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China lures Kenwood_2
Purchasing staff are not at risk from kitchen appliance manufacturer Kenwood’s decision to close its plant in Havant, Hampshire, and source finished products from China.

John Bishop, Kenwood’s director of purchasing, said there would be no layoffs. He told SM: “Effectively, the procurement spend will be the same.”
Emotional evolution_2
David Freemantle argues that purchasing and supply chain decisions are inevitably emotional
Investment derailed_2
Industry groups have criticised Railtrack’s plans not to invest in freight operations for the next five years, after the organisation announced profits of £428 million last year and an increase in freight traffic of 18 per cent.
Tarmac goes greener_2
Tarmac, the construction and building materials group, has claimed that environmental concerns are now “entrenched”, following the publication of its independent environmental advisory panel’s annual report.

Neil MacKenzie, purchasing director at Tarmac Construction Services, told SM: “Environmental management is a key part of all our systems, and especially of our supply chain.”
Performance Drivers_2
How often do we find companies driven by short-term goals, with plans focusing only on immediate objectives? Business plans featuring financial targets coupled with a sketchy outline of where the company hopes to be in the near future are all too familiar.
Rebate take-up ‘slow’_2


Around 35,000 hauliers have not taken advantage of the rebates in vehicle excise duty announced in November, according to the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions.
NAW gets the wind up_2


The National Assembly of Wales is holding back renewable energy in Wales by denying planning permission for wind farms, claims developer National Windpower. But the assembly said that many proposed farms were in sensitive locations, such as next to national parks.
Turning point hailed_2


The logistics market is at its most exciting turning point for a century, Martin Christopher, professor of marketing and logistics at Cranfield University, told delegates. Society is moving towards a model in which supply chains rather than companies compete, he said. The idea of rival firms sharing processes while going head-to-head with them was unheard of even a decade ago.
Framework hits firms_2


Improved methods of procurement such as framework deals, where clients bundle a lot of their work in large parcels, are damaging small civil engineering firms, according to a quarterly survey by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association.
US decline continues_2


Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector declined for the twelfth consecutive month, although the overall economy grew modestly during July, according to the latest purchasing managers' index from the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM). Manufacturers continued to reduce payrolls and cut capital expenditure, the NAPM's monthly report noted.
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