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The world wouldn’t be quite as white as it is without an expanding titanium minerals mining operation in the wilds of Mozambique, as Alan Swaby learns from managing director Michael Carvill.

Qatar Concrete Company is pioneering a new concrete mixing technology that may well revolutionise the production of this essential construction material in hot countries. Executive directorAntoine Abboud talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges and solutions.

Eti Aluminyum of Turkey has the rare distinction of possessing one of a very small number of fully integrated facilities in the world. General manager Mehmet Arkan talks to Julia Smith about the company’s capabilities and plans.

Steel production in India may not match the volumes being produced in China but it is still a massive industry, as Alan Swaby learns in conversation with one of the most productive manufacturers in the country.

The Indian economic boom is such a hot topic of discussion in the media that we tend to think of it as a recent development. The quickening pace actually goes back to 1991, when the government opened up the economy to outside interests—but the seeds were sown even before that date.

German manufacturing group RKW has started production at its first plant in Egypt, it has been announced.

The new plant, RKW Egypt, was built in less than 16 months and will be officially inaugurated on Thursday.

RKW invested more than $30 million in the manufacturing building, warehouse and administrative offices on 20,000 square metres of land in 6th October City, 35 kilometres south-west of Cairo.

Against a background of accounts that Iran is oil-rich but petrol-poor, Alan Swaby looks at Tanzania, which is gas-rich and electricity-poor.

It’s all very well wanting to be green with a sustainable energy policy; but if nature doesn’t play ball, then as the Scottish poet Robert Burns tells us: the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.

DuPont has announced the start-up of its $500 million Cooper River Kevlar facility near Charleston, South Carolina in the United States.

The new facility is expected to add an initial 25 percent increase in overall global production capacity for Kevlar, with a 40 percent increase expected after continued technology developments over the next two years.

Pan African Shopfitters set up its own shop a long time ago and today, the retailers of Africa and beyond depend on it to turn their brand identity into reality on the street.

Now under the management of the third generation of the Blumenthal family, Pan African Shopfitters is nothing if not a dynastic enterprise, with all the advantages that entails. It is close knit, with shared values and policies; and it is agile—decisions about strategy, policy and investment can be made very quickly.

Having cornered the global export market for the right-hand drive Polo and total production for the derivative Cross Polo, automotive manufacturer Volkswagen Group South Africa has embarked on a major development programme to upgrade facilities, and improve productivity and efficiency. Manufacturing planning division head Chris Glover talks to Gay Sutton about the latest project—the construction of a new press shop.

Greek company Raycap has announced the completion of its new photovoltaic power generation facility in Drama, north-eastern Greece.

The new plant, one of the largest solar power plants in northern Greece, is equipped with 18,200 high-efficiency thin-film solar panels, while two 800kW central inverters ensure efficient and reliable power distribution to the grid. The plant is expected to generate two million KWh per annum.

When the Canadian/Australian minerals company Equinox Minerals Limited ventured into Saudi Arabia, it knew little about the region. Just a few months on it’s becoming clear that it made the right decision, though, as Robert Rigo, vice president of project development, told John O’Hanlon.

Chicken is a valuable and popular source of protein; but its production requires a well-oiled machine, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Let’s start with a guessing game: how many chickens do you think are consumed in your country every week? Whether your guess is accurate or not, the numbers will certainly be enormous and probably far greater than you imagined.