Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/323010
leaders 2104 9 The Numbers 10 11 12 %chaNge Sales £M 265.6 292.1 287.5 -1.6 Gross profit £M 9.9 3.5 8.6 142.2 Operating profit £M -10 19 -8.4 -144.3 Pre-tax profit £M 27.7 16.7 -11.5 -169 Staff 1,432 939 748 -20.3 Net assets £M -20.3 -7.7 -18.2 -135.2 The raTIOs 10 11 12 % chaNge Return on capital % -136.3 -216.3 63.5 -129.3 Gross margin % 3.7 1.2 3 146.1 Operating margin % -3.8 6.5 -2.9 -145 Net margin % 10.4 5.7 -4 -170.1 Sales/employee £K 185.5 311.1 384.3 23.5 these activities. The group says rescaling has created a strong, high-quality construction business in the UK, which is capable of achieving growth, while continuing to be selective in terms of the contracts for which it bids in order to maintain its operating margin above the industry average. The energy services business has also been restructured. At the same time, the company has developed and strengthened its positions in new and existing markets that offer good opportunities for growth. It entered the support services market for oil sector customers in late 2012 through the acquisition of the Bouchier Group in Canada and by winning a major contract for Petroleum Development Oman in the Middle East. In the UK the group continued to win support services contracts for both public and private sector customers, including local authorities, as a number of these authorities look to the private sector for help in reducing costs and improving efficiency. It also became the preferred bidder for a number of substantial support services contracts for private sector customers, including Royal Bank of Scotland and Arqiva, a major achievement given that relatively few large contracts for private sector customers have come to market in recent years. The group has also continued to be successful in winning support services contracts for infrastructure, particularly in the rail and telecommunications sectors.