Construction BUSINESS

Actavo, a leading international engineering solutions company headquartered in Dublin, has announced that it has acquired a key division of U.S. company, Atlantic Engineering Group, Inc. The deal, for an undisclosed amount, represents Actavo’s first acquisition in the US.

Specialising in design engineering, field services, GIS (geographic information systems) services and permitting, primarily within the FTTH/B (fibre-to-the-home/business) sector, the acquired business – Atlantic Engineering Services (AES) – has operations in Georgia, Texas, Missouri and Colorado.

Actavo has operations in over 100 locations internationally, with a global workforce of 5,000 delivering network, in-home, industrial, hire & sales, building and event solutions to the world’s leading companies. The new business – which will be rebranded as Actavo – will be a key element of Actavo’s Network & In-Home Division, a global provider of outsourced solutions for the telecommunications, energy, power and civil engineering sectors.

As a result of the transaction Actavo now has extensive in-house expertise in the United States, with access to 120 network design engineers.
The deal will enhance Actavo’s service provision to its existing client base in Ireland, the UK, the Caribbean and Kazakhstan (i.e. integrated, in-house survey and design capabilities facilitating an end-to-end offering). It will also enable the company to establish a presence in strategic markets at what is an opportune time. Later this year, Fibre-To-The-Home penetration in the U.S. will be at 9%, with 27.9 million homes passed and 12.4 million homes connected. It is forecast that, by September 2019, Total Homes Passed in the U.S. will almost double to 52 million, with the number of homes connected almost doubling to 24 million.

Speaking after the conclusion of the deal, CEO of Actavo | Network & In-Home Division, TJ Malone, said: “This is a red letter day in Actavo’s evolution. Our division began with operations in Ireland, before expanding into the UK and the Caribbean. With this acquisition now forming a critical strand of our international, end-to-end capabilities, we are confident of establishing a formidable presence in North America and making significant strides globally in the design, build and connectivity of fibre optic networks.”

Commenting on the acquisition, James H. Salter, P.E., President, Atlantic Engineering Group, said: “This is an exciting and transformative development for us. Being acquired by Actavo, an international company takes our business to a new level in terms of global connectivity, exposure to new business prospects and growth potential. Actavo’s mission is to become the preferred engineering solutions partner for the world’s leading companies. We can be proud of now being an integral part of that mission, and we can look forward to working within Actavo into the future.”

Welcoming the announcement, Chairman and CEO of Actavo, Sean Corkery, said: “Actavo’s acquisition represents a significant and strategic milestone in our company’s growth plan. The US is an important, dynamic market for us – we see strong demand in North America for the telecommunications solutions we can now offer. This is a logical next step for us at this time and takes Actavo into new areas, both geographically and in terms of our customer proposition. I look forward to working closely with our new colleagues in providing end-to-end solutions to the telecommunications sector across the US and internationally.”