CH2M Hill changes focus to fight with the countrys biggest developers
Valor Econômico - 07/29/2008
American CH2M Hill, one of the largest developers in heavy construction of the world, with income above US$ 5 billion, is getting ready to dispute, on a par with the great national engineering companies, the bunch of large-sized works that will be carried out in Brazil in the next years. The company wants to focus its operations in the country on the areas of oil and gas, petrochemistry, mining and works of environmental nature. The expectation is to reach net earnings of US$ 100 million within four years, working in projects with total investment of US$ 2 billion. The first step in this strategy of growth is assembling a team of qualified professionals who know the national market. Since the beginning of the year the company has been seeking professionals among rivals like Camargo Corrêa, Odebrecht and WTorre. CH2M is investing nearly US$ 2 million only in the hiring of staff. The shortage of professionals caused the company to get into a declared war against its main rivals in the country. Today, the operation of CH2M in Brazil is basically aimed at the construction of productive units for North American companies, which guarantees the company earnings of US$ 20 million a year. The change in focus to strategic areas is seen as a new start for CH2M in Brazil. "Our expectations on the company's operation in Brazil are definitively a restart", says the Brazilian, Pablo Ibañez, president of the company in Brazil. Since 1996, the operation of the company in Brazil was extremely marginal and shy when compared to the figures of the company worldwide. Responsible for the management of huge projects, such as the expansion of the Panama Canal or the works for the London Summer Olympics, CH2M is, at the moment, operating directly and indirectly in works that involve investments above US$ 100 billion. It has businesses in all five continents and in a large range of areas from the construction of nuclear plants to projects for treatment of chemical residues to depollution of contaminated areas.