After promising start, Rolls-Royce boss East must deliver

Rolls-Royce boss Warren East has rebuilt confidence in the engine-maker, but there are doubts among investors and industry experts about whether his slimmed-down group has the muscle to meet ambitious production and development goals. The CE has axed more than 600 management jobs and sought to reduce production times and costs since taking the helm last July, as part of a drive to increase efficiency at the company. While wrestling with the restructuring, however, Rolls must almost double its output of wide-body plane engines by 2019 to meet orders. It must also replace the blades across hundreds of engines used in Dreamliners after some cracked, while designing two new jet engines, the Advance and UltraFan. A source in the company familiar with its strategy said that East's turnaround programme was being felt across the business. <br/>