Vinci still tops European rankings
19 July 2012
Vinci remained the largest contractor in Europe last year, according to the results of the 2012 CE-100 survey, a ranking of the region's largest construction companies. However, Bouygues has lost the second position it has held for more than a decade to Spain's ACS.
ACS's two-place improvement is thanks to its acquisition of a majority stake in Germany's largest contractor Hochtief. This took its revenues to €28.5 billion last year, allowing it to leapfrog both Bouygues and Hochtief, but leaving a large gap to first-placed Vinci.
Elsewhere in the top ten Strabag, Saipem and Balfour Beatty gained places, while Skanska and FCC both fell, along with Bouygues and Hochtief. Ferrovial, which was in ninth position in the 2011 rankings fell to no. 13 this year.
Several other Spanish contractors lost ground compared to last year, with OHL, Sacyr, Tecnicas Reunidas and Aldesa also falling. Grupo San Jose fell out of the CE-100 this year, having been ranked 91st in 2011.
However, the highest placed new company in this year's league table was environmental and renewable energy scheme contractor Abengoa, which entered the table at no. 14. Other new additions to the ranking included Russia's Mostotrest, RZD Stroy and Transstroy, along with the UK's Berkeley Group, Denmark's Per Aarsleff and Mostostal Warszawa from Poland
Weak profits
Analysis of the CE-100's financial performance showed that while revenues for the group grew 7.4% last year to € 407 billion, profitability was at its weakest for over a decade. The CE-100 achieved an average operating margin of just 4.41% in 2012, down from 5.01% the previous year. The previous low in profitability was set in 2000 at 4.71%.
The full CE-100 ranking is published in the July-August edition of Construction Europe. The ranking is also available to buy from the information store - either as a 1-year report, or as a multi-annual study, comprising five CE-100 rankings from 2008 to 2012.
