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Engineering 2002
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Monotub Industries, the washing machine manufacturer, is to place itself into voluntary liquidation and sell the remaining assets to its founder for a nominal sum. 31-Dec-2002 Caerphilly County Council has announced plans to build a waste transfer station on the Pant Glas industrial estate. 31-Dec-2002 Sigma 3 is investing £0.5m in the expansion of its kitchen manufacturing business in Llantrisant. 24-Dec-2002 Westinghouse Brakes is planning to build a new factory in Chippenham to replace its outdated premises in Foundry Lane, securing the future of 400 jobs. 24-Dec-2002 Aircraft Materials is considering plans to relocate its aviation engineering business and up to 93 jobs from Newton Abbot to another site owned by parent company Airborne Systems in South Wales. 23-Dec-2002 Signum Circuits is to abandon the former Viasystems factory in Selkirk, in order to concentrate printed circuit board production at its nearby St Mary's site. 20-Dec-2002 AVK of Denmark has acquired the large valves business of Derbyshire-based St Gobain Pipelines, and has also disclosed that its Glenfield division is looking to build a new 100,000 sq ft factory in Kilmarnock. 19-Dec-2002 General Domestic Appliances is to shed 141 of the 700 jobs at its Hotpoint electrical goods factory in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, by March 2003. 18-Dec-2002 Centrax is to shed up to 30 jobs at its turbine blades factory in Newton Abbot. 18-Dec-2002 Sloman Engineering is to shed up to 35 of the 140 jobs at its engine parts factory in Newton Aycliffe. 18-Dec-2002 Camtex Fabrics, the Workington-based manufacturer of shoe-lining fabric with 40 staff, has been sold by DuPont to a management buy-out. 18-Dec-2002 Shipham Castings, the valve manufacturer, is to close its foundry in Hull in January with the loss of up to 40 jobs. 17-Dec-2002 Trinity House, the lighthouse authority, has confirmed plans to close its engineering base in East Cowes with the loss of 60 jobs by 2007, in order to transfer work to Harwich and Swansea. 16-Dec-2002 Alcoa is investing £12m in new processing equipment at its aluminium plant in Swansea, which will secure the future of all 287 jobs. 16-Dec-2002 Caldeira is to open a new £1.5m cushion factory on the Knowsley Business Park in January with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 16-Dec-2002 MKW Engineering is planning to form a joint venture with a Chinese company to manufacture advanced medical equipment in the Gateshead area, which could lead to the creation of 200 jobs. 16-Dec-2002 Britannia Zinc is considering plans to close its Avonmouth smelter with the loss of up to 400 jobs, as part of a strategy by Australian parent MIM Holdings to focus on its core businesses. 16-Dec-2002 Dyson, the developer of the bagless vacuum cleaner, is looking to recruit 50 additional scientists and designers in Malmesbury. 16-Dec-2002 Folkes Group is to close its Clarkes crankshaft factory in Lincoln over the next few months, with the loss of 100 jobs. 16-Dec-2002 Trox UK is to close its air-conditioning equipment factory in Yarmouth and transfer the work to its larger Thetford factory, with the loss of 35 jobs. 13-Dec-2002 Yorkshire Water has won a £40m contract from the Ministry of Defence to provide water and waste services in Wales, the south-west and parts of the Midlands. 13-Dec-2002 Thames Water is expected to award a £140m contract to Intersperse and Prides for the construction of a desalination plant at Beckton in east London. 12-Dec-2002 Caldwell Hardware is considering plans to expand the 80-strong workforce at its recently-opened £2m window components factory in Coventry. 11-Dec-2002 Perlos is to shed 32 of the 230 jobs at its Wearside plastics factory, following the loss of a contract. 11-Dec-2002 DPS Composites is to create 30 jobs at its aerospace components plant in Pembroke Dock, having won a new £18m contract. 11-Dec-2002 PHS Group is looking to spend a further £50m on bolt-on acquisitions to expand its workplace services business. 11-Dec-2002 Alstom has announced a £111m sale and leaseback agreement with St Modwen Properties and Sahlia Real Estate for its portfolio of 19 operational properties. 09-Dec-2002 Pilkington is considering plans to sell its aerospace glass business, which includes a plant in Birmingham, in order to raise about £44m to reduce debt. 09-Dec-2002 Irvin-GQ is to relocate its parachute factory from Blackmill in Bridgend to a larger £5m site at nearby Llangeinor, with the transfer of 220 jobs and the creation of 200 new jobs. 06-Dec-2002 Abbeycrest is to transfer some of its jewellery assembly operations from Birmingham to a new factory in Thailand over the next six months, with the loss of up to 75 of the 164 Birmingham-based jobs. 06-Dec-2002 NCR is to shed 130 of the 1,500 jobs at its cash machine factory in Dundee by the end of March. 04-Dec-2002 Owens Corning is to close its fibre glass materials factory in Wrexham in May, with the loss of up to 230 jobs, and production will transfer to other sites around the world. 04-Dec-2002 Beauvale Group is to close a soft furnishings factory in Ilkeston with the loss of 120 jobs, in order to transfer production to its other site nearby. 04-Dec-2002 Tecnograv is to shed 27 jobs at its metal engraving factory at Gaerwen, Anglesey, in order to transfer some production to its site in Wigan. 04-Dec-2002 Richard Roberts is to close its knitwear factory at Vaughan Way in Leicester by next May, with the loss of 300 jobs, and production will transfer abroad. 04-Dec-2002 Pechiney Aviatube is to shed a further 40 jobs at its aerospace factory in Lillyhall. 03-Dec-2002 Albert Martin is planning to shed up to 93 jobs at its clothing factory in Sutton-in-Ashfield. 02-Dec-2002 Clarendon Dyeworks is to close its textile dyes plant in Leicester in March with the loss of 60 jobs. 02-Dec-2002 Control Techniques is planning to transfer speed drives production from its Newtown factory in Mid Wales to a new plant in China next year, but job losses are not expected for the 400 Newtown staff. 29-Nov-2002 Kinpars Industrial Plastics is to relocate its glass fibre housings business from Easthouses to a 20,000 sq ft factory at Lauder in January, and the 39-strong workforce is expected to double in three years. 29-Nov-2002 LG Philips has announced plans to shed 90 of the 950 jobs at its television components plant in Durham, while 150 jobs will be lost in Blackburn. 29-Nov-2002 Boden is to relocate its clothing warehouse and call centre from London to Braunstone's Meridian Business Park in Leicestershire early next year, with the creation of up to 350 jobs over the next five years. 29-Nov-2002 BAe Systems is to shed 450 of the 2,300 jobs at its Brough factory in east Yorkshire, due to a lack of orders for the Hawk trainer jet. 29-Nov-2002 Pennon is seeking further acquisitions to expand its Viridor waste management business. 29-Nov-2002 Vp has raised £1.5m from the sale of the compressed air unit hire fleet of its Airpac Onshore division to Rentair. 28-Nov-2002 Lyle & Scott is building a new 3,875 sq ft knitwear factory in Kelso for its Ellaness Manufacturing division. 28-Nov-2002 Cyan Technology, the Cambridge-based developer of household wiring control systems, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 20 jobs. 28-Nov-2002 Kawasaki Precision Machinery is considering plans to invest £3m at its manufacturing plant in Plymouth, in order to safeguard 150 jobs and create up to 20 new jobs. 28-Nov-2002 Recticel Gwalia has secured the future of its upholstery components business with a £1.1m investment, including a Welsh Assembly grant to fund a larger production site at the Rassau Industrial Estate in Ebbw Vale. 27-Nov-2002 Woolley GMC is to shed 33 jobs at its machine component factories in Exhall and Coventry. 27-Nov-2002 Time 24 is to relocate its Derby-base cable connectors factory to the former Empire Works in Rowditch next March, with the creation of 70 new jobs. 27-Nov-2002 The Aluminium Training Alliance is to set up ten centres of excellence around the country, in order to improve aluminium installation and fabrication skills. 27-Nov-2002 BAe Systems is looking to sell its aerostructures business, which includes 2,000 staff and sites in Lancashire and Ayrshire. 27-Nov-2002 Norfolk County Council is to receive revised plans from Peterborough-based Global Olivine for the development of a £150m waste incineration plant at Thetford. 26-Nov-2002 Cresswell Lighting is to close its lighting factory at Hixon, Staffordshire, by May 2003 with the loss of more than 100 jobs, in order to transfer work to a site in Poole. 25-Nov-2002 AEA Technology is planning to open a £3m technology centre at Glengarnock near Glasgow, with the creation of about 100 jobs. 25-Nov-2002 Scapa, the tapes manufacturer, is to close sites in Manchester, Southampton, South Wales, Luton and Germany over the next year, with the loss of about 80 jobs. 25-Nov-2002 Ritchey Tagg, the Ripon-based manufacturer of identification equipment for livestock, is planning to float on Ofex. 25-Nov-2002 Tyburn Plastics of Birmingham is expected to go into liquidation next month with the loss of 20 jobs, following the loss of a £1m contract from JCB. 22-Nov-2002 Candy is to close its fridge and freezer factory at Bromborough next June with the loss of 200 jobs, and the work will be transferred to eastern Europe, China and Italy. 22-Nov-2002 Helix is considering plans to shed jobs at its plastic products factory in Stourbridge, in order to transfer more production to the Far East. 22-Nov-2002 Pirelli is planning to close a cable factory in Erith, Kent, with the loss of 260 jobs, and mothball a factory in Hampshire with the loss of 185 jobs. 21-Nov-2002 West Sussex County Council has approved plans for the development of a major new waste compacting plant at Runcton near Chichester. 21-Nov-2002 British Waterways is linking up with Partnerships UK, AWG and Bristol Water to form a new water supply company called Watergrid. 19-Nov-2002 Dewhirst is to close its clothing factory in Ashington with the loss of 420 jobs, in order to transfer production to Morocco. 18-Nov-2002 Royal Doulton has announced the loss of a further 250 jobs at its pottery operations in Stoke-on-Trent, and the closure of its Beswick factory has been brought forward by six months. 18-Nov-2002 Lightnin Mixers is to close its industrial fluid mixers factory in Poynton with the loss of 50 jobs, as parent company SPX wants to relocate production to its Bran & Luebbe site in Northamptonshire. 14-Nov-2002 Corus has dropped plans for a £3bn merger with Brazilian steelmaker CSN, blaming weak financial markets and declining trading conditions. 14-Nov-2002 Start-rite, the shoemaker, is looking to set up a new £3m headquarters and distribution centre in Norwich, and is considering sites at the Broadland Business Park and Longwater retail park. 13-Nov-2002 Leicester City Council and Biffa have announced plans to build a £30m waste recycling depot at the Bursom industrial park in 2005, as part of a £300m deal to recycle 70% of household waste. 13-Nov-2002 Investment Tooling International has closed its engineering business in Corsham with the loss of 35 jobs. 13-Nov-2002 Bristol Water has awarded a £10m contract to Costain and Purac for the construction of a water treatment works at Barrow near Bristol. 13-Nov-2002 Porter Lancastrian, the manufacturer of products for the engineering and electronics sectors, is to relocate its Bolton and Bamber Bridge operations and 120 staff to a new headquarters in Chorley. 12-Nov-2002 Eastman Kodak is to set up a new camera packing factory at the Oakham Business Park in Mansfield, with the creation of up to 200 seasonal jobs. 12-Nov-2002 General Dynamics is to create up to 250 new jobs at its UK headquarters in Blaenau Gwent, having won a contract to supply battlefield information systems to the British Army. 11-Nov-2002 Carrington Performance Fabrics has shed 40 of the 88 jobs at its textiles factory in Dewsbury. 11-Nov-2002 Enesco is to shed 24 of the 120 jobs at its giftware factory in Workington, and there will also be cutbacks at sites in Carlisle and south west Scotland. 11-Nov-2002 Jones & Campbell, the manufacturer of gearboxes and engine castings, is to close its factory in Stirlingshire with the loss of 250 jobs. 08-Nov-2002 The Welding Institute is planning to set up a £17m welding research and technology centre in South Yorkshire, with the creation of 40 jobs. 08-Nov-2002 Alstom is looking to raise up to £100m from the sale and leaseback of its UK property portfolio, which includes 20 plants. 08-Nov-2002 Tyne Tube is planning to create more than 150 new jobs with the expansion of its engineering operations in the north-east, including a £1m upgrade at its Hartlepool factory. 07-Nov-2002 Leicestershire County Council is seeking a suitable site to set up a waste incinerator, as part of its long-term household waste management strategy. 07-Nov-2002 Curver Consumer Products is to close its plastic household goods factories in Corby and Carlisle with the loss of 200 jobs, and there will also be cuts at its Basildon site. 06-Nov-2002 Corus is to relocate its cut-to-length steel processing work from Leeds to Teesside, with the loss of 17 jobs and the transfer of a further 15 jobs to other parts of the Leeds plant. 06-Nov-2002 JCM Group is planning to create up to 70 jobs at its new refrigerator recycling centre in Billingham. 06-Nov-2002 Viridian is to create 50 new jobs at its NIE Powerteam electrical contracting business in Northern Ireland, having won a number of new contracts. 05-Nov-2002 Grange Fencing is to set up a garden products factory in Hull next year with the creation of up to 60 jobs. 05-Nov-2002 Fairline Boats is planning to shed up to 35 jobs at sites in Corby and Oundle. 04-Nov-2002 General Dynamics, the US communications group, is to set up a £4m research and development centre at its Oakdale site in Gwent, with the creation of 40 jobs for technologists and engineers. 01-Nov-2002 Rolls Wood Group is to shed 60 jobs at its engine repair plant in Aberdeen, following a recent fire. 31-Oct-2002 Doncasters Precision Castings is to shed 99 jobs at its engineering business in Droitwich. 30-Oct-2002 Judane is planning to relocate its Shetland-based knitwear factory from Lerwick to its former premises at Holmsgarth. 29-Oct-2002 William Cook is to shed 96 of the 230 jobs at its Hi-Tech Integrity power station castings factory in Penistone. 29-Oct-2002 Mayborn is to shed 98 jobs at its baby care products factory in Cramlington, in order to transfer some production to China. 29-Oct-2002 Dyer Engineering, the general engineering company with 86 staff, is to relocate to a £0.8m site on the Morrison Road Industrial Estate in Derwentside in November. 25-Oct-2002 R Griggs has announced plans to close its shoe factories in Wollaston, Irthlingborough, Leicestershire and Somerset with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs, in order to transfer production to China. 25-Oct-2002 Vernon Road Bleaching & Dyeing of Nottingham has gone into liquidation with the loss of 90 jobs. 24-Oct-2002 Severn Trent has awarded a £10m contract to North Midland Construction for six new pumping stations and five asset renewal schemes in the Midlands. 24-Oct-2002 FII is to close its shoe factory in Banbridge, County Down, with the loss of more than 140 jobs. 23-Oct-2002 Scottish Water is planning to upgrade its water treatment works at Invercannie near Banchory, at a cost of £10m. 23-Oct-2002 Stirling is planning to close its lingerie factory in Leigh with the loss of 400 jobs in order to transfer production to Morocco, India and Sri Lanka, and sites will also close in Aberbargoed and Bristol. 23-Oct-2002 Crown Graphic is setting up a new £1m headquarters in Totnes, which will involve the creation of 30 new jobs and the relocation of 50 staff from existing sites in Totnes and London. 22-Oct-2002 Cleveland Circuits is creating a further 11 jobs at its Teesside factory, having won a £0.5m contract to supply printed circuits boards to Victor Products. 21-Oct-2002 The University of Sheffield's Institute for Microstructural & Mechanical Process Engineering has secured a £4m grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council to help the UK metals industry develop new products. 21-Oct-2002 Grasshopper Babywear is to close its babywear factory in Wolverhampton with the loss of 250 jobs, and other sites will close in Manchester, Nottingham and Cumbria. 21-Oct-2002 Jacques Vert has announced a £18m takeover offer for textile manufacturer William Baird, and intends to sell off Baird's casual wear brands and manufacturing facilities. 17-Oct-2002 Crawford Collets is to close its engineering factory in Witney with the loss of about 70 jobs, in order to transfer production to Halifax. 16-Oct-2002 Schneider Electric is to close its electrical products factory in Wolverhampton next April with the loss of 120 jobs, while up to 30 jobs will relocate to its site in Telford. 14-Oct-2002 Carmarthenshire County Council has approved plans for the development of a £2m pottery training centre in Llandeilo, which is expected to create 20 jobs. 11-Oct-2002 First Technology, the manufacturer of crash test dummies and sensors, is to close its manufacturing plant in Farnborough next spring with the loss of 55 jobs, but will continue to use the site for research and support. 11-Oct-2002 David Brown Textron is planning to make significant job cuts at its gearboxes factory in Huddersfield, which has 170 workers, and some manufacturing could be transferred to Thailand or to outside suppliers. 10-Oct-2002 The RAF is creating up to 100 new jobs at RAF Valley on Anglesey, having awarded an aircraft maintenance contract to Brown & Root and Marshall Aerospace. 10-Oct-2002 RMC is looking to sell its UK waste water business, which includes about 10 landfill sites and has an estimated value of up to £100m. 09-Oct-2002 Inkcycle, the Lincolnshire-based supplier of recycled ink cartridges, is to create up to 12 new jobs to add to the existing 18, including telesales staff and recyclers. 08-Oct-2002 AWG is looking to sell its international services division for about £150m, including water operations in China, Ireland, Thailand, Chile and the Czech Republic. 08-Oct-2002 Croydex is to shed 69 jobs at its bathroom equipment factory in Barnstaple. 07-Oct-2002 DEK, the manufacturer of surface-mount printing machines for the electronics industry, is to shed 44 of the 354 jobs at its Weymouth factory. 04-Oct-2002 Thames Water is planning to shed 150 jobs at its call centre in Swindon by January 2004, and is expected to put the customer services contract out to tender. 04-Oct-2002 UBH International, the Lancashire-based container manufacturer, has received a £1m investment from the Baxi Partnership, securing the future of 120 jobs. 04-Oct-2002 Black & Decker is to shed 950 jobs at its power tools plant in County Durham, in order to transfer production to the Czech Republic. 04-Oct-2002 Weardale Steel is to shed 70 jobs at its steel foundry in Wolsingham, County Durham. 04-Oct-2002 WS Atkins is to shed 400 jobs from its 15,000-strong worldwide workforce, following a fall in demand for its support services. 03-Oct-2002 Glomoco, the developer of the Spacetrac mobile plant tracking system, is relocating from Manchester to St Helens with the creation of 30 jobs, having raised up to £1m of venture capital. 03-Oct-2002 The Ministry of Defence is to transform the Derring Lines military base in Brecon into a centre of training excellence for the British Army, with the creation of 20 jobs. 03-Oct-2002 Eliza Tinsley is to close its agricultural component operations in the UK, but this will not affect its vehicle parts plant in County Durham plant, which employs 240 staff. 02-Oct-2002 Air Trembath Hire, the supplier of heating and air conditioning equipment, is planning to set up a nationwide network of about 15 hire centres over the next three years. 02-Oct-2002 The Ministry of Defence has announced plans to spend £10bn buying F-35 jump jets to replace the Harrier fleet, which could provide work for up to 8,500 people at UK-based companies. 01-Oct-2002 Dudson is planning a £7m expansion at its ceramic tableware factory in Tunstall, which could lead to the creation of up to 100 jobs over the next five years. 01-Oct-2002 Solectron is to shed a further 80 jobs at its remaining electronics plant in Carrickfergus. 01-Oct-2002 Exel has acquired the former Lyme & Wood Pits colliery in St Helens from HJ Banks & Company for £2m, in order to establish a waste materials handling site for its Cory Environmental subsidiary. 30-Sep-2002 Getty Connections is to close its cable wire factory in Carrickfergus with the loss of 135 jobs. 30-Sep-2002 Bombardier has announced plans to shed 240 jobs at its Shorts aerospace factory in east Belfast by the end of the year. 30-Sep-2002 Royal Doulton is to close its Beswick pottery in Stoke-on-Trent with the loss of 200 jobs. 30-Sep-2002 Sherwood is conducting a strategic review of its Nottingham-based lace making business, which could lead to a sale. 30-Sep-2002 Handley & Beck, the Runcorn-based distributor of engineering supplies, has gone into liquidation. 27-Sep-2002 ABB Power T&D is to close its power technology plant in Ellesmere Port with the loss of up to 140 jobs, in order to relocate the work to a site in Daresbury. 27-Sep-2002 Warmseal is expanding its Tyneside-based double glazing business and creating 30 jobs by setting up a new factory unit at the Westway Industrial Park in Throckley. 26-Sep-2002 Beagle Aircraft is cutting 30 of the 200 jobs at its military aircraft parts factory in Christchurch. 26-Sep-2002 Thames Water has bought a 75% stake in two Spanish water companies - Pridesa and Ondagua - from Iberdrola for £59m. 26-Sep-2002 Severn Trent is forming a £150m joint venture with Solihull borough council to help the local authority improve its services and to sell their skills to other organisations. 26-Sep-2002 BAe Systems has awarded a £25m contract to Mowlem to build a new office and research centre at the Capability Green business park in Luton. 26-Sep-2002 Cradley Castings has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of up to 40 jobs at its castings factory in Cradley. 25-Sep-2002 Bentwood is planning to close its sewing factory in Leigh with the loss of up to 350 jobs. 24-Sep-2002 Flakt Woods is to make its Colchester site a centre of excellence for fan production, which will lead to more work for its 514-strong workforce and the redevelopment of its existing factory or the creation of a new factory. 24-Sep-2002 English Partnerships has bought the Haverton Hill Industrial Estate on Teesside, and plans to spend £7m transforming it into a new site for engineering, manufacturing and heavy industry. 24-Sep-2002 Alcan is to close its fabrication technology research and development centre in Banbury with the loss of up to 100 jobs, in order to transfer the work to sites in Canada and Switzerland. 24-Sep-2002 T Clarke is to close Meggitt Marsh, its Bournemouth-based electrical engineering subsidiary, at the end of the year, and some of the 35 staff will transfer to offices in Kent and Bristol. 23-Sep-2002 Drummond Parkland, the French-owned woollen textiles company, is to shed about 70 of the 150 jobs at its factory in Huddersfield. 23-Sep-2002 Richard Roberts is considering plans to shed up to 200 of the 550 jobs at its knitwear factory in Leicester. 19-Sep-2002 Imperial Tobacco is to shed 800 jobs from its worldwide workforce of 18,000, with 54 of the jobs being lost at its Nottingham plant. 19-Sep-2002 West Sussex County Council has announced plans to spend £25m on recycling projects, including the upgrade of civic amenity sites, recycling centres, transfer stations and new composting facilities. 18-Sep-2002 Bridgeport Machines is to shed 50 of the 250 jobs at its Leicester-based engineering business. 16-Sep-2002 Morgan Crucible is planning to close its Morganite Special Carbons factory in Gosport, which makes washers, bearings and seals, with the loss of 90 jobs. 12-Sep-2002 BraddaHead has secured more than £1m of venture capital funding to establish a new hi-tech security business in St Helens, involving the use of CCTV and intelligent networked video technology. 12-Sep-2002 Aero Inventory, the online wholesaler of aircraft parts, is to raise £6m in a share placing in order to increase working capital and reduce debt. 12-Sep-2002 Corus is to create 80 new jobs at its pipelines business in Hartlepool, having won a number of new contracts. 11-Sep-2002 IMI is looking to spend up to £300m on bolt-on acquisitions for its engineering business. 10-Sep-2002 NSK Bearings is to shed 95 jobs at its factory in Peterlee. 09-Sep-2002 Delta Babygro is to close its baby clothes factory in Kirkcaldy at the end of November with the loss of 110 jobs, although the rest of the 250-strong workforce will continue to support company operations abroad. 09-Sep-2002 Lochcarron of Scotland is considering plans to relocate its knitwear production from Galashiels to Hawick, following the acquisition of Hawick-based Barker Douglas Knitwear for undisclosed terms. 06-Sep-2002 Glacier Vandervell is to shed 160 jobs at its engine bearings factory in Bathgate, West Lothian, next year. 06-Sep-2002 Maguires Wholesale Carpets is creating ten new jobs following the £0.7m expansion of its floor coverings distribution centre in Darlington. 05-Sep-2002 The Ministry of Defence has selected Carlyle Group as preferred bidder for the £250m auction to acquire an equity stake in defence research business Qinetiq. 04-Sep-2002 United Glass has won permission to build a new £9.3m warehouse at its site in Harlow, and the plans also include two new retail units. 03-Sep-2002 Tanfield Group is to create more than 60 new jobs at its machine factory in County Durham, having won a number of outsourcing contracts from manufacturers. 03-Sep-2002 Border Fellmongers is to shed 15 of the 24 jobs in its Jedburgh-based sheepskin business. 03-Sep-2002 Desmonds is to close a leisure clothing factory in Dungannon with the loss of 106 jobs. 03-Sep-2002 Intertek is looking to spend up to £60m on acquisitions to expand its testing services business. 03-Sep-2002 Harris Tweed, the privately-owned textile manufacturer based on the Hebrides, has been put up for sale. 02-Sep-2002 Babcock International has won a £100m seven-year contract to supply electrical and electronic components to the Ministry of Defence. 02-Sep-2002 Berwin & Berwin is to close its suit factory at South Kirkby near Pontefract with the loss of more than 300 jobs, in order to transfer production to Hungary. 30-Aug-2002 Dewhirst is to close its clothing factory in Fishguard with the loss of 183 jobs. 29-Aug-2002 Bodycote is planning to close nine more plants in its worldwide heat treatment business with the loss of 350 jobs, including two UK sites at Knowsley and Caerphilly. 29-Aug-2002 The Defence Science & Technology Laboratory is considering plans to leave Malvern and relocate up to 250 jobs to sites in Kent, Portsmouth and Porton Down. 28-Aug-2002 Bristol City Council is to trial a battery recycling project in partnership with the Department of Trade & Industry, in which refuse collectors will send batteries to a Britannia Zinc recycling plant at Avonmouth. 28-Aug-2002 Fenner has acquired Eagle Belting Company, the US manufacturer of thermoplastic urethane belting, for £3.5m. 28-Aug-2002 Warwick Manufacturing Group is to set up an advanced manufacturing institute in Kuala Lumpur, in order to boost Malaysia's research and development programme. 27-Aug-2002 Hydrasun, the Aberdeen-based oil and gas equipment supplier with eight depots and 240 staff, has undergone a management buy-out, in a deal estimated at £20m and backed by Royal Bank Development Capital. 27-Aug-2002 Calcarb is planning to build a second thermal insulation materials factory in the west of Scotland, with the creation of up to 100 jobs over the next five years. 27-Aug-2002 Cookson is in negotiations to sell its Precision Products division for about £50m by the end of the year. 26-Aug-2002 Domnick Hunter is to invest £2m in new equipment for its gas filter and dryer factory in Birtley, with the creation of more than 60 jobs. 23-Aug-2002 Hagemeyer, the Dutch electrical materials and maintenance company, is to open a £16m national distribution centre in Runcorn next month with the creation of 250 jobs. 21-Aug-2002 Stockton Casting Company is planning to shed 70 jobs at its Teesside foundry, unless a partner can be found. 21-Aug-2002 Adamsez is planning to double the size of its baths and showers factory in Belfast, with the creation of 25 jobs. 21-Aug-2002 Draka UK is to shed 30 of the 285 jobs at its electrical cables factory in Derby. 21-Aug-2002 Silentnight, the beds and furniture manufacturer with a valuation of £96m, has received an approach from its founding family to return the business to private ownership. 21-Aug-2002 Rolls-Royce is to shed a further 120 jobs at its power generation plant in Ansty over the next 16 months, but 30 new jobs will be created at its Bootle plant due to the transfer of some production. 19-Aug-2002 Corus is to raise £108m from the sale of its 20% stake in the Aluminerie Alouette aluminium plant in Canada, in order to reduce debt. 19-Aug-2002 Alstom is planning to shed about 250 jobs at its Alstom Power turbines factory in Rugby. 16-Aug-2002 Balfour Beatty is to create 50 new jobs at its Barnsley-based Kentons business, having won a £30m contract to provide utility services for South East Water. 16-Aug-2002 Aspira Leg & Bodywear is considering plans to close its hosiery factory in Hinckley with the loss of about 300 jobs, unless there is an improvement in trading performance by November. 16-Aug-2002 Brand-Rex is to shed 90 jobs at its cables factory in Glenrothes, and a further 90 will go at its plant in Leigh. 15-Aug-2002 Thames Water is to build two sewage works in Buckinghamshire at a cost of £40m, and Interserve and Amec have been selected to carry out the work. 15-Aug-2002 Applied Materials has awarded a £2.2m contract to Morgan Lovell to refurbish its offices in Horsham. 15-Aug-2002 Kingspan Access Floors is planning to shed up to 60 of the 180 jobs at its flooring factory in Hull. 13-Aug-2002 Trinity House, the lighthouse authority, is to close its district maintenance depot in Penzance over the next two years, with the loss of up to 29 jobs. 08-Aug-2002 Hindmarsh Connect, the Swindon-based electrical wiring company, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of about 60 jobs. 26-Jul-2002 Zytronic is expected to increase its 100-strong workforce in Gateshead, having won two new orders worth £5m to supply touchscreens. 25-Jul-2002 The Ministry of Defence has announced plans to close a number of military ranges, with the loss of 300 jobs at Llanbedr and Aberporth in Wales and 100 jobs at Wigtownshire in Scotland. 25-Jul-2002 Ransomes, the manufacturer of grass cutting equipment, may close its factory in Ipswich with the loss of hundreds of jobs, following a review of the site by US parent Textron. 25-Jul-2002 Schmidt UK is to close its road sweepers factory in Peterborough later this year with the loss of 137 jobs, in order to transfer the work to continental Europe. 24-Jul-2002 E&F Composites is creating 25 new jobs at its composite products factory in Hartlepool, taking the total workforce to 55. 24-Jul-2002 Bombardier is to manufacture the fuselage for its new corporate jet at the Shorts factory in Belfast, securing the future of 400 jobs. 23-Jul-2002 Dewhirst is to close its skirt and trouser factory in Cardigan with the loss of 400 jobs. 22-Jul-2002 Aker Kvaerner has won a three-year contract to provide engineering and maintenance services to Huntsman chemical plants on Teesside, and about 180 staff will work on the project. 22-Jul-2002 Cookson is raising £278m in a rights issue to restructure the debt in its industrial materials business. 22-Jul-2002 WS Atkins is to consolidate its London offices into a newly-acquired 81,700 sq ft site at Euston Tower in the West End. 22-Jul-2002 Pirelli Cables is to shed about 80 jobs at its factory on Wrexham Industrial Estate. 19-Jul-2002 Alexander Technologies Europe is creating 12 new jobs at its rechargeable batteries plant in Peterlee, having attracted the support of County Durham Development Company. 19-Jul-2002 Utility International has closed its trailer factory in Northallerton with the loss of 70 jobs, having gone into voluntary liquidation. 19-Jul-2002 R Griggs is planning to close its Dr Martens shoe factory in Wellingborough with the loss of more than 100 jobs, in order to concentrate production at its two other sites. 19-Jul-2002 Stanhay Webb is to close its precision drill spare parts site in Suffolk with the loss of up to 19 jobs, in order to consolidate its business in Grantham. 18-Jul-2002 The Welsh Development Agency is providing support to Visual Designs to set up a new paving tiles factory in Blaenau Gwent, with the creation of 40 jobs. 17-Jul-2002 Polar Recycling is opening a new £3m fridge recycling plant in Birkenhead, and expects to create a further 60 jobs as the workload increases and new contracts are secured from local authorities. 17-Jul-2002 Airsprung Furniture is planning to close its bed factory in Glasgow with the loss of 103 jobs, in order to transfer work to its Trowbridge site. 15-Jul-2002 Atco Qualcast is considering plans to shed up to 60 non-production jobs at its garden equipment factory in Stowmarket. 15-Jul-2002 Caterpillar UK is to shed 95 of the 1,100 workers at its Desford factory in Leicestershire. 15-Jul-2002 Thales Sensors is to shed 35 of the 300 jobs at its radar equipment factory in Leicester, while a further 60 jobs will be lost in Crawley and Chessington. 15-Jul-2002 Yorklyde, the Holmfirth-based textiles company, has received a takeover approach from British Mohair. 11-Jul-2002 Low & Bonar is to invest £1m expanding the capacity at its carpet yarns and artificial grass factory in Dundee. 11-Jul-2002 BVG Airflo, the Brecon-based media and manufacturing operation, is expanding its warehouse and office space on the Ffrwdgrech Industrial Estate with the creation of 35 jobs. 10-Jul-2002 Saint Gobain Pipelines is investing £6m at its ductile iron plant at Risca in South Wales, in order to expand production of access covers, gullies and grates. 09-Jul-2002 Samuel Lumb & Son is to shed 69 jobs at its textiles factory in Elland, due to falling sales. 09-Jul-2002 Newell Window Fashions is to close its curtain pole factory in Birmingham with the loss of 120 jobs, in order to transfer production to another facility nearby and a second at Tamworth. 05-Jul-2002 Velmore Fashions is to close its textile manufacturing operation at Ellesmere Port with the loss of 160 jobs, but 200 technical and distribution jobs will be retained. 05-Jul-2002 Cluff Mining is to raise £19m in a share placing, and is forming a joint venture with Anglo Platinum to develop the Sheba's Ridge project in South Africa. 05-Jul-2002 Corning Cable Systems is to close its optical cable equipment factory at Whiston on Merseyside later this year, and has already shed many of the 170 jobs. 03-Jul-2002 Carbo is to shed about 165 jobs at its abrasives factory in Manchester, in order to transfer some production to its German plant. 03-Jul-2002 Skip Units Group is creating 20 new jobs at its recently-acquired Castle Container Services business in Chesterfield, having acquired a new factory unit. 03-Jul-2002 Oxford Instruments is to set up a new laboratory with the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University to collaborate on the development of detectors based on superconductors. 03-Jul-2002 Corus has raised £359m from the sale of its 23% stake in AvestaPolarit, the stainless steel company that owns Avesta Sheffield, to Outokumpu. 02-Jul-2002 Northern Ireland Executive has announced plans for a £100m investment in water and sewerage infrastructure this year, with £21m for upgrading drinking water and £30m for improved distribution. 01-Jul-2002 Bentall Rowlands is to shed up to 40 jobs at its steel grain silos factory on the Foxhills Industrial Estate in North Lincolnshire. 01-Jul-2002 Bodycote International is to close its Liver Plating factory in Kirkby next month with the loss of 20 jobs. 27-Jun-2002 Gliderol International of Australia is to open a new 46,000 sq ft garage doors factory in Peterlee in November, with the creation of about 30 jobs. 27-Jun-2002 Scapa, the technical tapes company, has received a £4m Regional Selective Assistance grant to support a £30m capital investment in Ashton-under-Lyne and Dunstable, securing the future of about 300 jobs. 27-Jun-2002 DuPontSA is to close its polyester textiles factory in Garforth, Leeds, as soon as possible with the loss of 150 jobs. 27-Jun-2002 Agco is to close the Massey Ferguson tractor factory in Coventry later this year, with the loss of about 1,000 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites in continental Europe. 26-Jun-2002 Quiltex is to close the Early's of Witney blanket factory in Oxfordshire next month with the loss of 72 jobs, and production will be transferred to a site in Derbyshire. 26-Jun-2002 Coloroll is to shed up to 90 of the 350 jobs at its Manchester-based wallpaper manufacturing business. 24-Jun-2002 Thales Optronics is to close its defence products factory in Bury St Edmunds later this year, with the loss or relocation of 90 jobs. 21-Jun-2002 Measurement Technology (MTL) is to shed 80 of the 320 jobs at its electronic control equipment plant in Luton. 21-Jun-2002 Caterpillar is to close its agricultural equipment factory at Saxham in Suffolk with the loss of 58 jobs. 21-Jun-2002 Kembrey Wiring Systems is planning to shed 33 of the 166 jobs at its factory in Swindon. 21-Jun-2002 AI Welders is looking to relocate its welding machine business to smaller premises in Inverness, and some of the 45 jobs will be lost. 20-Jun-2002 The Ministry of Defence has agreed a £300m deal to transfer about 530 civilian jobs at Devonport Naval Base to Devonport Management Limited, the company that manages the dockyard. 20-Jun-2002 Metso Minerals is considering plans to close its rock and mineral processing plant at Charlestown in Cornwall with the loss of up to 108 jobs. 20-Jun-2002 Jasmin, the Nottingham-based developer of IT-based products for the transport, defence and security markets, is planning to create 30 new jobs to add to the existing 100. 19-Jun-2002 Roll Formed Fabrications is planning a £2m expansion at its bathrooms factory in Magherafelt, Londonderry, with the creation of 110 jobs over the next three years. 18-Jun-2002 Newell Window Fashions, the home decor products group, is setting up a new £18m distribution depot and head office at Fradley Park in Lichfield by next March, which will house up to 300 staff. 18-Jun-2002 General Electronique UK is planning to close its recently-acquired digital TV set-top box plant in Saltaire with the loss of 110 jobs. 14-Jun-2002 Oxonica has raised £4.3m to fund the expansion of its nanoparticles business, which will enable it to double staff from 11 to 22 by the end of the year and find partners to help with the commercial development of the technology. 14-Jun-2002 Thomas Broadbent & Sons is to shed 20 of the 230 jobs at its Huddersfield-based engineering business, following a fall in demand for industrial centrifuges. 13-Jun-2002 Forkway Group, the forklift truck supplier, has started work on the development of a new multi-million pound service, parts and hire centre in Dewsbury. 13-Jun-2002 Thermomax is to shed 90 jobs at its solar-powered heating factory in South Wales. 12-Jun-2002 Brecks Holdings of Rotherham has placed its Brecks Galvanising business into liquidation, and the workforce has been cut from 80 to 35. 12-Jun-2002 Pall Europe has acquired Filtration & Separations Group, and will relocate up to 30 jobs from FSG sites in Herefordshire and Derbyshire to the Portsmouth headquarters of its filtration products business. 12-Jun-2002 PHS Group, the provider of washroom services, is planning to spend about £42m on acquisitions this year. 12-Jun-2002 GD Engineering, the Worksop-based manufacturer of parts for oil and gas pipelines, has been acquired by Flair Corporation, saving 60 jobs, and the factory is expected to undergo a major upgrade. 10-Jun-2002 Weir Group is to shed a further 64 office-based jobs at its Hopkinsons valve factory in Huddersfield. 07-Jun-2002 Luxonic is planning to close a lighting factory in Huddersfield with the loss of 30 jobs. 07-Jun-2002 Rolls-Royce has confirmed plans to build a £85m turbine components factory at Inchinnan near Glasgow Airport, securing the future of 1,000 jobs, and construction work is expected to start this summer. 07-Jun-2002 The Engineering Business is to set up a new base next to its Northumberland headquarters to help with the expansion of its gas pipelines business, and more than 50 new jobs are expected to be created. 06-Jun-2002 Glen Dimplex is planning to set up a factory in north-east China to manufacture electric night storage heaters. 06-Jun-2002 Teignbridge Propellers has shed about 26 jobs at its propeller manufacturing business in Newton Abbot, following its recent acquisition by US-based Mercury Marine. 05-Jun-2002 Textured Jersey is to close its fabric factory in Leicester later this year with the loss of 164 jobs, in order to transfer production to Sri Lanka. 03-Jun-2002 Schneider Electric, the manufacturer of electrical equipment, is to shed 150 jobs in Swindon later this year, in order to relocate production to its site in Telford. 03-Jun-2002 Oxford Instruments is to shed 60 jobs at its two superconductivity division factories at Tubney Woods and Eynsham in Oxfordshire. 03-Jun-2002 BAe Systems is to shed 150 jobs at its site in Christchurch, Dorset, later this year. 03-Jun-2002 Promar Holdings has shed 25 jobs at its cooker factory in Anglesey, after attempts to refinance the business failed. 30-May-2002 Cornwall County Council is to consider plans from County Environmental Services for the development of a recycling plant capable of dealing with up to 120,000 tonnes of household waste a year, on a 15-acre site by the Victoria Business Park near Roche. 30-May-2002 L Gardner, the engineering group, is planning to transfer its share listing to Aim to help with its disposals programme. 30-May-2002 Centrax is planning to shed a further 99 jobs at its factory in Newton Abbot, which manufactures parts for jet engines and power turbines. 29-May-2002 Coventry City Council is considering plans to use the Private Finance Initiative to pay for a £25m upgrade of the waste recycling plant in Whitley. 28-May-2002 GKN has announced plans to shed a further 99 jobs at its Cowes factory on the Isle of Wight. 27-May-2002 Lamont, the textiles manufacturer, is to raise about £1m in a flotation on Aim following its recent financial restructuring. 27-May-2002 We Are Cleaning is to shed up to 150 management and administration jobs in Birmingham following its acquisition by International Service Systems of Denmark. 24-May-2002 Dewhirst is to close a clothing factory in Swansea in August with the loss of 435 jobs, in order to transfer production to Morocco and Turkey. 24-May-2002 Alstom is planning to close its electrical switchgear factory at Higher Openshaw in Manchester over the next 12 months, putting 350 jobs at risk. 24-May-2002 Cookson & Zinn is considering plans to relocate its industrial storage tanks business and 70 staff from Hadleigh to Ipswich over the next two years. 24-May-2002 Ambermist could create up to 40 jobs at its new site on Bridgend's Brynmenyn Industrial Estate, depending on the success of its Protectapost electronic parking bollard. 23-May-2002 Gripperrods is to close its carpet underlay products factory in Cannock with the loss of more than 100 jobs, following a merger between parent company Gates Rubber and Duralay International. 23-May-2002 The Water Service has announced plans to invest about £12m in water and sewerage projects in the Larne area over the next three years. 23-May-2002 The Ministry of Defence is to award a £400m contract to Saab Bofors Dynamics for the supply of anti-tank weapons, which will help create or secure 500 jobs at manufacturing sites across the UK. 22-May-2002 Linn Products is planning a £7m expansion at its hi-fi factory in Glasgow, with the creation of 140 jobs. 22-May-2002 Unimerco has won permission from Lichfield District Council to relocate to a new £4m tool manufacturing base in Fradley, which could create up to 100 jobs. 22-May-2002 Milton Keynes Borough Council is considering plans for the development of a £160m recycling centre called the Green MK Centre, which could create up to 1,200 jobs by 2006. 21-May-2002 BAe Systems is to close an aerospace plant at Filton, near Bristol, with the loss of up to 268 jobs. 21-May-2002 WS Atkins, the support services consultancy, is to set up a new regional headquarters at the Thorpe business park in Leeds, and 350 staff will relocate from two existing sites in the city. 21-May-2002 Seagoe Ceramics is to close its factory at the Carn Industrial Estate in Portadown in August with the loss of 71 jobs. 20-May-2002 Gemplus is to shed 38 jobs at its loyalty card and credit card manufacturing business in Havant. 17-May-2002 Doncasters Precision Machining is planning to close its Crewe site with the loss of up to 250 jobs later this year, in order to relocate the aero-engineering business to Shrewsbury. 16-May-2002 Comeleon is planning to create 150 jobs at its site in County Durham by the end of next year, due to rising demand for photo-quality images on domestic appliances. 16-May-2002 The University of York is linking up with Sheffield and Leeds universities to bid to host a £1bn neutron scattering research facility, which could lead to the creation of 1,000 jobs at a site near Selby. 15-May-2002 The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Didcot has started recruiting engineering and administration staff for the £235m Diamond synchrotron project for investigating biological structures, which is due to open in 2006 with 200 staff. 15-May-2002 Synoptics is relocating its scientific imaging business and 35 staff from Cambridge to a larger site in Oakington. 14-May-2002 Cogent Defence & Security Networks is setting up a £3m headquarters for 100 staff at Cleppa Park in Newport, with the creation of 25 new jobs, having won additional contracts from the Ministry of Defence. 14-May-2002 Audience Systems is creating a number of marketing, sales and production jobs, in order to expand its 80-strong workforce in Wiltshire to handle new contracts for the supply of seating to international arenas. 14-May-2002 The Welsh Development Agency has acquired the 100,000 sq ft Corus technology laboratories at Port Talbot, with the aid of £5m in funding from the Welsh Assembly, in order to create a major manufacturing research and development facility. 13-May-2002 Rainham Steel has announced plans to set up a £5m steel distribution depot at Dragonby Vale in North Lincolnshire, with the creation of up to 80 jobs. 10-May-2002 Invensys is looking to sell its Rexnord power transmissions business in the US for about £500m, as part of a £1.5bn disposals programme. 10-May-2002 ASD Batchelor is to relocate its steel processing operation and up to 30 staff from Haverhill to its Tividale site in the West Midlands in September. 09-May-2002 Derwentside Industrial Development Agency has announced that Matzen Schlaugh-Technik of Germany is setting up a £0.3m silicon rubber fabric factory in Consett, which could eventually create up to 30 jobs. 09-May-2002 Cyclone Mobility & Fitness is relocating its wheelchair manufacturing business and six staff from Ellesmere Port to Wirral, and hopes to create up to 10 new jobs. 09-May-2002 Raleigh, the bicycles company, is to relocate its office, warehouse and 110 staff from Nottingham to the former Havelock Europa site in nearby Eastwood by the end of the year. 08-May-2002 Micro Metalsmiths is planning to shed an unspecified number of the 160 jobs in its North Yorkshire manufacturing business, and the Pickering site will close with the relocation of some staff to Kirkbymoorside. 08-May-2002 Dawson International is to shed about 50 jobs in the Scottish Borders, including 39 of the 227 jobs at the Barrie Knitwear factory in Hawick. 07-May-2002 Alcoa's aluminium plant at Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley is to be saved from closure following its acquisition by a newly-created company, securing the future of 120 jobs. 06-May-2002 Sector Skills Development Agency, the government initiative to improve industry skill levels, is to be based at the Callflex business park in Rotherham, with the creation of 50 jobs. 06-May-2002 British United Shoe Machinery is to relocate its Leicester-based machine factory and 65 staff to a new £1.3m 25,000 sq ft building at Warren's Industrial Estate later this year. 06-May-2002 David Brown Textron is to shed 95 of the 460 jobs at its gear manufacturing site in Huddersfield over the next six months. 03-May-2002 Glasgow City Council is planning to expand its Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries kitchens factory in Springburn, with the creation of up to 250 jobs. 03-May-2002 Scheerheat is setting up a production facility at Pembroke Dock to manufacture ceramic insulating materials for energy-efficient heaters, with the creation of 20 jobs. 02-May-2002 Tecan Components is hoping to create 100 jobs at a new factory in Weymouth over the next 10 years, where it is developing new high-density circuit fabrication technology. 02-May-2002 Charlton Kings Engineering is to close its sheet metal factory in Cheltenham in July with the loss of 45 jobs. 01-May-2002 George Jowitt & Sons is to close its grinding discs factory in Dronfield, with the loss of dozens of jobs. 30-Apr-2002 Newlife Cleaning Systems is planning to expand its nationwide office cleaning business with the creation of more than 100 jobs over the next 12 months, and there will also be 15 new jobs at its South Shields head office. 30-Apr-2002 Pechiney Aviatube is to invest £1.9m upgrading its aerospace components plant at Distington in Cumbria later this year. 30-Apr-2002 Bentwood Lingerie is to close its Bristol factory with the loss of 200 jobs and its Swindon factory with the loss of 60 jobs, in order to transfer production to Malaysia. 30-Apr-2002 CF Taylor is to close its aircraft interiors factory in Llanelli next February with the loss of 270 jobs, in order to relocate the work to Bedfordshire. 30-Apr-2002 Tendraheath, the Hawick knitwear company, is going into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 18 jobs. 29-Apr-2002 Bifrangi of Italy has announced plans to close its forging business at the former Shardlows factory in Sheffield with the loss of 233 jobs. 29-Apr-2002 Polaroid is seeking 8,000 sq ft of office space in Hertfordshire, having put its existing UK headquarters in Wheathampstead on the market. 29-Apr-2002 BAe Systems is to shed 150 jobs at its Royal Ordnance shell casings factory at Birtley, Gateshead. 25-Apr-2002 London Borough of Barnet and six other boroughs have announced plans for a major new recycling plant on a 43-acre site in Edmonton, to be operated by LondonWaste. 25-Apr-2002 Cummins is to shed a further 60 jobs at its engines factory in Darlington in June, in order to outsource its logistics operation to Autrans of Sunderland. 25-Apr-2002 Texol has paid £0.3m for a majority stake in Products of Technology, the Killearn-based manufacturer of gas generators, which is expected to create up to 30 new jobs. 25-Apr-2002 Valve Engineering is to create six new jobs having won a £2m contract to supply valves for the oil and gas industry, and is seeking larger premises in Leicestershire. 25-Apr-2002 Yorklyde is to close a fabric factory in Langholm on the Scottish Borders with the loss of 30 jobs, in order to relocate production to its site in Peebles. 24-Apr-2002 Danaher is to close its Holo-Krome fasteners factory in Dundee in June with the loss of 60 jobs, in order to transfer production to the US. 24-Apr-2002 Smiths Group has won a £200m contract to manufacture landing gear systems for the Airbus A380, and the work will be carried out by its Dowty division. 23-Apr-2002 Rolls-Royce is planning to build a new £85m compressor components factory at an unnamed site in western Scotland, in order to replace the existing Hillington site near Glasgow and secure the future of 1,000 jobs. 23-Apr-2002 Guardian Industries of the US has announced plans to set up a £115m glass plant in Goole by 2004, with the creation of more than 300 jobs. 22-Apr-2002 Richard Roberts is to transfer its fashion manufacturing business from Leicester to Eastern Europe and the Far East, but most of the 90 staff will be offered jobs in the knitwear division. 19-Apr-2002 Brush Electrical Machines is to shed 160 of the 900 jobs at its factory in Loughborough. 19-Apr-2002 Beck Electronics is to close its Yarmouth factory with the loss of 80 jobs, as parent company Oxley wants to relocate production of electronic optical systems to its Ulverston site. 18-Apr-2002 Stoddard International is to shed 200 of its 700-strong workforce as it consolidates its Scottish carpet manufacturing operations onto a single site at Riverside in Kilmarnock. 18-Apr-2002 VA Tech Reyrolle has shed 100 of the 1,000 jobs at its switchgear factory in Gateshead, and a further 30 will go this year. 17-Apr-2002 Cutler-Hammer is to shed 47 of the 165 jobs at its electrical switchgear factories in East Devon and Milton Keynes. 17-Apr-2002 Donisthorpe is to close its twisted yarns factory in Bury with the loss of about 15 jobs. 16-Apr-2002 Rolls-Royce is to invest £2.5m at its Sunderland factory to expand production of aircraft parts for the Airbus and Eurofighters. 16-Apr-2002 LB Plastics is creating 50 jobs at its new plastic doors factory in Ambergate, Derbyshire, which is due to start up next month. 16-Apr-2002 Severn Trent has won a contract to supply water services to the Bowyers pie factory in Trowbridge, and is expected to win similar deals to supply Northern Foods' remaining 35 plants outside the West Midlands region. 16-Apr-2002 Clarks International is to shed 76 jobs at its three shoe factory sites in the Kendal area. 15-Apr-2002 PM On Board, the manufacturer of vehicle weighing systems, is planning to raise £2.5m in a flotation on Aim. 15-Apr-2002 Cogent Power is to close its Telmag Magnetic Components factory in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, in July, with the loss of 91 jobs. 15-Apr-2002 Start-rite is to shed a further 45 jobs at its shoe factory in Norwich, in order to transfer more production to Portugal and India. 12-Apr-2002 Acco UK is to close its office products manufacturing and warehouse site in Eastbourne in May with the loss of 90 jobs, in order to relocate to Peterborough. 12-Apr-2002 Decor Frame is to relocate its picture frame business to a larger site in Bridgend next month, and the workforce will rise from 105 to 200. 11-Apr-2002 Hoover is to invest £1.2m at its Glasgow factory to produce a new vacuum cleaner model, securing the future of 400 jobs. 11-Apr-2002 Mr Copperfield's has gone into liquidation with the loss of about 90 jobs at its two furniture factory workshops in Willenhall and Bloxwich. 10-Apr-2002 Dinkie Heel is to close its steel toecap manufacturing operation in Bristol with the loss of about 40 jobs, in order to transfer production to Botswana. 09-Apr-2002 Crompton Lighting is to shed 86 jobs at its factory in Guiseley over the coming months, in order to transfer some production to other countries. 08-Apr-2002 Millbrook Scientific Instruments, the manufacturer of chemical microscopes, is planning to raise £1m to boost marketing, and will seek a listing on Ofex. 08-Apr-2002 Alexandra Workwear is to shed 70 of the 130 jobs at its clothing factory in Lanarkshire, in order to transfer production to Morocco. 05-Apr-2002 Inditherm, the heating products manufacturer, is to create 30 new jobs over the next 12 months at its new premises on the Houndhill Business Park in the Dearne Valley. 05-Apr-2002 GKN is to pay £9.3m for the remaining 51% of its Mahindra Sintered Products powder metals joint venture in India. 04-Apr-2002 Stone Manganese Marine, the Merseyside-based manufacturer of ships' propellers, is planning to close down with the loss of 50 jobs. 04-Apr-2002 LG Philips is to shed 300 jobs at its television coils factory in Washington, in order to transfer production to Slovakia. 04-Apr-2002 Howmet is to shed 80 of the 1,100 jobs at its aerospace components factory in Exeter. 04-Apr-2002 CRC Group is to shed 33 of the 170 jobs at its Rugby-based electrical servicing business. 02-Apr-2002 The Royal Mint is planning to shed about 200 of the 1,000 jobs at its Llantrisant plant due to overcapacity in the worldwide coin production industry. 02-Apr-2002 Exel has been selected as preferred bidder by Western Riverside Waste Authority for a £1bn contract to handle waste in the London boroughs of Fulham, Kensington, Lambeth and Wandsworth. 02-Apr-2002 Pirelli Cables is to close its telecom cables factory at the former STC site in south Wales with the loss of 200 jobs. 29-Mar-2002 Seaward Electronic, the Peterlee-based manufacturer of electrical testing and measuring instruments, is investing £1m in a new venture to diversify production into the medical sector. 28-Mar-2002 Tyneside Safety Glass is investing £4m in a new furnace to manufacture curved glass for tractor cabs at its factory in Gateshead, with the creation of 25 jobs. 27-Mar-2002 AEA Technology is to create 200 jobs at its battery plant in Thurso, having won a £47m Ministry of Defence contract to supply batteries for battlefield communications, and a further 100 jobs will be created at a new facility. 27-Mar-2002 The Health & Safety Executive has selected a 3-acre site at St Albans Road in Bootle to build a new headquarters by 2004, in order to replace six existing offices nearby that house up to 1,400 staff. 25-Mar-2002 Intertek, the international environmental testing group owned by Charterhouse Development Capital, is planning a £700m flotation this year. 25-Mar-2002 Shanks has been selected as preferred bidder for a 25-year waste management contract for East London Waste Authority, and will set up a £100m recycling facility in the area. 22-Mar-2002 Welsh Water Glas Cymru has raised £120m in a leaseback deal on its infrastructure assets, which will help fund a £1.2bn investment programme. 21-Mar-2002 New Balance is to increase production at its running shoes factory at Flimby in West Cumbria, with the creation of 30 jobs. 21-Mar-2002 Salton Europe is to close its domestic appliance manufacturing business in Wombourne with the loss of about 260 jobs, and production will transfer to China. 21-Mar-2002 Dorman Smith Switchgear is to shed 60 of the 480 jobs at its electric switchboards factory in Preston. 21-Mar-2002 Johnstons is recruiting 40 new staff at its textiles manufacturing business in Elgin, with vacancies for scarf folders, fabric pickers and warehouse staff. 21-Mar-2002 Bodycote International is planning to restructure its heat treatment and industrial coatings business, with the loss of 300 of the 7,400 jobs and the disposal of some operations. 21-Mar-2002 Advantage West Midlands has announced proposals for the development of a £80m national centre for microsystems and nanotechnology in Birmingham, which could lead to the creation of about 3,000 jobs. 19-Mar-2002 Enodis is planning a £71m rights issue to refinance its debt-laden food equipment manufacturing business. 19-Mar-2002 Tasmin 2000, the North Lincolnshire-based textiles company, has gone into liquidation with the loss of 52 jobs. 18-Mar-2002 Transworld Trophies is to relocate its trophy distribution business from Nottingham to a new £2m warehouse and office complex at Long Eaton in Derbyshire in July, and expects to increase the workforce from 22 to 40 by next year. 18-Mar-2002 Dartington is to shed 50 jobs at its crystal glassware operations throughout Devon, due to the effect of cheap imports. 18-Mar-2002 Corus is considering plans to sell its aluminium operations, which are valued at about £875m, in order to focus on steel products. 18-Mar-2002 Raleigh is to stop manufacturing bicycles in the UK with the loss of 280 jobs at its Nottingham factory. 15-Mar-2002 Bede Technology is planning to create 25 jobs at a new £1.6m electronics manufacturing site on Doxford Park in Sunderland. 14-Mar-2002 Smiths Group has confirmed plans to shed a further 1,450 jobs this year, as part of a restructuring programme that will include the closure of half of the Basingstoke site and the relocation of the fuels gauging work to Cheltenham. 14-Mar-2002 Wyko is to close the FPT ball bearings factory in Blackburn later this year with the loss of up to 150 jobs, and the business will be relocated to its Halesowen site. 12-Mar-2002 Hillarys Blinds is setting up a new window blinds factory in Washington this year, with the relocation of 300 jobs from its existing site nearby and the creation of 200 jobs over the next five years. 12-Mar-2002 Advantage West Midlands is planning to set up a £1.5m centre of excellence for manufacturing in order to provide resources, training and research services to firms throughout the region, and a suitable site is being sought. 11-Mar-2002 Murray Allan is cutting 20 of the 53 jobs at its cashmere factory in Innerleithen, following a management buy-out of the business from Birmingham-based investment group Harris Watson. 11-Mar-2002 Pirelli is to shed 160 jobs at two cable manufacturing sites in Southampton and nearby Eastleigh. 11-Mar-2002 Silentnight is closing a cabinet factory in Keighley with the loss of 220 jobs, in order to relocate production to its site in Sunderland. 11-Mar-2002 Kverneland of Norway is to close its agricultural machinery factory in Devizes this summer with the loss of 90 jobs. 08-Mar-2002 Chilprufe is closing its lingerie and knitwear factory in Leicester with the loss of 100 jobs, although some of the machinery and 42 jobs are expected to be rescued by a new company called Shadowline. 07-Mar-2002 The Ministry of Defence is planning to sell a controlling stake in its Qinetiq defence research laboratories to a single strategic investor later this year, having dropped plans for a flotation. 07-Mar-2002 MFI is to invest £4m in the expansion of its Hygena furniture factory in North Lincolnshire, with the creation of up to 50 jobs. 06-Mar-2002 Unite Group, the provider of student accommodation, is planning to relocate its bedrooms factory and up to 20 staff from Bristol to Stroud. 06-Mar-2002 Mitchell & Hewitt, the electrical and mechanical engineering company with 150 staff, is planning to build a new £1m head office in Derby this year. 06-Mar-2002 Scottish Water is seeking contractors to help deliver its £1.8bn investment programme over the next four years, in order to upgrade its water and waste infrastructure. 06-Mar-2002 Stuart Engineering, the Oswaldtwistle-based manufacturer of hydraulic products, is expected to close with the loss of 44 jobs. 05-Mar-2002 Rotex Europe has acquired Locker Process Solutions, the manufacturer of screening, feeding and conveying machines, and is seeking new premises in Warrington to expand the business. 05-Mar-2002 Waste Recycling Group is planning to shed up to 100 jobs from its 900-strong workforce this year. 05-Mar-2002 Biotrace International has announced plans to expand its rapid hygiene-testing equipment factory in Bridgend with the creation of 50 jobs, including a new 20,000 sq ft facility for production, research and development. 04-Mar-2002 Morinoak International has announced plans to create 100 jobs in Great Yarmouth and Aberdeen, having won a number of offshore engineering contracts. 04-Mar-2002 IMI Norgren is to shed 100 of the 520 jobs at its pneumatic components plant in Lichfield, in order to transfer some production to the Czech Republic. 04-Mar-2002 The Ministry of Defence has selected Paradigm Secure Communications as the preferred bidder to develop a satellite communications system, which will create 240 jobs in Corsham. 04-Mar-2002 Omega is planning to double the size of its kitchen furniture factory in Doncaster at a cost of £2.8m, with the creation of 100 new jobs over the next three years. 01-Mar-2002 Silentnight is to shed 90 of the 300 jobs at its Ducal furniture factory in Andover. 01-Mar-2002 United Utilities has announced a £245m project to rejuvenate the water industry infrastructure throughout west Lancashire and north Manchester, and has awarded a three-year contract to KMI Water. 28-Feb-2002 The Industrial Development Board is backing plans from Naturelle Consumer Products for a £1m expansion at its textile factory in Omagh, with the creation of 27 jobs. 28-Feb-2002 Fluke Precision Measurement is to build a £0.3m temperature measurement laboratory in Norwich, and will create 20 jobs through the relocation of sister firm Robin Electronics from Watford. 28-Feb-2002 Spear & Jackson, the Sheffield-based tools manufacturer, has been put up for sale by US Industries. 27-Feb-2002 Brook Crompton is to stop manufacturing electric motors in Huddersfield with the loss of up to 450 jobs, in order to relocate production to Poland, Guiseley and Birmingham. 26-Feb-2002 Heatrae Sadia is to relocate the production of electric showers and immersion heaters from Norwich to the Far East, with the loss of a number of jobs. 26-Feb-2002 Boosey & Hawkes has received a number of takeover bids for its musical instruments business, and this is expected to be followed by the sale of its music publishing division. 26-Feb-2002 RPS Group is looking to spend up to £50m on acquisitions to expand its environmental consultancy business, and is particularly interested in Ireland and the Netherlands. 26-Feb-2002 Eastman Kodak is planning to close its photo processing laboratory in Rugeley in May with the loss of 250 jobs, and job loses are also expected at sites in Livingston, Washington, Reading and Newmarket. 25-Feb-2002 Cross Huller is considering plans to shed up to 60 jobs at its machine tools factory in Knowsley. 22-Feb-2002 Teignbridge Propellers is planning to expand its marine propulsion business and create new jobs in Newton Abbot over the next two years, following its acquisition by Mercury Marine of the US. 22-Feb-2002 Eaton Hydraulics is to shed 45 of the 350 jobs at its hydraulic systems factory in Havant. 21-Feb-2002 Stafford Borough Council is considering plans from Screwfix Direct for the development of a DIY products distribution centre at the new Prime Point 14 business park, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. 21-Feb-2002 Stanley is to close its Woodside tools factory in Sheffield later this year with the loss of up to 200 jobs, although some of the jobs will be relocated to its Rotherham site. 20-Feb-2002 Invensys is to divide its business into two main divisions - production management and energy management - and most of its industrial components activities will be sold off. 20-Feb-2002 Siddall & Hilton is to close its bed springs factory in Rossendale with the loss of about 100 jobs, following its acquisition by Leggett & Platt of Newark. 19-Feb-2002 Warwickshire College is planning to build an engineering training centre in Leamington, and most of its engineering department will relocate next year. 19-Feb-2002 Harrier is recruiting 200 extra staff at its photo processing operations in Newton Abbot, to cope with a seasonal increase in demand. 19-Feb-2002 East Midlands Development Agency is considering three potential sites in the St George's area of Leicester for the development of a £1m resource centre for the textile industry. 18-Feb-2002 Balmer Lindley Environmental Engineering Services, the manufacturer of power generation products, has acquired collapsed engineering business Service Welding of Sunderland, and plans to create 16 new jobs. 15-Feb-2002 J Durrance is to open a new fire doors and roller shutters factory at the Royal Industrial Estate in Jarrow, with the creation of 12 jobs. 15-Feb-2002 Gloucestershire Industrial Services is to close its council-owned windows and doors factory in Cheltenham with the loss of up to 55 jobs. 15-Feb-2002 Frappe Vending is to create up to 30 jobs at its new dispensing machine factory in St Helens. 14-Feb-2002 Royal Doulton is to close the Royal Albert ceramics factory in Stoke-on-Trent with the loss of 500 jobs in order to transfer production to Indonesia, while a further 500 jobs will be lost through the closure of 100 of its 400 retail outlets. 14-Feb-2002 HBG has won a £8m contract from Diamond Trading Company to extend its Charterhouse Street headquarters in London. 14-Feb-2002 Perkins is offering voluntary redundancy to 1,250 of the 3,000 employees at its diesel engine plants in Peterborough, Manchester and Stafford. 13-Feb-2002 Coats Viyella is to close its Dorma bed wear factory in County Antrim with the loss of 200 jobs, having failed to agree a management buy-out. 13-Feb-2002 Exitech, the manufacturer of high-power pulsed lasers, is to relocate 70 staff from Long Hanborough to the former JDS Uniphase factory at the Oxford Industrial Park in Yarnton over the next few weeks. 12-Feb-2002 Alvis is in discussions to acquire the Vickers Defence Systems division of Rolls-Royce, which includes a tank factory in Newcastle upon Tyne. 12-Feb-2002 Blenheim Furniture is to close its upholstered furniture factory in Newton Aycliffe in May with the loss of 123 jobs. 11-Feb-2002 Dewhirst is to shed 390 jobs at its clothing factory in Sunderland plant, and further jobs are under threat at an Ashington plant. 11-Feb-2002 General Trailers is planning a £1m revamp at its Dereham factory in Norfolk, to make the site self-sufficient in trailer chassis production by April. 11-Feb-2002 Wessex Water is set to be acquired by one of four shortlisted bidders - YTL of Malaysia, Enel of Italy, Cheung Kong Infrastructure of Hong Kong and a consortium of GE Capital, Royal Bank of Scotland and Abbey National. 11-Feb-2002 Smith & Nephew is expected to acquire a large medical devices company within a year, and is also considering bolt-on acquisitions in the keyhole surgery market and the sale of its walking aids business. 08-Feb-2002 Oystertec is to shed 45 of the 100 jobs at its International Building Products pipe factory in Dundee. 07-Feb-2002 Bendalls is planning to relocate its Carlisle-based engineering business to a new 77,000 sq ft factory and office complex at Kingmoor Park, clearing the way for the possible development of a B&Q store at its existing London Road site. 06-Feb-2002 Melas Hosiery is to close its socks factory in Narborough at the end of April, with the loss of 90 jobs. 06-Feb-2002 Morgan Crucible has announced plans to shed 1,000 jobs over the next two years, while a further 1,000 will be transferred to lower-cost manufacturing sites outside the UK and US. 06-Feb-2002 Dyson is to relocate the production of its bagless vacuum cleaner to Malaysia, with the loss of 800 jobs in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, although the UK site will continue to employ 1,000 in research, marketing and the production of washing machines. 06-Feb-2002 Case New Holland is to recruit about 40 short-term manufacturing staff at its tractor plant in Basildon, in preparation for the launch of two new models. 05-Feb-2002 Trace Elliot has shed 44 jobs at its amplification equipment factory in Maldon, in order to relocate production to parent company Gibson Guitars Corporation in the US. 05-Feb-2002 Penlon is considering plans to relocate its medical equipment factory and up to 120 staff from Abingdon to a new site in Grove or Witney in 2003. 01-Feb-2002 Chester Barrie is planning to relocate its Crewe-based clothing factory and 250 staff later this year, and has identified three potential sites nearby. 01-Feb-2002 Black & Decker is to shed 39 of the 127 jobs at its power tool plant near Rotherham, in order to transfer production of circular saw blades to China. 31-Jan-2002 Firth Rixson has announced plans to shed a further 120 jobs in the UK and US, due to falling demand for aerospace components. 31-Jan-2002 Roberts Tannery is to close its leather goods tannery in Abergele with the loss of 38 jobs. 30-Jan-2002 Glenaden Shirts is to invest £2.4m at its clothing factory in Londonderry with the creation of up to 40 jobs. 30-Jan-2002 Hampson Industries is considering plans to shed up to 370 jobs at three aerospace engineering plants, including Coventry, Bolton and Newtown in Mid Wales. 29-Jan-2002 Monotub Industries is to restrict production of its new washing machine while searching for a strategic partner, and is also planning to introduce new management. 29-Jan-2002 Steam Plant Engineering is to create 25 jobs in Antrim having won a contract to provide pipework for Premier Power's £200m power station development. 28-Jan-2002 Collectible World Studios is to close its ceramics manufacturing operation in Stoke-on-Trent with the loss of 24 jobs, in order to transfer production to the Far East. 28-Jan-2002 East Sussex County Council has awarded conditional planning permission to Lloyds Environmental Waste Management to build a liquid waste treatment plant at Hamsey Brickworks and to attract £2m of investment in new business units at the site. 25-Jan-2002 RD Precision has shed 31 of the 128 jobs at its aerospace components factory at Pentre, Deeside. 25-Jan-2002 Ulster Carpet Mills is planning to acquire Dan-Floor of Denmark, in order to gain its first carpet tile manufacturing business in continental Europe. 23-Jan-2002 Canon is to shed 400 jobs in its UK office equipment operations, with the Reigate headquarters being hardest hit. 23-Jan-2002 The Welsh Development Agency is to assist German aerospace company Ensinger with plans to establish a 62,000 sq ft factory on the Garth Isaf industrial estate in Pontyclun. 22-Jan-2002 Aero Inventory, the wholesaler of aircraft parts, is to raise £2m in a share placing and has also announced a major new contract with Taikoo Aircraft Engineering of China. 22-Jan-2002 SR Gent is said to be considering plans to create up to 200 jobs in Doncaster having won a new contract to supply children's clothing, although an alternative site near Barnsley is also being considered. 21-Jan-2002 IAE is planning to build a £10m agricultural equipment factory at the Mossfields Industrial Estate in Stoke-on-Trent, with the relocation of 370 jobs from Leek, Cheadle and Milton, and the creation of 30 new jobs. 21-Jan-2002 White Knight is planning to close its industrial laundry in Reading in March with the loss of 30 jobs, in order to transfer the business to its site in Eastbourne. 21-Jan-2002 Sia Abrasives is planning to move its Saffron Walden-based abrasive systems business to Halifax, and up to 120 staff will be offered relocation packages. 18-Jan-2002 Levi Strauss is considering plans to close its sewing plant in Dundee and finishing factory in Hamilton, with the loss of about 650 jobs. 17-Jan-2002 Corus has announced plans to rebuild a blast furnace at its Port Talbot steelworks at a cost of £75m. 17-Jan-2002 LG Electronics is to expand production of microwave ovens at its plant in Washington, Tyne & Wear, with the creation of 40 jobs. 17-Jan-2002 Eaton Hydraulics is to close its hydraulic engineering plant in Glenrothes with the loss of 72 jobs, in order to relocate production to other sites in Havant and the US. 17-Jan-2002 Aga Foodservice is considering plans to withdraw from the production of eye-level gas cookers at its plant in Leamington Spa, with the loss of up to 270 jobs. 16-Jan-2002 MCE Group of Stockton has acquired the UK service centres of US valve company Fisher Controls, including sites in Peterlee, Medway, Newport, Aberdeen and Cork. 16-Jan-2002 Tyco International is to close its electronics factory in Lymington in September with the loss of 50 jobs, while a further 110 jobs are expected to go in Swindon. 15-Jan-2002 Sheraton of Politura is planning to expand the workforce at its furniture factory at Hetton on Wearside from 50 to 100. 15-Jan-2002 Joseph Sykes Brothers is to close its wire products factory in Huddersfield in October with the loss of 150 jobs. 14-Jan-2002 W Lucy is planning to vacate its Eagle Works engineering site in Oxford, but has not yet found a suitable site for the relocation of the 450-strong workforce. 14-Jan-2002 TYM Seals & Gaskets is planning to relocate its business from Basildon to the Hopton Industrial Estate in Devizes over the next few months, with the creation of about ten jobs. 14-Jan-2002 Kenton Utility Service Management is creating more than 100 jobs in Scotland having won a series of contracts from the local water companies. 14-Jan-2002 Recycled Waste has raised £0.7m in a flotation on Aim to fund the development of technology to produce energy from recycled tyres and charcoal. 14-Jan-2002 KYE is to create 600 jobs at the former Odebrecht offshore fabrication yard in Middlesbrough over the next year, prior to moving to a new £6m site in Hartlepool in 2003. 11-Jan-2002 AgustaWestland is to close its helicopter manufacturing plant in Weston-super-Mare with the loss of 350 jobs, and a further 600 jobs will be lost at its main Yeovil plant. 11-Jan-2002 Corus is to collaborate with Sumitomo Metals of Japan in the development of advanced steels for car manufacture, construction and engineering. 11-Jan-2002 Promanex Group has raised £8m from Sovereign Capital to expand its industrial support services business, and has also announced the acquisition of Jefco Services. 10-Jan-2002 R Griggs, the Dr Martens shoe manufacturer, is planning to shed 70 of the 400 jobs at its Irthlingborough head office. 09-Jan-2002 Volex is to merge two European cable equipment manufacturing operations with the loss of 180 jobs at the Leigh plant near Manchester, 230 at Castlebar in Ireland and 40 in mainland Europe. 08-Jan-2002 Eaga Partnership, the provider of home-heating advice to the general public, is to relocate its Newcastle call centre and up to 100 jobs from Eldon Square to Archbold Terrace, Jesmond. 07-Jan-2002 James Walker managers at a factory in Cockermouth are preparing a rescue package to save 30 jobs that are being threatened by a plan to move the customer services department to a new national call centre in Crewe. 07-Jan-2002 PMG, the sportswear distribution company, is to close its Lancaster office with the loss of up to 20 jobs, and relocate the operation to the Umbro headquarters in Manchester at the end of March. 04-Jan-2002 GKN Aerospace Services is to shed 70 of the 440 jobs at its aircraft engineering operation in Yeovil. 04-Jan-2002 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. 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