Manufacturing

Against the backdrop of a very public revolution in Egypt, Procter & Gamble is quietly continuing to pursue its ongoing commitment to investment and growth, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Even if ‘Business management during periods of revolution’actually existed as a module in MBA programmes, it’s unlikely that many would ever have to put it into practice. Yet this is the very real situation that managers at Procter & Gamble (P&G) have had to face during the Egyptian chapter of the ongoing Arab Spring.

Agriculture in many parts of Africa is still struggling to fulfil its potential. Anup Modha, general manager of Tanzania-based Minjingu Mines & Fertiliser, explains how the company has been using environmentally friendly local resources to achieve food security and poverty reduction.

Going from heavy engineering to lightweight composite materials has changed the fortunes of one Australian company, as Alan Swaby discovers.

It’s not that the world is short of oil and gas. No, there is still plenty—but none of it is in readily accessible places any more. Deep water offshore drilling continues to find new reserves—but at depths of up to 3,500 metres or more, and you can imagine what 3.5 kilometres of steel tubing weighs.    

Caterpillar Inc. has selected Athens, Georgia as the location for a new facility to build small tractors and mini hydraulic excavators, bringing production back from Japan to the United States.

Best known as the home town of the rock band REM, Athens will soon be home to a state-of-the-art, one-million-square-foot facility expected to employ 1,400 people, with a potential of 2,800 extra jobs in the supply chain in the United States.

The total investment for opening the new facility is expected to be around $200 million.

A revitalized General Motors Co. today announced profits of $7.6 billion for the year ending 31 December 2011 after a strong performance in the US, but its European and South American operations are still losing money.

This figure represents a 62 percent increase over 2010 profits of $4.7 billion, despite a loss of $700 million across its Vauxhall/Opel plants in the UK and Germany—although this was an improvement over the 2010 loss of $1.3 billion in Europe.

Engineering specialist BESTECH has been named in Queen’s University’s School of Business annual list of the 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada for 2012.

With offices in Sudbury, Timmins, and Toronto, Ontario, BESTECH specializes in engineering, automation, software development and environmental monitoring to assist companies in the mining, pulp and paper, forestry, oil and gas, manufacturing and other industries enhance their productivity, profitability and safety.

SABMiller has announced it will invest US$80 million into a new brewery at its Ugandan subsidiary, Nile Breweries (NBL), doubling the company's design capacity to 3.6 million hectolitres by 2013.

The new brewery will be constructed in Mbarara in western Uganda, the fastest-growing regional beer market in the country.

Engine maker Rolls-Royce has posted record annual profits of £1.16 billion for the year to the end of December 2011.

It is the first time the company has reported annual profits in excess of £1 billion. The results were boosted by the company’s acquisition of German engine maker Tognum and the £950 million sale of its stake in International Aero Engines.

Rolls-Royce provides power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, for the civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy and nuclear sectors.

Coca-Cola today reported Q4 and full year 2011 results meeting or exceeding its long term growth plans across its product range and territorial reach.

"Today, I am pleased to share that The Coca-Cola Company continues its momentum toward realizing our 2020 Vision, with stronger brands, clear strategies and well-focused execution to drive further growth,” said Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer.

The University of Kentucky’s Lean Systems Program is perhaps the closest you can come to understanding lean as Toyota sees it. Program director Ken Kreafle and Kathleeen Jeurisson of Lake Region Medical, talk about the people side of true lean.