-2001 Benjamin Whiteley is to close its textile yarns factory near Huddersfield with the loss of about 19 jobs. 15-Jan-2001 Varahwear has closed its clothing factory in Blyth with the loss of 50 jobs, while nearby roofing firm Cavner & Allen has shed 30 jobs. 15-Jan-2001 Leicester City Council has proposed plans to create a £5m knitwear village to house up to 10 local textile companies. 12-Jan-2001 CAN Group, the repair and maintenance engineering company, is to build a new £1.5m headquarters in Aberdeen. 12-Jan-2001 Agra Birwelco is to shed about 40 jobs at its engineering business in Halesowen. 12-Jan-2001 Dewhirst, the clothing manufacturer, is considering plans for a management buy-out. 11-Jan-2001 BAe Systems is planning to cut capacity in its military aircraft business, as part of a £525m restructuring programme that will shed up to 3,000 UK jobs. 11-Jan-2001 Consafe Engineering is to close its offshore fabrication yard at Burntisland in Fife with the loss of 50 jobs. 11-Jan-2001 Sterling Tubes is to close its steel tube production plants in Chesterfield and Walsall in August with the loss of 248 jobs, and the work will be transferred to parent company Sandvik of Sweden. 10-Jan-2001 Daks Simpson is to shed 262 jobs at its textile factory in Larkhall due to a shortage of orders. 10-Jan-2001 Mainetti Technology is planning a £1.9m expansion at its plastic ducting factory in Hawick, and expects to double its total workforce to 200 within four years. 10-Jan-2001 JCC Lighting Products is recruiting a further 10 workers, having opened a new factory and showroom in Bognor Regis. 08-Jan-2001 Allied Insulators is to close its electrical products factory at Milton in North Staffordshire with the loss of 67 jobs, as parent company Wade-Allied Holdings has decided to focus on design, test and procurement. 05-Jan-2001 R-B International, the Lincoln-based crane company, has been bought by Langley Holdings for undisclosed terms and its 30-strong workforce will be transferred to sites in Retford and Gainsborough. 04-Jan-2001 Edson Europe is moving its marine equipment business from Portsmouth to Havant in order to increase manufacturing capacity. 04-Jan-2001 Rolls-Royce has won a £600m contract to overhaul engines on British Airways' new fleet of short-haul Airbus aircraft over the next 20 years, which will provide a boost to its maintenance facility in East Kilbride. 04-Jan-2001 AT Cross of the US is to close its pens factory at Ballinasloe in Galway, with the loss of 60 jobs. 02-Jan-2001 The Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory in Oban is planning to redevelop its buildings at a cost of £8m, in order to create 15 jobs and benefit from additional research opportunities created with the emergence of new technologies. 02-Jan-2001 General Trailers is to shed an unspecified number of the 680 jobs at its Dereham factory in Norfolk, in order to transfer tanker production to France. 02-Jan-2001 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. Click here for further details Copyright UK Business Park 1995-2007