Laing O'Rourke

Updated on Dec 18, 2023

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Headquarters Dartford, United Kingdom Number of employees 15,088		CEO Ray O'Rourke KBE Founder Ray O'Rourke

Type Private limited company Industry Construction, Civil Engineering Key people Ray O'Rourke KBE (Chairman and CEO) Revenue £3,127.4 million (2014/15) Operating income £75.7 million (2014/15) Net income £20.1 million (2014/15) Founded 1978, London, United Kingdom Managing directors Paul Sheffield CBE (Engineering Enterprise), Stephen Harley (Asset Businesses) Parent organization Suffolk Partners Corporation Profiles LinkedIn Twitter YouTube

Laing o rourke an incredible story

Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978 by Ray O'Rourke. It is the largest privately owned construction company in the UK.

Laing o rourke s leadenhall building

History

The company was founded by Ray O'Rourke in 1978. It was originally based in east London and was known as R. O'Rourke & Son.

In 2001 R. O'Rourke bought Laing Construction from John Laing plc for £1. Laing's construction business had been making significant losses, in part due to additional costs on the Cardiff Millennium Stadium project. The name of the company was changed to Laing O'Rourke.

In 2004 the company acquired Crown House Engineering, a mechanical & electrical engineering business, from Carillion.

Laing O'Rourke went on to expand its operations in Australia in 2006 when it acquired Barclay Mowlem, also from Carillion.

On 11 January 2016 Laing O'Rourke announced that it had begun the formal sale process of selling its Australian business. This was a result of multiple unsolicited offers and a desire to invest more heavily in the company's UK operations.

Operations

Laing O'Rourke has operations in two major geographic hubs, Europe and Australia. European operations span Abu Dhabi, Canada, Dubai and the United Kingdom. Australian operations cover Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and South East Asia The company operates in building construction, infrastructure construction, investment & development, modular manufacturing, engineering expertise and support services. Its projects span a range of sectors including, building, transport, power, water & utilities, mining & natural resources and oil & gas .

Major projects

Major projects involving the Company have included;

Ascot Racecourse, completed in 2007

London Heathrow Terminal 5, London, UK, completed in 2008

Darwin Convention Centre, Northern Territory, Australia, completed in 2008

Kwinana Power Station, Western Australia, completed in 2008

Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, UAE, completed in 2009

Darling Downs Power Station, Queensland, Australia, completed in 2010

One Hyde Park, London, completed in 2011

London Gateway Port, London, completed in 2013

The Leadenhall Building at 122 Leadenhall Street, London, completed in 2014

London Heathrow Terminal 2, completed in 2014

The Francis Crick Institute, London, due for completion 2016

Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Canada, due for completion 2016

Redevelopment of the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, due for completion in 2017

Redevelopment of Bond Street Station due for completion in 2017

Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, UAE, due for completion in 2018

Redevelopment of the Glan Clwyd Hospital due for completion in 2018

Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, due for completion circa 2021

Redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, due for completion in 2024

Controversies

Laing O'Rourke and its 2004 acquisition, Crown House, were revealed as subscribers to the UK's Consulting Association, exposed in 2009 for operating an illegal construction industry blacklist. Laing O'Rourke was later one of eight businesses involved in the 2014 launch of the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme, condemned as a "PR stunt" by the GMB union, and described by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee as "an act of bad faith".

References

Laing O'Rourke Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA