Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, the company is active across the UK, US and Hong Kong. In terms of turnover, Balfour Beatty was ranked in 2021 as the biggest construction contractor in the United Kingdom.
It was formed on 12 January 1909 by the engineer George Balfour and the accountant Andrew Beatty. Initially working on tramways, the company soon expanded into power and general contracting; the First World War saw it construct several army bases and various other works to support the British war effort. During the 1920s and 1930s, Balfour Beatty reoriented away from bus and tramway operations towards more lucrative heavy civil engineering, particularly the development of Britain's National Grid and various power stations. Early international projects include hydro electric power schemes in the Dolomites, Malaya and India, power stations in Argentina and Uruguay, and the Kut Barrage on the Tigris in Iraq. During the Second World War, the company's construction efforts were dominated by the war effort, including blocking the approaches to Scapa Flow and the building of six Mulberry harbour units.
For a time, Balfour Beatty's activities were dominated by two domestic sectors: power stations and the railways. It also opted to develop its presence as contractor within various power and civil engineering projects. Throughout the 1970s, Balfour Beatty expanded its presence in the road construction sector through schemes such as the M73 motorway and the Glasgow Inner Ring Road. Between 1986 and 1995, Balfour Beatty operated Balfour Beatty Homes; after a collapse of the housing market, Balfour Beatty Homes was renamed Clarke Homes and then sold to Westbury. During the 2000s, the company's business strategy diversified from the construction of infrastructure alone towards the financing, operation, design and management functions. Balfour Beatty also pursued a strategy of growth via acquisition, primarily in the United Kingdom and North America, including Mansell plc, Birse Group, Rok plc, Centex Construction, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Howard S. Wright.
During the 2010s, several instances of legal action was taken against the company for its alleged use of blacklists. In 2014, Balfour Beatty rebuffed three offers by Carillion, its primary British-based rival at that time, to purchase the company. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Balfour Beatty has been heavily involved in several major railway projects in Britain, including High Speed 2, Crossrail, and the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line. In October 2005, Balfour Beatty was found guilty of breaching health and safety laws, and were fined £10 million for its involvement in the October 2000 Hatfield rail crash.
History Early years Balfour Beatty was formed on 12 January 1909, with a capital of £50,000. The two founding principals were George Balfour, a qualified mechanical and electrical engineer, and Andrew Beatty, an accountant. The two had met while working for the London branch of the New York engineers JG White & Company. Initially, the company concentrated on tramways, the first contract being to construct the Dunfermline and District Tramways that opened in November 1909 for Balfour Beatty's own subsidiary, the Fife Tramway Light and Power Company.
Balfour Beatty's fortunes were heavily impacted by the outbreak of the First World War. A portion of its staff were drawn away to serve in the British Army. Its expertise in general construction was put to use in the development of numerous army camps, including a large complex at Ripon. It also built an 8km aqueduct at Kinlochleven to supply the works of the British Aluminium Company; this was the company's first endeavour into heavy civil engineering. This contracting work would develop into a lucrative activity for the business.
During its first two decades of operations, the company acquired a portfolio of electric power and tramway companies including in Carlisle, Cheltenham, Leamington & Warwick, Llanelly, Luton, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire & Derby, Falkirk and Wemyss. Some later operated trolley and motor buses. Several bus companies were purchased or formed including Midland General, Percivals (Carlisle), Stratford Blue and Scottish General Omnibus.
The Scottish bus subsidiaries were sold in June 1930 to W Alexander & Sons, and the Scottish tramways in 1935 to Scottish Motor Traction, Cheltenham was sold in July 1939 to Red & White Services with the remaining operations transferred to the Tilling Group.
George Balfour was elected to the House of Commons in 1918 and played a large part in the debates which established the National Grid. To service this new market, George Balfour, Andrew Beatty and others formed Power Securities to finance projects, and the two companies, with their common directors, worked closely together. Balfour Beatty was heavily involved in the development of Scotland's hydro electric power, building dams, transmission lines and power stations.
Other work during the interwar period included the standardisation of the electricity supply in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and the construction of tunnels and escalators for the London Underground. Extensive overseas work started in 1924 when Balfour Beatty took over the management of the East African Power & Lighting company; construction work included hydro electric schemes in the Dolomites, Malaya and India, power stations in Argentina and Uruguay, and the Kut Barrage on the Tigris in Iraq.
By the onset of the Second World War, control of the firm had changed: Andrew Beatty had died in 1934 and George Balfour died in 1941. David Balfour, son of George Balfour, had become a director in the company by this time, and was released from service with the Army to participate in construction projects at the behest of the Admiralty. The company's construction efforts were dominated by the war effort; notable projects included blocking the approaches to Scapa Flow and the building of six Mulberry harbour units.
Post Second World War Peacetime saw a resumption of Balfour Beatty's traditional work, which was for a time dominated by two domestic sectors: power stations and the railways. The business was impacted by the Attlee government's nationalisation of the electric industry with relatively little compensation received; similar moves took place in Canada and East Africa that also affected the company. During 1953, a construction company in Canada was acquired by Balfour Beatty; other activities included the Mto Mtwara harbour in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and the Wadi Tharthar irrigation scheme in Iraq. However, the company's foreign activities were hindered by political factors in the Middle East and South America.
The business strategy pursued during this era was to develop its presence as contractor in power and civil engineering. Highlights of its portfolio in this area include Staythorpe B power station, Berkeley nuclear power station, and extensive upgrades to the National Grid. While further such projects, including facilities at Drax, Tilbury, Cockenzie, and Dungeness, were secured, it became clear by the 1960s that the company needed to expand beyond this sector. Balfour Beatty's biggest competitor in the power sector was BICC, an established cable manufacturer; during 1969, Power Securities, which by owned Balfour Beatty at that time, was taken over by BICC.
Throughout the 1970s, Balfour Beatty expanded its presence in the road construction sector through schemes such as the M73 motorway and the Glasgow Inner Ring Road; however, the M1 motorway proved to be quite challenging to deliver. The business also continued its involvement in the energy sector, like the Anglo-Dutch Offshore Concrete venture for the North Sea oil industry, along with an increasing focus upon large overseas projects, such as Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai and the erection of the longest high voltage lines in the western hemisphere in Argentina. Also during this time Balfour Beatty was involved in an early effort to construct the Channel Tunnel, although the project was cancelled on political grounds.
In 1986, Balfour Beatty began to move away from its traditional area of expertise when it formed Balfour Beatty Homes, building on a modest scale from its office in Nottingham. It also opened offices in Paisley and Leatherhead, and in 1987, it bought the Derbyshire firm of David M Adams to give it an annualised production rate of up to 700 houses. During the late 1980s, Balfour Beatty secured its role in the construction of the Channel Tunnel, which would be completed in 1994.
In October 1994, a tunnel collapsed during construction of the Heathrow Express tunnel at Heathrow Airport. It led to the subsidence of a surface building and three large surface craters. The investigation into the collapse led to a six-month delay in opening and additional costs of around £150 million. Tunnelling contractor Balfour Beatty and designer Geoconsult were subsequently fined a total of £1.7M – a then record for offences under health and safety legislation.
During the early 1990s, through its parent BICC, Clarke Homes was purchased. However, this acquisition came barely one year prior to a collapse of the housing market. By the middle of the 1990s, sales were down to only five hundred per year, and although no financial figures were ever published, the housing operation was believed to have suffered heavy losses. Balfour Beatty Homes was renamed Clarke Homes and then sold to Westbury in 1995.
21st century
In May 2000, BICC, having sold its cable operations, renamed itself Balfour Beatty. Beyond the name change, the company's business strategy shifted considerably; while it traditionally focused on the construction of infrastructure alone, Balfour Beatty diversified into the financing, operation, design and management functions as well. This change was accompanied by strong positive financial performance across the following decade. Between 2000 and 2010, the company's turnover increased sharply from £2bn to £10bn while the value of the business had reportedly increased four-fold.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the company pursued a strategy of growth via acquisition, primarily in the United Kingdom and North America, partially as organic growth had been deemed to be too slow. During 2004, it also acquired Skanska's 50% stake in Hong Kong's Gammon Construction. Balfour Beatty's domestic acquisitions have included the construction services business Mansell plc for £42m in November 2003, construction and civils contractor Birse Group for £32m in August 2006, Bristol construction company Cowlin Construction, also in October 2007, and regional contractor Dean & Dyball for £45 million in February 2008. In November 2010, the company bought the remnant of collapsed construction company Rok plc for £7 million.
In February 2007, Balfour Beatty acquired Texas-based Centex Construction for £180m. In February 2008, the company bought GMH Military Housing, a United States–based military accommodation business, for £180m. In September 2009, the company agreed to buy Parsons Brinckerhoff, a project management firm based in the United States, for $626 million. Balfour Beatty sold Parsons Brinckerhoff to WSP Global for $1.24bn in October 2014. In October 2010, the company bought Halsall Group, a Canadian professional services firm, for £33 million.