Rotor Clip, the US supplier of circlips and retaining rings, is to set up a distribution centre in Sheffield, and a manufacturing plant could follow. 31-Dec-1999

Roxspur is to set up a £4m electronic controls factory in Bristol for its Hortsmann Controls business, which will involve the relocation of workers from Bath and the creation of 160 jobs. 29-Dec-1999

Teddington Bellows has closed its engineering factory in Pontarddulais, near Swansea, with the loss of 70 jobs, and there are plans to replace the factory with a cut-price supermarket. 29-Dec-1999

Europa Magnetics is planning a £11m expansion at its factory in Cramlington to manufacture optical discs for internet service providers, with the creation of 107 jobs. 29-Dec-1999

Waste Recycling Group has won renewal contracts worth £37m to manage household waste recovery centres for Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council and Cheshire County Council. 29-Dec-1999

FKI is looking to sell its hardware division in order to raise £400m for the development of its internet operations. 28-Dec-1999

Cookson has sold its 35% stake in the Entek battery separator business to Emark of the US for about £10m. 23-Dec-1999

Rolls-Royce has won contracts worth up to £350m to upgrade Royal Air Force Harrier jump-jets, and the work will be carried out at facilities in Bristol and East Kilbride. 23-Dec-1999

Sunderland Glassworks, the stained glass manufacturer, is to go into liquidation with the loss of 30 jobs, unless a buyer can be found. 22-Dec-1999

BAe Systems has agreed a deal with the Ministry of Defence that will secure the future of its Royal Ordnance business, in a partnership that will guarantee orders of at least £1bn over the next ten years. 22-Dec-1999

The British Standards Institution is considering plans for a flotation or an equity injection from a venture capital partner, in order to help the organisation expand and compete with foreign rivals. 21-Dec-1999

Rolls-Royce is to cut up to 200 of the 1,600 jobs at its aircraft plant in Hillington, Renfrewshire. 17-Dec-1999

IMI Refiners is to close its copper refinery in Walsall with the loss of 210 jobs, but the billet casting facility will remain at the site. 17-Dec-1999

Hampson Industries has closed its Aldec aluminium smelter in Willenhall, with the loss of 37 jobs. 17-Dec-1999

Securicor is looking to spend up to £250m on acquisitions in Europe, North America and Australia, in order to expand its security business. 17-Dec-1999

Elettronica UK, the Fareham-based supplier of equipment for testing missile-warning systems, has been bought from its Italian parent by local management for undisclosed terms. 16-Dec-1999

Adria is to cut 50 of the 2,000 jobs at its five clothing factories in Northern Ireland, following the loss of a major contract. 15-Dec-1999

CEGO Frameware is to close its windows and doors factory at Southwick in Sussex, but up to 80 of the 112 employees will be offered alternative jobs at the company's head office near Witham, Essex. 14-Dec-1999

Europower is looking to set up joint ventures in the Far East and eastern Europe, in order to expand its hoses and couplings business. 14-Dec-1999

Bellhouse Aerospace is to move into a new headquarters in Wigan next April with the creation of 60 skilled engineering jobs. 13-Dec-1999

Kangol is to close a hat factory in Leeds next March with the loss of 40 jobs, and production will move to Asia. 13-Dec-1999

Corus is to invest £3.6m at the Shotton Steelworks in North Wales, in order to meet rising demand for its anti-rust steel from the motor industry. 13-Dec-1999

Leaderflush Shapland is considering plans to relocate its doors factory to Roundswell, but this would depend on the successful sale of its existing site in Barnstaple. 10-Dec-1999

South West Water is to cut more than 200 jobs across the region, reducing the total headcount to 1,500. 10-Dec-1999

Britax Rumbold is to build an aircraft seats factory in Cwmbran, creating up to 450 jobs, as part of a strategy to consolidate 28 sites across the UK into three new units. 10-Dec-1999

Corus is to close its steel plant in Shelton near Stoke-on-Trent with the loss of 216 jobs, due to poor trading conditions. 10-Dec-1999

Anglian Water is to cut up to 400 jobs over the next two years, as part of a restructuring programme designed to save £40m a year. 09-Dec-1999

Northumbrian Water is planning to cut 150 jobs by next April, in response to price cuts ordered by the industry regulator. 09-Dec-1999

Staffordshire County Council is inviting companies to bid for a £135m privately-financed street lighting deal. 09-Dec-1999

ADT Fire & Security is planning to create 700 jobs in an expansion of its burglar and fire alarms business, and will open new offices in Reading, Brighton, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Swansea. 09-Dec-1999

The Ministry of Defence is to approach the private sector about the management of water supply and sewerage at 3,000 of its sites, and the deal could be worth £1bn over 25 years. 09-Dec-1999

Carclo Engineering is planning to relocate its Sheffield-based specialist engineering business to another town, possibly Wakefield. 08-Dec-1999

MBL Direct, the Bristol-based office equipment supplier, has ceased trading with the loss of 17 jobs. 08-Dec-1999

Yorkshire Water is to cut 500 of its 2,700 staff over the next year, in response to price cuts ordered by the industry regulator. 08-Dec-1999

Hasbro is to close its toys factory in Ashford, Kent, with the loss of 79 jobs, and production will be transferred to Spain. 08-Dec-1999

Atomising Systems is considering plans to relocate to new premises in Sheffield next year, following a period of rapid growth in its powdered metals business. 07-Dec-1999

Porcelanosa is to set up a sales and distribution centre for its tiles business in Doncaster, with the creation of 50 jobs. 07-Dec-1999

Wassall, the industrial conglomerate attempting to become a venture capital group, is in discussions that could lead to a takeover offer being made for the company. 07-Dec-1999

Aerpac is creating 135 new jobs following the relocation of its wind turbine blades factory to Kirkcaldy. 06-Dec-1999

Avesta Sheffield is planning to invest £12m at its Shepcote Lane plant in Sheffield, in order to remove bottlenecks and increase capacity. 06-Dec-1999

National Britannia, the environmental risk management company, has opened a £3m European headquarters in Caerphilly, where it employs 130 staff. 06-Dec-1999

Severn Trent has confirmed plans to shed 1,100 jobs in response to efficiency targets imposed by the water industry regulator, and expects the cuts to save £60m a year. 04-Dec-1999

Dorma is to close its weaving plant in Bolton with the loss of 150 jobs, and a further 117 jobs will go at parent company CV Home Furnishing in Atherton and 90 at Chortex Mill in Horwich. 03-Dec-1999

Stourbridge Rolling Mills is to close its steel strips factory in Stourbridge next summer with the loss of 60 jobs following its acquisition by Tyco of the US, but 25 jobs will be created its Willenhall factory. 03-Dec-1999

Rolls-Royce is to set up a £1.6m technology centre at the University of Southampton to specialise in gas turbine noise research. 02-Dec-1999

ABB Alstom Power is to cut 270 jobs nationwide, by closing a site at Trafford Park in Manchester and by shedding 95 jobs in Stafford and 112 in Rugby. 02-Dec-1999

Kenwood Appliances is to cut a further 200 jobs, as part of an ongoing programme to transfer the manufacture of kitchen appliances to other countries. 02-Dec-1999

Staveley Industries is in negotiations to sell its services division, as part of a move to break itself up in response to shareholder pressure. 02-Dec-1999

E&F Turnbull is planning to close its hardware distribution warehouse in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with the loss of 50 jobs, in order to make way for a £13m redevelopment project. 01-Dec-1999

British Aerospace is to be renamed BAe Systems following its acquisition of Marconi Electronic Systems, and up to 1,500 management jobs will be lost. 01-Dec-1999

Romart Sportswear, the Nottinghamshire-based textiles company, has closed with the loss of 50 jobs. 30-Nov-1999

Indigo Active Vision Systems, the Edinburgh-based manufacturer of security cameras, is to double its workforce to 70 following a £5m investment boost. 30-Nov-1999

Corus is to close a steel bars production unit at a steelworks near Amsterdam, with the loss of 600 jobs. 30-Nov-1999

Pelikan Scotland is to receive financial support from Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Executive in order to safeguard the 400 jobs at its Turriff-based printer accessories plant. 29-Nov-1999

Davenport Knitwear is closing factories in Louth and Hinckley, with the loss of 120 jobs. 26-Nov-1999

Kangol is planning to expand its hat-making factory in Cleator with the creation of 150 jobs, and aims to transform redundant factory buildings into a visitor attraction. 26-Nov-1999

Ellesmere Port & Neston Borough Council has announced plans to transform the former Bairdwear clothing factory in Ellesmere Port into a Community Enterprise Centre, including a training and conference centre. 26-Nov-1999

East Midlands Development Agency has announced that Tsubakimoto of Japan is to set up a £2m warehouse and office facility for its roller chain business at the Sherwood Park Enterprise Zone. 25-Nov-1999

Safesite, the Crawley-based supplier of roof safety equipment, is to open its first northern depot in Hooton, Wirral. 25-Nov-1999

Independent Lifts is creating a further 30 jobs in Chesterfield, due to an increase in demand for the supply and installation of lifts. 25-Nov-1999

West Bromwich Spring is to close its mechanical springs factory in Bilston with the loss of 29 jobs, and production will be moved to its Sandwell plant. 25-Nov-1999

NSK-RHP Bearings is to close its ball bearings factory in Ferrybridge with the loss of 430 jobs. 24-Nov-1999

Courtaulds Textiles has announced a cost-cutting programme to save £50m a year, which will involve the transfer of more production to overseas factories. 24-Nov-1999

Trifast, the industrial fastenings group, is seeking strategic alliances in Brazil and Mexico. 24-Nov-1999

Anglian Water has announced a £6m deal with Logica for the modernisation of its water treatment and distribution network by installing 4,000 computerised water system monitors. 23-Nov-1999

Diploma, the industrial products distributor, is to return up to £50m to shareholders following the completion of its disposals programme. 23-Nov-1999

British Aerospace is to relocate its corporate headquarters from Farnborough to the new Carlton Gardens development in central London. 20-Nov-1999

Janet Reger has closed its clothing factory near Matlock in order to transfer production to Mauritius. 20-Nov-1999

Waterford Wedgwood has bought a 14.9% stake in rival ceramics group Royal Doulton for £11m. 20-Nov-1999

South Gloucestershire Council is considering plans from MJ Church to build a waste transfer station at Star Farm near Bath. 20-Nov-1999

Hampshire County Council has granted planning permission for an energy from waste burner at Chineham near Basingstoke, and is to consider plans for a similar scheme at Marchwood near Southampton. 19-Nov-1999

Gaskell is to close its carpet factory near Skipton with the loss of 130 jobs. 19-Nov-1999

FKI is to set up a new business called FKI Logistex in order to provide mechanical sorting services at warehouses operated by e-commerce companies. 19-Nov-1999

Senior Air Systems is to relocate its air conditioning equipment depot in Manchester to its main site in Stoke-on-Trent, with the creation of more than 50 jobs. 18-Nov-1999

North West Water has announced plans to contract out its repair and maintenance activities next year, which could involve the transfer of up to 500 employees. 18-Nov-1999

Wassall has sold its stake in BICC for £44m, effectively ending its attempt to take over the construction and engineering group. 18-Nov-1999

Berisford is to seek a listing on the New York Stock Exchange next summer, in order to help with the global expansion of its kitchen equipment business. 17-Nov-1999

Rentokil Initial is looking to raise up to £1bn by selling its plant hire, personnel and distribution activities, in order to focus on hygiene, security, property services and pest control. 17-Nov-1999

Ingersoll-Rand is relocating the manufacture of air-powered percussive tools from the US to its factory in Wigan. 16-Nov-1999

Remploy, the state-owned employer of disabled workers, is to cut 900 jobs and close seven factories, as part of a strategy to withdraw from the manufacture of clothing and furniture. 16-Nov-1999

The University of Michigan is in negotiations with the Rosyth 2000 consortium about setting up an engineering skills institute at the former naval base in Rosyth. 15-Nov-1999

Woolcombers Scourers is cutting 100 of the 250 jobs at its textiles factory in Bradford, due to a fall is sales. 13-Nov-1999

Cambridge University is to set up a European headquarters for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which will aim to improve the competitiveness and innovation of UK industry. 13-Nov-1999

Volex is planning to spend up to £30m on acquisitions in order to expand its fibre optic cabling business. 12-Nov-1999

Spring Ram is cutting 123 jobs at its Scunthorpe-based kitchens business, in response to the Homebase decision to stop selling kitchens. 11-Nov-1999

Hollywood Signs, the Birmingham-based signmaker, is to relocate to a new headquarters at the Cole Valley Business Park in June, creating an unspecified number of new jobs. 11-Nov-1999

The government is to press water companies to open up their pipe networks, in order to give rival companies access to customers and to extend competition in the industry. 11-Nov-1999

Vax is to close its vacuum cleaner factory in Droitwich with the loss of more than 30 jobs, and production will be moved to the Far East. 10-Nov-1999

H Flanders is to close its sock factory in Belper, where it employs 130 people, and production will be moved to Loughborough. 10-Nov-1999

Mitsubishi Electric is closing its video recorder factory in West Lothian, where 280 jobs were axed earlier this year. 09-Nov-1999

Gunn & Moore, the sports equipment manufacturer, is to relocate its Nottingham headquarters to a larger facility in Colwick, with the creation of 10 new jobs. 09-Nov-1999

Seagoe Technologies is investing £4m at its electrical heaters factory in Portadown, with the creation of 68 new jobs. 09-Nov-1999

SP Systems is to create a further 40 jobs at its Isle of Wight base, having won a £100m contract to supplying composite materials to a Spanish wind turbine producer. 06-Nov-1999

Thomas Walker, the Birmingham-based manufacturer of fasteners, is planning to sell its St Paul's Square factory and headquarters and relocate nearby within 12 months. 06-Nov-1999

Baxi Partnership is looking to sell its radiators division for about £220m, and discussions have taken place with a number of private equity and trade groups. 06-Nov-1999

Triplex Foundry is creating 50 jobs at its casting foundry in Tipton following a £3m investment. 05-Nov-1999

Rolls-Royce is to set up a £1.5m manufacturing research centre at the University of Nottingham. 05-Nov-1999

Maul Technology, the US manufacturer of glass container production equipment, is to close its factory in Sunderland with the loss of 31 jobs, but a sales and technical team will remain at the site. 04-Nov-1999

Wessex Water is to relocate about 600 staff to a new £20m operations centre in Bath from July 2000. 03-Nov-1999

British American Tobacco is to close its Spennymoor plant in County Durham with the loss of 460 jobs, as part of a reorganisation that will also result in accounting and supply activities being consolidated at Southampton. 03-Nov-1999

Cooper Menvier is to cut 300 jobs at its electrical plant in Banbury and a further 200 at Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. 03-Nov-1999

Thames Water is considering a number of potential overseas investments in order to offset the effect of price controls in the UK water industry. 03-Nov-1999

Shanks is to build a £16m waste-destroying incinerator at its Fawley plant near Southampton by 2001. 03-Nov-1999

Carmarthenshire County Council is in discussions with the Ministry of Defence about plans to relocate the Army's printing and distribution works from Woolwich to the Defence Storage depot at Llangennech. 02-Nov-1999

Corus is to relocate an unspecified number of workers from the Shelton Bar rolling section mill in Stoke-on-Trent to Scunthorpe. 02-Nov-1999

Stanhay Webb, the Suffolk-based seed drill specialist, has announced plans to extend its manufacturing facilities in order to double its turnover to £7m. 02-Nov-1999

Severn Trent is said to be planning to cut up to 900 jobs in a restructuring programme, in response to plans by the water industry regulator to cut bills for consumers. 01-Nov-1999

Fruit of the Loom is to cut a further 190 jobs at its Buncrana clothing factory in Northern Ireland. 30-Oct-1999

John Williams Mouldings is creating 100 new jobs at its light assembly department in Dudley. 30-Oct-1999

Brulines, the Thornaby-based supplier of measuring equipment to pubs, has acquired control of cash shell Comprehensive Business Services, in a £5m deal that could lead to the creation of 60 jobs. 29-Oct-1999

Shiloh is in discussions to sell its Lancashire-based textile spinning business to management, which would involve the transfer of 500 staff at three mills. 29-Oct-1999

British Aerospace is in discussions with Finmeccanica of Italy about forming a joint venture to manufacture combat aircraft. 27-Oct-1999

Invensys is planning to close the Bull Electric factory in Ipswich with the loss of up to 100 jobs, and production of electric motors will be transferred to Birmingham. 26-Oct-1999

BMW is to increase its stake in Rolls-Royce, the aircraft engine manufacturer, from 2% to 10%, and the two companies will co-operate in research, purchasing and logistics. 26-Oct-1999

Kenwood Appliances is planning to modernise its factory and head office in Havant in order to secure the 260 jobs at the site. 23-Oct-1999

Draka Calflex is closing its heavy-duty cables factory in Nottinghamshire with the loss of 100 jobs. 23-Oct-1999

Tendring District Council is to consider plans from Eastern Contracting to set up a new office and warehouse at Frating, which will involve the relocation of about 60 staff from its existing base in Colchester. 22-Oct-1999

Young Black, the distributor of fastening systems, is planning to build a 20,000 sq ft facility at the Britannia Trade Park in Swindon. 22-Oct-1999

Anglian Water is to shed 400 jobs at offices in Huntingdon, Lincoln, Colchester, Norwich, Northampton and Cambridge, in order to make the business more competitive. 22-Oct-1999

Sir Robert McAlpine is building a £4.4m factory for Lear of the US at the Boulevard Industry Park in Liverpool. 21-Oct-1999

Advantage West Midlands, the development agency, is planning to build up a network of high-tech businesses between Coventry and Birmingham by offering a package of land, offices, skills, and the resources of five universities. 20-Oct-1999

Harkers has bought a heavy production machining facility from Middlesbrough-based Marske Machine for undisclosed terms, in order to increase its capacity for large gas turbine casings. 20-Oct-1999

Courtaulds Textiles is said to be planning to launch a bid for the Pringle knitwear group, which is being sold by Dawson International for about £10m. 16-Oct-1999

Russell Europe is to close two Scottish leisurewear factories in Livingston and Falkirk with the loss of more than 300 jobs. 16-Oct-1999

Forward Technology Industries, the machinery manufacturer currently undergoing a management buy-out, has received a £10m takeover bid from Crest Ultrasonics of the US. 16-Oct-1999

Buko is to create 60 jobs at its factory in Glenrothes, having won an order to supply shopping trolleys to Asda. 15-Oct-1999

Alpine Rose, the Walsall-based babywear manufacturer, is creating 40 new jobs having won an order to supply clothes to France and Germany. 14-Oct-1999

Alexon is to cut 90 of the 200 jobs at its clothing factory in Luton in order to transfer some manufacturing to a plant in South Wales. 15-Oct-1999

Lucas Aerospace is to shed 60 of the 930 jobs at its Fordhouses site in Wolverhampton, as some manufacturing work is being relocated to Birmingham. 14-Oct-1999

SP Systems has won approval from the Isle of Wight Council to double the size of its manufacturing facility in Newport, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 14-Oct-1999

Hunslet-Barclay is planning to diversify into the manufacture of lightweight trams in partnership with Liverpool Electric Tram Systems, which could lead to the creation of new jobs at its Ayrshire base. 14-Oct-1999

Wescol is forming an alliance with Salzgitter of Germany to market its patented cellular beams in continental Europe, and Salzgitter will take a 26% stake in Wescol and become its principal steel supplier. 14-Oct-1999

Blackwood, the Cumnock-based carpet yarns factory, is to close in February with the loss of 60 jobs, but some workers will be relocated to Kilmarnock. 13-Oct-1999

Graham Hunter Shirts is planning to relocate its Londonderry shirt factory to a new 6,000 sq ft complex, which will involve the transfer of 130 workers. 13-Oct-1999

Onwa Electronics is closing its television factory in South Shields with the loss of 169 jobs. 13-Oct-1999

Berghaus is to close its outdoor clothing factory in Washington, Tyne & Wear, with the loss of 150 jobs. 13-Oct-1999

Wilson Tool has opened a new £4.3m punch press facility and technical centre at its tool-making factory in Swindon. 12-Oct-1999

Jactone Products is planning to build a 60,000 sq ft factory at the Springvale Business Park near Wolverhampton to manufacture safety products such as signs and fire blankets. 12-Oct-1999

Amec Process & Energy is to lay off all 706 staff at its Wallsend offshore yard between January and March next year due to a lack of orders, but does not plan to close the site. 09-Oct-1999

Severn Trent has awarded a £27m contract to Birse Construction for the modernisation of Derby Sewage Treatment Works. 09-Oct-1999

Spaform, the manufacturer of spas and hot tubs, is to set up a new European headquarters in Portsmouth, which will involve the relocation of 120 staff from existing sites in Botley and Hedge End and the creation of 30 new jobs. 09-Oct-1999

British Alcan is to invest £22m at its Lochaber smelting and power plant, but its Kinlochleven smelter will close next year with the loss of 65 jobs. 08-Oct-1999

Titan Steels Wheels is to cut 70 of the 360 jobs at its factory near Kidderminster following the loss of a contract to supply wheels to Caterpillar. 08-Oct-1999

Elram International Actuators, the Yorkshire-based hydraulic engineering company, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of over 30 jobs. 08-Oct-1999

Hygena is setting up a new kitchens and bathrooms warehouse at Birstall near Leeds. 06-Oct-1999

James Halstead is looking to spend up to £20m on acquisitions in order to expand its vinyl floorcoverings business overseas. 06-Oct-1999

McKechnie is in negotiations to sell its consumer products division for about £60m, and is also looking to spend up to £150m on acquisitions to expand its fasteners and engineering plastics business. 06-Oct-1999

ASW Holdings is considering plans to sell its two French steel plants in order to focus on the higher-margin products made at its UK plants. 06-Oct-1999

Bristol Water has warned that up to 230 jobs will have to be cut over the next five years as a result of the price review undertaken by the industry regulator. 05-Oct-1999

Monotub Industries has raised £3.1m in a share placing in order to develop a new washing machine that takes a 40% larger wash than standard machines. 05-Oct-1999

Anglian Water is selling its 50% stake in American Anglian Environmental Technologies to its joint venture partner American Water Works for £19m. 04-Oct-1999

Courtaulds Textiles is to close its Rowley Socks factory in Derby by the end of the year with the loss of 153 jobs. 02-Oct-1999

Dataracks is seeking permission for a £1m expansion at its metal rack enclosures factory in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, with the creation of 15 jobs. 02-Oct-1999

Rolls-Royce plans to sell its Mickleover training centre to housebuilder Birch and replace it with a new £10m base near the company's Derby headquarters. 01-Oct-1999

Moog Controls is cutting 55 of the 340 jobs at its control systems factory in Tewkesbury, in order to streamline the business. 01-Oct-1999

Yorkshire Water is to close its York Waterworks headquarters in York and transfer up to 30 staff to Bradford. 01-Oct-1999

Lyte Industries has taken over the former Lucas SEI factory in Ystradgynlais, Wales, where it will employ up to 250 workers to manufacture ladders and access equipment. 01-Oct-1999

British Steel is to change its name to Corus, following its recent merger with Koninklijke Hoogovens. 01-Oct-1999

Plymouth Marine Laboratory is to shed up to 20 jobs due to a funding crisis, and a planned extension of the research centre has been cancelled. 30-Sep-1999

Birse has won a £6m contract to build a sewage treatment works in Bridport for Wessex Water. 30-Sep-1999

Smiths Industries is considering plans to bid for some of the aerospace electronics businesses that have been put up for sale by Lockheed Martin. 30-Sep-1999

Silentnight is looking to spend up to £40m on acquisitions in order to expand its bed and cabinet making business. 30-Sep-1999

Connect-2 Technology is creating ten new jobs at its Teesside factory having won a contract to manufacture circuit monitoring and protection devices for W Lucy of Oxford. 29-Sep-1999

QVF Process Systems has opened a new headquarters at the Tollgate Industrial Estate in Stafford, as part of an ongoing expansion of its business developing process plant for the chemical and allied industries. 29-Sep-1999

Ingersoll-Rand is to close its door handle factory in Willenhall with the loss of 38 jobs, while a further 40 workers will be relocated to a factory in Walsall. 24-Sep-1999

Desmond & Sons is to cut 130 jobs in Northern Ireland with the closure of its Magherafelt textile plant and cutbacks at sites in Springtown, Dungiven and Omagh. 24-Sep-1999

RR Donnelley is to close its printworks in York's Boroughbridge Road and open a new factory at the former Samsung site at Flaxby, having won a £100m contract to print the Yellow Pages. 22-Sep-1999

Boeing is planning to invest $14bn in Europe over the next five years, and has indicated that Northern Ireland will be considered as a possible location for new ventures. 22-Sep-1999

Levi Strauss is to cut 700 jobs at its Scottish jeans factories in Whitburn and Bellshill, due to overcapacity in the European denim market. 22-Sep-1999

Portsmouth City Council has announced that Northern Tool & Equipment, the US supplier of lathes and drills, is to set up a UK headquarters in the city with the creation of more than 12 jobs. 21-Sep-1999

Alvis has sold a 25% stake in Avimo Group, the Singapore-based electro-optics group, to Thomson-CSF for £34m, in order to focus on military vehicles and related land systems. 21-Sep-1999

Black & Veatch of the US is relocating its European mechanical and electrical engineering centre from Redhill to Middlesbrough, due to staff shortages in the south-east. 20-Sep-1999

Cambridge Control, the engineering consultancy, is relocating its 50 staff to new offices at Cowley Park in Cambridge. 17-Sep-1999

Preci-Spark is to cut 30 of the 300 jobs at its three aerospace components plants in Loughborough due to a fall in orders, and a further 10 jobs will be shed at its factory in Cornwall. 17-Sep-1999

Mark Regent, the Banbury-based manufacturer of outdoor jackets, has ceased trading with the loss of about 12 jobs. 17-Sep-1999

Dawson International is looking to sell its Pringle sportswear division in order to focus on its cashmere business, and expects to receive indicative offers within weeks. 17-Sep-1999

Wassall is planning to invest up to £350m in small and medium-sized quoted companies. 17-Sep-1999

Oxford Instruments is to merge its six businesses into three new divisions and reduce its workforce by 129, in order to save £8m a year. 17-Sep-1999

Hyder has warned that it may cut more than 600 jobs in its Welsh water business because of price constraints imposed by Ofwat. 16-Sep-1999

Mott MacDonald is to build a 47,000 sq ft carpet factory for Westbond Carpets of Denmark at the Dearne Valley Enterprise Zone in South Yorkshire, which will create 50 jobs. 16-Sep-1999

Mackie International's Belfast-based textile and machinery division is to be revived by Bridge Textile Machinery International of Galway, and a significant number of new jobs are expected. 16-Sep-1999

British Aerospace is planning a joint venture with Finmeccanica of Italy to develop naval defence electronics, radar and air traffic control systems. 16-Sep-1999

Bronx Engineering has sold its West Midlands-based manufacturing division to a management buy-out, safeguarding 70 jobs. 15-Sep-1999

Walker Greenbank, the fabric and wallpaper company, is planning to centralise its operations at the former Ladybird site in Loughborough, which could involve the relocation of about 200 staff from sites in Sileby and Anstey. 15-Sep-1999

Eastman Kodak is to move its European headquarters from London to Switzerland next year, which will affect about 40 senior executives. 15-Sep-1999

British Steel expects up to 3,000 jobs to be lost after completion of its merger with Hoogovens, while the group also plans to invest in the aluminium side of the business and in Poland. 14-Sep-1999

William Baird is to close its Swansea Valley clothing factory in Pontardawe with the loss of 174 jobs, as well as its Maesteg factory with the loss of 122 jobs. 11-Sep-1999

Polaroid is to expand its Vale of Leven plant in Scotland to make miniature film for its new pocket camera, with the creation of 250 jobs. 11-Sep-1999

British Aerospace is to shed 350 contract jobs at its Broughton aircraft wings plant in north Wales. 11-Sep-1999

Babcock International is to shed 233 of its 3,000-strong workforce at Rosyth dockyard, due to a rundown in repair work. 11-Sep-1999

Thames Water is planning to build a multi-million pound sewage plant in Reading to replace the existing Manor Farm facility. 11-Sep-1999

Bailey is to increase output at its caravan factory in Bristol to 4,000 units a year following a £5m investment in new plant and equipment. 10-Sep-1999

British Aerospace has won government approval for the £7.4bn acquisition of the Marconi defence division of General Electric Company. 10-Sep-1999

Brandtex is to close its clothing factory in Stockton-on-Tees with the loss of about 80 jobs. 09-Sep-1999

Glynwed is planning to set up factories to manufacture plastic pipes in the US, in order to expand its recently-acquired Ipex business in Canada. 09-Sep-1999

GN Netcom is to cut 75 jobs at its telephone headsets factory in Washington by the end of the year, as part of a strategy to focus the plant on final assembly, test and distribution. 08-Sep-1999

Tees Valley Development Company has announced that the Katsushiro Matex Company of Japan is to set up a £5m steel structures plant at the former Hallcalm Engineering site in Norton, with the creation of about 150 jobs. 08-Sep-1999

Calder Aluminium is expected to be saved from administration, as aluminium specialist Bancroft has agreed to operate the Derbyshire-based smelter on a temporary licence. 08-Sep-1999

Charter is in negotiations to sell its specialist engineering division to the Candover venture capital group for about £200m, and has also announced plans to cut 700 jobs in a restructuring programme. 08-Sep-1999

Perlos is to expand its Sunderland-based plastics business with the creation of 90 jobs, and has also announced plans to move its Washington operation to a new unit next to the existing plant at Rainton Bridge South. 07-Sep-1999

IMI is to close its copper smelting business in Walsall with the loss of 210 jobs, but the copper casting operations will be retained. 07-Sep-1999

Smiths Industries has been appointed as a supplier of power systems to Lockheed Martin, which could lead to orders worth up to £2bn from the US Joint Strike Fighter aircraft programme. 07-Sep-1999

True Manufacturing of the US is to set up a 100,000 sq ft refrigeration factory at the Fields End Business Park in the Dearne Valley Enterprise Zone. 04-Sep-1999

MeterLink is to set up a factory in the Forth Valley to manufacture equipment for measuring the use of electricity, water and gas, and 50 jobs will be created when a suitable site is found. 03-Sep-1999

Vickers is planning to close the Brown Brothers engineering plant in Edinburgh and merge the business with the Ulstein unit in Dunfermline, creating a combined division called Vickers Ulstein Marine Systems-UK. 03-Sep-1999

Greatwich is closing its Clensmore spinning mill in Kidderminster with the loss of 80 jobs, as parent company Georgian Goodacre has decided the site is no longer viable. 02-Sep-1999

Weir is to cut 160 of the 660 jobs at its Hopkinsons valve manufacturing plant in Huddersfield, with 70 of the lost jobs being caused by the closure of the foundry. 02-Sep-1999

Haani Cables is to create about 70 new jobs at its cable manufacturing business in Hartlepool, and is seeking permission for a new extension at the site. 02-Sep-1999

West of Scotland Water has selected a consortium of Amec and Northumbrian Water for a £65m waste water treatment scheme at Meadowhead. 02-Sep-1999

John James Hawley is considering plans to close its tent factory in Walsall with the loss of 34 jobs, in order to transfer production to other sites. 01-Sep-1999

Art Forma is opening a new £1m furniture factory, office complex and showroom at its Castle Donington headquarters. 27-Aug-1999

Overlander Trailers has closed its trailer manufacturing plant in Kidderminster with the loss of 30 jobs, having failed to find a buyer. 27-Aug-1999

Interface Fabrics is planning to set up a £2.5m textiles factory at the former David Brown tractor assembly plant in Meltham. 27-Aug-1999

The government has approved plans to close 12 Remploy factories, which could result in about 1,000 disabled people losing their jobs. 27-Aug-1999

VA Tech Reyrolle is cutting a further 57 jobs at its engineering plant at Hebburn on Tyneside. 26-Aug-1999

Safeline (Scotland) has gone into liquidation with the loss of about 90 jobs, and its three textile factories in Glasgow, Shotts and Denny have been closed. 26-Aug-1999

Balmoral Group of Aberdeen has merged its two tank moulding divisions to create Balmoral Tanks, which is expected to lead to around 20 new jobs over the next six months. 25-Aug-1999

Invensys is to cut 78 jobs at its Climate Controls factories in Plymouth and Bodmin, in order to transfer work to the Czech Republic. 25-Aug-1999

Universal Ceramic Materials is to close two alumina operations in Stafford and Hull with the loss of 142 jobs. 25-Aug-1999

Donisthorpe & Company is to close its sewing thread manufacturing plant in Nottingham with the loss of 40 jobs, in order to centralise operations in Leicester. 24-Aug-1999

Standard Products is to set up a plastic and rubber components division at its plant in Plymouth with the creation of up to 100 jobs, but its Huntingdon factory will be closed. 24-Aug-1999

Coats Viyella is to close its Counterpart Socks knitwear factory in Leicester with the loss of 170 jobs. 24-Aug-1999

Wyko, the industrial distribution and maintenance group, is negotiating a £90m management buy-out that would take the company private. 24-Aug-1999

Rolls-Royce is paying Cooper Cameron £111m for its 50% stake in Cooper Rolls, their US gas turbine joint venture. 21-Aug-1999

Aberdeenshire Council is in discussions with the Ministry of Defence about the possible closure of the RAF Buchan radar centre, which could result in the loss of 400 jobs. 20-Aug-1999

Diamond Gimson is to close its kiln furniture factory in Fenton with the loss of up to 200 jobs, in order to concentrate production at its Hartshill plant. 20-Aug-1999

Gough Engineering is to create 30 additional jobs at its Stoke-based factory following an increase in orders from the quarrying, steel and food industries. 20-Aug-1999

System Gripple is to set up a sales and distribution operation in Strasbourg in order to launch its wire fastening products in France and Germany. 19-Aug-1999

Guy Birkin, the lace maker, is to set up offices in Taiwan and Hong Kong in order to benefit from the opening-up of the Chinese market. 19-Aug-1999

Kvaerner is to cut 90 jobs at its Cleveland Bridge division in Darlington and 95 at Kvaerner Metals Manufacturing in Sheffield. 19-Aug-1999

Coats Viyella is to close its Paton & Baldwin woollens mill in Alloa with the loss of 220 jobs. 19-Aug-1999

VA Tech of Austria is to build a new £25m engineering factory in Edinburgh, in order to replace the factory that was destroyed by fire in April. 18-Aug-1999

Inchcape has sold its 50% stake in its Asia-Pacific office automation business to Ricoh of Japan for £31m, as part of a strategy to focus on the motor industry. 17-Aug-1999

BHK has built a new furniture factory in Peterlee, where it employs a workforce of 120, and additional jobs are being created. 16-Aug-1999

Smith's Electric Vehicles of Gateshead has acquired the Aerial Access division of British Engines, securing the 22 jobs at the manufacturer of powered access platforms. 12-Aug-1999

Dunlop Oil & Marine is to cut 30 of the 180 jobs at its hose products factory in Grimsby, due to falling demand from the oil industry. 12-Aug-1999

Collectible World Studios is to create 75 jobs to cope with rising demand for its giftware business in Stoke-on-Trent. 12-Aug-1999

Praxis is considering plans to close its clothing factory in Newton Aycliffe with the loss of 49 jobs, and is also cutting 92 jobs at its Ferryhill site. 12-Aug-1999

Alumasc is looking to sell four of its non-core businesses over the next few months in order to focus on engineering and building products. 10-Aug-1999

Smiths Industries is cutting 80 of the 1,615 jobs at its Bishop's Cleeve aerospace plant. 06-Aug-1999

BE Aerospace has won approval for a £4m extension at its aircraft seat factory in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland, which will create 130 jobs. 06-Aug-1999

Securitas, the Swedish security services group, is to relocate key management from Stockholm to offices near London's Heathrow airport. 06-Aug-1999

Chem Resist Europe, the Dewsbury-based manufacturer of corrosion resistant thermoplastic equipment, is opening its first sales office in France in preparation for a European expansion programme. 05-Aug-1999

Charles Winn, the Birmingham-based manufacturer of industrial valves, is to close with the loss of more than 100 jobs. 04-Aug-1999

Motherwell Bridge has set up a new division called MB Aerospace to focus on the manufacture of components for the aerospace sector, following its acquisition of the Lucas Aerospace factory in Burnley. 04-Aug-1999

Yorkshire Water has formed a consortium with BICC and Earth Tech Engineering that will work on a £80m waste water treatment project at a number of locations in Scotland. 04-Aug-1999

Mages Group has bought S&G Engineering Systems of Avonmouth for undisclosed terms, in order to expand its engineering and site maintenance business in the Bristol area. 03-Aug-1999

Coventry City Council has approved a £42m plan from Prologis Kingspark to regenerate the former Coventry Colliery and Homefire Plant, including a countryside park, industry, warehouses, improved rail links and shops. 30-Jul-1999

Elmwood Sensors' electrical goods factory on the West Chirton trading estate in North Tyneside has been hit by fire, which could result in the loss of more than 400 jobs. 30-Jul-1999

Anderton International is planning to close its Bingley engineering plant with the loss of 100 jobs, and production will be transferred to Glusburn. 30-Jul-1999

Allied Signal, the aircraft parts manufacturer, is cutting 250 of the 1,400 jobs at its Yeovil site. 30-Jul-1999

Integral is closing its plastics factory in Middlesbrough with the loss of 47 jobs, and production will be transferred to a site in Grimsby. 29-Jul-1999

Haani Cables is seeking 30 new staff for its Hartlepool-based electrical cables factory, following a £2m expansion. 29-Jul-1999

Huber & Suhner is to expand its electronics factory in Bicester with the creation of 50 jobs, in order to cope with rising demand from the telecoms industry. 27-Jul-1999

Staveley Industries is looking to sell its two remaining businesses - British Salt for up to £100m and its facilities management operation for about £2m. 27-Jul-1999

Darchem Aerospace Fabrications, Darchem Flare and Harkers Engineering are joining forces to form the NDI Aerospace Group, in order to win aerospace contracts for factories in the north-east of England. 23-Jul-1999

Raven Manufacturing is creating 20 jobs at the Altham Business Park near Accrington, having won a contract to supply digital satellite dishes to BSkyB. 23-Jul-1999

GDA has set up a £2m research centre at its Blythe Bridge works in North Staffordshire, in order to design new washers, cookers and dryers. 23-Jul-1999

James Walker & Co is to open a £2m sales centre for its fluid sealing business in Crewe, creating up to 40 jobs. 23-Jul-1999

L Gardner has launched a £75m bid for Cirqual, the supplier of engineering and electronic parts. 23-Jul-1999

Royal Doulton, the manufacturer of fine china, is raising £31m in a share offer in order to improve its financial position. 23-Jul-1999

Norbain, the security equipment group, is considering plans for a management buy-out. 23-Jul-1999

Cluny Lace is to close its knitting factory in Ilkeston with the loss of 20 jobs, and transfer production to an older factory in Belper Street. 22-Jul-1999

Roxspur is to merge its measurement operations into a new division, as part of a restructuring that will result in 50 job losses and the sale of a factory in Basingstoke. 22-Jul-1999

Chapelthorpe, the textiles company, is set to acquire the Austrian fibres company Asota. 22-Jul-1999

E&I Engineering is to invest £1.1m in its sheet metal products business in Londonderry, creating 18 jobs. 20-Jul-1999

JB Broadley, the Rawtenstall-based textile coating company, is to invest £2.8m in new technology over the next two years. 19-Jul-1999

Energy Technique is planning to sell Combat Engineering in order to focus on its air conditioning business. 17-Jul-1999

Melles Griot, the manufacturer of specialist R&D equipment, is moving from Cottenham and Waterbeach to a single site on the Cambridgeshire Business Park at Ely. 16-Jul-1999

Metal Castings is cutting a further 45 jobs at its engineering plant in Worcester, due to a fall in demand for aluminium diecast products for the car industry. 16-Jul-1999

Diamond Gimson is cutting 40 jobs at its kiln furniture factories in Staffordshire, due to a fall in demand from Stoke-based potteries. 16-Jul-1999

ICS Triplex, the manufacturer of safety systems for oil and gas rigs, is to close its Merton factory in south London and cut up to 50 of its 360-strong worldwide workforce. 16-Jul-1999

Bullough is planning to sell some of its engineering operations in order to streamline the business and fund the buy back of at least 30% of its shares. 16-Jul-1999

Blick International, the time systems specialist, has set up a call centre at its headquarters in Swindon, in order to support its national network of service engineers. 15-Jul-1999

Craig & Rose, the Edinburgh-based decorating supplies company, is planning to quit the stock market and return to private ownership, and will then move to a new £2.2m factory in Halbeith, Fife. 15-Jul-1999

Electrolytic Plating may be forced to close its metal treatment plant in Walsall following a fire. 15-Jul-1999

Lister-Petter is planning to cut a further 70 office jobs at its diesel engine plant in Dursley, due to excess capacity in the market. 13-Jul-1999

Debfor is to close its swimwear factory in Heanor with the loss of 71 jobs, and a further 20 jobs will be cut at its head office in Long Eaton. 13-Jul-1999

London Emblem is relocating its soft toys business from Surrey to a new office and warehouse facility in Gosport, with the creation of up to 40 jobs. 13-Jul-1999

Delta is to cut up to 600 jobs in its electrical and plumbing operations as part of an ongoing restructuring programme. 13-Jul-1999

PMS International is creating more jobs at its toy factory in Basildon, having won a licence to produce a new set of TV characters called Jellikins. 12-Jul-1999

Motherwell Bridge is in negotiations to acquire the Lucas Aerospace factory in Burnley, which could save the site's remaining 100 jobs. 12-Jul-1999

Mattel is to relocate the headquarters of its toy business from Leicestershire to Maidenhead with the loss of about 100 jobs, and its Meridian Business Park warehouse operation will be moved to a new purpose-built facility in Daventry. 09-Jul-1999

George S Hall, the Stoke-based supplier of maintenance services, is to relocate its 90 head office staff to a new site at Festival Park, and an additional 20 jobs will be created. 09-Jul-1999

Kvaerner is cutting up to 30 of the 650 jobs at its Whiteley and Port Solent sites in Hampshire, due to a reorganisation. 09-Jul-1999

British Steel is said to be planning to rebuild its Redcar blast furnace, which would mean extending its life by a further 10 years from 2005. 09-Jul-1999

Yorkshire Water is planning to build a £12m drinking water treatment plant at Skidby. 09-Jul-1999

Deanes Furniture of Wycombe has been sold to corporate interiors group Ofquest, and the production and salesforce will be relocated to Ofquest's Desking Systems site in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire. 09-Jul-1999

Brammer has acquired a 49% stake in KNS Aandrijftechniek, the Dutch distributor of power transmission products, for £1.2m. 09-Jul-1999

The Bristol Royal Society for the Blind is to close its 200-year-old engineering workshops in Ashton Vale with the loss of 41 jobs, due to ongoing losses. 08-Jul-1999

Thames Water is to combine its three contracting companies into a new division called Subterra, in order to offer a one-stop shop for major projects. 08-Jul-1999

Otis is to close its lifts factory at Kirkby on Merseyside with the loss of almost 200 jobs. 07-Jul-1999

Cresswell Lighting is to close its lamp shades factory in Royston with the loss of about 100 jobs. 07-Jul-1999

Charterhouse Development Capital has bought a minority stake in MC International, the French supplier of refrigeration and maintenance services, for £74m. 07-Jul-1999

Courtaulds Textiles is to cut 65 jobs at the Sutton Hosiery Company and its warehouse and packing unit will be transferred to a new facility near Heanor. 06-Jul-1999

J&J Dyson has warned that 60 jobs could be lost in its kiln linings and ceramics business due to competition from abroad. 06-Jul-1999

Grove Worldwide is closing its crane warehouse in Sunderland with the loss of 33 jobs. 05-Jul-1999

Dawson International is in talks to sell its US textile operations JE Morgan and Duofold to Sara Lee. 02-Jul-1999

Parkersell, the Winchester-based lighting maintenance company, is expected to be put up for sale by its parent company Vivendi of France for about £50m. 02-Jul-1999

Aerospace Systems & Technologies is to invest £8m in the expansion of its Derwentside manufacturing facilities for aircraft wing components, creating 80 jobs over the next three years. 01-Jul-1999

Invensys has shortlisted four private equity companies interested in acquiring its paper technology business for about £600m, and they are Doughty Hanson, CVC Capital Partners, Apax Partners and Bain Capital Partners. 01-Jul-1999

North Tyneside College is building a £2m training centre in Wallsend, in order to train 350 engineers each year. 30-Jun-1999

Precoat International is looking to expand its steel processing business into continental Europe and North America, and is seeking additional distribution businesses. 30-Jun-1999

Bristol Tool & Gauge Engineering is expanding its presence in the US by setting up a sales office in Indiana, which will also include a service and assembly operation for its range of workplace tools. 29-Jun-1999

Hampson Industries is closing aluminium smelters in Scotland and West Bromwich, as part of a strategy to reduce its metals business and focus more on the aerospace sector. 29-Jun-1999

FKI is looking to recruit a large number of apprentices at its Brush Electrical Machines factory in Loughborough, due to rising demand for its range of turbo-generators. 28-Jun-1999

Cambridge Mineral Resources is planning to explore for gemstones at up to five possible sites in the Scottish Highlands. 26-Jun-1999

British Aerospace is to cut 2,200 jobs and close its military aircraft factory in Dunsfold, Surrey, in order to improve productivity. 25-Jun-1999

Royal Mail has awarded a £130m contract to Lockheed Martin of the US for the supply of systems that will enable it to automate the processing of machine-printed and hand-written addresses on letters and parcels. 24-Jun-1999

Cartwright Group is creating an extra 60 jobs at its trailer-manufacturing business in Altrincham. 23-Jun-1999

Trifast is planning to licence its industrial fasteners business in other countries, and is already seeking partners in Hungary and Mexico. 23-Jun-1999

Alexandra is to cut about 300 jobs at its Glasgow workwear factory in order to source more production overseas. 23-Jun-1999

Haani Cables has tripled the size of its electric cables factory in Hartlepool, and expects to add to the 100-strong workforce over the next few months. 21-Jun-1999

Babcock International is seeking acquisitions in the US and Germany to expand its materials handling division. 18-Jun-1999

Acco Europe, the office products company, is returning to its former headquarters in Wrotham Heath, where it will employ about 80 staff. 17-Jun-1999

Thorn Lighting is to build a £5m distribution centre at its Spennymoor factory in County Durham with the creation of 60 jobs. 17-Jun-1999

Sterling Industries is closing its Lakers Precision Engineering plant in Kent due to a fall in orders. 17-Jun-1999

Catch Monitored Security, the supplier of security and surveillance systems, has opened two new sales offices in Coventry and Manchester and is recruiting an extra 55 staff for its call centre in Middlesbrough. 16-Jun-1999

Raytheon has won a £800m contract to supply an aircraft radar system to the British armed forces, which will help to secure about 2,500 jobs in the UK. 16-Jun-1999

Philips is to cut 75 of the 1,050 jobs at its TV factory in Durham, due to competition from abroad. 15-Jun-1999

AEA Technology is planning to collaborate with Com Dev International of Canada to develop specialist batteries for use in space. 15-Jun-1999

Shorts is to invest £18m in the expansion of its aerospace factory in Belfast in order to build a new fuselage for Canadian parent Bombardier, and up to 170 jobs will be created. 14-Jun-1999

Thomas Bolton is to cut 140 jobs at its copper works in Froghall, Staffordshire, and the factory will now focus on machine components and precision tools. 14-Jun-1999

Bodycote, the heat treatment company, has won a contract to manage two laboratories at British Steel's Shotton Works in north Wales. 14-Jun-1999

Howden Sirocco is cutting 72 jobs at its heaters factory in east Belfast, and manufacturing will be relocated to a smaller site nearby. 11-Jun-1999

AEA Technology is to reduce its operating subsidiaries from 10 to six in order to simplify its engineering services business, and 200 jobs have been cut. 11-Jun-1999

Severn Trent Water has awarded a £9m pipeline maintenance contract to utility contractor MPB, which could create up to 100 jobs in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. 10-Jun-1999

Fenland Laundries is planning to set up a £4m factory in Louth in order to provide a nationwide garment service, and 80 jobs will be created. 09-Jun-1999

Firth Rixson is to close its foundry at Darlaston with the loss of 50 jobs, and a further 30 jobs will be cut at other sites in Yorkshire. 09-Jun-1999

Severn Trent is planning to more than double its turnover from waste management and environmental services over the next five years, in order to reduce its reliance on water. 09-Jun-1999

Honeywell and Allied Signal of the US have agreed plans for a $14bn merger, raising questions about the future of 750 jobs at Honeywell Control Systems in Lanarkshire. 08-Jun-1999

Williams, the security and fire protection company, is discussing a possible takeover bid from Tyco of the US. 08-Jun-1999

Kenwood Appliances is to close its Havant factory with the loss of 260 jobs in order to import more kitchen products from China, although it will set up a new factory in the Portsmouth area to make water filters and the Chef mixer. 08-Jun-1999

Renishaw is expecting to receive planning permission to expand its electronic measuring equipment factory in Wotton-under-Edge, and aims to double its workforce from 800 to 1,600. 07-Jun-1999

Solmek is planning to expand the workforce at its Middlesbrough-based environmental services business following its takeover by WSP Environmental. 07-Jun-1999

Thames Water is to operate the water supply system in the Malaysian state of Johor in partnership with local company SAJ Holdings, and expects to generate annual sales of $60m. 07-Jun-1999

Litton Newtown is to close its tannery in Newtown, Powys, with the loss of 38 jobs, due to a decline in the worldwide hide market. 04-Jun-1999

Petroleum Engineering Services is cutting about 50 jobs at its machine shop operations in Aberdeen, in order to concentrate more work at its Livingston site. 04-Jun-1999

Billam, the Sheffield-based engineering group, has sold its cutting tools division, Carr Lane Engineering Supplies, to Bradford Bolt & Nut Company. 03-Jun-1999

Michael Pepper Joinery is to expand its plastic and aluminium joinery factory in Derby, and expects to create six jobs. 03-Jun-1999

Invensys is to cut 5,000 jobs from its automation and controls operations over the next two years, and is looking to sell a number of non-core divisions including automotive and paper technology, environmental, and some smaller businesses. 03-Jun-1999

British Steel is in merger talks with Dutch steel and aluminium company Koninklijke Hoogovens, in order to reduce its reliance on the UK market. 02-Jun-1999

Goodmans Loudspeakers has cut 60 jobs at its loudspeaker factory in Havant, in order to transfer work to a factory in Hungary. 01-Jun-1999

The Industrial Development Board of Northern Ireland has announced that furniture and services group SoS Group is to create 24 new jobs in a £1.4m investment to expand capacity. 01-Jun-1999

Aerolaminates of Denmark is planning to build a £13m wind turbine blades factory on the Isle of Wight's St Cross Business Park, with the creation of 250 jobs. 28-May-1999

H&R Johnson, the tile manufacturer, has submitted plans to redevelop its Valley Works in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, as part of a £100m scheme to create a 50-acre retail and leisure park at its Highgate works. 28-May-1999

Chloride is looking to sell its power conversion operation and make further acquisitions in its core businesses of power protection and safety systems. 28-May-1999

Scapa is looking to sell its special materials division, which produces filtration materials and industrial textiles, in order to focus on technical tapes. 28-May-1999

Matra Marconi Space is to cut 200 jobs at sites in Portsmouth, Stevenage and Cheshire, in response to falling demand for commercial satellites. 26-May-1999

McKechnie is acquiring Western Sky Industries, the US aerospace components supplier, for £162m, and has also announced plans to sell its consumer products division. 26-May-1999

South Staffordshire Water is changing its name to South Staffordshire Group in order to reflect the growing importance of its non-water activities. 26-May-1999

British Ceramic Tiles has announced a £30m plan to expand the former Candy Tiles factory at Heathfield in Devon, creating up to 300 new jobs. 25-May-1999

Thames Water is forming a joint venture with Electricidade de Portugal in order to participate in water and waste projects in Brazil, Chile and Portugal. 25-May-1999

GT Group, the Peterlee-based engineering company, is to create 120 jobs in the north-east having secured export orders worth £20m. 24-May-1999

Dyson is planning to build a £20m vacuum cleaner factory next to its existing site in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, with the creation of 1,100 jobs. 24-May-1999

British Aerospace has restarted talks with Rheinmetall of Germany about the formation of a joint venture with its Royal Ordnance munitions business, and a proposal is expected within weeks. 24-May-1999

UK Safety, the specialist footwear company, is planning to redevelop its Kingswood headquarters in Bristol and relocate to a larger factory. 21-May-1999

Onwa is to cut 95 of the 340 jobs at its television factory in South Shields, as it has been operating at less than 50% of capacity. 21-May-1999

British Aerospace has announced job cuts at 10 factories, including 88 at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, in order to reduce costs in its land and sea systems division. 21-May-1999

Hartlepool Water has won a £1m contract to build a water treatment works at Tioxide's Greatham site on Teesside. 21-May-1999

Yorkshire Forward has announced that Morgan Leigh of the US is to set up a £1m factory on the Hellaby Industrial Estate in Rotherham to make cutting tools for the European aerospace industry. 21-May-1999

Alba is linking up with JCB to develop a range of powered hand tools that will be sold through DIY outlets under the JCB brand. 21-May-1999

East of Scotland Water has selected a consortium of Scottish Power and Northumbrian Water as preferred bidder for a £50m sewerage project at Levenmouth in Fife. 21-May-1999

Chadfort Engineering is to expand its factory in Blackburn, with the creation of 35 jobs and the introduction of new robotic welding equipment and a powder coating plant. 20-May-1999

Metric Group, the Cirencester-based supplier of ticketing and parking meter equipment, is being acquired by Hoft & Wessel of Germany. 20-May-1999

Mid Kent Water Authority is building a new £4m headquarters in Snodland, and the construction contract has been won by Gleeson. 20-May-1999

North of Scotland Water Authority is to build a major waste water treatment plant at Hatton on Tayside, and preferred bidder for the £100m deal is the Catchment consortium. 20-May-1999

Weir has won a £60m contract to supply weapon handling systems for the Royal Navy's new Astute Class submarine, securing the future of its Strachan & Henshaw subsidiary. 20-May-1999

Raleigh is to stop manufacturing bicycles at its Nottingham plant, and will instead focus on the painting and assembling of imported parts. 19-May-1999

Parsons Chain is to cut an unspecified number of jobs at its chains factory in Stourport, due to a fall in sales. 19-May-1999

BVG Airflo is to expand its 56-strong workforce with the opening of a second factory in Brecon to manufacture fishing tackle. 18-May-1999

Advanced Composites Group has secured £3.7m of funding to launch its carbon composite products into the European aerospace industry. 18-May-1999

The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham is to host the ITMA textile machinery exhibition in 2003, which is expected to be the UK's largest ever industrial exhibition with 150,000 visitors. 18-May-1999

OSM, the Southampton-based machining specialist, is setting up a new workshop and office in Doncaster to service the offshore industry, and at least 12 jobs will be created. 15-May-1999

Churchill is to shed 140 jobs at two pottery sites in Stoke-on-Trent, as part of a strategy to withdraw from the low-price end of the market. 14-May-1999

Hill & Smith has sold British & Midland Forgings and Criterion Stampings to Brockhouse in a £2.5m deal, and Brockhouse will close the factories in Wednesbury and Willenhall and transfer production to West Bromwich. 14-May-1999

British Aerospace is forming a joint venture with Sumitomo Precision Products to manufacture silicon-based gyroscopes, and hopes to generate sales of $100m a year. 13-May-1999

Hilti Industries is to close its bolts and fixings plant in West Bromwich with the loss of about 130 jobs, and production will be transferred to other sites in Europe. 12-May-1999

Howle Holdings has had its £6.3m takeover bid rejected by Brooke Industrial Holdings, the engineering components company. 12-May-1999

Headlam is in discussions to acquire two French floor covering businesses from Tarkett Sommer. 11-May-1999

Thermal Engineering International, the Wakefield-based supplier of components to the power industry, is planning to float within three years following a planned merger with Balcke-Durr Energietechnik of Germany. 07-May-1999

Kvaerner is close to agreeing the sale of its Kvaerner Metals business in Sheffield, which supplies processing equipment to steel plants and employs 700 people. 07-May-1999

Lucas Aerospace has won a contract from Lockheed Martin Vought Systems of the US to manufacture the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, helping to secure 100 jobs in Wolverhampton. 06-May-1999

H Beesley, the Leicester-based precision engineering company, has secured a £1m financing package to invest in new plant and working capital. 06-May-1999

Switchgear & Instrumentation is to cut 65 of the 360 jobs at its factory in Bradford due to a fall in orders. 05-May-1999

Alstom Gas Turbines is to cut 270 jobs at its factory in Lincoln due to low oil prices and the moratorium on gas-fired power generation. 05-May-1999

Sterling Fluid Systems is to open a new information technology centre at its site in Letterkenny, Donegal, with the creation of 16 jobs. 04-May-1999

Bombardier Aerospace has opened a £2.4m product logistics centre at Shorts' main factory in Belfast as part of a £18m investment in the plant. 04-May-1999

Uniplas, the Portadown-based plastic piping supplier, is planning a £0.5m investment to set up a new all-Ireland distribution centre. 04-May-1999

FMC Corporation is to cut 45 of the 380 jobs at its Dunfermline factory due to a fall in demand for high-tech equipment for the oil and gas industry. 04-May-1999

Martin International is to close its textiles dyeing and finishing operation in Derbyshire with the loss of up to 118 jobs. 01-May-1999

Coulter Selden, the Nottingham-based textiles company, is closing with the loss of 80 jobs. 30-Apr-1999

Crane Fluid Systems is to cut 210 of the 700 jobs at its Ipswich-based engineering business, due to a fall in exports. 30-Apr-1999

CMS Services is acquiring AHS Country Ranges & Plumbing, the Devon-based renovator of cooking ranges, for undisclosed terms. 29-Apr-1999

Pectel, the asbestos removal specialist, is opening a new headquarters in Basildon which will house 45 office staff and 200 construction workers. 29-Apr-1999

Grundig UK is to expand production at its TV set-top boxes factory in Llantrisant with the creation of 120 jobs. 28-Apr-1999

Portsmouth Water is to spend a further £1.6m on the refurbishment of Chichester's water mains. 28-Apr-1999

Invensys has sold its 52% stake in Nylex Malaysia to Ancom for £29m, as part of a strategy to focus on automation and controls. 28-Apr-1999

British Aerospace is in discussions with Lagardere of France and Finmeccanica of Italy to merge their guided weapons businesses. 28-Apr-1999

JDR Cables, the manufacturer of specialist cables, is seeking potential acquisitions in the US and is also expanding its factory at Ely in Cambridgeshire. 27-Apr-1999

ASW Holdings has announced a rationalisation programme that will involve 380 job losses in its steel business, although it also plans to invest £4.7m extending the product range at its Cardiff site and £5m improving quality at Sheerness. 27-Apr-1999

South Staffordshire Water has announced a £92m programme to treat pollution in the water supply and help cope with summer demands. 26-Apr-1999

Conveyors International, the Leicester-based materials handling company, has been acquired by Torvale-Fisher, a subsidiary of US-owned Portec Rail Products. 26-Apr-1999

Invensys has acquired a 49% stake in PolyStor, the US developer of lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones, at a cost of £19m. 26-Apr-1999

Mitsubishi Electric is to stop manufacturing video recorders at its factory in Livingston with the loss of 240 jobs, although it will continue to make air conditioning equipment at the site. 24-Apr-1999

SR Gent is to cut 400 jobs through the closure of clothing factories in Pontefract and Barnsley, due to a fall in orders. 24-Apr-1999

Finder Components, the electrical relays manufacturer, is to move out of its existing premises on Stone Business Park to a new 11,000-sq-ft site on the estate, creating 10 new jobs. 23-Apr-1999

Ambic Technical Furniture, the maker of specialist furniture, is to relocate from Newcastle city centre to the Stella Gill Industrial Estate at Chester-le-Street, creating 15 jobs. 22-Apr-1999

Howle Holdings has launched a £6m hostile takeover bid for Brooke Industrial, the Sheffield-based tool-cutting company. 22-Apr-1999

Austin Reed is to cut 250 of the 550 jobs at its clothing factory in Crewe, as part of a reorganisation. 21-Apr-1999

Lego is to transfer its European distribution operation from Wrexham to London with the loss of 80 jobs. 20-Apr-1999

AC Yule is setting up an aluminium products factory in Sunderland, with the creation of up to 24 jobs. 19-Apr-1999

Rolls-Royce Materials Handling is to cut about 200 jobs at plants in Gateshead, Leeds and Bath. 16-Apr-1999

British Engines is to cut a further 64 jobs at its Tyneside water pump factories due to a fall in oil industry orders. 16-Apr-1999

Woodland Potteries is to cease trading with the loss of 128 jobs at its factory in Stoke-on-Trent. 16-Apr-1999

The new Defence Vetting Agency is to create about 140 jobs when it sets up in York next April, and a further 40 staff are expected to relocate from existing vetting agencies in the south. 16-Apr-1999

Recticel is to close its polyurethane foam factory in Halesowen with the loss of 47 jobs, and production will be transferred to sites in Derbyshire and Avonmouth. 16-Apr-1999

Caradon Ideal is to cut 55 of the 620 jobs at its central heating boilers factory in Hull, in order to improve efficiency. 16-Apr-1999

Richardsons Westgarth has relocated its Hilton Steels stockholding business from Wolverhampton to the site of its Biddulph-based James & Tatton subsidiary. 16-Apr-1999

Avon Technical Products has awarded a contract to Moss Construction to build a £19m European headquarters in Melksham, Wiltshire. 16-Apr-1999

General Cable has awarded a £4.8m contract to PS Turner for the construction of a call centre in Sheffield. 16-Apr-1999

Wassall is in negotiations with a number of venture capital companies about the sale of its Antler luggage business for more than £40m. 16-Apr-1999

Rykneld Tean is planning to relocate its industrial tapes business to the West Meadows Industrial Estate in Derby, creating up to 40 new jobs. 15-Apr-1999

Harrier is seeking 80 temporary staff for its mail order photo-finishing laboratory in Newton Abbot, in order to cover the busy summer period. 15-Apr-1999

Royal Brierley Crystal is planning to relocate to a new £5.5m site in Dudley next year, and 20 jobs will be created in a visitor centre attached to the factory. 15-Apr-1999

The government has announced a scheme to enable its research establishments to set up joint ventures with the private sector, which will help them to commercialise their intellectual property. 15-Apr-1999

Rolls-Royce is planning to cut up to 90 jobs at its Fan Systems division at Barnoldswick in Lancashire, in order to improve productivity. 14-Apr-1999

Ian Walker Furniture Group is planning to cut up to 90 jobs at its West Midlands furniture factories in Brierley Hill and Cradley. 13-Apr-1999

Full Circle Industries is to sell Wren Kitchens, the Scunthorpe-based kitchen and bedroom furniture company, to a management team, securing 50 jobs. 13-Apr-1999

Alvis is forming a joint venture with Patria Industries to supply armoured vehicles in Finland. 12-Apr-1999

Holset Engineering, the turbocharger manufacturer, is planning to build a £2m warehouse and distribution centre in Huddersfield. 09-Apr-1999

Creda has cut 200 temporary jobs at its home appliances factory in Stoke on Trent. 09-Apr-1999

The government has announced plans for a £7.8m Sustainable Technology Initiative, in order to encourage innovations that improve efficiency in the use of resources and reduce waste. 09-Apr-1999

Bell Security, the electronic security systems company, is planning to raise up to £30m in a flotation later this month, in order to raise the profile of the company and fund acquisitions overseas. 09-Apr-1999

Vosper Thornycroft has won a £180m contract to provide two new firefighting training facilities in Plymouth and Portsmouth for the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency. 07-Apr-1999

Portsmouth City Council is seeking another company to take over Johnson & Johnson's Paulsgrove site, which is due to close next year with the loss of 163 jobs. 06-Apr-1999

Charnwood Borough Council is seeking a company to take over the former Ladybird Books factory and offices in Loughborough, and is offering cash grants and training programmes. 06-Apr-1999

British Aerospace Airbus is preparing to start work on a multi-million pound redevelopment at its Filton complex in Bristol, which will bring 2,500 staff under one roof. 02-Apr-1999

Yorkshire Water is applying for planning permission to build a £12m water treatment plant at Keldgate, near Cottingham. 02-Apr-1999

Sissons is seeking to recruit an additional 25 workers, following the expansion of its stainless steel sanitary ware factory on the Sheepbridge trading estate in Chesterfield. 02-Apr-1999

SEP Industrial, the nuts and bolts manufacturer, has had its shares suspended following the discovery of possible accounting irregularities. 02-Apr-1999

I&JL Brown is to move its furniture making business from Hereford to a new £2m factory at Withington in July, and expects to expand the 80-strong workforce. 01-Apr-1999

McKechnie is considering plans to spend up to £200m on acquisitions to expand its aerospace and automotive products activities, and may decide to sell its UK consumer products division. 01-Apr-1999

The Ministry of Defence is launching two new organisations - the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation - in order to improve efficiency in procuring defence equipment. 01-Apr-1999

The government is to provide £60m of funding over the next three years for the Civil Aircraft Research and Technology Demonstration programme. 01-Apr-1999

Bourne Tools is looking to relocate its industrial tools factory to a larger site in either Brownhills or Aldridge. 31-Mar-1999

Courtaulds Textiles is to shed up to 40 jobs at its Courtaulds Socks knitting department in Leicester, in order to improve efficiency. 31-Mar-1999

Portsmouth Water is planning to invest £8.6m on improvements at its treatment works at Farlington and Lovedean. 31-Mar-1999

TT Group has increased its hostile takeover offer for Hall Engineering from £52m to £73m, prompting speculation that a rival bid could come from Hall's management. 27-Mar-1999

Jockey UK is to cut 50 manufacturing jobs at its clothing factory in Gateshead, and the site will focus on distribution and marketing. 26-Mar-1999

Northumberland County Council is expected to approve plans from Morpeth-based Northumbrian Environmental Management for the construction of one of the country's largest waste handling and composting plants in Ashington. 26-Mar-1999

Ondura is to cut up to 50 jobs at its rubber compound factory in Keighley, while Pennine Fibres is to cut 43 jobs at its polyester waste recycling plant in nearby Denholme. 26-Mar-1999

AC Yule has set up a £1m glass processing factory in Livingston and plans to create an extra 26 jobs over the next three years. 26-Mar-1999

British Steel has set up a training centre at its Brinsworth strip mill in Rotherham that could be used by other companies needing to teach maintenance skills to staff. 26-Mar-1999

Alcoa Extruded Products is cutting 40 of the 160 jobs at its aluminium products plant in Swansea. 25-Mar-1999

Raychem is to centralise its global Wire and Cable business at Swindon following a restructuring of its Electronics OEM division that will create four global units - Wire and Cable, Power Management, Thermofit, and Elo TouchSystems. 25-Mar-1999

Astucia, the developer of a new reflected road stud, is seeking a £2.5m investment in order to transform itself from a research operation into a commercial business, and aims to expand into bigger premises and recruit more staff. 25-Mar-1999

Weir Group is looking to spend up to £250m on acquisitions to expand its engineering business, with particular emphasis on its services operation which maintains equipment on behalf of users. 25-Mar-1999

BTR Siebe is planning to sell its automotive and paper technology businesses in order to raise £1.9bn and focus on controls and automation. 25-Mar-1999

Apollo Metals has won a £50m a year contract from British Aerospace Military Aircraft & Aerostructures, and will set up a new subsidiary in the north-west that will create 65 jobs. 25-Mar-1999

Glynwed is looking to spend up to £300m on acquisitions to expand its engineering business, with its two core divisions being kitchen equipment and pipe systems. 25-Mar-1999

Alstom and ABB are to merge their electricity generating equipment operations, creating a new company called ABB Alstom Power based in Brussels. 24-Mar-1999

Delta is to cut 300 jobs in its plumbing products and electrical divisions over the next two years, at a cost of £3.5m. 24-Mar-1999

BTR Siebe, the recently-merged engineering group, is to change its name to Invensys in order to reflect its emphasis on innovation and invention. 24-Mar-1999

Charles Baynes, the tools and packaging distributor, is planning to spend up to £50m on acquisitions in order to expand its valves business in Europe, Australia and the US. 24-Mar-1999

JE Eltherington & Son is planning to build a £1.5m factory to manufacture windows and doors in Hull, which will create 65 jobs if approval is given. 22-Mar-1999

Cobham is planning to spend £200m on acquisitions to expand its aerospace engineering business, with the focus being on the US defence sector. 19-Mar-1999

Siemens is to cut 280 jobs at its steam turbine plant on Tyneside as part of a reorganisation of its power generation business. 19-Mar-1999

Wassall has launched a £379m takeover offer for BICC, but the move has been rejected by the cables and construction company. 19-Mar-1999

Amec Process & Energy has warned that it may have to close its Wallsend yard with the loss of 500 jobs unless offshore workers withdraw their threat of strike action. 18-Mar-1999

Eurobend is to move to a larger site in Plympton, Devon, in response to higher export demand for computer-controlled machinery for manufacturing production lines. 18-Mar-1999

Volex, the electrical assembly company, is to cut 96 jobs in Leigh and 89 in South Wales, and more production will be transferred to plants in Asia. 18-Mar-1999

Smiths Industries is considering plans to spend up to £2bn on acquisitions to expand its aerospace and industrial operations. 18-Mar-1999

Tubular Industries is cutting 62 manufacturing jobs in Airdrie, following a fall in demand from North Sea oil drilling companies. 17-Mar-1999

Gemini Corrosion Services is setting up a £1.5m corrosion protection plant in Montrose in order to double production capacity and create an unspecified number of new jobs. 17-Mar-1999

Warings has won an £18m contract to build a laboratory for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in Farnborough. 17-Mar-1999

Bodycote International is planning to increase its share of the US metal treatment market through a programme of factory building and buying. 17-Mar-1999

Charter is planning to sell its specialist engineering business in order to reduce debt, and the move could raise up to £300m. 17-Mar-1999

Philips is to cut about 30 of the 320 jobs at its TV screen factory in Simonstone, in preparation for a major investment in rebuilding the plant next year. 16-Mar-1999

British Steel is to relocate the commercial operations of its Sections, Plates & Commercial Steels division from Redcar and Motherwell to Scunthorpe, as part of a major restructuring of the business. 16-Mar-1999

Berisford is forming a joint venture with Somerville of Thailand to manufacture refrigeration equipment in south-east Asia. 16-Mar-1999

Ruberoid is looking for acquisitions in the UK to expand its waterproofing systems and protective coatings business. 16-Mar-1999

Tomkins is looking to sell Hayter, its UK machinery business, and Murray, its US mowing machinery and bicycles business, which could be worth more than £100m in total. 16-Mar-1999

The government is offering cash from a fund called the Regional Selective Assessment to help create more than 1,000 jobs in the North East. 15-Mar-1999

Chemring Plating Systems is looking to move its electronic components business from Portsmouth to Fareham in order to avoid ongoing traffic problems. 15-Mar-1999

Brammer is planning to acquire a controlling stake in TIS, the instrumentation services division of Thomson CSF of France, for £0.8m. 15-Mar-1999

Vitec is looking to spend up to £150m on acquisitions to expand its broadcasting equipment and services business. 13-Mar-1999

The Welsh Development Agency has announced that Photogenic, the manufacturer of photographic filters, is to relocate from Surrey to Llanidloes. 12-Mar-1999

Utopia Furniture is to set up a £6m headquarters for its fitted bathrooms business in Wolverhampton, with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 12-Mar-1999

Aerostructures Hamble is to cut 80 jobs at its aerospace factory near Fareham, in order to improve efficiency. 12-Mar-1999

Indespension is recruiting an additional 20 workers at its trailers factory in Bolton, and is also looking to expand its retail network which includes new branches in Cardiff, Stoke, Scunthorpe and Blackburn. 12-Mar-1999

Kent Introl is to cut 50 jobs at its valves factory in Brighouse, due to a fall in demand from the oil and chemical industries. 12-Mar-1999

Crittall Windows is to cut 30 of the 250 jobs at its factory in Braintree. 12-Mar-1999

Meggitt is planning to move into the market for supplying digital cockpit instruments for small aircraft. 12-Mar-1999

Biotrace International is to add a second production line for rapid hygiene testing systems at its Bridgend plant, creating 30 new jobs. 11-Mar-1999

Sven Christiansen is to expand its office furniture factory in Kingswinford in the West Midlands, with the creation of 25 jobs. 11-Mar-1999

BJD 100 has acquired Vibraflo, the conveyor manufacturer, and will move the company from Pudsey to Wakefield. 11-Mar-1999

George Meller has acquired Rogan Raydel, the Oxfordshire-based hydraulic tools manufacturer, for undisclosed terms. 11-Mar-1999

BICC is considering the future of its cables business, which could result in the division being sold in order to focus on railway engineering and project management. 11-Mar-1999

British Steel is in discussions to acquire Sogerail, the French maker of steel for railways, from Usinor. 11-Mar-1999

Senior Engineering is considering plans to sell its engineered products and services division in order to focus on its core flexible tubes and bellows business. 10-Mar-1999

BBA has announced plans to focus on its aviation and non-woven activities by moving away from the automotive market which is seen as vulnerable to a slowdown in world car sales. 10-Mar-1999

Wedgwood is to shed a further 150 jobs and close two more pottery factories in Stoke-on-Trent, as part of a restructuring programme. 09-Mar-1999

BBA is to set up a £31m factory in China to produce non-woven materials. 09-Mar-1999

Hoppe of Switzerland has invested £2.5m in a new distribution centre for its door handle products at Four Ashes near Cannock, which will employ 70 people. 08-Mar-1999

TI Group has sold a 4.9% stake to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts of the US for £94m, in order to help the UK engineering company with its global expansion programme. 06-Mar-1999

Kvaerner Engineering & Construction is to develop new steel making technology in partnership with the HIsmelt Corporation, which will help to secure the 550 jobs at its Stockton site. 05-Mar-1999

John Tams is to recruit an extra 50 temporary workers and return all its six potteries to full production following an increase in orders. 04-Mar-1999

Coats Viyella is to close its clothing factory in Alloa with the loss of 200 jobs, although the adjacent spinning mill will remain open. 04-Mar-1999

British Aerospace has awarded a £11m contract to Balfour Beatty to build an aircraft wings factory in Broughton, Chester. 04-Mar-1999

GKN is close to agreeing the merger of its Westland business with Agusta of Italy to create the largest helicopter manufacturer in Europe. 04-Mar-1999

Siemens Power Generation is cutting a further 80 jobs at its turbine factory in Heaton, Newcastle. 03-Mar-1999

Wardell Armstrong, the Staffordshire-based mining consultancy, is forming an alliance with civil engineering group Mott MacDonald to market a combined range of services for mining companies throughout the world. 03-Mar-1999

Interface Europe plans to transfer the manufacture of carpet tile products from Craigavon to Holland with the loss of 37 jobs in Northern Ireland, and its facilities in West Yorkshire are also being reorganised. 03-Mar-1999

PHS Group, the hygiene products company, is to set up a call centre in Caerphilly with the creation of 80 jobs. 02-Mar-1999

Mal Tool is planning to expand its aerospace parts factory in Colne with the creation of up to 75 new jobs, and is seeking to diversify into the supply of parts for the gas turbine industry. 02-Mar-1999

Vosper Thornycroft is to move production of marine stabilisers from Cosham to the US, with the loss of 28 jobs. 02-Mar-1999

Production Equipment has acquired Hasco Hydraulics, the Slough-based hydraulic systems specialist. 01-Mar-1999

Smiths Industries is seeking to spend at least £1bn on an aerospace acquisition in the UK or US, as it believes that alliances between aircraft manufacturers will force consolidation among component suppliers. 27-Feb-1999

Wardle Storeys is to cut 40 of the 400 jobs at its PVC sheeting and car trim factory in Earby, Lancashire. 26-Feb-1999

CFM Kinder is planning to build a £2.5m gas fire factory at the Trentham Lakes employment park in Stoke-on-Trent, with the creation of 120 jobs. 26-Feb-1999

Web Dynamics, the manufacturer of hi-tech fabrics for the building, medical and automotive industries, is investing £1.1m in a new factory in Bolton, where it will employ 35 people initially. 26-Feb-1999

Waste Recycling is to raise £120m in a rights issue in order to fund the acquisition of 3C Holdings from Yorkshire Environmental Solutions. 26-Feb-1999

Pfaudler Balfour is planning to cut up to 20% of the 200 jobs at its engineering factory in Leven, Fife, following a decline in orders. 25-Feb-1999

MJ Technologies is to move to larger premises at Whitwick in Leicestershire in order to expand production of advanced laser machines. 25-Feb-1999

Leeds, York and Sheffield universities are merging their waste water skills to set up a new company called Aqua Enviro, in order to offer a technical consultancy service to the waste water treatment industry. 25-Feb-1999

Pascoe Williams, the Sheffield-based engineering design company, has gone into liquidation. 25-Feb-1999

Kidsgrove Fabricating & Engineering is planning to set up a new 64,000 sq ft factory at the High Carr Business Park in Chesterton, and staff will be transferred from existing sites at Tunstall and the Crewe Gates Industrial Estate. 24-Feb-1999

The 600 Group is to cut about 210 jobs at its machine tools factories in Leeds, due to a deterioration in trading conditions. 24-Feb-1999

First Technology is acquiring Control Devices, the US supplier of circuit breakers and sensors to the motor industry, for £89m. 24-Feb-1999

Arco is planning to build a national distribution centre for safety equipment and industrial products in Hull, creating 100 jobs. 23-Feb-1999

Sterling Fluid Systems is setting up a support operation for its industrial pumps business in Belfast, employing 11 people. 23-Feb-1999

Uniplas is to invest £1m in Portadown to expand production of a new lightweight plastic piping product, creating nine jobs. 23-Feb-1999

Callsafe Services is creating an unspecified number of new jobs at its base in Rugeley, Staffordshire, due to rising demand for its health and safety consultancy service. 22-Feb-1999

BTR Siebe is said to be considering plans to sell off about £1.5bn worth of businesses, including BTR's automotive and specialist engineering operations, in order to focus on controls and automation. 22-Feb-1999

Dana of the US is to restart an axle components plant in Leeds, having spent £4m on the relocation of machinery from a closed factory in Germany. 20-Feb-1999

Balmoral Marine and Trident Offshore have formed a joint venture in Aberdeen to supply mooring system packages to the offshore oil and gas industry, and up to 20 jobs will be created. 19-Feb-1999

IG Meiklejohn is to close its golf trolleys factory in Kirkcaldy in May due to the effect of competition from the Far East. 19-Feb-1999

Courtaulds Textiles is to close two clothing factories in Wallsend and Fencehouses near Sunderland, with the loss of 440 jobs. 19-Feb-1999

Helios Ventilation Systems is to move its sales and distribution department from Sussex to Colchester with the creation of an extra 10 jobs. 18-Feb-1999

Aerpac is to create 70 jobs at its fibreglass wind turbine blades plant in Glenrothes due to rising demand. 18-Feb-1999

Royal Doulton is to close its glassworks in Stourbridge with the loss of 40 jobs, as part of a nationwide restructuring programme. 18-Feb-1999

Paralloy is to cut 70 jobs at its tubes and coils factory in Billingham, due to the impact of falling oil prices. 17-Feb-1999

LS&J Sussman is to close its shirts factory in St Austell with the loss of 85 jobs, and production is being transferred to overseas factories. 17-Feb-1999

Delta Precision is to close its engineering operation in Birmingham with the loss of 76 jobs, and production will be transferred to Enfield where 40 jobs will be created. 17-Feb-1999

Burgess & Garrick Oil Services and Global Recycling Systems have announced plans to invest £1.5m in the construction of two new drill cutting clean-up plants in Aberdeen and Peterhead, with the creation of 20 jobs. 17-Feb-1999

Reflec is planning to raise £2.5m in a share placing to fund the purchase of machinery for its reflective inks factory in Winsford, Cheshire. 17-Feb-1999

NFC is planning a new scheme to set up financial vehicles in order to take ownership of supply chain inventories, thereby allowing suppliers and manufacturers to remove stock from their balance sheets. 17-Feb-1999

CE Marshall is closing its locks factory in Wolverhampton with the loss of up to 60 jobs, and some jobs will be transferred to its Willenhall site. 16-Feb-1999

DA Stuart Oil, the manufacturer of metalworking lubricants, is undergoing a £1.5m expansion programme at its Wolverhampton site that will create 38 new jobs. 15-Feb-1999

Bolton Industrial Doors is to relocate its 60 staff from Lostock to the Wingates 2000 industrial park at Westhoughton, where it will have more space for expansion. 15-Feb-1999

Berisford has rejected a takeover approach from an unnamed company, thought to be Premark International, the US catering equipment company. 13-Feb-1999

Sheffield Forgemasters is to cut 79 of the 150 jobs at its melting shop, as it pulls out of exporting due to the strength of sterling. 12-Feb-1999

Hydra Tools International is seeking permission to close its Hydra Works in Sheffield to make way for a large DIY store, and it will transfer 128 workers to its recently-acquired Clarkson Osborn premises. 12-Feb-1999

JCB has started a recruitment drive to find staff for its new digger factory that will open in Cheadle later this year. 12-Feb-1999

Cookson is to cut about 700 jobs at 30 of its manufacturing and distribution centres, as part of an extensive restructuring programme. 12-Feb-1999

Water Hall is raising up to £4m in a share placing in order to develop waste recycling facilities. 12-Feb-1999

Geoquip, the Matlock-based manufacturer of intruder detection systems, has undergone a management buyout. 11-Feb-1999

Sandwell Investment Bureau has won more than £1m of EU funding to regenerate industrial land in the West Midlands, and expects to create or safeguard 800 jobs. 11-Feb-1999

Alstom Electrical Services is to close its factory at Thornbury in Bradford at the end of March, with the loss of 42 jobs. 10-Feb-1999

Woolliscroft Tiles is to close its tile manufacturing business in North Staffordshire with the loss of 80 jobs, and production will be switched to Pilkington's plant in Dorset. 10-Feb-1999

British Aerospace is considering plans to close more of its 12 Royal Ordnance munitions plants, and a decision on the future of the business is expected within six months. 10-Feb-1999

Cavalier Carpets is planning an £8m expansion of its manufacturing and warehouse facilities in Blackburn. 09-Feb-1999

WSP Group, the engineering consultancy, has won two major contracts to provide a help desk for 21,000 post offices and to carry out structural engineering at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in London. 08-Feb-1999

Hopkinsons is cutting 96 of the 800 jobs at its valves factory in Huddersfield, in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency. 08-Feb-1999

Weir Group, the pump maker, has rejected a £600m takeover approach from Flowserve of the US. 06-Feb-1999

Alstom Transmission & Distribution is to close its factory in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, with the loss of over 100 jobs, and a further 130 workers are being offered the chance to transfer to a sister plant in Manchester. 05-Feb-1999

AEA Technology has won most of a £50m contract to supply batteries for the Army's new Bowman battlefield communications system, and a factory will be built in Thurso. 05-Feb-1999

Airspace Structures, the manufacturer of inflatable products, has re-emerged at a new factory in Tredegar under the name of Airspace Solutions, having gone out of business last year. 05-Feb-1999

North West Water is planning to invest £15m at a Lancaster wastewater treatment works to improve the quality of effluent being discharged into the river. 05-Feb-1999

British Steel is seeking to diversify into new geographical areas and downstream businesses, and could spend up to £500m on the acquisition of a North American distribution company. 05-Feb-1999

Chemring, the defence and engineering company, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 05-Feb-1999

Selkirk Manufacturing is reorganising its prefabricated stainless steel chimneys business with production being concentrated at its Barnstaple site and wholesaling being transferred to Ilfracombe. 04-Feb-1999

Three companies are seeking to set up new premises at Derby's Pride Park, including a Scottish & Newcastle restaurant, a Baker & Birch tool-making factory and an Ilkeston Co-op car showroom. 04-Feb-1999

Compair is to invest £13m expanding its site in West Cornwall, with new facilities for the assembly of portable compressors and a new sheet metal workshop. 04-Feb-1999

Kenwood Appliances is cutting 97 jobs at factories in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as part of a strategy to transfer production to China. 04-Feb-1999

Energy Technique, the heating and ventilation supplier, is considering a management buy-out to take the company private. 04-Feb-1999

FG Wilson, the Northern Ireland-based generator manufacturer, is set to be 100% controlled by Caterpillar, as Emerson Electric has agreed to sell its 51% stake in the company. 03-Feb-1999

ADT Fire & Security is to set up a new regional headquarters at an office redevelopment being undertaken by A&J Mucklow in Halesowen. 03-Feb-1999

Fine Art Wallcoverings is to cut 154 jobs at its factory in Holmes Chapel near Congleton, in order to reduce costs and prevent the site from being closed. 03-Feb-1999

Imperial Tobacco is to invest £30m in the expansion of its cigarette factory in Nottingham, while one of its recently-acquired Dutch factories will be closed and production moved to Liverpool. 03-Feb-1999

Shaw Group of the US is to develop its Derby site as the European headquarters for the design and installation of power station piping. 01-Feb-1999

Plasmon is to close the Blackburn laser discs factory it recently bought from Philips with the loss of 40 jobs, and production will be transferred to a site near Cambridge. 29-Jan-1999

Woodeaves, the Lancaster-based fabric dyer, is to close with the loss of more than 100 jobs, unless a buyer can be found before April. 29-Jan-1999

Pitney Bowes is to cut scores of jobs at its franking machines manufacturing operation in Harlow, as customers are replacing mechanical machines with new digital models that are easier to make. 29-Jan-1999

Thomas Broadbent & Sons is cutting 34 of the 300 jobs at its centrifuge factory in Huddersfield, due to a decline in export sales. 28-Jan-1999

GKN is to close its Rigby Metal Components subsidiary at Cleckheaton with the loss of 96 jobs, and production will transfer to Lichfield in Staffordshire. 28-Jan-1999

Newton Products, the Birmingham wheelchair factory operated by the Scope charity, is to close with the loss of 68 jobs. 28-Jan-1999

Vinks Plastics, the Sheffield-based plastic sheet company with a 240-strong workforce, is seeking a buyer following the withdrawal of financial support from its Dutch parent Schuttersveld. 28-Jan-1999

Ingersoll-Dresser Pumps is to cut 45 of the 405 jobs at its pumps factory in Newark. 28-Jan-1999

The Northern Development Company is in discussions with three Chinese companies that could lead to manufacturing investment in north-east England. 27-Jan-1999

Gilbarco has announced plans to transfer the manufacture of petrol pumps from Basildon to Germany, which could affect more than 50 jobs. 26-Jan-1999

GGI Office Furniture, the UK subsidiary of Global Group of Canada, is opening a new £6.7m European headquarters in Darwen, East Lancashire, with the creation of 100 jobs. 26-Jan-1999

Air International of Australia is to set up a £10m factory in Blaina, south Wales, to manufacture car and rail air conditioning systems, with the creation of 98 jobs. 26-Jan-1999

Lonrho is planning to take full control of its platinum division and change its name to Lonmin, as part of a strategy to transform itself from a conglomerate into a mining company. 26-Jan-1999

The Ministry of Defence has invited six companies to participate in the first design phase for two new aircraft carriers, and they are British Aerospace, Marconi Electronics, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, and Thomson-CSF. 26-Jan-1999

Erskine Systems is to cut 38 jobs at its electrical engineering site in Scarborough, due to a fall in orders. 25-Jan-1999

South West Water is planning to invest £1m on the reinforcement of its supply system to help it cope with the influx of tourists expected to the region during this year's solar eclipse. 25-Jan-1999

Owens Corning is cutting 112 of the 412 jobs at its Wrexham factory, due to a fall in glass fibre selling prices. 21-Jan-1999

British Steel is to close one of its primary steel mills at Lackenby on Teesside in March with the loss of 47 jobs, and production will be moved to another mill. 20-Jan-1999

British Steel Distribution is to close its steel service centre in Coalville in March with the loss of 18 jobs, and the business will be moved to a new site in Wednesfield in the West Midlands. 20-Jan-1999

British Aerospace is to acquire the Marconi defence division of GEC for £6.9bn, to create the third largest defence and aerospace group in the world. 20-Jan-1999

British Engines is to cut up to 100 jobs at its water pumps plant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, due to a fall in orders. 19-Jan-1999

Materials Engineering Group has bought a new X-ray facility at the former GEC Alstom site at Whetstone in Leicestershire, and plans to open a second specialist welding training centre at the site. 19-Jan-1999

Metal Castings is to close part of its foundry in Worcester with the loss of 45 jobs, and work will be moved to other parts of the factory and to its Wolverhampton plant. 18-Jan-1999

TR Fastenings and Oncad Engineering are setting up new factories on the Heart of the Park industrial estate in Newton Aycliffe, with the creation of more than 20 jobs. 18-Jan-1999

British Aerospace is to redevelop its Filton site in Bristol with the creation of 125 jobs. 15-Jan-1999

York Waterworks has received an approach that could lead to a takeover offer being made for the company. 15-Jan-1999

Orion Electric of Japan is to recruit an additional 50 workers at its TV and video factory in Port Talbot to cope with rising sales. 15-Jan-1999

TT Group has launched a £52m hostile takeover bid for Hall Engineering, the manufacturer of automotive body pressings and wire mesh. 15-Jan-1999

Valeo is to close its electrical equipment factory in Lincoln with the loss of 120 jobs. 14-Jan-1999

Morgan Crucible is to cut 1,000 jobs in a £15m reorganisation, with the focus of attention being on the European thermal ceramic fibres business and an insulating fibre bricks plant in the US. 14-Jan-1999

British Aerospace is in negotiations with Kongsberg of Norway that could lead to a strategic alliance in naval and weapons systems. 14-Jan-1999

Vickers has agreed to co-operate with Giat of France in the marketing, design and development of armoured vehicles, although the deal will not include markets in which they are competing for orders. 13-Jan-1999

Gillette is to move its 150-strong Duracell sales and marketing team from Crawley to Isleworth, and its Parker Pens business is shedding 70 jobs in Newhaven. 12-Jan-1999

Caradon MK Electric is closing its factory in Basildon with the loss of 40 jobs, and a further 80 jobs will go in Southend. 12-Jan-1999

Hozelock, the garden equipment company, is set to go private following a takeover offer from Thistlehaven, a vehicle supported by venture capitalist CVC. 09-Jan-1999

Boing, the Bristol-based manufacturer of inflatable play products, is looking to recruit an additional 25 staff to cope with an increase in orders. 08-Jan-1999

Halla is to close its £18m forklift truck and excavator factory at Merthyr Tydfil, which employs 40 people, and the site will be used as a distribution centre for Korean imports. 07-Jan-1999

Focsa Services has won a 25-year contract to design and manage a waste management scheme in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, which will aim to raise household waste recycling levels from 6% to 25% in 2000. 06-Jan-1999

Formica has introduced a four day week at its factory in North Shields, due to a fall in orders for laminates for wall coverings and furniture. 06-Jan-1999

Kidsgrove Fabricating & Engineering is planning to create 50 jobs at a new manufacturing unit in Chesterton, which will involve the transfer of operations from existing sites in nearby Tunstall and the Crewe Gates Industrial Estate. 06-Jan-1999

Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall is to undertake a feasibility study into a proposed multi-million pound research centre to serve the worldwide recycling industry. 01-Jan-1999

The information on this page comes from the UK Activity Report.
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