Vestas hails €235m rise in free cash flow
©EPA Investors in Vestas cheered better than expected cash flow figures as a sign that a deep restructuring at the lossmaking Danish wind turbine maker was bearing fruit. Shares in…
Building materials: beyond bricks
Filthy weather blurred many a motorist’s vision in Europe and America last winter, and the chill seemed endless. It did not do much to aid visibility in the cement and…
CRH struggles to build in bad weather
©Getty Flood water in fields surrounding Glastonbury Tor on the Somerset Levels CRH said poor weather conditions in Europe and the US during the first four months of the year…
Holcim expects inroads after harsh winter
Holcim reiterated that it expected a “significant” increase in operating profits this year, even as the Swiss cement maker reported a drop in sales in the first quarter. Like its…
Hochtief sells airports unit for €1.1bn
Hochtief, Germany’s largest builder by sales, has sold its airports division to a Canadian public pension fund for €1.1bn after struggling to offload the assets for several years. Hochtief, which…
Business confidence highest in 18 months
Business confidence has risen to its highest level since autumn 2010, underlining tentative signs of brighter economic prospects, a survey of accountants has found. The findings suggest the economy will…
Clouds gather over London’s skyline
The cranes that rise above the London skyline, metal arms akimbo, suggest a city in the midst of a construction boom. The vista belies the reality beneath, however. The wave…
Data reveal economic divide in building
©Charlie Bibby HSE data show more tower cranes have been erected in London since 2010 than in the rest of the UK combined With Britain’s economy bumping along the bottom…
Group wins €22bn Istanbul airport bid
A consortium of Turkish companies has successfully bid more than €22bn for the right to equip Istanbul with one of the world’s biggest airports, blasting past expectations and highlighting the…
Carillion attacked over subcontractor payments
Carillion, the FTSE 250 contractor, has been appointed preferred bidder for the £335m Royal Liverpool hospital public-private partnership project The government is being asked to exclude Carillion from any future…
Praise for chief who steered Shell to stability
Once the initial surprise at Peter Voser’s announcement had faded, there was praise for his immaculate, quintessentially Swiss, timing. “It does seem odd for him to leave after just five…
GM: time to hit the brakes
Shares in General Motors are up 50 per cent since 2012, including a nice 5 per cent pop after its first-quarter results were released on Thursday. More amazingly, the rally…
North Sea: Up from the depths
©Alamy Hostile environment: companies in the North Sea face deep waters, stormy winds and towering waves Even in the middle of summer, Shetland can be forbidding. In July 2011, when…
Balfour Beatty sells stakes in PFI projects
Balfour Beatty has sold stakes in five private finance initiative projects, as it moves to generate cash from its portfolio of infrastructure assets amid difficult conditions in the construction sector.…
Salini plans float after finalising reverse takeover of Impregilo
Salini, the Italian construction group, plans to float about a quarter of its shares on the Milan stock exchange in the autumn once it has completed its contested reverse takeover…