IBJNews

Rolls-Royce's profits in line with expectations

Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint

Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, the world’s second-largest aircraft-engine maker, said profit rose in line with estimates, buoyed by a backlog of orders from Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS.

Pretax profit for the full-year 2011, including matured hedging positions, increased to 1.16 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) from 955 million pounds, the London-based company said Thursday. Analysts predicted profit of 1.13 billion pounds, according to the average of 19 estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Underlying sales added 4 percent, to 11.3 billion pounds.

The company, which employs about 4,500 people in Indianapolis, doesn't break out results for U.S. operations. North America CEO James Guyette noted that in 2011 the company expanded its operations in Virginia and Indiana, following a global competition for work within the company.

Rolls-Royce decided last fall to shift production of the banded stator jet-engine component to Indianapolis in 2013. The move will result in the building of a new production line and the hiring an additional 100 people through 2017.

The company recently announced it will spend $50 million to add a second jet-engine test stand in Mississippi, and Guyette said he anticipates additional investments in 2012. “Our investments will help Rolls-Royce fulfill its $96 billion order book in four global markets—civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy,” Guyette said in a prepared statement.

Rolls-Royce’s order book swelled to a record 62.2 billion pounds as customers Airbus and Boeing benefited from airlines upgrading to more fuel-efficient models and growth in air travel in emerging markets. Profit also got a boost from a 60 million-pound payment from the United Kingdom government for the early cancellation of contracts, including one for the Rolls-Royce-powered Harrier jumpjet.

“We continue to benefit from a broad portfolio, a large and growing customer base and access to markets where demand remains strong for our products and services,” CEO John Rishton said. “For 2012 we expect good growth in both underlying revenue and underlying profit with cash flow around break-even as we continue to invest in future growth.”

Boeing started deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner model, for which GE and Rolls supply engines. Rolls-Royce also competes with a joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney to build engines for the A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Rolls-Royce is the only supplier for Airbus’s upcoming A350 wide-body aircraft.

Last year, the company incurred a one-time charge to fix a fault on A380 engines following the disintegration of a Trent 900 engine on a Qantas Airways Ltd. flight.

Rolls-Royce generates the majority of sales from the civil aerospace market, with the remainder spread across its marine, defense and energy businesses.

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Why then?
    If Rolls-Royce is doing so well then why do they feel the need to ask for a tax break from local(or was it state) properpty taxes. That article from a few months back indicated that they might move out of town if their exception from normal taxes request wasn't meet. Celadon trucking is/was doing the same thing while both companys claim to be doing great financially.

Post a comment to this story

COMMENTS POLICY
We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
 
You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
 
Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
 
No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
 
We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
 

Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
 
Subscribe to IBJ
  1. Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.

  2. Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.

  3. I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.

  4. The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.

  5. I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!

ADVERTISEMENT