plus 4, Virginia Manufacturing Jobs Declined 7.1% Over Past Year - Yahoo Finance |
- Virginia Manufacturing Jobs Declined 7.1% Over Past Year - Yahoo Finance
- The Top 10 Significant Trucks of the Decade - PickupTrucks.com
- Audi plans euro7.3 billion investments through 2012 - The Sun News
- Videos From the Web: Car Videos - San Francisco Chronicle
- Book Reviews - Green Valley News and Sun
| Virginia Manufacturing Jobs Declined 7.1% Over Past Year - Yahoo Finance Posted: 28 Dec 2009 07:18 AM PST EVANSTON, Ill., Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Virginia fell 7.1% over the past twelve months according to the 2010 Virginia Manufacturers Directory®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Virginia lost 26,531 industrial jobs and 377 manufacturers between October 2008 and October 2009. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070213/MNILOGO) Manufacturers' News reports Virginia is now home to 6,854 manufacturers employing 347,940 workers, compared to a high of 440,261 jobs recorded by MNI in 2001. The loss of 26,000 manufacturing jobs over the past twelve months marks the sharpest year-to-year decline MNI has ever reported in the sixteen years it has been tracking the state's industry. "As with the entire nation, the recession continues to hit Virginia's core sectors, while the faltering housing market has affected industries such as wood products, furniture and building products," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. Transportation equipment manufacturing saw one of the largest drops in employment, down nearly 11%, according to MNI, due partially to layoffs at Volvo Trucks, International Automotive Components, and the closure of a JTEKT automotive plant. As a result, food products manufacturing has overtaken transportation equipment as the state's largest industrial sector, with 36,486 jobs, down 2.6% over the year. Transportation equipment now ranks second with 34,689 jobs. All other industrial sectors in Virginia lost jobs within the past year and included primary metals, down 22.5%; due partially to the closure of a Reynolds Wrap plant in Richmond. Industrial machinery and equipment fell 17.9%; lumber/wood was down 15.3%; textiles/apparel down 11.2%; furniture/fixtures down 8.7%; paper products down 8.4%; fabricated metals down 6.8%; electronics down 6.5%; stone/clay/glass down 6.2%; rubber/plastics down 5.7% and chemicals down 5.1%. Bright spots for the state include the opening of a First Fruits Beverage bottling facility in Marion, the joint investment of AREVA and shipbuilder Northrop Grumman to open a facility in Newport News, and the opening of auto components maker Westport Corp. in Roanoke. MNI's city data shows Richmond is Virginia's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 35,008 jobs, down 5.9% over the year. Second-ranked Newport News accounts for 26,183 jobs, with employment down 2.6%. Industrial employment in Norfolk dropped 2.7% over the year and is currently home to 11,790 industrial workers. Roanoke accounts for 11,694 industrial jobs, down 7.1% over the year while Lynchburg accounts for 10,900 jobs, down 5.4%. Detailed profiles of Virginia's 6,854 manufacturers and 1,227 industrial distributors can be found in the 2010 Virginia Manufacturers Directory®, available in print for $112 and on CD-ROM from $188. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 24,219 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more. Visitors to mnileads.com may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using thirteen different criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Manufacturers' News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers' directories since 1912, compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all 50 states. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| The Top 10 Significant Trucks of the Decade - PickupTrucks.com Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:01 AM PST The Top 10 Significant Trucks of the DecadeDespite the economic challenges of the past two years, it's hard not to look back at the past 10 years without calling it the Decade of the Pickup Truck. Sales of full-size pickups hit 2.56 million units in 2004, and Ford's F-Series trucks remain the nation's best-selling vehicles, 33 years in a row. PickupTrucks.com and AutoPacific have compiled a list of the Top 10 Significant Pickup Trucks of the Decade from all of the new trucks sold between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009. These trucks introduced new innovations, pushed the segment into new territory and made the competition sweat while helping their driver's sweat less. There's no rank order, but we've identified the pickup that was Most Significant. 2000 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Why it's significant: Crew cab pickups were popular in overseas markets long before they arrived in the U.S. Nissan was the first to offer buyers another choice beyond a regular or extended cab. Buyers loved the idea because entire families could now travel comfortably in pickup trucks on long trips or around town jaunts. The idea quickly gained traction with every manufacturer, and soon the crew cab made up almost half of the mix of all trucks sold.
2001 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra Heavy Duty with 6.6-Liter Duramax Diesel Why it's significant: In 2000, GM held less than 10 percent market share in the three-quarter-ton and one-ton truck segments. Its 6.2-liter and 6.5-liter diesel engines weren't competitive with the mills in Ford's and Dodge's trucks. But GM's joint venture engineering and manufacturing agreement with Isuzu Motors of Japan changed all of that. With Isuzu's help, the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks debuted with the all-new 6.6-liter V-8 turbo-diesel. It broke new ground in horsepower, torque and fuel economy and helped GM jump to more than 30 percent market share by 2002.
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Why it's significant: The wild-looking Chevrolet Avalanche debuted as a lightly disguised concept at the 2000 North American International Auto Show, though GM intended to build it to fill the gap between the Suburban and Silverado full-size trucks. Its patented convert-a-cab system made it versatile for carrying passengers or cargo, by offering pass-through access between the cabin and bed and a removable rear window. Unibody exterior styling was unique, as well as the use of a multilink rear suspension and composite bed — traits that would be reused later in the decade by the Honda Ridgeline.
2004 Nissan Titan Why it's significant: Japanese car companies had successfully entered almost every segment of the U.S. car and truck markets except the unique domain of the North American full-size pickup truck when Nissan unveiled the 2004 Titan. Sure, Toyota marginally stuck its toes in the segment with its T100 pickup in 1993, but the T100 was too small and underpowered to be a serious contender. The Titan met about 80 percent of half-ton buyers' needs with its 300-hp, 5.6-liter V-8, an advanced five-speed automatic transmission and a choice of extended cab or crew-cab configurations. It quickly gained a loyal following, but later years' sales were hampered by reliability issues with early trucks.
2005 Toyota Tacoma Why it's significant: Small truck sales have dwindled throughout the decade, but Toyota has managed to keep sales of the Tacoma relatively strong and take market share in this neglected segment. Just before the turn of the century, the Ford Ranger outsold Tacoma by more than 2-to-1. Today, it's the exact opposite. The Tacoma offers a broad lineup of cab, body, wheelbase and engine choices with strong capabilities and excellent performance and refinement. What more could small-truck buyers want if they're not going to buy a full-size pickup?
2006 Honda Ridgeline Why it's significant: Love it or hate it (there's no in-between), the Honda Ridgeline did what Japanese pickups have consistently done over the years: break new ground in terms of form and functionality. The Ridgeline came to market in 2005 with controversial slab-sided lunar-lander looks and all-wheel drive. It did away with conventional leaf springs in favor of an independent rear suspension that gave it great ride comfort and enough room for an in-bed lockable trunk, the first in a pickup. The Ridgeline also featured a dual-action tailgate that folded down or off to the side, like a door, to allow unimpeded access to the cargo box.
2007 Toyota Tundra Why it's significant: When the 2007 Toyota Tundra debuted, it was notable for being two things: big and powerful. But just being big and powerful doesn't automatically sell trucks. Several mechanical issues that garnered high visibility online with truck buyers and a lack of a large loyal buyer base contributed to a huge falloff in Tundra sales after it almost met its first-year sales goal of 200,000 units. Today, the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 all offer more powerful V-8 engines than the Tundra, and Ford is about to join that group, pushing the Tundra to fourth place for bragging rights. Tundra sales have shrunk to well below 100,000 units per year. It's proof that the domestics still know how to build a superior vehicle.
2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Why it's significant: The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 could have impressed many simply for its more powerful Hemi V-8, handsome exterior and totally revised interior. But Chrysler carried its half-ton pickup much further by featuring a coil spring rear axle — resurrecting an idea that GM tried between 1967 and 1972 in its C10 and C20 pickups — that gave the Ram 1500 unparalleled ride comfort and quality for a half-ton pickup. Towing was limited to only 9,100 pounds, but after a year of additional testing and real world results, Dodge re-rated the Ram 1500 to tow up to 10,450 pound - with no mechanical adjustments.
2009 Ford F-150 Why it's significant: Ford gave its F-150 half-ton pickup a major revision for 2009 and gave buyers an astonishing seven different models to choose from before they even considered engine choice or cab type. Two more models have been added for 2010! It's not the most powerful truck, but the F-150 features an excellent six-speed transmission and innovative features like Ford Work Solutions that make doing jobs with a truck easier. From contractor to urban cowboy, Ford has an F-150 to meet almost anyone's needs.
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor: Why it's significant: There's nothing else like the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, and there likely may never be. It features a unique Fox Racing long-travel suspension that has a full 11inches of travel in the front dampers to absorb the impact from jumps – jumps! – made in the desert at speeds up to 100 mph. Its six-speed transmission is specially tuned with an off-road mode, and there's a rear locking differential that works in two-wheel or four-wheel drive at speeds up to 66 mph. When other truck manufacturers mumble to themselves about the truck they wish they had in their lineup, Raptor is usually the first word that comes from their lips.
Honorable Mention: 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Several trucks in the list can be classified as sport utility trucks or SUTs. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac was one of the first SUTs and it continuously satisfied buyers in surveys. Based on the very successful Explorer SUV, the Sport Trac combined crew cab capability with SUV comfort and amenities but Ford never truly took advantage of the vehicle. The next generation Explorer, coming in 2010, will not have a Sport Trac derivative.
Honorable Mention: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra Two Mode Hybrids Today, the price of oil is well below $100 a barrel and calls for fuel efficient big trucks aren't quite as urgent as they were when GM first showed off its segment-exclusive full-size Two-Mode Hybrid pickups. The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids featured a 332 horsepower 6.0-liter V-8 paired with a technically advanced automatic transmission that included two 80 horsepower electric motors, three planetary gear sets, four sets of clutches and two hydraulic oil pumps. A 300 volt battery pack under the rear seat was powerful enough to accelerate the truck up to 20 mph on electricity alone -- while pulling a 5,000 pound trailer! Fuel economy was rated at a remarkable 21/22 mpg city/highway. If GM can lower the cost of its next-generation hybrid pickups, perhaps we'll see this technology gain popularity. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Audi plans euro7.3 billion investments through 2012 - The Sun News Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:49 AM PST "With our planned investments in new products and mobility concepts - for example, electric propulsion - we are creating a basis for our company's future growth," said Axel Strotbek, who oversees finance and organization at the company. Investors agreed, pushing Audi shares up nearly 4.2 percent to euro500 in Frankfurt trading. The company also wants to expand its model line, adding the A1, A7, A8 and R8 Spyder to its production portfolio in 2010, along with the Q5 Hybrid, slated to reach the market in the beginning of 2011. "We will be in a position to finance all our planned investments from our operative cash flow," Strotbek said. The carmaker plans to spend heavily at its German plants, disbursing euro3.8 billion to its Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm plants from this year through 2012. "This is a firm commitment to our German facilities. Audi is facing the technological upheaval in the automobile world in a farsighted way," said Peter Mosch, chairman of Audi's general works council. Some euro2.5 billion will be invested at Ingolstadt, including on a new transmission and emission center, along with production of the A1. Another euro1.3 billion will be spent at Neckarsulm for production of the A6, A7 and A8 models. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Videos From the Web: Car Videos - San Francisco Chronicle Posted: 28 Dec 2009 07:47 AM PST Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Book Reviews - Green Valley News and Sun Posted: 28 Dec 2009 07:39 AM PST When God Winks Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
.gif "OBAT KUAT")
.gif)
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar - Back to Content