Rolls's

Those forces could undermine Rolls's ability to keep jobs close to home.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

Over the past five years, Rolls's revenue has jumped 55%.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

Today, Mr. Garshol in Rolls's offshore unit says staffing shortages have forced him to decline contracts worth tens of millions of dollars and occasionally tell customers a project is weeks late.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

Rolls's aero-engine business, for example, has kept a network of suppliers in the English industrial city of Derby, where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce's original Silver Ghost motor car began production in 1908.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

The deal also brought Rolls's marine division to Singapore, where its jet-engine business was growing quickly.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

In Norway, for example, Rolls's marine division is targeting big-money opportunities in the global offshore petroleum industry, which needs increasingly advanced equipment to help find and extract oil trapped far undersea.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

ODIM's rigs complement Rolls's engines, allowing the company to offer a range of pricey equipment that it fits into ship hulls bought from other producers.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

"The skills we need to build our business just aren't there in the breadth and depth we need," said Ken Fulton , human resource director for Rolls's nuclear unit.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

Rolls's design unit handling offshore vessels, based in Alesund, has 20 vacancies among 150 positions, says general manager Yrjar Garshol.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011

"We aren't very good on cost per man hour, so we have to be better on technology," said Per Egil Vedlog , a design manager at Rolls's merchant ship division.

Rolls-Royce Powers Ahead in High-Wage Countries Daniel Michaels 2011