Aecom merges UK consulting engineer with Maunsell as part of drive to dominate European market.
Consultant engineer Oscar Faber has been taken over by Aecom, a US-based multinational company.

Under the deal, announced this week, Oscar Faber will merge its business with fellow engineer Maunsell, also owned by Aecom. The new company, to be named Faber Maunsell, will have four divisions with 1800 staff in the UK. It will be one of the six largest consulting engineers in Britain.

Steve Hodkinson, an Oscar Faber director, said linking up with Aecom would not affect how the company did business.

He said: "It's a very big move and we're very excited by it and the opportunities it will offer. We have made a strategic decision to come together with large organisation. That should mean we will spread our business to a new arena."

Oscar Faber's shareholders are made up of four main board directors and about 350 employees through a share option scheme.

Hodkinson said Oscar Faber had two divisions, building engineering and transport planning, but they would not overlap with Maunsell's water, waste water and transport infrastructure operations.

He said: "It's a very complementary fit and broadens the services we will be able to offer our clients. It will also increase our client base."

Our combination with Oscar Faber will allow Aecom to be a market leader in Europe

Richard Newman, chief executive, Aecom

The companies would not disclose what the deal was worth, but said they expected it to be completed at the end of the month.

Maunsell will continue to be based in Beckenham, south London, and Oscar Faber will retain its base in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Ken Dalton, Oscar Faber's chief executive, will be chief executive of the merged company. Peter Head, Maunsell's chief executive, will become Faber Maunsell's corporate development director. Hodkinson and John Vincent of Oscar Faber and Richard Harkin of Maunsell will be main board directors.

Aecom has more than 12,500 staff worldwide and operates in the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Richard Newman, Aecom's chief executive, said his company and Oscar Faber had wanted to expand their operations in Europe.

He said: "Our combination with Oscar Faber will provide Aecom with the foundation to be a market leader there."