Rising gold prices have seen a global surge in gold mining operations. Todd Roth at Sumitomo Metal Mining tells Andrew Pelis how Japanese experience has been applied to North American reserves.

Alaska’s remote wilderness may seem an unlikely setting for Japanese prosperity, yet beneath the hills and valleys lies that most precious of commodities: gold.

With the principles of lean manufacturing guiding the way, Aesculap, Inc. has dramatically improved its ability to see how its business operations are performing in real time, with an eye toward reducing its reliance on costly and inefficient inventory stockpiles. Keith Regan learns how the provider of surgical kits and related medical equipment has achieved a first milestone on a long journey to excellence.

Consolidated Thompson Mines is leveraging an experienced team, state-of-the-art technology and the quality of its in-the-ground resource on the global market to engineer significant growth in the near future, as Keith Regan finds out.

Illinois River Energy’s favorable cost structure, yields, profitability and management of supply chain and commodities combine to guarantee that the company won’t be going away anytime soon, Pam Derringer learns.

Rob Harris investigates how MFC Group is using new innovations in automation, cellular manufacturingand lean manufacturing to increase market share and customer satisfaction.

David Hendricks dons his cleanest overalls to talk to the EVP of Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, a contract cleaner that provides cleaning services to a wide range of clients across Canada.

Kennecott Eagle Minerals has been feeling its way through the tough new mining law and regulations enacted in the State of Michigan in 2004. General manager Jon Cherry talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges of the process and why the new law will benefit the mining community.

San Francisco is the home of construction makeovers, and one contractor in particular, GCI General Contractors, has taken it to a fine art, as Alan Swaby learns.

Anyone familiar with the geography of San Francisco will know that with water on three sides, there is precious little opportunity for new buildings to be erected. As such, the construction industry in the city itself is focused on renovation and refurbishment.

The Boeing Company is restructuring its Boeing Military Aircraft (BMA) business from 1 October, involving a consolidation from six divisions to four. Boeing’s military division makes the well-known Chinook transport helicopters, as well as the C-17 transport and F/A-18 fighter-bomber.

UK mobile phone giant Vodafone, the world's biggest mobile operator by revenue, has announced the sale of its 3.2 per cent stake in China Mobile for around £4.3 billion.

The sale is the first of what is expected to be several sales of minority holdings as part of Newbury-based Vodafone’s strategy to focus on core markets as it tries to improve its share price.

The buyers of the stake, of which it is thought there may be several, have not been identified.