Babtie doubles profit

Babtie Group, the management consultant, has enjoyed a boost in its pre-tax profit to £5.2m in the 12 months to the end of December 2002, almost double the figure of £3m achieved the previous year.

Turnover was ahead by a third to £170m, comfortably outperforming chief executive Bill Mitchell's three-year plan which calls for 8% year-on-year organic growth.

The financial performance of BEAR, the joint venture company that Babtie has with Ennstone and Ringway for the maintenance of trunk roads in the north of Scotland, was disappointing - it ran up a £1.5m loss. Management changes are underway to knock it into shape.

There were 300 new jobs in the international division where turnover grew to £19m. Babtie has won marine design commissions for remedial works to the seawater intake for the Black Point Power Station in Hong Kong. In India, projects include the P&O Container Terminal Project at Chennai and the Gujarat Earthquake rehabilitation project. Both will run through to the end of 2003.