Atkins (company)

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WS Atkins plc
Public limited company
Traded as LSE: ATK
Industry Construction, design, engineering and business services
Founded 1938
Founder Sir William Atkins
Headquarters Epsom, Surrey, United Kingdom
Number of locations
 Offices in 28 countries
Key people
 Allan Cook (Chairman)
Uwe Krueger (Chief Executive)
Services Consultancy services
Revenue £1.757 billion (2015)[1]
£134.1 million (2015)[1]
£85.7 million (2015)[1]
Number of employees
 18,462 (March 2015)[1]
Subsidiaries Faithful+Gould
Slogan Plan, design, enable
Website www.atkinsglobal.com

WS Atkins plc (commonly known as Atkins) is a British multinational engineering, design, planning, architectural design, project management and consulting services company headquartered in Epsom, Surrey. It was founded in 1938 by Sir William Atkins.

As of 2014, Atkins is the third largest engineering consultancy in the UK and the world’s fifteenth largest design firm by revenue.[2] It employs approximately 18,500 staff based in 300 offices across 29 countries and has undertaken projects in over 150 countries. Its motto is "Plan, Design, Enable".

Atkins is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

The original company, WS Atkins & Partners, was established by the late Sir William Atkins in 1938 with offices in Westminster in London. In its early years the practice specialised in civil and structural engineering design work but expanded rapidly after World War II into specialist services in town planning, engineering sciences, architecture and project management.

In 1996, WS Atkins was admitted to the London Stock Exchange and began trading as WS Atkins plc. In 1996 it also acquired Faithful+Gould, a cost and project management consultancy firm.[3]

In the late 1990s WS Atkins worked on the Burj al Arab hotel, which was completed in 1999.[4]

The company has been trading under the Atkins name since 2002. In that year it also bought Hanscomb, construction consultants.[5]

The company experienced a number of financial difficulties in 2002 and the previous Chief Executive, Robin Southwell, resigned, along with Finance Director Ric Piper, who was also told his new job at Trinity Mirror was no longer open to him.[6] Keith Clarke replaced him, joining from Skanska.[7]

Atkins was one of the five shareholders in Metronet, the tube maintenance company which failed in 2007 leading to Atkins having to write off its investment.[8]

In 2009 Atkins was selected as the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Games. The company provided building services design, civil engineering and structural engineering, acoustics, fire protection engineering, and accessibility services.[9]

Atkins staff levels declined as a result of the global recession, with losses of approximately 3000 staff between April 2009 and February 2011, although the overall headcount remained relatively stable with the acquisition of the American company known as PBS&J in August 2010.[10][11] PBS&J, founded in 1960, was a Florida-based, nationwide provider of engineering, planning, architecture, construction, environmental, and program management services.[12]

In June 2011, Atkins announced it was buying the oil and gas business of Finnish global consulting firm, Pöyry for €17.25 million. As a result of the acquisition, around 130 staff from Pöyry's Perth, Stavanger and Aberdeen offices integrated into Atkins' Energy business unit.[13] In 2014, Houston-based oil and gas offshore engineering business, Houston Offshore Engineering, was acquired for £45 million. This acquisition added another 150 people to the business and increased the headcount of oil and gas specialists to over 1,000 from its operations worldwide.[14]

Operations

An Atkins' construction site house at a building site in Hong Kong.

Atkins provides engineering and design consultancy services in various regions:[15]

  • United Kingdom: water, environment, education, aerospace, defense, communications and infrastructure design
  • North America: infrastructure planning, engineering, construction management, environmental consulting, urban planning, architecture and program management services
  • Middle East: design, engineering and project management services for buildings, transportation and other infrastructure programs
  • Asia Pacific: engineering, planning, urban design, architectural and rail design services
  • Hong Kong: urban rail development

Atkins also has an Energy business providing engineering and project management services.[15]

Corporate Leadership

Uwe Krueger was appointed as chief executive in August 2011 following Keith Clarke's retirement.[16]

Board of Directors

As of September 2015, the current WS Atkins board members are:[17]

  • Allan Cook CBE, Chairman
  • Prof. Dr. Uwe Krueger, Chief Executive
  • Catherine Bradley, Non-executive Director
  • Fiona Clutterbuck, Non-executive Director
  • James Cullens, Group HR Director
  • Heath Drewett, Group Finance Director
  • Allister Langlands, Non-executive Director
  • Thomas Leppert, Non-executive Director
  • Dr Raj Rajagopal, Non-executive Director
  • Gretchen Watkin, Non-executive Director

Notable projects

The lobby of the Burj Al Arab hotel.
The MS Oasis of the Seas at anchor in Nassau, Bahamas.

Atkins’ notable past and current projects include:

Asia Pacific

Europe (ex. United Kingdom)

  • Architecture and design services for the Capital Fort mixed use development, Sofia, Bulgaria [22]
  • Signaling and telecommunications work for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), Denmark
  • Rail network planning and design for the Mälaren Line project, Sweden
  • Partnering with Assystem to develop offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy production, France
  • M50 Motorway upgrade, Ireland

Middle East

North America

  • Engineering, design, ITS, planning, and program management services for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise toll and asset management systems, Florida
  • Runway design and planning services for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Construction and program management services for the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge project, Boulder City, Nevada
  • Masterplanning, urban design, and sustainability services for the Hunters Point Shipyard/Candlestick Point Urban Plan, San Francisco, California [29]
  • Program management and construction services for the Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant, Howard County, Maryland [30]
  • Construction, design, and program management services for the MARTA bus and rail transit system, Georgia
  • Architecture, A/E, and construction services for the Miami Dade College Culinary Institute, Miami, Florida
  • Oasis of the Seas Cruise Liner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Ecological, environmental, and program management services for the Post-Hurricane Katrina Storm Damage Risk Reduction Program, Louisiana [31]
  • Construction management services for the upgrading of the Statue of Liberty, New York, New York
  • Architecture, A/E, and construction services for the Texas A&M International University Student Success Center, Laredo, Texas
  • Architecture, A/E, and geomatic services for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando, Florida
  • Project management and cost estimating for the construction of the World Trade Center Memorial and Visitors Center, New York, New York

United Kingdom

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Atkins to buy out Faithful+Gould Construction News, 25 January 1996
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Hanscomb recommends shareholders accept W.S. Atkins offer Orlando Business Journal, 28 May 2002
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ LOCOG appoints Atkins
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Atkins acquires additional expertise in the oil and gas sector
  14. ↑ Atkins acquires Houston-based oil and gas engineering business
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Atkins announces new chief executive
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Hunters Point Shipyard
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System

External links

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