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.

AIM-listed oil and gas exploration and development company Europa Oil & Gas has announced a significant improvement in UK production and revenues generated during the six month period ending 31 January 2012.

The company has a combination of producing and exploration assets in Europe, including three producing assets in the UK, all located onshore in the East Midlands. It has a 100 per cent working interest in the West Firsby and Crosby Warren fields and a 65 per cent working interest in the Whisby 4 well.

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.

Davis Langdon is a specialist in the built environment, providing cost management and procurement for engineering projects in all sectors of the economy. Rooted in Africa, it uniquely understands the needs of the continent’s booming economies.

Morrison Utility Services is behind much that UK citizens take for granted: its core business is the provision, replacement, repair and maintenance of utility network infrastructure; and water supply is one of its specialisations.

Alan Swaby talks to the CEO of a platinum mining project in the final phase of exploration waiting to hear exactly how deep he will have to go.

They say that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. In the case of Village Main Reef Limited, the saying would fit better the other way around; but it still portrays the company’s business model of finding projects that others no longer want and turning them around into profitable, saleable assets.

Though it does other things too, City Group Company is best known as the chief provider of public transportation in the emirate of Kuwait. CEO Richard Woods told John O’Hanlon how the company aspires to expand regionally.

Michel Maalouf, managing director of Astera Engineering, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s exponential success within Africa’s fastest growing telecoms market.

Commodities trader Glencore and mining giant Xstrata have confirmed they will merge to create a major natural resources group with a combined equity market value of $90 billion.

The companies said that to combine was the logical next step in a changing industry environment.

The combined entity will have production growth of 11 per cent on a compound annual basis to 2015, with positions in the next major regions for mining investment, including the African copper-belt, Kazakhstan and South America.

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.