Category Archives: Manufacturing sector

Javid comments on non-alignment with EU prompt warnings of price rises

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Chancellor’s remarks represent ‘death knell for frictionless trade’, experts warn

Businesses have predicted price rises after the UK chancellor, Sajid Javid, said there would be no alignment with EU regulations once Britain’s exit from the European Union was made official.

In what is being seen as an opening salvo in the next stage of negotiations, Javid said the Treasury would not lend support to manufacturers that favour EU rules as the sector had had three years to prepare for Britain’s transition.

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No-deal Brexit will have ‘seismic’ impact, says European car industry

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Carmakers fear disorderly exit would cripple the just-in-time supply chain, investment and lead to tariff barriers

The European car industry has warned of catastrophic effects of a no-deal Brexit, saying it would have a “seismic” impact on making cars in Europe.

In a rare joint statement, chiefs from 23 automotive business associations across Europe joined forces to caution against a brutal exit from the bloc by Britain, where auto giants BMW, Peugeot PSA and Japan’s Nissan have factories.

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BMW boss urges Boris Johnson to abandon no-deal Brexit

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German carmaker’s CEO offers to travel to London to deliver message to PM saying ‘listen to business’

The boss of BMW has urged Boris Johnson to respond to calls from business to find a compromise on Brexit – and offered to travel to the UK to deliver the message to the prime minister in person.

Speaking as the German carmaker reported falling profits due to its investment in electric vehicles, BMW chief executive Harald Krüger said it would be a “lose-lose” scenario if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

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Vauxhall Astra to be built in UK if ministers avoid no-deal Brexit

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PSA Group’s decision is boost to British car industry and workers at Ellesmere Port plant

PSA Group said it will build its new Vauxhall Astra car at its Ellesmere Port plant but only on the condition the government secures a good Brexit deal.

The decision is a major boost for the embattled British car industry and the 1,100 employees at the plant, whose future had been thought to be dependent on winning the Astra contract.

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Whirlpool ordered by UK to recall 500,000 tumble dryers

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‘Unprecedented’ government move comes four years after firm issued safety warning

The government is to order an “unprecedented” recall of up to 500,000 Whirlpool tumble dryers – four years after fire safety concerns were first raised.

The move is a dramatic escalation in a long-running controversy involving the company’s “fire-risk” tumble dryers, and its handling of an issue that may have left dangerous machines in UK homes.

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European companies can’t compete against global giants

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Finance ministers say Europe is increasingly dependent on Chinese and US technology

It boasts the world’s second biggest economy, a huge consumer market of about 500 million people and prodigious pools of talent and capital, not to mention two of the world’s most important financial centres.

But Europe is struggling to match its great rivals, the US and China, in creating the kind of global firms that increasingly dominate the 21st-century marketplace.

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Bombardier puts Belfast wing-making plant up for sale

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Four thousand skilled jobs at risk in Northern Ireland as Canadian firm unveils sell-off

The Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier is to sell its wing-making operation, which employs 4,000 people in Northern Ireland, sparking concern among trade unions and MPs about the impact on highly skilled jobs.

A spokesman for the prime minister said the government did not expect jobs to be affected but the trade union Unite said it was seeking stronger assurances from the government and the company.

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Bangladesh strikes: thousands of garment workers clash with police over poor pay

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Dozens of factories have closed after more than a week of protests in which one person has died

Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh who make clothes for top global brands have clashed with police as strike action over low wages entered a second week.

Police said water cannon and tear gas were fired on Sunday to disperse huge crowds of striking factory workers in Savar, a garment hub just outside the capital, Dhaka.

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