does tanfield have 2 good businesses ( smith electrics and upright)which are good value for the medium to long term hold ?

FWIW I thought LDV's attachment to "green/electric" was tissue-thin . . . . if they really wanted to do this, the time to start was four years ago, believing the "green revolution" would continue - they would have planned to phase-out petrol/diesel vehicles as the Market demandede . . . . . . so I suspect they didn't have any intention - at least until they started to go belly-up as sales fell dramatically.
LDV moving into "electric" would be a huge change of Mind-set and probably the wrong place to start.
At least Tanfield has some experience in this field, although I don't think "electric" sales will be huge, unless the Gov switches their scrappage-scheme ( maybe 5k from the Gov.), if folk buy dual-fuel/electrics.
I hold a few.
EDIT (3June09)-15.25mid . . . . 10% drop today, on sales 1.9m, against Buys 900k

Sainsburys adds 50 electric vans to delivery fleet.
http://www.logisticsmanager.com/Articles/11658/Sainsburys+adds+50+electric+vans+to+delivery+fleet.html

Also worth reading:-

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=22338

Tanfield/SEV are featured in the half hour BBC 2 Money Programme at 10pm tonight, 'Gerry Robinson's Car Crash' is the title of the programme. BBC Wales is showing it at 11.20pm.

Tanfield/SEV should benefit from Boris Johnson's Electric London push, but I still feel that the main money will come from America. Apparently there is a US Postal Service van parked outside Tanfield's Tyne & Wear headquarters; putting aside the possibility that it has got lost during it's round, it would seem to indicate that the USPS may be considering SEV as an alternative vehicle supplier. As the USPS is strapped for cash, BEVs may not be top of the list of their priorities although if they were assisted by the US 'green' push, who knows?

TANFIELD agm today - starts 10:30 . Management looking for share consolidation
at ratio of 5 to 1 ie 15p share will become 75p with share holding reduced accordingly - Hopeful some good news will be released at same time.
imho dyor

Yep, let's hope we get some news and it's good as you say.... we've been starved of news.. would've thought that Tan would be working on a lot of developements/opportunities etc. (imo)

Whoops! doesn't look too good does it ?

Hopefully, it'll buck up when consolidation is completed

Thinking again I feel this share has been held back in last ten days ish so that consolidation can take place after market close today at 75p new share price, thus any good news would also have to be held back till after market close.
imho dyor

GOOD AGM
11 Million cash intact - no rights issue ST or MT - No further impairments on balance sheet - confident in EV supply chain - Chairman Roy Stanley long term goal, profitability and dividend. After share consolidation overnight chance of some more good news before start tomorrow.

Thanks almoore.....good summary.looking forward to seeing the RNSs

From a poster on another BB:-

The only things I might add,
-RS stressed that people didn't fully understand the power of the relationship with Ford.If sales took off he expected assembly to move to Ford premises.
-RS again stressed the importance of government incentives to drive sales.Sales of 2000+ would reduce cost (as Mal.said) of vehicle by 50%
-The ugly USPS van was inside,for 'assessment' I was told.
-In a separate line for assembly of Edisons were 1-10 marked for Sainsbury.
-4 LTI taxis were inside (they've been there for ages.)
-The upright guy conducting part of the inside tour said orders had improved a bit lately.

As far as the Electric taxis are concerned, I recently spoke to a representative of Manganeze Bronze who told me that "this project is ongoing and I believe we are still trying to obtain funding".

Smith Electric will make first all-electric aerial-bucket truck.

Kansas City-based Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. announced Thursday that it has teamed up with Altec Industries Inc. to introduce Americas first all-electric utility truck with an aerial device.

The truck will be unveiled Monday at the Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference in Williamsburg, Va., Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. said in a release.



I can't find any reference to this announcement on any of TAN/SEV's websites but anyway, the full article is at:-

http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/othercities/kansascity/stories/2009/06/15/daily38.html?s=industry

A nice picture of the SEV US shiny new utility truck with an aerial platform:-
http://www.khl.com/magazines/access-international/detail/item39546/SEV-&-Altec/

A NORTH-EAST consortium, including Nissan, in Sunderland, and Smith Electric Vehicles, part of the North-East based Tanfield Group, will today receive Government funding to put a fleet of electric or low carbon vehicles on Britains roads in the next year.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/business/4453119.Group_gets_funding_for_electric_car_fleet/


http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/10m-injection-fuels-electric-car.5391314.jp

There is a further announcement due tomorrow with regard to funding for electric commercial vehicles.

RNS today:
Electric Passenger Vehicle Development & Trial

"... The Company will be eligible to receive 1.6m in Government funding towards a total project cost of 3.2m to develop and trial a total of 16 vehicles as part of the Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Programme - a scheme funded and administered by the Government's Technology Strategy Board ...
Darren Kell, CEO of Tanfield, said: 'This funding will support our plans to transfer leading edge electric vehicle technology from our vans and trucks into passenger vehicles. This project opens up a raft of exciting possibilities for us..."

Interesting. ;-))

Hmm! What could be very, very interesting is a possible link between SEV and Ford in producing an electric powered Focus :-
http://fwd.five.tv/news/electric-ford-trials-to-begin-in-2010

"The electric Focus will use the technology from Fords Tourneo Connect battery electric vehicle concept. Developed in conjunction with Smith Electric Vehicles, it uses a 21kWh lithium ion phosphate battery to drive a 50kW permanent magnet motor, while drive is sent to the wheels via a single-speed transmission."

Beginning trials in 2010.