♦  The Italian gearmotor and gearbox manufacturer, Bonfiglioli Riduttori has opened a $16m motor factory in Vietnam. The 18,000m² plant, in Binh Duong province, will employ about 80 people, making about 500 motors a day, mainly for use within the Bonfiglioli organisation.

♦  Norgren, the pneumatic motion and fluid control specialist, has realigned its European and UK operations under a single managing director, Paul, Cleaver, former MD of Norgren UK. The new organisation, called Norgren Europe, will offer streamlined sales, engineering and support and will accelerate product launches.

♦  The Eaton Corporation has announced plans to cut 5,200 jobs – 6% of its global workforce. The cuts are in addition to 3,400 layoffs Eaton announced last year, bringing its total staff cuts to 10%. The company has also announced plans to reorganise its business into two divisions: electrical; and industrial, which combines its automotive, hydraulics, trucks and aerospace activities.

♦  The CAD giant Autodesk has announced plans to cut its global workforce by about 750 (10%) as part of a restructuring aimed at saving around $130m a year from 2010. The company also plans to consolidate some of its operations.  .