The French engineering company, which operates in the development, transport infrastructure, water and environment sectors, is accelerating its development in Eastern Europe. It has just acquired Italrom, a Romanian engineering company. This acquisition follows many years of cooperation. Experts from AURIS Finance, a consultancy firm specialising in mergers and acquisitions, analyse this market move.
Egis is weaving its web in the East. The French engineering group has just acquired Italrom, a civil and structural engineering company that handles contracts in several infrastructure sectors in which Egis is looking to expand. This is an important step for the French giant whose stated aim is to develop its business in Central and Eastern Europe, a region currently experiencing one of the highest growth rates in the continent. In particular, the acquisition of Italrom will allow Egis to expand into the train and metro design markets. Projects in Italrom’s portfolio include major interventions on two metro lines in Bucharest, the Braila Bridge in the east of the country, railway design work for several lines and the construction of a major road tunnel section.
Global reach
With this acquisition, the French specialist is pursuing its international growth. In 2021, the group generated a turnover of €1.16 billion, up 9% on the previous year. Egis employs 16,000 people in more than 100 countries and 79 % of its business is in consulting and engineering, with the remaining 21 % in infrastructure operations and transport services. Development in Eastern Europe is part of the company’s growth strategy. The group’s business development covers various sectors: from railways to airports (Egis currently manages 17 airports in 7 countries) and roads: the group owns 28 road operating companies responsible for motorway infrastructure in more than 20 countries. Today, 62% of the group’s business is conducted outside France.
Offensive external growth
This is not Egis’ first acquisition. In December 2022, the French giant acquired Calibre Professional Services, one of the leading engineering consultancies in the Australian and New Zealand markets. A few months later, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Egis signed a definitive agreement to acquire Omrania, a Saudi engineering and architectural consultancy. This move positions the French company as one of the major players in the region. Omrania’s 700 employees will join the 2,300 Egis employees in the Middle East. At the same time, the group continues to pay particular attention to the start-up ecosystem. Egis has just partnered with SustainEcho, a French start-up that combines digital technology and environmental assessment. Its platform – which uses artificial intelligence – makes it possible to model and simulate the carbon impact of projects in a simple and fast way, reducing the turnaround time from five days to just a few hours.
Get the support you need
The engineering and consulting sectors are currently experiencing major development opportunities in France and internationally. To win new markets, sector giants like Egis are positioning themselves through local players. Medium-sized companies with a growing portfolio in the sector are now being targeted by buyers. The same goes for start-ups that develop innovative solutions. As a consulting firm, AURIS Finance has a special branch dedicated to engineering. Whatever your project, sale or acquisition, our experts are ready to assist you.
