Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty plc
Type Public (LSE: BBY)
Industry Construction, all major sub branches of engineering in contracting and consulting
Founded 1909 by George Balfour and Andrew Beatty[1]
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Key people Steve Marshall, Chairman,
Ian Tyler, Chief Executive
Revenue £10,541 million (2010)[2]
Operating income £338 million (2010)[2]
Net income £143 million (2010)[2]
Employees 50,000[3]
Subsidiaries Numerous
Website www.balfourbeatty.com

Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY) is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world.[4] It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Balfour Beatty works for customers principally in the UK, the US, South-East Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Contents

History

Balfour Beatty was founded in 1909 by George Balfour, a Scottish mechanical engineer, and Andrew Beatty, an English chartered accountant: they described the company as "general and electrical engineers, contractors, operating managers for tramways, railways and lighting properties and for the promoting of new enterprises" and soon it expanded into civil engineering.[5] In 1922 George Balfour and Andrew Beatty established Power Securities to develop and fund hydro-electric projects.[5] By 1924 the business was operating internationally.[5]

In 1969 Power Securities, which by then owned Balfour Beatty, was taken over by cable manufacturer BICC.[6] Then in 2000 BICC, having sold its cable operations, renamed itself Balfour Beatty.[7]

More recently Balfour Beatty has embarked on a series of acquisitions including Mansell plc, another construction services business, for £42m in 2003,[8] Birse plc, a UK construction & Civils contractor, for £32 m in 2006,[9] Centex Construction, the commercial construction division of the US builder Centex, for £180m in 2007[10] and Cowlin Construction, a UK construction company based in Bristol also in 2007.[11]

In 2008 the Company bought GMH Military Housing, a US-based military accommodation business, for £180m[12] and Dean & Dyball, a leading UK regional contractor, for £45 million.[13]

In March 2009 the company was found to be a subscriber to the Consulting Association, a firm which has now been prosecuted in the UK by the Information Commissioner for breaching the Data Protection Act by holding a secret database of construction workers details, including union membership and political affiliations.[14][15] As of January 2010, individual workers started suing the company for being on the blacklist.[16] The first of these cases however was ruled in favour of the Company.[17]

In September 2009 the Company agreed to buy Parsons Brinckerhoff, a US-based project management firm, for $626 million.[18] Then in November 2010 the group bought the remnant of collapsed UK construction company Rok plc for £7 million.[19]

Operations

Balfour Beatty has four businesses:

Programme and project management, architectural services, project design, technical services, planning and consultancy.

Building, design, construction management, refurbishment and fit-out, mechanical and electrical services, civil engineering, ground engineering and rail engineering.

Facilities management and business services outsourcing; upgrade and maintenance of water, gas and electricity networks; highways network management, operation and maintenance; and rail renewals.

Operating a portfolio of long-term PPP concessions in the UK, primarily in the education, health and roads/street lighting sectors. Operating a portfolio of long-term military accommodation PPP concessions in the United States. Balfour Beatty also has interests in non-PPP assets in the UK.

The company is a 50% shareholder in Gammon Construction, based in Hong Kong. Balfour Beatty is a member of Constructing Excellence and the UK Contractors Group, comprising members of the Confederation of British Industry.[20]

Major projects

Projects involving Balfour Beatty include:

References

  1. ^ Balfour Beatty. "Key Facts". http://www.balfourbeatty.com/bbeatty/aboutus/keyfacts/. Retrieved 23 March 2007. 
  2. ^ a b c Balfour Beatty (3 March 2011). "Preliminary results for the year to 31 December 2010" (PDF). http://www.balfourbeatty.com/bby/media/press/2011/2011-03-03/2011-03-03.pdf. Retrieved 4 March 2011. 
  3. ^ "Annual Report 2010" (PDF). http://www.balfourbeatty.com/files/reports/2010/ar2010.pdf. Retrieved 15 November 2011. 
  4. ^ Digital Look. "Balfour Beatty". http://www.digitallook.com/cgi-bin/dlmedia/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=10122. Retrieved 23 March 2007. 
  5. ^ a b c "History". Balfour Beatty. 10 May 2010. http://www.balfourbeatty.com/bby/about/history/. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  6. ^ Notes on Financial Times Actuaries Index 1969
  7. ^ Shake-up will see BICC change to Balfour Beatty
  8. ^ "Balfour Beatty set to buy Mansell". Highbeam.com. 21 November 2003. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110377716.html. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  9. ^ Richardson, Sarah (9 August 2006). "Balfour Beatty issues notice to Birse shareholders". Building.co.uk. http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3071932. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  10. ^ "Balfour Beatty pays £180 for US builder". Contractjournal.com. http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2007/02/01/53489/balfour-beatty-pays-180m-for-us-builder-centex-construction.html. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  11. ^ "About us". Cowlin Construction. http://www.cowlin.co.uk/about/about.html. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
  12. ^ Brodie, Sophie (13 February 2008). "Balfour Beatty targets $350m US military deal". The Daily Telegraph. UK. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/02/13/cngmh113.xml. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  13. ^ Bill, Tom (19 March 2008). "Balfour Beatty buys Dean & Dyball for £45m". Building.co.uk. http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3109227. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  14. ^ Rob Evans. "Balfour Beatty among firms that bought information on workers". Guardian. UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/aug/04/balfour-beatty-unions-blacklist. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  15. ^ ""Firm sold workers secret data"". BBC News. 6 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7927487.stm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  16. ^ Rob Evans. "Trade Unionist sues Balfour Beatty". Guardian. UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/20/trade-unionist-sues-balfour-beatty. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  17. ^ Hoyle, Rhiannon (8 March 2010). "Balfour Beatty wins first case in blacklisting scandal". Cnplus.co.uk. http://www.cnplus.co.uk/hot-topics/legal/balfour-beatty-wins-first-case-in-blacklisting-scandal/5215165.article. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  18. ^ "Britain's Balfour Beatty unveils $626 mln U.S. buy". Uk.reuters.com. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLH42426320090917. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  19. ^ Balfour buys Rok businesses for £7 million, Reuters, 19 November 2010
  20. ^ "UK Contractors Group website". Ukcg.org.uk. http://www.ukcg.org.uk/UK-Contractors-Group-UKCG-Home-55b58ed. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  21. ^ "Structure information". Sine.ncl.ac.uk. 26 March 2004. http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=3544. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  22. ^ Docklands Light Railway Official Handbook, Stephen Jolly and Bob Bayman (1986) ISBN 0-904711-80-3
  23. ^ "Motorway Archive – M25". Iht.org. http://www.iht.org/motorway/m25papers7.htm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  24. ^ "Channel Tunnel on Structurae database" (in (German)). En.structurae.de. http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0000334. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  25. ^ Cardiff Bay Barrage Report
  26. ^ Hildyard, Nicholas (10 July 2002). "Corner House". Corner House. http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/item.shtml?x=52182#appendix-01-01-00-00. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  27. ^ "Government of Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department". Epd.gov.hk. 31 December 2001. http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/operation/english/appendix03_5.html. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  28. ^ "Turkish Dam gets UK Support". BBC News. 1 March 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/288183.stm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  29. ^ "Motorway Archive – M6 Toll". Iht.org. http://www.iht.org/motorway/m6toll.htm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  30. ^ University College London Hospital wins award
  31. ^ "New bridge wins praise". Zwire.com. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19046524&BRD=1347&PAG=461&dept_id=432990&rfi=6. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  32. ^ "Balfour Beatty website: Burj Mall Dubai". Balfourbeatty.com. 10 May 2010. http://www.balfourbeatty.com/bby/markets/retail/burjmall/. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  33. ^ "The Architect of the Capitol". Aoc.gov. 2 December 2008. http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/project_info/index.cfm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  34. ^ "Long winding road to new super-hospital". Birmingham Post. 30 January 2006. http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/tm_method=full&objectid=16644724&siteid=50002-name_page.html. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  35. ^ Balfour Beatty to build King's Cross ticket hall Building, 25 May 2006
  36. ^ Balfour Beatty and Carillion win £363m East London line contract Guardian, 26 October 2006
  37. ^ "Mott McDonald". Tunnels.mottmac.com. http://www.tunnels.mottmac.com/projects/?id=3402&mode=type. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
  38. ^ UK firms sign venue contracts London Olympics, 8 April 2008
  39. ^ Balfour Beatty/Skanska wins £5bn M25 deal Construction News, 8 May 2008
  40. ^ Blackfriars station: Pulling out the stops Building, 28 January 2011
  41. ^ Auditor questions millions of dollars in new Parkland hospital construction contract Business Video, 26 April 2011
  42. ^ Balfour Beatty wins Liverpool St station Crossrail contract The Engineer, 13 January 2011

External links