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Engineering 1998
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Scotech, the Aberdeen-based oil and gas equipment company, is to undergo a £4.5m management buyout from its parent Fife Indmar. 31-Dec-1998 Rossendale Slipper's factory in Rawtenstall has been destroyed by fire, and Rossendale Council is to help the company find new premises in order to save the 90 jobs. 31-Dec-1998 Wilo Salmson, the pump manufacturer, is to relocate from the West Meadows Industrial Estate in Derby to the Centrum 100 business park in July. 30-Dec-1998 Anchorpac is closing its waste disposal equipment factory in Dartmouth with the loss of about 50 jobs, and has called in a team of insolvency experts. 23-Dec-1998 British Filters is to close its oil filters factory in Plymouth next year with the loss of 140 jobs, as its US parent Dana Corporation wants to transfer production to Southampton. 23-Dec-1998 Ebac, the manufacturer of air conditioning units, has taken full control of its German business, and is looking to set up a sales office in Berlin. 23-Dec-1998 Styles Precision Components is to recruit an additional 60 employees at its plastic prototype models business in Teesside and in a new German facility. 23-Dec-1998 Anglian Water has won Chile's first water privatisation contest, to serve the city of Valparaiso, in a joint venture with Enersis of Chile. 23-Dec-1998 GEC is looking at ways to separate its defence business from its civil industrial operations, and the move is seen as a step towards the creation of a European defence industry group. 23-Dec-1998 The South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall is set to reopen, and about 25 workers will be taken on initially with more jobs being created later. 23-Dec-1998 Ocean Resource is planning to set up a plant at Newport Docks in Wales to make specialist buoys and shallow-water platforms, creating 200 jobs. 22-Dec-1998 ASW Holdings is planning to acquire Co-Steel Sheerness, the UK division of the Canadian steel multi-national Co-Steel. 22-Dec-1998 Arco, the safety equipment and industrial products company, is planning to build a national distribution centre in Hull, creating 100 jobs. 21-Dec-1998 English Partnerships has announced plans to build a £6m industrial and commercial facility at Seaton Barracks in Plymouth, creating up to 1,000 jobs. 21-Dec-1998 Bridgend County Borough Council is linking up with Macob Projects to expand the Bridgend Science Park, which will create enough new space to provide several hundred jobs. 21-Dec-1998 Thomas Sanderson Blinds is opening a new £2.2m factory and office complex in Waterlooville, creating 40 additional jobs. 18-Dec-1998 Christies is to lay off more than 200 workers at its bedroom and kitchen manufacturing factory in Bristol. 18-Dec-1998 Johnson Matthey is to close its electroplating department in Royston next year with the loss of 28 jobs. 18-Dec-1998 Wardle Storeys, the manufacturer of a wide range of products including inflatable buildings and life rafts, is to cut an unspecified number of jobs in its non-defence businesses, with its Brantham factory being worst hit. 18-Dec-1998 Fantasy Gifts, the Tyneside-based glass products factory, has closed down with the loss of 80 jobs. 16-Dec-1998 British Aerospace is to create more than 100 jobs at its Broughton aircraft wings factory. 16-Dec-1998 Flymo is to create 135 jobs at its Newton Aycliffe lawnmowers factory in a £2.1m project funded by Electrolux and a DTI grant. 16-Dec-1998 British Aerospace is to close its Royal Ordnance factory at Bishopton near Glasgow with the loss of 283 jobs, following a Ministry of Defence decision to award a contract for ammunition propellant to a South African company. 16-Dec-1998 Moorcroft, the Stoke-based pottery company, is to build two new factories creating more than 200 jobs. 15-Dec-1998 British Steel (Industry) is to develop a £2.5m business centre in Redcar, creating up to 40 units aimed at small and medium-sized hi-tech manufacturing companies. 15-Dec-1998 Lionweld Kennedy is investing £2m in the expansion of its engineering sites on Teesside, including new buildings, a new IT system, a training programme and installation of new product lines. 15-Dec-1998 Rolls-Royce is planning an alliance with Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation in which Taiwanese companies would manufacture gas turbine components and help to build the Trent 500 aero engine. 15-Dec-1998 Herrburger Brooks is to close its piano factory in Long Eaton with the loss of 71 jobs. 14-Dec-1998 Marconi Thomson Sonar is closing its military equipment factory in Bridlington with the loss of 66 jobs, and production will be transferred to its Hampshire site. 14-Dec-1998 Hozelock, the garden hose equipment company, has received an approach from its chief executive to take the company private. 12-Dec-1998 British Aerospace is close to agreeing the structure for its planned merger with DaimlerChrysler Aerospace of Germany, which will create the core of a new European aerospace and defence group. 12-Dec-1998 Naturelle Consumer Products is to invest £1.2m in the expansion of its disposable products factory in Omagh, creating 25 new jobs. 10-Dec-1998 Royal Doulton is to cut more than 1,000 jobs at china factories in Stoke and overseas. 10-Dec-1998 Hawker Siddeley Switchgear is to transfer production of electronic components from Loughborough to south Wales with the loss of 130 jobs. 10-Dec-1998 British Aerospace is to cut 160 jobs at its Royal Ordnance factory in Blackburn. 10-Dec-1998 Rolls-Royce is selling a 50% stake in Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance to GATX Capital of the US, in order to increase opportunities in the leasing of aircraft engines. 09-Dec-1998 Rolls-Royce is to merge its Aircraft Finance & Trading business with Pembroke Capital of Ireland, and expects the deal to result in its engines being used on aircraft leased to airlines by Pembroke. 09-Dec-1998 Tandem Group is to transfer production of Falcon Cycles from Lancashire to Brigg, Lincolnshire. 08-Dec-1998 Perstorp of Sweden is to invest £10m at its resins plant in Newton Aycliffe, creating 20 jobs. 07-Dec-1998 Kvaerner Oil and Gas is to recruit hundreds of workers on Teesside to transform a giant tanker into a floating North Sea oil platform. 07-Dec-1998 Rolls-Royce is to cut 235 jobs next year at its Defence Europe Division in Bristol. 04-Dec-1998 Pilkington Optronics is cutting 50 jobs at two plants in St Asaph, Wales, due to falling demand for night vision equipment and shielding panels for satellites. 04-Dec-1998 Pall Europe is planning a £3.5m expansion at its filters factory in Redruth, which will create about 40 jobs. 04-Dec-1998 RHP is to cut 130 jobs at two bearings factories in Newark, and another factory at Ferrybridge will lose 85 jobs. 04-Dec-1998 Cooper Cameron is to cut about 120 jobs at its marine engineering factory in Leeds by next March. 04-Dec-1998 Simpson Lawrence, the marine distribution company, has announced a nationwide restructuring, resulting in the closure of depots in Essex and Devon, and the creation of a new distribution centre in Hampshire. 02-Dec-1998 Kenwood Appliances is to transfer more of its production from the UK to China in response to falling sales of food processors and fryers. 02-Dec-1998 Lindley Parapet Systems, the Cleckheaton-based maker of road-bridge parapets and pedestrian safety systems, is to move to the Dragonby Vale Enterprise Park in Scunthorpe. 01-Dec-1998 Baxi is to sell its foundry business to Metal Technologies International of the US, in order to focus on the manufacture of gas boilers and air conditioning. 01-Dec-1998 Slumberland is planning a £2m expansion at its Oldham factory to increase production of bed springs, and 100 jobs will be created. 01-Dec-1998 Otter Controls Group is to close its Montgomery Thermostats factory in Powys with the loss of up to 100 jobs, and production will be moved to other sites. 27-Nov-1998 Baldwins Industrial Services has confirmed the sale of its Stockton site, and the crane refurbishment work will be switched to its larger marine site in Middlesbrough. 26-Nov-1998 Fisher Scientific, the distributor of laboratory products, is to cut up to 50 jobs in Loughborough early next year. 26-Nov-1998 British Aerospace's Warton-based Systems and Services Division is to cut up to 100 jobs following a review of its business. 25-Nov-1998 Woods Air Movement, the GEC-owned manufacturer of ventilation equipment, is cutting 60 jobs at its factory in Colchester. 24-Nov-1998 Langford Lodge is investing £8m at its precision engineering plant in Northern Ireland with the creation of 56 jobs, having won a contract to supply aerospace components to Lucas. 24-Nov-1998 BICC is selling its 50% stake in Optical Fibres to its joint venture partner, Corning of the US, for £26m. 24-Nov-1998 Gilbarco, the petrol pump manufacturer, is to cut 70 jobs at its Basildon plant due to increased competition. 23-Nov-1998 Dana Electrostart and Electrosteer are to close their two factories in Stourbridge next year, which employ 125 people, and production will be transferred to Quinton Hazel sites in Brownhills and Redditch. 20-Nov-1998 Hellerman Electrics is to cut 15 jobs at its factory in Plymouth. 19-Nov-1998 Avon Rubber has awarded a £5.5m contract to Shepherd for the construction of a factory in Westbury, Wiltshire. 19-Nov-1998 British Steel is to step up its cost-cutting campaign in response to falling steel prices, and is expected to cut about 6,000 jobs over the next two years. 17-Nov-1998 Alstom is planning to make acquisitions to double the size of its US electrical engineering business over the next five years, and hopes to benefit from moves by municipal authorities to develop rapid transit systems. 16-Nov-1998 Wassall has built up a 7.3% stake in the BICC cables and construction group at a cost of £29m, prompting speculation that BICC could be broken up or taken over. 13-Nov-1998 GEI International, the owner of Tyseley-based pharmaceutical equipment maker Gallay, is to double Gallay's production capacity with a new plant. 13-Nov-1998 Metal Castings is to cut a further 30 jobs in Worcester, due to slowing demand for high pressure aluminium diecast products from the car industry. 13-Nov-1998 OMB Speciality Valves of Italy is to set up a steel valves factory in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, creating 18 jobs. 13-Nov-1998 Rolls-Royce is said to be looking to cut about 30 jobs at its aerospace components site in Pendle. 12-Nov-1998 Suncrest Surrounds has suffered about £10m worth of damage in a fire at its fire surrounds factory in Peterlee, casting doubt on the future of more than 100 jobs. 11-Nov-1998 Brook Hansen is to cut 30 jobs at its electric motor plant in Guiseley near Leeds. 11-Nov-1998 Umeco is looking to spend up to £20m on acquisitions to expand its aircraft parts business. 11-Nov-1998 Research International of the US has reopened a factory in Plymouth to make reflow ovens for the electronics industry, and plans to double its 20-strong workforce within 18 months. 10-Nov-1998 Euravia Engineering & Supply has won two major contracts to maintain power units for aircraft, and an additional 12 skilled jobs will be created. 09-Nov-1998 Vickers is negotiating a number of potential acquisitions for its marine propulsion and turbine components divisions. 09-Nov-1998 Cooper Tools is to close its tools plant in Washington, Tyne & Wear, by the middle of next year, with the loss of 80 jobs. 09-Nov-1998 Starweld has gone into liquidation and all 26 jobs at its steel fabrication facility in Hayle, Cornwall, are expected to be lost. 06-Nov-1998 Joy Mining Machinery is to cut 23 jobs at its mining equipment factory in Worcester. 06-Nov-1998 Dartington Crystal is to cut 35 of the 320 jobs at its glass-blowing factory in North Devon. 06-Nov-1998 Anglian Water has announced 70 voluntary redundancies as a result of merging its four engineering offices into one centre. 04-Nov-1998 GEC is planning to close its Xpelair industrial fans factory in Birmingham with the loss of up to 300 jobs. 04-Nov-1998 Allen Group has opened its rebuilt air brake and electronic coils factory, which was severely damaged by fire in 1995, in Bodelwyddan, North Wales. 03-Nov-1998 Williams, the security and fire protection company, has announced that it has held failed talks with Tyco International of the US that could have led to an alliance. 03-Nov-1998 Pfeifer Draco, the steel company, has started building a factory at the new £1.3m Marshfield Bank Employment Park in Crewe. 02-Nov-1998 British Steel is to close its hot-rolling facility in Darlington with the loss of 234 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites in Skinningrove and Mannstaedt. 02-Nov-1998 Wardle Storeys is selling its 50% stake in Denlop-Beaufort Canada, the life rafts and safety equipment business, to DBC Marine Safety Systems for £2.6m. 30-Oct-1998 Crane Fluid Systems is to cut 83 jobs in Ipswich following a fall in export orders for valves and pipe fittings. 30-Oct-1998 Spear & Jackson, the garden tool maker, may be forced to move from its Black Country base with the loss of 190 jobs, having been refused planning permission for a new access road. 30-Oct-1998 Avesta Sheffield, the stainless steel producer, has announced 260 job cuts across the UK, blaming the strength of sterling and the Asian economic crisis. 29-Oct-1998 Neida Engineering is to build a £1.5m precision components factory at the Trentham Lakes development in Stoke, and Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration has also announced plans for a new hotel on the complex. 28-Oct-1998 Deeside Aluminium is planning to make an unspecified number of job cuts at its Wrexham plant, and production will be reduced by 25%. 28-Oct-1998 EPS Product Support and AEi have set up a new spares processing centre in Blackburn having won a five-year contract from British Aerospace, and more than 40 jobs are being created. 27-Oct-1998 IMI is planning to close its IMI Wolverhampton Metal alloys plant in Wednesfield with the loss of 66 jobs unless a buyer can be found. 27-Oct-1998 Rolls-Royce Industrial Controls has cut 23 jobs in Gateshead due to a fall in demand. 27-Oct-1998 AD Aerospace Finishes, the aircraft paint company, is to relocate from Abingdon to new headquarters in Leicester's Meridian Business Park, and is looking for warehousing, production, technical, and office staff. 26-Oct-1998 British Steel is said to be considering plans to cut a further 400 jobs at its plant in Port Talbot, Wales. 23-Oct-1998 Smith & Nephew is cutting 96 jobs over the next three years at its medical supplies factory in Hull due to a fall in exports. 23-Oct-1998 Grove Europe is in discussions with a former executive that could lead to 100 jobs being saved at the Sunderland plant, thereby reducing the impact on the 670 jobs expected to be lost when the plant closes. 23-Oct-1998 Bodycote has linked up with Sheffield Hallam University to launch Bodycote-SHU Coatings, a new company that will offer tool manufacturers the opportunity to use the latest physical vapour deposition coating machines. 23-Oct-1998 Whitecroft Lighting is to close its commercial lighting factory in Braintree with the loss of 80 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites. 23-Oct-1998 Humber Client & Contractor Training Association has linked up with 40 Humberside-based companies to combat a skills shortage by training hundreds of engineers. 23-Oct-1998 The David Sharp Studio is to double the size of its stoneware factory in Somercotes, Derbyshire, and recruit a further 10 staff. 22-Oct-1998 Iso-Tech Calibration Services is to move to a new factory at the Millennium Business Centre in Derby's Pride Park, where it will calibrate measuring machines for the aerospace and car industries. 22-Oct-1998 Hughes Christensen, the US-owned engineering company, is to cut 67 jobs at its Belfast plant due to falling demand for drilling products for the oil and gas industry. 22-Oct-1998 Atlas Copco is to close its Kango electric hammer factory in Bedford with the loss of 81 jobs, and production will be moved to Germany. 22-Oct-1998 The government has announced plans to set up a £40m University for industry in Sheffield, and it will have links to a network of learning centres in factories and libraries. 22-Oct-1998 Classic Glass and Dishwashers is opening a new £1m factory in Hixon, Staffordshire, as part of an expansion programme that will result in 40 extra jobs. 21-Oct-1998 Sumitomo is planning to expand its European headquarters in Hull in order to increase production of gears and speed retarders for industry. 21-Oct-1998 Massey Ferguson is to cut 400 jobs at its tractor plant in Coventry, due to the strength of sterling and the economic crisis in Asia. 20-Oct-1998 Clyde Blowers, the Glasgow-based soot-blowing and materials handling group, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed financial institution. 20-Oct-1998 B&F Carter, the maker of gears and cable-making machinery, is looking to move to a new site in Bolton, and its existing 2.5 acre site will be auctioned. 20-Oct-1998 William Cook has shed about 12 jobs at its Parkway works in South Yorkshire due to a slowdown in orders for its steel castings business. 20-Oct-1998 McLeod Russel has terminated a plan to acquire Trion, the US clean air systems company, apparently due to concerns over Trion's trading performance. 16-Oct-1998 Anglo American, the South African mining conglomerate, is planning to move its headquarters and its main stock exchange listing to London early next year, in order to pursue its global ambitions. 16-Oct-1998 British Aerospace is transferring leading and trailing edge assembly work for wings on the Airbus A320-family aircraft from its Samlesbury factory to its Prestwick site. 16-Oct-1998 Acrimo, the curtain track and pole manufacturer, is to close its plant in Tamworth, Staffordshire, next February and transfer production to its Sheffield site. 16-Oct-1998 Souplex, the Morecambe-based plastics and mouldings company, has been put up for sale. 16-Oct-1998 The Navy Aircraft Repair Organisation's Fleetlands base in Gosport is to cut 55 jobs in preparation for its merger with its RAF counterpart next April to form the Defence Aviation Repair Agency. 15-Oct-1998 Philips is to close its kettle manufacturing plant in Hastings with the loss of 160 jobs. 14-Oct-1998 TT is said to be considering a bid for Delta Group, the maker of circuit breakers and cables, having built up a 1.38% stake in the company. 14-Oct-1998 F Bailey is to create a further 60 jobs in Stoke having won a number of new heating and ventilating contracts. 14-Oct-1998 Darchem Flare is transferring a test facility from Darlington to Stillington, where its parent company is based, in order to improve its ability to handle larger-scale fire and tunnel testing programmes. 12-Oct-1998 Nexus Precision Engineering of Aberdeen has acquired Links Precision Engineering for almost £1m. 12-Oct-1998 Filtronic, the microwave engineering company, has set up an in-house university-style training scheme in conjunction with Leeds University in order to improve the skills of its own graduate engineers. 12-Oct-1998 Avocet Hardware, the producer of security products for doors and windows that was bought out from SIG, is expected to postpone its £70m flotation due to recent falls in the stock market. 09-Oct-1998 GKN's powder metals division is planning to invest up to £175m on acquisitions by 2002, and is also looking to reorganise its 28 plants and spend more on R&D. 09-Oct-1998 Sunderland Glassworks is creating 80 new jobs with the introduction of a stained glass-making facility at the city's National Glass Centre. 09-Oct-1998 Perlos, the Finnish plastic components company, is opening a new factory near Sunderland with the creation of 44 jobs. 09-Oct-1998 Darenth is opening a new vending machine factory after a fire destroyed its plant in Eckington near Sheffield, and it is now creating an additional 30 jobs. 09-Oct-1998 APV Baker is to cut 120 jobs at its engineering base on Tyneside. 09-Oct-1998 ROR Meritor, the manufacturer of axles and suspensions, is said to be planning to cut 60 jobs at its Wrexham factory due to the introduction of new technology. 08-Oct-1998 Wedgwood, the Staffordshire-based pottery company, is to cut 720 jobs in its restructuring programme - 160 more than was originally announced. 08-Oct-1998 James Halstead is looking to sell its Conway trailer-making business and its Phoenix motorcycle clothing business, but has failed to find a buyer for its Australian outdoor clothing operation. 07-Oct-1998 Eurolok, the plastic fittings manufacturer, is moving from Hinckley to a new site at Tamworth, in order to be closer to its parent company Davco Industrial of West Bromwich. 07-Oct-1998 Stanley Tools is closing its Ecclesfield plant and selling off its Woodside works in Sheffield, and production will be switched to its Hellaby plant. 07-Oct-1998 Reece, the fastener distributor, has been acquired by Smethwick-based Serco-Ryan, a division of Lilleshall. 07-Oct-1998 Fenner is setting up its global headquarters at Hesslewood Hall in Hull, and the site will also include its conveyor belting divisional headquarters. 07-Oct-1998 Weir Group is to invest £14m in new technology for its Glasgow pumps plant over of the next three years, in order to improve production efficiency. 06-Oct-1998 British Steel is planning to acquire Huta Katowice, the Polish steel manufacturer, and is waiting for the Polish government to open negotiations. 05-Oct-1998 Tor-Link Supplies is opening a new branch in Middlesbrough to sell a range of hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical engineering products. 05-Oct-1998 Cleveland of the US is to close its toolmaking plant in Peterhead with the loss of about 200 jobs, and production will be transferred to its Sheffield factory. 03-Oct-1998 Ninkaplast of Germany is to close its plastics moulding factory in Cwmfelinfach, South Wales, with the loss of 225 jobs. 03-Oct-1998 Callender Aeropart has opened a new factory to manufacture fan blades for jet engines on the Altham Industrial Estate in East Lancashire, and plans to increase its 220 staff to 275 by 2001. 01-Oct-1998 Seals Packaging and Gaskets has opened a new factory in Barnsley to manufacture gaskets and insulation, employing 60 people. 01-Oct-1998 Wilkinson Sword is closing its razor blades factory in Cramlington, Northumberland, with the loss of 375 jobs, and production will be transferred to other plants. 01-Oct-1998 Cobham is looking to expand its aerospace activities through acquisition, and is in discussions with GEC and British Aerospace about businesses which might be sold. 30-Sep-1998 Hewitt Refractories of Fenton is to create up to 30 new jobs following the launch of a new range of lightweight kiln furniture and ultra-lightweight insulation brick products. 30-Sep-1998 USF Surface Preparation, the manufacturer of shotblasting machinery, is to close its Halifax plant with the loss of 48 jobs, and production will be transferred to its Ossett plant. 30-Sep-1998 Pindar Print is installing a new £6m press at its Scarborough site as part of a £13m investment that will create 20 jobs. 30-Sep-1998 Wassall is expected to succeed with its £351m bid to acquire the TLG lighting group, following the withdrawal of Cooper Industries from the bidding. 29-Sep-1998 Tomkins is selling the general presswork operation of Firth Cleveland Engineering to Wearpress, and is closing its plant in Tipton with the loss of an unspecified number of jobs. 29-Sep-1998 C-Tech Industries, the manufacturer of specialist cables used for marine survey operations, is moving from Brighton to new premises at Tees Offshore Base on Teesside. 29-Sep-1998 ACB Hydraulics is planning to extend its Cheadle headquarters and create at least 20 new jobs, due to an increase in work on industrial cranes. 29-Sep-1998 Lilleshall is to withdraw from the windows, conservatories and plastic housewares business, in order to focus on the distribution of fasteners and other consumables and specialist engineering. 28-Sep-1998 Sykes Pumps is setting up an office in Singapore, which will become its headquarters for the whole of the Asia Pacific region. 28-Sep-1998 Rolls-Royce has won a contract worth about £580m to supply British Airways with engines for up to 32 new Boeing 777 aircraft. 28-Sep-1998 Aromascan is to raise £2.7m in a share placing to fund the development of its electronic gas and odour sensors. 26-Sep-1998 Cummins is to cut 64 jobs at its diesel engine plant in Darlington, due to a fall in exports. 25-Sep-1998 Vald Birn is planning to cut 40 jobs at its iron foundry near Ashington in Northumberland. 25-Sep-1998 Wilshaw, the powder metallurgy company, has put itself up for sale as it believes that it needs to be part of a larger group in order to maximise potential. 23-Sep-1998 British Aerospace is looking to recruit more than 100 apprentices at its factory near Chester to cope with a recent rise in orders. 22-Sep-1998 Camfil, the Swedish-owned air filter company, is moving to a new £2.5m factory in Haslingden, and expects that the increase in capacity will lead to more jobs. 21-Sep-1998 Lionweld Kennedy, the steel engineering company, has cut 24 jobs at its Marsh Road plant in Middlesbrough, blaming the effect of the strong pound. 21-Sep-1998 Steel and Alloy Processing of West Bromwich is to set up a new £3m plant in Newton Aycliffe to make steel strip products, creating up to 40 jobs. 21-Sep-1998 Alan Nuttall Ltd of Dudley is creating an extra 50 jobs to expand production of shelving and display equipment for retailers. 21-Sep-1998 Babcock International has sold 60% of its remaining stake in Mitsui Babcock Energy to Mesco (UK) for £7.5m, and will invest the proceeds in core activities. 19-Sep-1998 Babcock International is to cut 216 jobs at its Rosyth dockyard as part of a restructuring programme. 19-Sep-1998 Stanley Works, the knife manufacturer, is to set up a new distribution warehouse in Northampton. 18-Sep-1998 Vickers is to close its tank factory in Leeds with the loss of 450 jobs, as part of a cost-cutting programme that will see its total workforce reduced by 22%. 18-Sep-1998 SGS Redwood Technical Services has acquired the ICI Flow Metering and Instrument Services business at Wilton and North Tees for an undisclosed sum. 18-Sep-1998 Shred-It, the Canadian document-shredding company, is preparing to move into the UK with offices in Birmingham, London and Manchester. 18-Sep-1998 British Steel is to close its Templeborough rolling mill in Rotherham with the loss of 112 jobs, and production will be transferred to Scunthorpe. 18-Sep-1998 Hyder is looking to sell its 36% stake in Severoceske Vodovody a Kanalizace, the Czech water company, as it is said to be disappointed by the returns from the business. 17-Sep-1998 Delta is to cut 230 jobs from its electrical and plumbing divisions over the next six months, in order to save £4m a year. 16-Sep-1998 Oadby Plastics, the engineering plastics supplier, has de-merged from Deutsche Holzveredelung, the German company whose products it was originally set up to distribute. 16-Sep-1998 Haden MacLellan is looking to acquire leading companies in the industrial fasteners markets of the US and Germany, in order to reduce its dependence on the UK. 15-Sep-1998 The European Commission is proposing a ban on the production of leaded steel from shredded vehicles which go for recycling, prompting fears that steel jobs could be lost in Yorkshire. 15-Sep-1998 Weir is planning to acquire Schabaver, the French pump maker, from Sterling Fluid Systems for £5m. 14-Sep-1998 British Steel is to close a mill in Darlington with the loss of 42 jobs. 14-Sep-1998 BTR is planning to cut a further 1,000 jobs in its engineering businesses in order to achieve cost savings of £25m a year. 11-Sep-1998 Wassall has offered £351m for the TLG lighting group, trumping a bid by Cooper Industries of the US. 11-Sep-1998 Southern Water is to cut 390 jobs over the next five years in a major restructuring programme that will result in the closure of four regional head offices. 11-Sep-1998 Coats Viyella has postponed plans to spin-off its Viyella textiles business until market conditions improve. 10-Sep-1998 Hemcore, the industrial hemp processor, is to move its Felsted-based factory to Maldon in order to allow for future expansion. 09-Sep-1998 Linton & Hirst, the metal laminations concern, is to cut 40 jobs in Stratton, following a downturn in the electronics market. 09-Sep-1998 Waste Management International of the US is to buy the remaining 49% stake in UK Waste from Wessex Water for £205m. 08-Sep-1998 Bodycote is to build a £2m plant in Mexico to make ultra-hard door furniture, and is planning to nearly double capital expenditure at new plants in Germany and Scandinavia. 08-Sep-1998 Crabtree Group, the troubled Gateshead-based printing machine maker, could become the subject of a takeover by LTG of Germany, which may save about 650 jobs that are said to be at risk. 08-Sep-1998 Smiths Industries is discussing the acquisition of Biochem International, the US medical equipment concern, for about $83m. 07-Sep-1998 Vickers may be forced to close one of its tank factories in Newcastle or Leeds because of a fall in world demand, with the loss of more than 600 jobs. 07-Sep-1998 Brook Hansen is to cut 45 jobs at its electrical motor factory in Huddersfield, blaming the strength of sterling and high interest rates. 07-Sep-1998 Mainetti is to expand production of microlight fibre optic cable sheathing at its Burnfoot manufacturing plant in Hawick, creating up to 30 jobs. 04-Sep-1998 Netlon, the Blackburn-based plastic mesh producer, is to cut 85 jobs due to the strength of sterling and the Asian financial crisis. 04-Sep-1998 Meggitt is considering plans to sell its industrial controls division having received approaches from Heatric and Mobrey, in order to focus on aerospace and electronics. 04-Sep-1998 Senior Engineering is preparing to step up its acquisition programme, and is looking for companies valued at up to £100m particularly in Asia and South America. 04-Sep-1998 Lionweld Kennedy, the Middlesbrough engineering firm, has been acquired by the Australian Pacifica Group, for undisclosed terms. 03-Sep-1998 Highland Galvanisers is planning to expand its galvanising plant in Elgin, in order to cope with rising demand. 03-Sep-1998 Kvaerner Redpath Engineering Services has dropped plans to cut 80 jobs at its Teesside engineering plant, but will still lose 29 workers due a fall in its order book. 02-Sep-1998 Tyson Steel of Consett has gone into liquidation, having ceased trading at the end of July. 01-Sep-1998 GKN Sinter Metals has acquired Laurel Manufacturing, the US bearings manufacturer that has annual sales of $18m. 31-Aug-1998 David Brown, the gears and pumps company, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company thought to be from the US. 28-Aug-1998 Stadium, the Teesside plastics and electronics group, is planning to create a further 40 jobs at its Harlepool factory by the end of the year to cope with rising demand. 27-Aug-1998 Avesta Sheffield, the Stockholm-based stainless steel maker that is majority owned by British Steel, is to cut 1,000 jobs in the UK and Sweden in response to a collapse in metal prices. 27-Aug-1998 British Aerospace is considering plans to close the ammunition operations of its Royal Ordnance subsidiary due to falling demand and increasing competition from abroad. 26-Aug-1998 Baxi Air Management is planning to create an additional 200 jobs in Preston, in order to keep up with anticipated demand for its new Clean Air ventilation system. 25-Aug-1998 Optima House Group, the Doncaster-based engineering company, is changing its name to Optima International in order to reflect the growing importance of exports. 25-Aug-1998 Ispat International, the steelmaker, is planning a £100m bid for the Co-Steel Sheerness manufacturing business. 24-Aug-1998 Brooke Industrial, the engineering group, has received an approach from an unnamed company that could lead to a takeover offer. 20-Aug-1998 Senior Engineering is to invest £13m in new facilities at Ketema, its aerospace components business in California. 19-Aug-1998 BICC is to cut 200 jobs at its optical fibres factory at Deeside, North Wales, due to over-capacity in the sector. 18-Aug-1998 British Aerospace has won a £100m contract to upgrade the engines in the RAF's 60 Jaguar jets, which will help to secure jobs in its military aircraft division. 15-Aug-1998 The UK is to withdraw from a £1bn military satellite project that had been arranged with France and Germany, and will instead go it alone in order to ensure that the satellite will be ready by 2005. 13-Aug-1998 Grove Europe is to close its crane factory in Sunderland with the loss of 670 jobs, although talks are being held with engineering companies about taking over the site and minimising the impact of the redundancies. 11-Aug-1998 GKN is planning to make a series of acquisitions worth up to £100m each, in order to expand its aerospace, off-highway vehicles and powder metallurgy operations. 06-Aug-1998 Mayflower may bid for Dennis Group, the bus chassis maker that has agreed to merge with Henlys, and is also looking for engineering acquisitions in the US and Europe. 05-Aug-1998 Rotork is looking to make acquisitions in the valve actuation sector in the US or Europe. 31-Jul-1998 Wall Colmonoy is planning a £2m expansion at its metal alloy facility near Swansea, creating 70 jobs. 30-Jul-1998 British Aerospace is in merger discussions with Daimler-Benz Aerospace of Germany, which would be a major step in the restructuring of Europe's overcrowded defence sector. 24-Jul-1998 Waste Management International is acquiring an 80% stake in Enterpa Ambiential, the Brazilian solid waste company, for £53m. 23-Jul-1998 Vickers is looking to expand its marine propulsion division through acquisitions and joint ventures, and wants to be able to offer complete propulsion packages including engineering software. 20-Jul-1998 Waste Recycling is in talks to acquire an unnamed waste disposal group, and expects to conclude a deal within weeks. 18-Jul-1998 Staveley Industries is planning to demerge or sell its salt extraction business, and may also sell off its services division thereby reducing the company to a shell. 16-Jul-1998 Bullough is looking to spend up to £30m on acquisitions as it aims to increase its focus on high-margin specialist engineering. 16-Jul-1998 Trifast is looking to spend up to £36m acquiring a US industrial fastenings business, in order to help service some of its larger clients. 15-Jul-1998 The government has announced a joint initiative with the Wellcome Trust to invest an extra £1.1bn in science and engineering research over the next three years, which will include the building of new university laboratories. 14-Jul-1998 GEC-Marconi has formed a 50-50 joint venture with Alenia Difesa of Italy which will combine their activities in radar, command and control systems, missiles, air traffic control, simulation and training. 11-Jul-1998 The Engineering Employers Federation has warned that the engineering industry is heading for recession, with declining orders and more job cuts, and blames the strength of sterling and the high cost of borrowing. 09-Jul-1998 Vosper Thornycroft has acquired Koop Nautic Holland, the Dutch designer of roll stabilisation systems for the leisure marine market. 08-Jul-1998 Charter is selling a 51% stake in Howden's refrigeration screw compressor business to Carrier of the US for £21m, in order to form a strategic joint venture that will increase sales of the operation. 07-Jul-1998 Meggitt is to pay an initial £15m to buy out Heatric's 40% stake in their joint venture that produces compact heat exchangers for offshore gas rigs. 04-Jul-1998 T&N has received a £300m bid from management for its engine bearings division, and additional bids are thought to be imminent from Dana of the US and Mahle of Germany. 02-Jul-1998 Anglian Water has sold its US membrane plant to Koch Industries for £39m, which completes its withdrawal from manufacturing. 02-Jul-1998 Siebe has succeeded in its battle to gain control of Nemic-Lambda, the Japanese switch maker, having ousted the founder and appointed a new board of directors. 02-Jul-1998 Waste Management of the US is offering to buy out the remaining 20% stake in its UK subsidiary - Waste Management International - at a premium of almost 40% on the share price. 01-Jul-1998 British Aerospace has won a contract to operate the Holston army ammunition plant at Kingsport, Tennessee, thereby increasing the foothold of its Royal Ordnance subsidiary in the US. 01-Jul-1998 Rolls-Royce has reached agreement with Marubeni of Japan for the development of the 500 jet engine for long-haul aircraft, and Marubeni will finance up to 10% of the costs in exchange for the rights to make parts. 01-Jul-1998 Molins is to cut a further 400 jobs in its cigarette machinery business due partly to a decline in sales to China, and production will be concentrated at Saunderton in Buckinghamshire. 30-Jun-1998 Wagon Industrial is to shorten its name to Wagon and re-focus its business on automotive pressings, door systems and storage products. 24-Jun-1998 Carclo Engineering is looking to spend up to £60m on acquisitions and is keen to expand its newly-formed technical plastics division into North America. 23-Jun-1998 Agco, the US tractor maker, has warned that investment at its Coventry factory is being threatened by the strength of sterling, and it is looking to source more components for the plant from abroad. 18-Jun-1998 Autokuhler of Germany is to invest £3m in a new heat exchangers production plant in South Wales. 16-Jun-1998 British Steel is looking for acquisitions in continental Europe and North America. 16-Jun-1998 Cookson is to invest over £100m setting up new factories in Asia, and is also planning to spend £400m on acquisitions to expand its core businesses of electronics and ceramics systems. 15-Jun-1998 British Steel is planning to spend £70m over the next two years on off-site training courses for its employees, as it prepares to introduce new working practices ahead of another major programme of redundancies. 15-Jun-1998 Powerscreen International, the Northern Irish engineer, is planning to raise £50m by selling four subsidiaries, as part of a recovery plan following the unexpected losses reported in January. 13-Jun-1998 British Aerospace is planning to close a Royal Ordnance factory in Lincolnshire with the loss of 57 jobs, as part of a rationalisation of its ammunition factories. 12-Jun-1998 Staveley Industries is planning a major overhaul of its business which could involve redundancies and the merger of some of its companies. 11-Jun-1998 Renold is planning to spend up to £50m on acquisitions to expand its chains, gears and rotors business. 09-Jun-1998 Tomoe of Japan is planning a £6m expansion at its valves factory in Newport, Gwent, that will create 100 jobs. 08-Jun-1998 Powell Duffryn is looking to spend at least £100m on acquisitions to develop its niche engineering division. 05-Jun-1998 AEA Technology is forming a £12m joint venture with Japan Storage Battery and Mitsubishi Materials to set up a plant in Thurso to produce lithium batteries for the defence and communications sectors, in a move that will create 130 jobs. 04-Jun-1998 Hall Engineering is acquiring Grayman Tooling and Pressings for £2.9m in order to build up its Stadco automotive pressings business. 04-Jun-1998 Siebe is planning to accelerate its restructuring programme because of global economic conditions, and aims to move 2,000 manufacturing jobs from the US and Europe to cheaper locations such as Malaysia and Mexico. 03-Jun-1998 British Steel is said to be planning an efficiency drive that could result in 10,000 redundancies among its 40,000 UK workforce. 01-Jun-1998 Severn Trent is planning to bid for a 49% stake in Berliner Wasser Betreibe, as Berlin's municipal authority seeks to raise DM2bn from the sale of a large minority stake in its water utility. 30-May-1998 Metsec, the building materials and engineering concern, is being acquired by Voest-Alpine Stahl of Austria for £42m. 30-May-1998 South West Water is to change its name to Pennon Group, which will be the holding company for both the water and sewerage business and for the waste disposal and environmental monitoring business. 29-May-1998 Powerscreen International has admitted problems at two more of its subsidiaries - Brown Lennox and Royer - and will have to make further provisions which will hit this year's results. 28-May-1998 Siebe is trying to gain control of Nemic-Lambda, its Japanese power controls subsidiary, by proposing an alternative board of directors. 27-May-1998 Mcleod Russel is looking to acquire an air cleaning business with potential for international expansion before the end of the year. 27-May-1998 Warner Howard is looking to invest up to £20m on a waste disposal acquisition in order to benefit from new environmental legislation and reverse a decline in profits. 22-May-1998 ICI is planning to float off its Eutech engineering consultancy within the next two years, and it could be worth up to £70m. 22-May-1998 Vosper Thornycroft is in negotiations to make two acquisitions in order to build up the marine and support services side of the business. 22-May-1998 GKN has acquired the remaining 49% of GKN Driveshafts (Thailand) from Sikor for £0.7m and the remaining 50% of Hanwha-GKN Driveshafts in Korea for £1.4m. 21-May-1998 Berisford is planning to spend about £250m on acquisitions in order to become a global supplier of catering equipment to international companies such as McDonald's. 20-May-1998 Quadramatic is looking to sell its moulded plastics and calibration instruments divisions in order to focus on coin handling systems for vending machines. 15-May-1998 Glynwed International is in discussions to sell its metals processing and metals services divisions in order to focus on pipes and kitchen equipment. 15-May-1998 Aida Engineering of Japan is to invest £3m in the expansion of its machine tools plant in Derby, to cater for rising demand for high-speed presses that stamp out small metal parts. 05-May-1998 British Aerospace is acquiring a 35% stake in Saab, the Swedish military aircraft company, for £269m, in a move that is likely to increase the importance of Saab's Gripen fighter plane. 01-May-1998 Morgan Crucible is forming an Australian joint venture with Shinagawa Refractories of Japan to be called Shinagawa Thermal Ceramics, which will acquire refractory businesses from BHP and from Morgan. 30-Apr-1998 British Aerospace is launching a "virtual university" within the next three months which will offer a range of courses covering areas such as engineering and manufacturing technology. 30-Apr-1998 Galgon Industries of the US is to open a metal-forming plant in Glenrothes with the creation of 100 jobs. 30-Apr-1998 International Aero Engines, the consortium that includes Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney, has won a $2.3bn order for V2500 engines for a group of Latin American airlines, and they will be assembled in Derby. 29-Apr-1998 Yamazaki Mazak is postponing a 25% expansion at its Worcester machine tools plant, because the economic problems in Asia have resulted in spare capacity at its Japanese plants. 29-Apr-1998 David Brown is planning a strategic review of its gears and pumps business, which could mean that disposals are necessary following the recent acquisition of Union Pump of the US. 29-Apr-1998 The Aero International Regional partnership between British Aerospace, Aerospatiale of France, and Alenia of Italy, is being dissolved following a disagreement over whether to build a new 70-seat jet. 28-Apr-1998 Co-Steel of Canada is looking to sell its steel plant at Sheerness in Kent due to the effect of the strength of sterling on profits, prompting concerns over the future of 580 jobs. 25-Apr-1998 GKN, as part of a consortium with Giat, Krauss-Maffei, MaK and Wegmann, has won a £3bn contract from the UK, German and French governments to build armoured vehicles. 23-Apr-1998 GEC is to acquire Tracor, the US defence electronics company, for £835m, and has also expressed an interest in Northrop Grumman, the aerospace group that could have its planned takeover by Lockheed Martin blocked by Washington. 22-Apr-1998 BICC is taking full control of its Australian cabling subsidiary, but the remaining electrical and building operations will be placed into a stand-alone company called Metal Manufactures. 22-Apr-1998 TI Group is planning to buy the remaining 50% of Japan Marine Technologies, its Japanese subsidiary, for up to £12.8m. 21-Apr-1998 Staveley Industries is to undergo a strategic review that could result in the splitting of its two remaining divisions, with one or both being sold, in order to improve shareholder value. 21-Apr-1998 British Steel is planning to start paying some of its UK, Australian and Brazilian suppliers in euros instead of pounds and dollars, in order to reduce losses from exchange rate changes. 20-Apr-1998 British Aerospace and Dassault Aviation of France are planning a joint venture to develop new technology for combat aircraft, following the trend for consolidation in the European defence sector. 20-Apr-1998 GKN is planning an alliance with Agusta of Italy to create the second largest helicopter group in the world. 17-Apr-1998 Siebe is planning to acquire Simulation Services, the US supplier of process simulation software, for £88m, as part of an expansion of its control systems division. 16-Apr-1998 GEC and Alcatel-Alsthom have released further details of their plans for the June flotation of their GEC-Alsthom joint venture, which will involve them taking a special dividend of about £770m and naming the company Alsthom. 16-Apr-1998 Quadrant is selling its 80% stake in Quadrant Precision Manufacturing, the aerospace subcontract manufacturing business, to management for £1.4m. 15-Apr-1998 Dowding & Mills, the electrical and mechanical services company, is planning a £5m restructuring and has said that a planned management buy-out of its German business is now unlikely to proceed. 15-Apr-1998 GEC is being urged by some shareholders of Northrop Grumman to enter takeover talks with the US defence group, due to fears that Lockheed Martin's attempted $9bn takeover of Northrop may be blocked by the US government. 11-Apr-1998 McKechnie is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions in its fastenings and engineered plastics business, and may sell off its Australian operations. 08-Apr-1998 BTR is negotiating the sale of its Hawker Pacific aircraft maintenance business in Australia to Celsius of Sweden, for about £38m. 07-Apr-1998 Senior Engineering is planning to make one acquisition a month throughout 1998, and is particularly interested in expanding its Asian business. 03-Apr-1998 GEC is to create a Dutch-based joint holding company with Finmeccanica of Italy to control the two companies' radar, missile systems, naval systems, and command and control activities, as the first step in a planned $3.4bn defence sector partnership. 02-Apr-1998 Powerscreen International is negotiating to sell its troubled Matbro tractors business to John Deere of the US. 02-Apr-1998 Tomkins has formed a joint venture with Nitta Corporation of Japan to make power transmission products for the Asia Pacific region. 31-Mar-1998 British Aerospace and its counterparts in France, Germany and Spain, have told their respective governments that they want to move towards an eventual merger and create a group called European Aerospace and Defence Company. 28-Mar-1998 Glynwed is to auction its metals distribution and processing divisions, and could raise up to £400m. 23-Mar-1998 Charles Baynes has identified a shortlist of four potential bidders for its remaining aerospace engineered components business, and it has also announced an intention to expand its flow control division in continental Europe through acquisition. 20-Mar-1998 Wassall has announced a major restructuring programme that will transform it into a mixture of industrial company and investment fund, thereby going against the trend for conglomerates to increase the focus of their businesses. 19-Mar-1998 Smiths Industries has announced a licensing agreement with Sextant Avionique of France that should help it win orders from Airbus for its flight management systems. 19-Mar-1998 Ispat International, the UK-based global steel group, is to buy Inland Steel, the US producer, for £857m, which will make it the eighth largest steelmaker in the world. 18-Mar-1998 Staveley Industries is selling two divisions to their management teams - Weigh-Tronix, the weighing equipment business, for £44m and Chronos Richardson, the maker of bagging equipment systems, for £5m. 17-Mar-1998 Cheshire County Council is planning to sell 3C Waste, its waste disposal and landfill sites operator, and potential buyers include UK water companies and foreign waste companies. 16-Mar-1998 The government has lifted the limit on foreign shareholdings in British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce from 29.5% to 49.5% in order to help them compete in world markets, but there will still be a limit of 15% for any individual foreign shareholder. 13-Mar-1998 GKN says it has at least £1bn to spend on acquisitions in powder metallurgy, aerospace parts, and off-highway vehicle parts, and it has been discussing the possible merger of its helicopter business with Agusta of Italy. 13-Mar-1998 James Fisher has acquired Underwater Engineering Services for £1.5m. 13-Mar-1998 BBA is looking for bolt-on acquisitions as it focuses on non-woven fabrics, brake pads and aircraft servicing, following the recent £550m disposal programme. 11-Mar-1998 Williams is expected to raise about £900m from the sale of its home improvements business, and is now looking for buyers for its wood stains, fillers and paints activities following the completion of the sale of its NuTone business for £148m. 11-Mar-1998 Hall Engineering is looking to move into Singapore, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries for its next stage of growth. 10-Mar-1998 GEC is close to finalising negotiations with Alenia Difesa of Italy to set up a joint venture in missiles, radar and naval systems, while there could also be co-operation in avionics and armoured vehicles. 07-Mar-1998 BBA is in negotiations to sell its Ajax Magnathermic heat treatment equipment business for about £60m. 07-Mar-1998 Rolls-Royce is said to have put an end to talks of merging its aero engine business with that of Pratt & Whitney by insisting that it would want majority control of any combined company. 06-Mar-1998 Cookson is looking to acquire electronics companies, and is also planning to sell its stakes in the Cookson Fibres carpet fibres business and the Zimco industrial group in South Africa. 05-Mar-1998 Bearing Power International is to sell its Canadian power transmission business to Wajax of Canada for £11m. 04-Mar-1998 Scapa Group is to restructure its filters, belts and tapes business following a downturn in profits, with the loss of about 750 jobs. 28-Feb-1998 Vickers is planning to cut 116 jobs from its tank building plants in Newcastle and Leeds in order to improve efficiency. 27-Feb-1998 Black & Decker is to invest £18m in the expansion of its County Durham plant to produce power tools for the professional tools market, creating 350 jobs. 26-Feb-1998 Agco of the US is scaling back output at its tractor plant in Coventry due to falling demand from east Asia. 21-Feb-1998 Group Lotus, the sports car and engineering concern, is to cut about 100 jobs in the engineering consultancy side of the business due to falling orders from the Asia-Pacific region. 18-Feb-1998 Thames Water International and Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux of France are to take over the management of Jakarta's water supply in Indonesia, which will involve upgrading the pipework and making the water fit to drink within five years. 16-Feb-1998 Spandex, the supplier of equipment to the signmaking industry, has confirmed that it is in takeover talks following a sudden rise in its share price. 13-Feb-1998 Williams expects to announce the sale of its Nu-Tone door chimes and cooker hoods subsidiary in the US soon, as part of a strategy to focus on fire and security products. 12-Feb-1998 Hill & Smith Holdings, the supplier of steel products, has acquired a 50% stake in Royston Steel Fencing, the installer of motorway barriers, for a nominal sum. 12-Feb-1998 Gartland Whalley & Barker has acquired Homer D Bronson Hinge, the US designer of industrial hinges, for an initial £6.6m. 12-Feb-1998 Cookson, the industrial materials company, is rumoured to be facing a possible bid from Allied Signal of the US, and some analysts believe the company is vulnerable following last year's decline in its share price. 11-Feb-1998 Smiths Industries could spend up to £1bn on acquisitions over the next few years according to analysts, especially in the avionics sector where there is increasing pressure for consolidation. 10-Feb-1998 South West Water is selling its 50% stake Societa Italo-Britannica dell'Acqua to its Italian joint venture partner for £4.5m, as part of a strategy to focus its enterprise division on environmental and waste management businesses. 10-Feb-1998 British Aerospace has won £123m of government aid to help it produce wings for the new range of Airbus commercial aircraft. 03-Feb-1998 Rubicon, the specialist engineer, is considering plans to sell one of its divisions, possibly lead products, in order to fund future expansion. 30-Jan-1998 Bodycote International has acquired Shore Metal Technology of Cleveland, Ohio, for £0.8m. 30-Jan-1998 B Elliott, the specialist engineer, has received a £44m takeover approach from a management team, and a formal bid could follow next week. 29-Jan-1998 Powerscreen, the Northern Ireland engineer, is to make a £46.7m provision in its accounts following the discovery of "certain irregularities" in a subsidiary. 28-Jan-1998 The European Commission has fined seven steel producers a total of £18m for operating an illegal price cartel, with one of the companies being British Steel's 51%-owned Avesta business. 22-Jan-1998 British Steel is to merge its large diameter pipe businesses with those of Europipe, and will take a one-third stake in the Europipe venture in partnership with Mannesmannrohren-Werke and AG der Dillinger Huttenwerke of Germany. 20-Jan-1998 British Aerospace is in discussions with Dassault of France about a possible alliance that would help the European defence industry compete with the big US companies. 19-Jan-1998 David Brown is discussing the acquisition of the transmissions business of Alvis for about £8m, and would merge it with its mobile equipment drives division. 16-Jan-1998 Rolls-Royce is planning to link up with American Airlines to form an engine repair company to service aero engines in both North and South America. 15-Jan-1998 LucasVarity has won a £2bn contract to supply control systems for the new Rolls-Royce Trent aircraft engines. 14-Jan-1998 Delta, the electrical and engineering services company, is to spend £8.5m increasing its stake in its South African associate to 50.1%, which will give Delta a 20% share in the world market for electrolytic manganese dioxide. 14-Jan-1998 Widney is still looking to sell all or some of its businesses, including the manufacture of telescopic slides and vehicle windows and the refurbishment of electronic point-of-sale machines. 14-Jan-1998 600 Group is launching a low-cost laser cutting system called LazerBlade that will sell for under £200,000, and about 40 jobs will be created at its Loughborough plant. 14-Jan-1998 B Elliott, the engineering company, is in discussions that could lead to a takeover offer being made for the company. 13-Jan-1998 Berisford has sold Consolidated Industries, its US domestic boiler business, for £4.2m. 10-Jan-1998 UK steel production was up 2.8% in 1997 at 18.8m tonnes, the highest figure since 1989, with over 80% made by British Steel, according to the Iron & Steel Statistics Bureau. 09-Jan-1998 GEC has announced the sale of a number of non-core subsidiaries for a total of over £100m, including the Luton-based air charter firm Magec Aviation to Lynton Group, the Australasian distribution operations to Rexel, and the Irish distribution business to Olive Holdings. 09-Jan-1998 Precoat International, the pre-coated steel processor, is considering plans to set up a new UK production facility due to capacity constraints at its south Wales plant. 07-Jan-1998 A consortium of GKN and Agusta of Italy has won a £250m contract to supply 15 Cormorant helicopters to the Canadian government. 06-Jan-1998 Tomkins is said to be considering the sale of its distribution businesses as part of a strategy to focus on manufacturing. 05-Jan-1998 KBC has acquired the SIM-Series simulation models business, which helps improve the performance of refineries, from Honeywell for $6m. 03-Jan-1998 Wyko has acquired MR Transmission, the Chesterfield-based bearings and power transmissions distributor, in a £60,000 deal. 03-Jan-1998 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. 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