Category: factory

Japan January Factory Growth Hits Near 8-year High: PMI

TOKYO—Japan’s manufacturing activity grew at the fastest pace in nearly eight years in January on stronger output and new orders, while cost pressures stayed elevated as firms continued to face supply chain delays. The supply chain disruptions forced businesses to build up safety stocks, with the survey showing holdings of raw materials increased at the…


Japan’s Factory Output Dips More Than Expected as Risks Emerge

TOKYO—Japan’s factory output shrank for the first time in three months in December as a decline in machinery production outweighed a small rise in autos, casting a cloud over the strength of the economic recovery. Retail sales posted their third straight month of year-on-year gains in December as low coronavirus cases encouraged shoppers. Record infections…


Japan January Factory Growth Hits Four-Year High, but Services Contract-Flash PMI

TOKYO—Japan’s factory activity grew at the fastest pace in four years in January as output growth picked up, though pressure from a persistent chip shortage, rising input prices, and the coronavirus pandemic clouded the outlook. However, activity in the private sector as a whole slipped into contraction for the first time in four months as…


Tesla Berlin Factory to Elect Works Council on February 28

BERLIN—Tesla’s Berlin factory will elect its first works council on Feb. 28, Germany’s largest union IG Metall said on Thursday, expressing concern that it was too soon for the election to result in a truly representative body. Only one in six of the roughly 12,000 workers expected at the plant have been hired so far,…


Tesla Berlin Factory to Elect Works Council on Feb. 28

BERLIN—Tesla’s Berlin factory will elect its first works council on Feb. 28, Germany’s largest union IG Metall said on Thursday, expressing concern that it was too soon for the election to result in a truly representative body. Only one in six of the roughly 12,000 workers expected at the plant have been hired so far,…


Tesla CEO Elon Musk to Visit Berlin Factory in Mid February

BERLIN—Elon Musk will visit Tesla’s factory in Berlin in mid-February, the chief executive said on Twitter Tuesday, following speculation on Twitter that he would be in Germany this month. “I obv can’t comment on every rumor, but this isn’t true. Am headed to Berlin mid Feb, not this week,” Musk said in a tweet in…


Japan’s Factory Output Soars as Car Production Returns

TOKYO—Japan’s factory output jumped at the fastest pace on record in November, as easing global supply chain bottlenecks helped car production leap out of its recent slump, lifting prospects for a strong fourth-quarter economic rebound. But while improved manufacturing conditions provide some relief for policymakers, persistent global semiconductor shortages and new risks from the Omicron…


Toyota to Start Car Hardware, Software Update Service in Japan

TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. said on Tuesday it will launch a service next year offering customization and updates for cars as customers increasingly hold on to their vehicles for longer. The service, known as Kinto Factory, will start in late January and offer new safety features, refreshed interiors, and software upgrades to car computer systems. Toyota…


China’s Factories Speed up but New COVID-19 Pain Hits Retailers

BEIJING—China’s factory output grew faster than expected in November, supported by stronger energy production and a moderation in sky-high materials costs, but new curbs to fight rising COVID-19 cases hit retailers in the world’s second-largest economy. The data, along with a slowdown in investment growth, underlines the persistent headwinds facing the economy, which have already…


One Dead, Three Injured After Gas Leak at Spanish Nuclear Plant

MADRID—One person has died and three have been taken to hospital after a carbon dioxide leak at the Asco nuclear power plant in the Spanish region of Catalonia, local emergency services said on Wednesday. A fault in the plant’s fire prevention system caused the gas leak, which was not linked to any radioactive material, the…