Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 23, 1993 TAG: 9309230113
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAIRFAX - Mercedes Benz will put its first U.S. auto assembly plant in North Carolina, the company said Wednesday.
Michael Jackson, executive vice president for Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc., told a Fairfax news conference the new plant "will be in the South" and company sources later said it would be in North Carolina.
The sources would not give the precise site, but speculation has focused on Mebane, N.C., about halfway between Durham and Greensboro at the junction of Interstates 85 and 40. Mercedes has been taking air and soil samples and doing other site-preparation work at Mebane in recent weeks, state officials said.
Jackson's announcement was something of an accident. Company officials were in the Washington, D.C., area to introduce their new mid- and full-sized cars. During the news conference, Jackson was asked if Mercedes eventually planned to build its luxury cars at "your new plant in Mebane, N.C."
He replied that "the plant will be in the South" as horrified company public relations officials looked on. He quickly added: "Where in the South, we will announce next week." - The Washington Post \
Anheuser-Busch to trim 1,200 jobs
ST. LOUIS - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., maker of Budweiser beer with a brewery in Williamsburg, Va., said Wednesday it would trim its work force 10 percent and reorganize its breweries and bakeries as part of a major restructuring aimed at cutting $400 million a year in costs by 1997.
"This company is not in trouble," said Executive Vice President Jerry Ritter. "We see the future as one that can be more difficult and we think it's better to make the changes now when we're strong."
The changes include cutting 1,200 jobs by the end of next year, primarily through an early retirement program, freezing the salaries of 12,000 employees during 1994, and attrition, the company said. - Associated Press \
U.S.-Japanese talks to resume in October
WASHINGTON - American and Japanese negotiators concluded three days of discussions Wednesday aimed at lifting trade barriers in a variety of economic sectors to reduce America's $50 billion trade deficit with Japan.
A senior administration official said the U.S. side emphasized that the growing trade imbalance between the two countries could not be allowed to continue and progress had to be made on removing structural barriers.
While no specific agreements were reached in the preliminary discussions, she said, both sides agreed to meet again in Tokyo in early October. - Associated Press
by CNB