HOCHTIEF Services
Effective January 1, 2008, our European facility management activities were consolidated into a single division, putting into place the conditions for the dynamic growth we have planned.*Promising market environment
The Asia-Pacific region continues to offer HOCHTIEF major opportunities due to the region’s continued rapid economic growth and the resulting ongoing demand, particularly in the areas of raw materials and infrastructure. We see substantial growth opportunities in India and the Gulf region particular. HOCHTIEF holds an excellent strategic position in these promising markets thanks to our Australian subsidiary Leighton Holdings, which repositioned itself in the Gulf in 2007 through a merger with Al Habtoor Engineering.Growth opportunities also abound due to the positive development of the infrastructure market in the USA. The major demand for refurbishment and new construction will necessitate substantial government expenditure for highway and bridge construction projects in the coming years. The purchase in 2007 of Flatiron Construction Corp., a very well positioned and recognized leader in the transportation sector of the US construction industry, has provided HOCHTIEF with excellent placement on the US civil engineering market. In addition, we also expect Flatiron to bring in contracts from the promising North American public-private-partnership market. The development of this segment offers the ideal conditions for networking our international PPP and civil engineering expertise with Flatiron’s position as an experienced supplier in North America and offering these services as an all-around package.
We also anticipate the dynamic efforts toward climate protection in Germany will open up major opportunities for growing HOCHTIEF’s business. In late 2007, Germany’s federal government presented a comprehensive package of laws, regulations and other measures aimed at implementing an integrated energy and climate protection program, which is expected to be passed in May 2008. The key points of the program are increasing the share of energy produced from renewable sources, promoting environmentally friendly and efficient production of electricity and heat, and boosting the energy efficiency of buildings.
HOCHTIEF is in a very good position to benefit from implementation of the energy efficiency targets for buildings** aimed for and promoted by the federal government. We already provide attractive offers in the energy contracting and energy management segments through our subsidiary HOCHTIEF Energy Management. These services can be combined optimally with the product and service spectrum of HOCHTIEF Construction, HOCHTIEF Facility Management and HOCHTIEF Property Management in the areas of construction, revitalization and real estate management. HOCHTIEF will benefit from the promising market in Germany— and internationally—for building refurbishment for the purpose of energy optimization. Our new commitment to geothermal solutions marks our entry into the growth market for renewable energies.***
