LONDON, Oct 8, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's manufactured output climbed in August, but the wider measure of industrial production was on the weak side, official data showed Monday.

Manufactured production climbed by 0.4 percent in August from July and rose by 0.6 percent on a 12-month basis, according an official release from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The data beat market expectations for a month-on-month rise of 0.3 percent and an annual increase of 0.4 percent.

NEW DELHI, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) - 'Made in India' could be the next big economic story with the country challenging China's position as the leading global manufacturing hub within five years, says a new report.

Right now China is the favourite choice for outsourcing manufacturing while India is preferred for information technology, finance and customer services, said Capgemini, Europe's largest computer consultancy.

MANILA, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - The growing trade in manufactured parts and components is helping East Asia weather the strengthening of regional currencies while inducing greater economic integration, an Asian Development Bank report said Monday.

'This burgeoning 'trade in tasks' is less sensitive to real exchange movements than exports of primary commodities or finished manufactured goods,' the Philippines-based lender said in its updated Asian Development Outlook report.

BEIJING, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - Sany Heavy Industry Co is likely to become China's first construction equipment maker to own a plant in North America, state media reported Thursday.

The company, a top maker of excavation machines, signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with the US state of Georgia to build a manufacturing facility with an investment of 60 million dollars, the China Daily said.

'The project in the US will further boost our competence in the global market,' said He Zhenlin, the company's vice president, according to the paper.

LONDON, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's manufactured output fell in July from the previous month, with big falls in transport industries, official data showed Thursday.

Manufactured production sank by 0.3 percent in July from June, but rose by 0.8 percent on a 12-month basis, the Office for National Statistics said.

Within the manufacturing sector, output in the transport equipment industry fell 2.6 percent in July from June -- the weakest since Oct 2005. This sector includes shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing.

BERLIN, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - Orders placed with companies in the German manufacturing sector fell by the biggest margin in July since the country was reunified in October 1990, official data showed on Tuesday.

The Economy Ministry in Berlin calculated that manufacturing orders in the biggest eurozone economy plunged by 7.1 percent in July from the figure for June, after soaring by 5.1 percent the previous month.

The drop was nonetheless seen by some analysts as a corrective move following the steep increase in June.

LONDON, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's manufactured output rose for a fourth month running in June, despite a strong pound and rising British interest rates, official data showed on Monday.

Manufactured production climbed by 0.2 percent in June from May and by 0.9 percent on a 12-month basis, the Office for National Statistics said.

While the month-on-month rise matched analysts' consensus forecast, the annual increase was below market expectations of 1.0 percent.

BRUSSELS, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Manufacturing activity in the 13 nations that share the euro fell to a 17-month low in July, a survey released Wednesday found, a decline analysts attributed to a strong euro and high oil prices.

The eurozone's seasonally adjusted purchasing managers' index (PMI), compiled by NTC Research, was revised up to 54.9 from a provisional estimate of 54.8 but still well down from 55.6 in June and the weakest reading since February 2006.

PARIS, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - French household spending on manufactured goods edged higher in June but economists warned that the longer-term trend pointed to weaker consumption this year and sluggish economic growth.

Spending on manufactured products rose 1.6 percent in June, driven largely by the textile sector, after a decline in May, the national statistics institute INSEE reported Tuesday.

But the French auto industry continued to flounder, with June sales declining 2.7 percent compared with May and 5.5 percent from June 2006.

BRUSSELS, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Manufacturing and service sector activity in the 13-nations sharing the euro softened marginally in July but held firmly above long-term trends, according to a survey on Tuesday.

First results for NTC Research`s survey of business leaders showed a dip to 57.3 points in July, down from 57.8 points and slightly below economists` expectations for 57.5 points.