THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 1996 TAG: 9604060396
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Business briefs
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. truck sales set an industry record in March, helping the automaker post an overall sales gain of 2.2 percent, its biggest increase in seven months. The strongest segment of the auto market remains pickups, minivans and sport-utility vehicles. Ford sold 194,238 of those vehicles last month, up 3.5 percent and more than any automaker has ever sold in one month. The new Ford Taurus also broke a six-month string of languid sales, posting a 5.2 percent increase over March of last year. Most of the major automakers reported strong sales in March, pushing the industry's sales up 3.7 percent from March of last year. (Bloomberg Business News) Dreadnought Marine wins cruiser overhaul contract
The Navy awarded Dreadnought Marine Inc. a $3.1 million contract for an overhaul of the guided missile cruiser Normandy. Norfolk-based Dreadnought used to be what's known as a ``down river'' company, a ship repairer without its own waterfront facility. Dreadnought began leasing a pier in November at Norfolk International Terminals. Work aboard the Norfolk-based warship will help keep Dreadnought's 250-person work force busy through June. Two recent similar cruiser overhaul contracts were won by Portsmouth's Moon Engineering Co. Inc. (Staff) Nation's jobless rate rose slightly to 5.6% in March
The nation's unemployment rate edged up to 5.6 percent in March as a strike in the auto industry resulted in a sharp drop in manufacturing jobs. The Labor Department report Friday showed that even with the small rise in the jobless rate, up from 5.5 percent in February, the economy appeared to be performing at a faster clip than late last year. A survey of business payrolls showed that companies added 140,000 jobs in March, down from a revised increase of 624,000 in February. (Associated Press) Noland reports 11% drop in company's March sales
Noland Co. reported March sales of $37.2 million, 11 percent less than the same month last year. First-quarter sales for 1996 were $106.2 million, down 4.9 percent compared with last year's first quarter. The Newport News-based firm operates 99 branches in 15 states. It distributes plumbing, heating, electrical, air conditioning, refrigeration and other industrial supplies. Noland's stock is traded over NASDAQ stock exchange. (Staff) by CNB