With the collective appetite of the world’s steel makers likely only to increase, there has never been a better time to be the hand that feeds them, as Becky Done finds out in discussion with Michael Jones and Victoria Sherwood of African Minerals.

austriamicrosystems, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance analogue ICs, has acquired the Texan manufacturer Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions (TAOS).

The value of the deal is $320 million (approx. €226 million).

Starbucks Coffee Company has announced a new corporate structure to accelerate its growth strategy, which will take effect by the end of September.

The coffee giant, based in Seattle, Washington, currently has two business units, Starbucks US and Starbucks Coffee International (SCI), with 20 percent of its revenues earned overseas.

The new structure will include three divisions; the Americas, China and Asia Pacific, and EMEA, covering Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Russia and Africa.

Oil giant BP is to redevelop two oil fields to the west of the Shetland Islands, it has been announced.

The Schiehallion and Loyal oil fields have produced nearly 400 million barrels of oil since production started in 1998; and an estimated 450 million barrels of resource is still available. BP is planning to invest around £3 billion in redeveloping the two fields, with production scheduled to last until at least 2035.

The company said it would employ the latest technology to maximise recovery from the two fields.

General Motors is to invest $129 million in powertrain plants in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan as part of a $2 billion investment program in 17 facilities in eight states over the next 18 months.

For the plants in Toledo, Ohio, and Bedford, Indiana, which make transmissions for Buick and Chevrolet models with eAssist fuel-saving technology, this is a second helping of investment since May, bringing total investment at the plants to $287 million and $81 million respectively.

Greencore, the UK’s largest maker of sandwiches, has agreed a deal to acquire its industry rival Uniq in a deal worth £113 million.

Greencore said that Uniq represents an excellent fit to its UK strategy, which will help the combined group achieve greater scale in the food-to-go and chilled desserts markets, as well as adding add new and complementary customer relationships, in particular with the food retailer Marks & Spencer.

Uniq was put up for sale by its pension fund earlier this year after struggling to manage its pension deficit.

Food giant Nestlé has entered into a partnership agreement with Hsu Fu Chi, a leading manufacturer and distributor of confectionery products in China, it has been announced.

Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Vevey, Switzerland-based Nestlé will acquire 60 per cent of Hsu Fu Chi, while the Hsu family will own the remaining 40 per cent.

The total value of the transaction is approximately CHF 1.4 billion (approx. €1.2 billion).

Based on 30 years of experience in India, Tata Projects Limited (TPL) is in growth mode as it takes on some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects, at the same time looking at the opportunities thrown up by the energy boom in the Middle East.