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Toyota doubles output


Toyota is to more than double the number of engines produced at its Deesside plant in north Wales. Production is set to increase from 180,000 to 400,000 units by 2003. Employment is set to grow from 350 to 600 in line with the car maker’s plans to lift European sales from 542,000 to 800,000 by 2005.
The Co-operative Bank


Oracle speeding ahead


Oracle’s latest version of its applications server has been developed to run web-based Java applications up to three times faster than rival systems. The software group also says the small size of its 9i server will help small firms to implement e-business strategies.
Bridgestone pulls out


Tyre maker Bridgestone has ended its 95-year supply partnership with Ford because of the car manufacturers’ criticism of the quality of its Firestone tyres.
Systems come up short


E-procurement systems are not meeting purchasers’ expectations, according to a survey by Science Warehouse, an e-marketplace for scientific equipment. Order fulfilment accuracy, speed and responsiveness were the most important criteria for the majority of the 50 procurement directors and managers polled, but these were among the areas least satisfactorily delivered by system providers.
Wind farm review call


Developers are calling for a judicial review of the government’s £4 billion wind-farm programme, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) persuaded the Department of Trade and Industry to stop construction of a Northumberland farm. The MoD argues the turbines could be a hazard for low-flying aircraft and radar systems at a neighbouring military complex.
Top 10 business books


Longevity rules in the 10 biggest selling business books at WH Smith. No Logo, described by some as a manifesto for the anti-globalisation movement, was published last January and of the remaining books, only Shackleton’s Way, Corporate Voodoo and Now, Discover Your Strengths came out this year. 1. No Logo by Naomi Klein (HarperCollins, £8.99)
Buying for the Future
Kevin Lyons Pluto Press, £17.99
An unethical practice
Buyers can, on occasion, request payment from suppliers, but charging them simply to secure custom is wrong, argues Melinda Johnson
Partnering no panacea
Few purchasers fully understand what partnering with suppliers is and the pitfalls involved, delegates at Coup 99 were told.

Douglas Macbeth, CIPS professor of supply chain management and head of management studies at the University of Glasgow, warned that partnering is not a “magic bullet”. “We’ll have a few shots with it and if it doesn’t work we’ll look for a new bullet,” he said.
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