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Engineers

August

Downer EDI boss Peter Tompkins

Downer EDI back in the black as cost-cutting pays off

The contractor’s shares soared on Friday as it swung back into profit and proved it could increase earnings margins.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Chris Ashton, the chief executive of Worley, says some energy projects are being delayed or cancelled, impacting work prospects.

Worley profits surge but pipeline softens as energy projects cancelled

Customers are being more “pragmatic” on how they reduce carbon emissions and putting pure sustainability projects on hold, says chief executive Chris Ashton.

  • Jenny Wiggins
The Albemarle lithium hydroxide plant at Kemerton.

Monadelphous optimistic on energy transition despite lithium loss

The Perth-based construction group delivered a 16 per cent increase in annual net profit to $62.2 million.

  • Jenny Wiggins

July

Would you like coffee with your concrete?

One of the world’s most polluting materials can be made less polluting. The new technology has helped Arup win the Professional Services category.

  • Michael Bleby

May

Engineering parts biz HMA Group seeks backer; $200m valuation tipped

The group, which sold $144 million worth of capital plant equipment to the likes of Glencore and Thiess last year, has sent PKF Corporate Finance on a hunt.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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Downer EDI chief executive Peter Tompkins.

More jobs go at Downer EDI in efficiency drive

Dozens of employees have lost their jobs in a new wave of cost-cutting including senior executives and people in the engineering group’s IT operations.

  • Jenny Wiggins

March

Tasmea makes about half of its revenue in Western Australia and servicing iron ore miners.

ASX-aspirant Tasmea back in front of fundies, mandates brokers

Tasmea has mandated Shaw and Partners, Morgans and Unified Capital Partners as joint lead managers for an IPO of about $50 million.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

February

Worley boss Chris Ashton

Worley writes off Ecuador claims as interim net profit rebounds

Worley CEO Chris Ashton says the global engineering group could pursue claims for work done in Ecuador through the South American country’s courts after a $58 million write-down.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Downer boss Peter Tompkins

Downer EDI net profit rises 6pc on turnaround

Downer EDI’s shares surged to their highest levels in more than a year after profits beat expectations and the contractor deepened its cost-cutting targets.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Retrofits yes, new offices no: a slowdown in new commercial work is hitting engineering employment.

Engineers cut staff as commercial work slows

Year-end job cuts aren’t unusual in engineering – official job vacancy data shows a fall in advertised jobs each year – but the slowdown is biting the profession.

  • Michael Bleby

January

Worley CEO Chris Ashton has until February 7 to respond to corruption allegations

Worley devoting ‘extensive resources’ to corruption allegations

Worley has until February 7 to respond to a US court claim filed by Ecuador that alleges it paid “improper benefits” to state-owned companies.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Incoming Arup chairman Jerome Frost says Olympic Games planners should review infrastructure plans often to make sure they are getting the best value for  money

How Brisbane Olympics can get ‘better bang for a buck’

Olympic Games planners should not be scared of “flying in the face” of beautiful architecture and using infrastructure, says the incoming chairman of Arup.

  • Jenny Wiggins
A Qantas jet parked at LAX where engineers are trying to form a union to bolster their case for pay increases.

Qantas accused of intimidating LAX engineers

The airline strongly rejects the claims, which come as LAX-based mechanics and maintenance workers push for collective bargaining rights.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Worley CEO Chris Ashton is battling to retain the confidence of investors and clients.

Corruption claims ‘not material’, Worley tells ASX

The global engineering group did not disclose an arbitration decision that found it wilfully ignored the corruption of an Ecuadorian subcontractor.

  • Updated
  • Jenny Wiggins
Worley boss Chris Ashton needs to retain investor confidence after allegations of corruption were made by the Republic of Ecuador

Worley denies Ecuador corruption allegations, but shares slide

The South American country claims the engineering group “engaged in corruption and bad faith” in securing contracts with its national oil corporation.

  • Jenny Wiggins
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November 2023

Downer EDI chairman Mark Menhinnitt

Grant Fenn should be accountable for Downer woes, proxy groups say

Downer EDI is poised to cop a protest vote against exec pay at this week’s AGM after advisers queried share rights awarded to its former CEO.

  • Jenny Wiggins

October 2023

Daniel Sharkey

Worker shortage forces Snowy 2.0 to get creative with recruitment

The massive project needs to fill 300 positions in three months, and another 1500 over its life. That’s creating a boom – and a shortfall – for other employers.

  • Jenny Wiggins and Angela Macdonald-Smith

September 2023

A contract signed a year ago by Qube commercial manager Simon Barney (left) and Martinus CEO Treaven Martinus has been scrapped

Qube tears up freight hub contract with Martinus Rail

Construction has stopped on an interstate rail hub in southwest Sydney after logistics group Qube scrapped a $140 million construction deal.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Wood Group boss Ken Gilmartin says the US is reaping the benefits of providing financial incentives to investors in renewable energy projects

Don’t get ‘left behind’ on renewables investment, engineering CEO says

Countries that don’t emulate the US and provide financial incentives to kick-start renewable energy projects risk missing out on billions of dollars of investment.

  • Jenny Wiggins
RCR Tomlinson took hefty writedowns on solar farms in Queensland before going into administration in November 2018.

RCR had ‘two sets’ of books, lawyers say after $40m settlement

The engineering group had dual accounts showing different pictures of its finances before it collapsed, lawyers said after settling a long-running class action lawsuit.

  • Jenny Wiggins

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/engineers-1mqk