COWI goes into Sweden 

COWI consolidates its activities in Sweden with its acquisition of Swedish consultants PICON Teknikkonsult AB.  This makes Sweden COWI’s sixth regional unit.

COWI has bought Swedish consultants PICON Teknikkonsult AB, which has a staff of eighty.

The company, whose head offices are in Gothenburg, acts as consultants mainly in the areas of buildings, building services and installations.

"The acquisition is part of our strategy of setting up a series of market regions in a close-knit One Company Network," says Klaus H. Ostenfeld, President and CEO of COWI.

The acquisition of PICON makes Sweden the sixth region in COWI’s international network, the other five being Denmark, Norway, East EU, the Gulf and Africa.

Photo: COWI


Several hundred employees in Sweden

"PICON matches the values on which the COWI Group bases its consultancy services. PICON will be the backbone of the organisation we’ll be building up in Sweden in the years ahead. COWI’s target for growth in Sweden is to have several hundred employees," says Klaus H. Ostenfeld.

"This acquisition gives COWI a stronger position in the Scandinavian market. Customers in Sweden will now have access, via PICON, to the whole range of expertise commanded by the Group's 4000-strong  team, and we beleive our companies in Denmark, Norway and Sweden will have excellent  scope for synergy and teamwork."

For many years, COWI’s work in the Swedish market has been focussed on tunnel and bridge-building projects, and the environment and mapping sectors.

PICON gains a broader range of consultancy services

For Håkan Johansson, managing director and co-founder of PICON, the implications of COWI’s acquisition will be positive for customers and employees alike:

"We see COWI as a strong, stable international owner which will give our customers and employees access to COWI’s specialist areas of expertise such as innovative energy concepts, sustainability and advanced structures.
With a broader range of consultancy services to offer we will be able to take on more and new types of commissions - including road and civil engineering projects and commissions involving major, resource-intensive construction work.

"Another advantage is that PICON staff will have greater opportunities for professional development and career advancement at both national and international levels.”

Posted: 29.04.2008