Deere & Co. said Friday it expects delivery delays for some construction excavators built under a joint venture with Japanese equipment manufacturer Hitachi. Get the full story »
Inside these posts: Suppliers
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Caterpillar warns of supply chain disruptions
Caterpillar Inc. said disruptions in its supply chain in Japan could sporadically affect the company’s assembly plants elsewhere in the world.
The Peoria-based manufacturer of construction equipment said Friday it is attempting to secure alternative sources for components produced by Japanese-based suppliers in case they aren’t able to provide sufficient volumes of components in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. Get the full story »
Survey: Mid-America economy, inflation to grow
The economy in nine U.S. Midwest and South-Central states will likely grow at a healthy pace, albeit with rising inflation, according to a survey of supply managers released on Monday. Get the full story »
Caterpillar plans to shift parts sourcing to China
Caterpillar Inc. plans to move “as much as possible” of the sourcing for its most complex parts from Japan to China, the Financial Times reported Monday on its website.
The company imports 40% of components for its excavator factories from Japan, according to the FT. However, it plans to cut that by at least a quarter within five years as it prepares for a bigger shift. Get the full story »
Battle brewing after Starbucks burns Kraft
(Charles Osgood/Chicago Tribune)
Kraft is apparently steamed by Starbucks’ announcement that it plans to fire the company as its grocery store distributor.
On Thursday night, Kraft Foods Inc. said its agreement to supply packaged Starbucks coffee to grocery stores “is perpetual…if Starbucks decides to exit its relationship with Kraft Foods, the agreement requires Starbucks to pay Kraft Foods the fair market value of the business plus, in certain instances, a premium.”
Starbucks fired back today with a company statement saying, “We consider it unfortunate that Kraft has chosen to make public statements that we believe mischaracterize the nature of the agreement between our companies, including the term of the agreement.” The statement went on to note that the companies’ agreement contains a clause for the resolution of disputes. Both companies maintain that regardless of how their relationship is terminated, customers shouldn’t expect service interruptions.
Kraft shares fall 2.4% on outlook, Starbucks spat
Kraft Foods Inc. shares fell 2.4 percent on Friday, a day after the packaged foods company said its 2011 forecast included an extra week.
The maker of Maxwell House coffee, Cadbury chocolate and Velveeta cheese also said that Starbucks wants to end the companies’ 12-year-old deal whereby Kraft sells packaged Starbucks coffee. Get the full story »
Tenneco rides auto sales rebound to solid 2Q profit
Auto parts maker Tenneco Inc. on Thursday posted a second-quarter profit that surged past Wall Street expectations, as auto production rose by 72 percent in North America, its largest market.
Tenneco shares rose more than 6 percent in morning trading, to $25.61. Get the full story »
