SLR group started construction of a foundry in Elsterheide to produce axles for commercial vehicles, buses and agricultural machinery. The company is investing about EUR 62mn (US$ 89.34mn). The foundry should start operation in April 2009. By 2012 capacity should rise to 100,000 tons per year.

Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd said it has registered total sales of 1,256 units in September 2010, with its newly-launched compact car Micra clocking 1,183 units. In the same month last year the company sold a total of 57 units only. The company had started nationwide sales of the Micra on July 15 and has sold 928 units in the starting month. Since its launch, NMIPL has sold a total of 3,293 units of Micra.…

RH Alurad Höffken GmbH, german company producing aluminium wheels, announced bankruptcy on Thursday. The afilliated foundry in Poland, piantshop in Ladenburg and sacondary brand Artec will be affected as well.

Daimler and the German utility company RWE AG have together initiated "e-mobility Berlin", one of the largest projects in the world for trialling battery-powered vehicles. From late 2009, a fleet of more than 100 electric Mercedes-Benz and smart cars will be deployed in Berlin. The cars will be running on green electricity, provided by RWE at 500 charging points around the city.

SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH KG announces that its affiliated companies have sold 12,862,053 rights of SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH AG for a price of CHF 4.45 per right in an accelerated bookbuilding in the context of the CHF 297 million rights issue of SCHMOLZ+ BICKENBACH AG . The proceeds from the sale of rights as well as an additional investment are used to subscribe for new shares of SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH AG . Based on this…

Only one year after the biggest crisis in the steel industry, the Swiss public limited company SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH AG has successfully turned itself around. Net income improved significantly to EUR 4.4 million (EUR -149.0 million). Revenue reached EUR 1,477.4 million (EUR 1,054.2 million). Operating profit before depreciation and amortisation was up by EUR 217.5 million on the previous year at EUR 102.3…

Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH has placed an order with SMS Siemag for the construction of a near net shape caster in Peine in Germany. A fundamentally different and worldwide unique casting concept will thus be implemented for the first time on an industrial scale and enable the casting of new high strength steels. The advantages of the Belt Casting Technology are considerable energy and C02 savings compared…

Between Monday 15.11.2010 and Tuesday 16.11.2010 about 800 kg of copper were stolen in Geseke/Germany at Schonlau-Werke. At the moment the company is installing a new monitoring system. For any information about suspect material or quotations please get in contact with Schonlau-Werke . Also available in

Siemens has concluded a framework agreement with Enel Green Power for the supply and maintenance of up to 260 wind turbines with a capacity of 600 MW for European onshore wind farm projects. The agreement between Siemens and Enel Green Power, a subsidiary of the Italian utility Enel S.p.A., stipulates that Siemens will deliver different types of wind turbines, rated at either 2.3 or 3.6 MW, featring rotor…

MUNICH - German specialty chemicals maker Sued-Chemie AG. said it agreed to buy a supplier of chemicals used in iron foundries from a subsidiary of Evonik Industries AG. for an undisclosed price. The acquired business has about 140 employees and produces metallurgical chemicals for the foundry industry, mainly for iron castings used in the automobile sector, Sued-Chemie said in a statement.