BB buys

Balfour Beatty has acquired UK ground engineering company Pennine Group for UK£ 8 million (€ 11,8 million) and German specialist rail signalling contractor SBB for € 14 million. Pennine, which has annual sales of UK£ 16 million (€ 23,5 million), will combine with Stent, Balfour Beatty's piling division, to allow the company to offer a full range of foundation construction techniques. SBB, which has on-going contracts with Deustsche Bahn, has annual sales of € 10 million. It will be incorporated into the company's Munich-based rail electrification subsidiary Balfour Beatty Rail Power Systems.