Europe’s top Vinci and Bouygues still sit at the top of the CE-100 league table of Europe’s 100 largest contractors, but Spain’s major groups are catching up fast. CHRIS SLEIGHT reports on this year’s developments.

1. www.khl.com© copyright 2008
Europe’s largest
construction companies
2008
CE100

2. 12 C O N S T R U C T I O N E U R O P E J U L Y - A U G U S T 2 0 0 8
N E W S R E P O R T
VINCI HAS SAT AT THE TOP OF
the CE-100 league table of Europe’s
largest contractors since the company
was formed in 2000 from the merger
of SGE and GTM. Bouygues, the
company it displaced from the top
has been ranked in second position
for all that time too.
But this year it was a close call.
Based on revenues in 2007, Spain’s
ACS moved up from fourth to third
position, and with sales of € 21,3
billion, it is now less than 3%
smaller than Bouygues. With the
large Spanish groups climbing up the
rankings this year, there could be a
change in second position in next
year’s league table.
Other changes in this year’s top
ten were also shaped by Spanish
construction companies. Ferrovial
moved up one place to fifth, while
FCC gained two spots to reach
seventh position. Meanwhile, outside
the top ten, Acciona gained three
places to establish itself at no. 12.
It was not just these four large
groups that improved their standings
this year. Of the 11 Spanish
companies listed in the CE-100, ten
improved their placings this year.
Only Grupo San Jose lost ground,
dropping five places to no. 55.
The gains for Spain’s major
contractors meant other companies
lost positions of course, and in
the top ten this meant Hochtief,
Skanska, Eiffage and Strabag each
lost a place. Last year’s tenth-placed
company, Bam, fell four places
this year, leaving the top ten to
be rounded-off by Saipem, the oil
and gas contractor owned by Italian
energy group, Eni.
A final point about the Spanish
groups is that they are close to
being the strongest national force
in European construction. This
year, France’s contractors once
again claimed the biggest slice of
the CE-100’s revenues, with the ten
companies in the CE-100 racking-up
revenues of € 84,4 billion – 21,9%
of the total. However, Spain’s
contractors were very close behind
with revenues of € 77,2 billion, or
20,1%.
With more French contractors
moving down the table than up it
this year, and Spain’s construction
groups on something of a charge,
this national standing could change
in next year’s league table.
ALL CHANGE IN UK
While Balfour Beatty is still the UK’s
largest construction group, ranked
no. 11 this year, there have been
some big changes for other British
groups this year. Amec, ranked no.
19 last year is not listed in the 2008
CE-100, having sold its construction
businesses. Also absent this year is
George Wimpey, which has merged
with Taylor Woodrow to form Taylor
Wimpey (no. 17). Alfred McAlpine
– ranked no. 49 last year – is now
part of Carillion, in spot no. 21.
These absences have opened the
door for six new companies to enter
the lower reaches of the CE-100. The
highest placed was Poland’s Polimex
– Mostostal Siedlce.
It was not just UK companies
that improved their positions in the
CE-100 through acquisitions. The
biggest climber in this year’s table
was Maire Tecnimont, which moved
up 47 places from last year following
the Merger of Maire Engineering and
Tecnimont.
Tecnimont is active in the oil and
gas market, and this seems to have
been the hot sector last year, no
doubt due to the rocketing price of
energy. Other companies benefiting
THE CE-100 LEAGUE TABLE
Sales Company Country 2007 Change
(€ million) Rank
1 30428 Vinci France 1 -
2 21802 Bouygues’ Construction France 2 -
Divisions
3 21312 ACS Spain 4 1
4 16452 Hochtief Germany 3 -1
5 14650 Ferrovial Spain 6 1
6 14308 Skanska Sweden 5 -1
7 14076 FCC Spain 9 2
8 12581 Eiffage France 7 -1
9 10746 Strabag SE Austria 8 -1
10 9596 Saipem Italy 13 3
11 9445 Balfour Beatty UK 11 -
12 8828 Acciona Spain 15 3
13 8709 Bilfinger Berger Germany 12 -1
14 8539 Bam Group Netherlands 10 -4
15 7887 Technip France 14 -1
16 7233 Aker Solutions Norway 16 -
17 6886 Taylor Wimpey UK 18 1
18 6306 NCC Group Sweden 17 -1
19 6017 Sacyr Vallehermoso Spain 20 1
20 5098 Laing O’Rourke UK 25 5
21 4865 Carillion UK 23 2
22 4828 VolkerWessels Netherlands 24 2
23 4403 Persimmon UK 22 -1
24 3963 Obrascon Huarte Lain Spain 28 4
25 3732 Heijmans Netherlands 33 8
26 3707 YIT Corporation Finland 29 3
27 3565 Petrofac UK 54 27
28 3564 Enka Insaat Turkey 27 -1
29 3460 SPIE France 32 3
30 3453 Peab Sweden 30 -
31 3090 Morgan Sindall UK 39 8
32 3017 Kier Group UK 35 3
33 3000 Cegelec France 31 -2
34 2809 Ed Züblin Germany 36 2
35 2627 Impregilo Group Italy 34 -1
36 2600 Alpine Bau Austria 37 1
37 2539 Interserve UK 40 3
38 2415 Isolux Corsan Spain 44 6
39 2413 Veidekke Norway 42 3
40 2395 Nexity France 45 5
41 2284 TBI Holdings BV Netherlands 41 -
42 2273 Babcock International UK 55 13
43 2246 Porr Group Austria 43 -
44 2174 Lemminkäinen Finland 47 3
45 2059 Galliford Try UK 64 19
46 2008 Tecnicas Reunidas Spain 65 19
47 1981 Maire Tecnimont Italy 94 47
48 1978 Bellway UK 46 -2
49 1869 Boskalis Westminster Netherlands 57 8
50 1830 Jan De Nul Belgium 69 19
51 1753 Miller Group UK 48 -3
52 1652 Van Oord ACZ Netherlands 51 -1
53 1603 MT Hojgaard Denmark 53 -
54 1582 John Sisk & Son (Group) Ireland 68 14
Europe’s top
Vinci and Bouygues still sit at the
top of the CE-100 league table of
Europe’s 100 largest contractors, but
Spain’s major groups are catching up
fast. C H R I S S L E I G H T reports
on this year’s developments.
CE July-Aug08 CE100.indd 12CE July-Aug08 CE100.indd 12 28/07/2008 14:23:2928/07/2008 14:23:29

3. 13C O N S T R U C T I O N E U R O P E J U L Y - A U G U S T 2 0 0 8
N E W S R E P O R T
55 1560 Grupo San Jose Spain 50 -5
56 1535 Mota-Engil Portugal 56 -
57 1503 Compagnie Belgium 67 10
D’Entreprises CFE SA
58 1500 Besix* Belgium 82 24
59 1485 Techint Engineering Italy 86 27
& Construction
60 1448 Implenia AG Switzerland 52 -8
61 1395 Keller Group UK 58 -3
62 1386 Wates Group UK 63 1
63 1385 Technical Olympic Group Greece 38 -25
64 1384 ROK UK 80 16
65 1383 Kaufman & Broad France 62 -3
66 1375 JM Sweden 61 -5
67 1342 Berkeley Group UK 59 -8
68 1333 Swietelsky Austria 72 4
Baugessellschaft
69 1329 Astaldi Italy 74 5
70 1314 DEME Belgium 71 1
71 1270 Ballast Nedam Netherlands 60 -11
72 1219 Redrow UK 70 -2
73 1217 Bowmer & Kirkland UK 77 4
74 1215 Comsa Spain 75 1
75 1172 Aldesa Spain 87 12
76 1144 Strukton Groep Netherlands 83 7
77 1128 Bauer Germany 81 4
78 1121 ISG UK 85 7
79 1076 Dura Vermeer Netherlands 76 -3
80 1067 Teixeira Duarte Portugal 89 9
81 1004 Arcadis Netherlands 66 -15
82 1000 Max Boegl Germany 79 -3
83 988 Crest Nicholson UK 78 -5
84 963 Polimex - Mostostal Poland - NEW
Siedlce
85 915 Hellenic Technodomiki Greece 96 11
86 837 Trevi SpA Italy 100 14
87 814 E Pihl & Son AS Denmark 92 5
88 809 Van Wijnen Netherlands 97 9
89 796 Budimex SA Poland 91 2
90 795 SADE* France 90 -
91 792 Metrostav AS Czech Republic 84 -7
92 757 Goldbeckbau Germany - NEW
93 738 Joannou & Cyprus 93 -
Paraskevaides (J&P)*
94 691 AF Gruppen Norway 99 5
95 683 J&P Avax Greece - NEW
96 682 N G Bailey UK 95 -1
97 654 Fayat Group France - NEW
98 638 May Gurney UK - NEW
99 633 McInerney Holdings Ireland - NEW
100 626 CMC di Ravenna Italy 98 -2
* - CE Estimate
contractors
THE CE-100 LEAGUE TABLE
Profits rise
again
TOTAL SALES FOR THE CE-100 COMPANIES CAME TO
€ 386 billion last year, a +15% increase on the 2006 total of € 334 billion.
It was the seventh straight year of revenue growth for the group, and also
the third straight year of double-digit growth.
Profits were also up this year, with the average operating margin
rising just over a quarter of a percentage point to 7,19%. The
improvement in profitability was not as stark as the jump from 2005 to
2006, but it was an improvement none the less. Like revenues for the
CE-100, profitability has improved year-on-year for the last seven years.
The average headcount for the 92 companies that report employee
numbers was 20062, a +16% increase on last year’s figure of 17254
members of staff per company. In 2005 the average size of a CE-100
construction company was 13999 people, so it is clear that the last two
years’ rise in revenues and profits have led to more jobs.
Headcounts imply that in 2005 the CE-100 employed just under
1,4 million people. Figures for last year suggest that has risen to just over
2 million staff, suggesting that the last two years have seen Europe’s top
contractors take on 600000 employees.
That is not to say 600000 jobs have been created in the industry in the
last two years. Many companies in the CE-100 have grown by acquisition
in that time, often swallowing up other companies in the ranking. This
means it is not possible to make exact like-for-like comparisons. While it
is likely that new jobs have been added, the only safe conclusion to make
is that Europe’s biggest contractors are getting bigger!
METHODOLOGY: The CE-100 is based on sales revenues in 2007 – either
full- or financial years. It is compiled from a range of sources including
audited annual accounts, companies’ own statements of revenues and
information from reputable third parties such as Dun & Bradstreet. In some
cases CE has estimated company revenues.
from this included the UK’s Petrofac,
which moved up 27 places to no. 27,
and Techint, which also advanced 27
places to be ranked at no. 59.
NEXT YEAR?
All these developments open up
questions about how the CE-100 will
shape up in 12 months’ time. Will the
Spanish groups continue their climb?
What impact will the recessions in
the UK and Spanish housing markets
have? Will oil, gas and energy still be
the hot sector? What new names will
there be in the ranking, and which
companies will disappear? ce
2000 2001 2002 2003 2005
Sales (€ Billion) Operating Margin
2004
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
4.75%
5.75%
334
2006
6.92%
4.71%
195
221
236 246
265
297
384
334
4.87%
5.28%
5.66%
7.19%
2007
CE July-Aug08 CE100.indd 13CE July-Aug08 CE100.indd 13 28/07/2008 14:23:4728/07/2008 14:23:47

4. Business information for the
global construction market
TOPLISTS
www.khl.com
TOPLISTS:
iC’s Top200 The World’s largest construction companies
Yellow Table The World’s largest construction equipment manufacturers
Access 50 The World’s largest access platform rental companies
Access 20 Largest aerial platform manufacturers by unit sales
Scaffold 20 Largest 20 scaffold contractors in the world
ACTCrane50 Annual ranking of North America’s largest crane-owning companies
ACTTransport50 Ranking of top specialized transport companies in North America
ALH20/20 The listing of the largest aerial work platform fleets and the top
telehandler rental fleets in North America
D&Ri100 The top demolition contractors in the world
Transport50 Annual ranking of the world’s specialized transport fleets
IC50 The world’s largest crane operating companies
ICm20 Ranking of the world’s largest crane manufacturers
IRN 100 The world’s top equipment rental companies.
CE-100 Europe’s largest construction companies
SURVEYS:
Access Confidence Survey Access International’s annual confidence survey
CE Barometer Monthly confidence survey for the European construction industry
Rental Rates Survey Annual survey of rates for mobile and crawler cranes around the
world
Rental Confidence Survey IRN’s annual confidence survey
COMPETITIONS:
TopLift International Cranes readers vote for the best lift of the year
SC&RA Job of the Year Details of the winning projects amongst SC&RA members