Saudi Aramco, which is buying 20 per cent in the oil and petrochemicals business of Reliance IndustriesNSE 2.40 %, has emerged as the world’s most profitable company with a staggering bottomline of $111 billion last year, surpassing the combined profits of giants like Apple, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell.
The state-owned company’s massive oil production makes Saudi Arabia the kingpin of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The company is on an acquisition spree, buying stakes in refineries, to give the world’s largest crude oil exporter assured markets when concerns of pollution and the shift to clean energy is raising concerns about falling oil demand in the medium to long term.
Northbridge Industrial Services plc (LON:NBI) hires and sells specialist industrial equipment to a non-cyclical customer base. With offices or agents in the UK, US, Dubai, Belgium, Germany, France, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Brazil and Korea, Northbridge has a global customer base.