Having digested and integrated a wave of acquisitions to broaden its product lineup and make it an even stronger force in the wireless world, Powerwave Technologies is now eyeing long-term future growth. Keith Regan learns how operational excellence, a careful supplier strategy and low-cost procurement techniques provide a solid foundation for the company to have a major hand in the wireless revolution that’s still to come.

Construction spending in the US was up slightly more in August than had been expected, driven by an increase in public sector construction funded by federal money.

According to figures released by the Commerce Department, total construction spending rose to $811 billion, up 0.4 percent from July, on a rolling 12 month basis. The picture is still quite bleak, however, compared to a year ago when construction spending reached $902 billion in the 12 months leading to August 2009.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis has launched an $18.5 billion bid for US biotech company Genzyme Corp.

The bid is said to be aimed at capturing Genzyme’s drugs for high cholesterol and its lucrative treatments for rare genetic disorders.

Sanofi's now hostile $69-per-share offer values the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company at $18.5 billion—the same as its friendly offer made privately to Genzyme’s management in July. Genzyme rebuffed that approach.

Just six years after first setting foot in China, entrepreneur Pete Toms has turned a great idea and a set of good contacts into a $7 million turnover company. Gay Sutton goes to the horse’s mouth to find out how he did it.

The story of Frontier Mining is one of an amazing turnaround. Jane Bordenave finds out how the company went from bust to boom in just 12 months.

While it is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Frontier Mining is in fact a Kazakh mineral exploration and development operation that has been working in Kazakhstan since 1998. It is involved in gold and copper mining and was bought in 2009 by a group of investors led by entrepreneur Erlan Sagadiev.

Zambia is beginning to benefit as the world wakes up to the possibilities of green power—and power utility ZESCO is at the forefront of the changes.

The meteoric growth of Perth-based Catalpa Resources has been down to a solid strategy and a culture of excellence—as well as a dash of bravery, as managing director Bruce McFadzean tells Andrew Pelis.

The Kraljevica Shipyard is the oldest continuously-running shipyard in the world. Sales manager Dragan Badzek talks to Andrew Pelis about the past, present and future for Croatia’s shipbuilding industry.

Lafarge Cement Zambia Plc is a subsidiary of Lafarge, the world's largest building materials supplier and a major player in the Zambian construction industry. And its product is in no less demand from neighbouring countries, as John O’Hanlon learned from newly-appointed CEO Fola Esan.