Tag - manufacturing

 
 

MANUFACTURING

Nippon Steel may be interested in buying the troubled Italian steel plant formerly known as Ilva, Il Sole 24 Ore reported on Saturday, without saying where it got the information.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2024
Nippon Steel may bid for Italy’s ex-Ilva plant, report says
Representatives of Italy’s government and Japan’s embassy discussed the potential offer last week, the newspaper said without revealing its source.
The construction site of the Rapidus chip factory in Chitose, in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The Rapidus chip factory in Chitose is a collaboration with IBM and backed by billions of dollars in government funding.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2024
Japan tries to reclaim its clout as a global tech leader
To do this, Japan is working with foreign tech leaders — an outward-looking, collaborative approach that decades earlier would have been unthinkable.
A water tower at the United States Steel Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 4
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2024
Biden administration is likely to delay decision over U.S. Steel
The White House has faced backlash for politicizing its review of Nippon Steel’s takeover of the company.
Nippon Steel headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel send letter to Biden on merger plans
A spokesperson did not provide details about the letter's content, but said it was signed by the chief executives of both steelmakers.
Nippon Steel argues that its acquisition of U.S. Steel would be a win-win.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024
Quiet assurances mooted as U.S. Steel deal shakes global order
Analysts and informed observers have been gaming out the possible outcomes and adding up the potential damage.
Panasonic’s 4680 cylindrical lithium-ion cell
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2024
Panasonic ready to start making next-gen EV cells at Japan plant
The site will become the main facility for production of Panasonic’s 4680 cylindrical lithium-ion cell with output beginning as soon as a final evaluation is completed.
The Chinese government will remove the last remaining limits on overseas investments in the manufacturing sector starting from Nov. 1 and cut its list of areas that are restricted for foreign investors, according to a statement from the National Development and Reform Commission posted on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2024
China opens manufacturing, health care sectors to foreign money
Beijing will remove the last limits on overseas investments in the manufacturing sector from Nov. 1 and cut its list of areas that are restricted for foreign investors.
A mock-up of Toyota's next-generation Li-ion batteries for battery electric vehicles
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024
Japan to provide new subsidies for domestic EV battery output
Handing out more subsidies will help expand the country's production capacity for storage batteries by around 50%.
The U.S. Steel Irvin Plant in Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024
Union chief assails U.S. Steel CEO and calls deal for company flawed
United Steelworkers President David McCall said he didn’t think the future of U.S. Steel hinged on Nippon Steel buying the company.
Nippon Steel has responded to the U.S. government concerns by saying it will invest billions of dollars to maintain and boost U.S. Steel facilities that otherwise would have been idled, "indisputably" allowing it to "maintain and potentially increase domestic steelmaking capacity in the United States."
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024
U.S. fears Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel could hit vital steel supply
The U.S. government is concerned that U.S. Steel would be less likely to seek tariffs on foreign steel importers if it is under the ownership of the Japanese steelmaker.
Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel is opposed by politicians across the political spectrum, including both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2024
Japan miffed but reaction muted after shocking twist to U.S. Steel deal
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to reject Nippon Steel's acquisition of the American steelmaker, according to multiple unconfirmed reports released in recent days.
Beyond losing the American market, China is losing some of its own manufacturing companies, which are shifting parts of their production to countries such as Vietnam and Mexico to avoid U.S. tariffs.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2024
The rise and coming fall of Chinese manufacturing
Despite China's significant investments in technology, the decline of its manufacturing sector seems inevitable.
Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume speaks at a Volkswagen media event in Beijing on April 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024
From peace-maker to taboo-breaker, VW boss Blume takes on the unions
Volkswagen disclosed it was not only planning to scrap a 30-year old job security plan, but weighing the closure of plants in Germany.
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024
U.S. Steel to remain American-led, Nippon Steel says
The Japanese firm said post-acquisition the majority of U.S. Steel's board of directors and all members of core senior management would be U.S. citizens.
Nippon Steel headquarters in Tokyo. Nippon Steel said last month that it would make an additional investment of about $1.3 billion in U.S. Steel following the takeover.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Nippon Steel defends its U.S. Steel bid after Harris' opposition
Nippon Steel released a statement Tuesday arguing that the Japanese firm's planned acquisition of U.S. Steel would benefit the United States.
The logo of German carmaker Volkswagen at the main plant of the group in Wolfsburg, northern Germany, in March 2022. German automotive giant Volkswagen said Monday that it could close production sites in Germany as the auto industry struggles to manage rising costs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Volkswagen weighs first-ever German plant closures amid EV transition woes
Profit margins at the carmaker's underperforming passenger car brand are getting squeezed amid the shift to EVs and a consumer spending slowdown.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, the combined profits at both the manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors marked record highs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Japanese companies mark record combined profits in April-June
Nonfinancial companies' internal reserves at the end of fiscal 2023 grew 8.3% from a year earlier, topping ¥600 trillion for the first time.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign event she attended with U.S. President Joe Biden at IBEW Local Union 5 in Pittsburgh on Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2024
Harris says U.S. Steel should remain American owned and run
It’s not clear whether a decision on the takeover will land on U.S. President Joe Biden’s desk or that of his successor — or even if it will proceed at all.
Cars are assembled at a Maruti Suzuki manufacturing plant in Manesar, India, in September 2023. Suzuki is one of the success stories for Japanese manufacturers trying to establish joint ventures in India, having become a household name in the country.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2024
For Japanese companies in India, local staff are an invaluable resource
The roots of Japanese investment in India go far back, to 1958, when the latter became the first country to receive official development assistance from Japan.
Used cars are sold at high prices at a dealership in Nagoya as a surge in export demand has reduced supply on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 2, 2024
Japanese businesses grapple with exchange rate swings
For the used car sector, the weaker yen has resulted in buyers being forced to pay higher prices due to increased export demand.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?