• General Electric is preparing to restructure or sell parts of its industrial businesses, according to a report in the Financial Times. The industrial segment is expected to generate sales worth about $33bn for GE this year.
• Siemens` electronic assembly systems division will become part of its Automation and Drives Group as part of a reorganisation which has led to the dissolution of the company`s Logistics and Assembly Systems group.
• The Asian machinery market is forecast to swell from $65bn in 2003, to more than $110bn by 2009, according to a new forecast from IMS Research. In 2003, Japan accounted for 47.7% of the Asian machinery market, with China accounting for 18.3%. But IMS expects this gap to narrow, with China overtaking Japan in some segments such as packaging. It already leads in textile machinery.
• Omron is building a $9.7m Institute of Sensing and Control Technology in Shanghai, China. A key focus of the r&d work at the centre will be vision sensing. Initially, the Centre will have a staff of about 100 researchers and engineers - mostly from China. This number is expected to double within a year of the planned opening next October.
• Yaskawa Engineering Europe has created a new computerised system for managing the repair and refurbishment of motors and drives. The system will allow continuous supervision and tracking of repairs and is expected to cut turnaround times. There are plans to allow customers to track their repairs online.
