U.K. Manufacturing Sector Shows Significant Growth
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U.K. Manufacturing Sector Shows Significant Growth

ByVincent Po

It’s all good news for U.K. manufacturing following the latest numbers to come out of the Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI). Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek notes, “A Purchasing Managers’ Index advanced to 57.3 from 55.8 in March, Markit Economics said in a statement in London today. The median estimate of 32 economists in a Bloomberg News survey was…

Time Will Tell: Sweden’s Six-Hour Work Day a Slump or Surge for Manufacturers?
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Time Will Tell: Sweden’s Six-Hour Work Day a Slump or Surge for Manufacturers?

ByVincent Po

Gothenburg, Sweden announced its latest plans to abolish the six-hour workday. According to a report by the Atlantic, “The governing coalition has proposed a year-long trial that would divide some municipal workers into a test and control group at the same pay rate, with the test group working six-hour days and the control group working…

Pharma Lows and Tech Highs in Irish Manufacturing
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Pharma Lows and Tech Highs in Irish Manufacturing

ByVincent Po

It was recently discovered that a GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical plant located in Ireland, held contaminated drug ingredients that possibly affected supplies of weight-loss drugs shipped to the United States and Puerto Rico. The supplies have since been recalled; however, according to Reuters, officials believe the plant didn’t act fast enough for proper safety precautions.

European Economy: A Bilateral Trade Agreement and Manufacturer Investments, Despite February Stock Numbers
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European Economy: A Bilateral Trade Agreement and Manufacturer Investments, Despite February Stock Numbers

ByVincent Po

According to a recent report by Forbes, “The United States and European Union are negotiating what would be the world’s largest bilateral trade agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP).” “A key objective on both sides of the Atlantic is to eliminate duplicative or contradictory regulations and align differing standards in order to simplify…

Italian Manufacturing Confidence Rises; Fiskars Closes Two Units
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Italian Manufacturing Confidence Rises; Fiskars Closes Two Units

ByVincent Po

With the rising confidence in U.S. manufacturing, another unlikely global player quietly takes the stage. According to Market Watch, “Italy’s composite business confidence index, a broader indicator subsuming retail, market-services and construction sectors, also rose, to 89.5 in March from 88.2 in February. The new level is the highest since September 2011.”

UPS Expands Overseas Operations with New Acquisition in the UK
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UPS Expands Overseas Operations with New Acquisition in the UK

ByVincent Po

Global transportation and logistics company UPS just announced its acquisition of the pharmaceuticals logistics company Polar Speed in the United Kingdom for an undisclosed sum of money. This acquisition comes during a lengthy process of UPS acquiring interests in the field of temperature controlled health care items, including the recent purchase of CEMELOG pharmaceutical logistics…

UK Food Supply Chain Uses Corrugated Packaging to Resolve Waste Issues
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UK Food Supply Chain Uses Corrugated Packaging to Resolve Waste Issues

ByVincent Po

The United Kingdom faces many of the same challenges as food chain managers do in the United States, with their weather patterns. Due to unpredictable and widely fluctuating weather conditions, it is difficult to plan for packaging that will accommodate large, plump fruits and vegetables one year as well as shrunken, undersized produce the next….

UK Receives Funding to Build Nuclear Power Facilities
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UK Receives Funding to Build Nuclear Power Facilities

ByVincent Po

Following a 30-year lag in nuclear power plant building around the world, mostly due to environmental and political concerns, the U.K. nuclear supply chain has received a £13 million investment in order to construct the first nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom in 20 years. The money is coming from Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and a number…