Downer Group is an integrated services company that designs, builds and sustains assets, infrastructure and facilities for customers in Australia and New Zealand.
Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and New Zealand Stock Exchange as Downer EDI Limited (DOW), Downer is an ASX 100 company that also owns 88 per cent of Spotless Group Holdings Limited (SPO).
Downer Group employs approximately 56,000 people across more than 300 sites, primarily in Australia and New Zealand but also in the Asia-Pacific region, South America and Southern Africa.
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History
Downer's foundations were laid in the 1800s, when Walkers Limited and Clyde Engineering were founded in Australia, and the Public Works Department and Electrical Telegraph Department were founded in New Zealand. These would later merge in the 1900s to form parts of the Downer Group. The 1900s also saw the establishment of companies that now make up Downer's core divisions; Evans Deakin and Company (EDI), a rail company and Roche Brothers, a major mining contractor.
The Downer Group was founded in New Zealand in 1933 as Downer & Co by Arnold Fielder Downer focussing on providing engineering and construction services to the public and private infrastructure sectors in New Zealand, including the New Zealand Public Works Department. In 1954 it merged with William Cable Holdings and in 1964 with A&G Price to form Cable Price Downer.
In 1994, Downer merged with Hong Kong-based Paul YITC. In 1996, Works Corporation, the state-owned enterprise civil construction arm of the New Zealand Ministry of Works & Development was purchased. In 1997, mining contractor Roche Brothers was acquired. In 1998 Downer purchased major roads contractor Technic Group, and were first listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
In 2000, road sealing business Bitumix was acquired from BP. In 2001 Downer merged with Evans Deakin Industries to form Downer EDI. Between 2003-2008 Downer also acquired Stork, QCC, Snowden, Emoleum and Excell Corporation. In October 2014, the construction assets of Tenix were acquired.
In March 2017 Downer acquired Hawkins, one of New Zealand's largest builders, and in June 2017, took majority ownership of Spotless Group Holdings though a hostile takeover. The Spotless acquisition is the largest in Downer's history.
Major projects
Projects undertaken by the company have included:
- Homer Tunnel (1935-1940)
- Rimutaka Tunnel in partnership with Morrison-Knudsen (1951-1955)
- Cook Strait Ferry Terminal for passenger and freight operations (1960)
- Lower Nihotupu Reservoir (1948)
- Lower Wairarapa Valley flood prevention scheme (1964-1984)
- New Plymouth Power Station (1972)
- City Rail Link, Auckland (started 2016)
- Christmas Creek mine (2010-2016) <ref?[17]</ref>
- Gorgon gas project (2014 - 2017)
- Wheatstone (2014 - 2017)
- Carrapateena mine
- Gruyere Gold Project
- Meandu Mine operations
- Ross River solar farm
- Clare solar farm
- Australia's National Broadband Network; FttC, FttN, HFC
- High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT)
- Sydney Growth Trains (SGT)
- Maintenance of Sydney Trains' Millennium passenger fleet
- Newcastle Light Rail
Operations
Downer reports its financial results under six service lines: Transport; Utilities; Rail; Engineering, Construction and Maintenance; Mining and Spotless.
Rail
Downer Rail was formed in March 2001 as EDI Rail following the purchase of Evans Deakin Industries by Downer Group. Evans Deakin operated the former Clyde Engineering plants at Kelso and Somerton and Walkers Limited, Maryborough plant. It reopened the former Cardiff Locomotive Workshops to build CityRail M sets. In July 2007 it was renamed Downer Rail.
In 2008 Locomotive Demand Power was established as a subsidiary to lease locomotives. In November 2009 Downer Rail became a tram operator through its 49% shareholding in Keolis Downer that operates the Yarra Trams franchise in Melbourne. In July 2014, Keolis Downer commenced operating the G:link light rail line on the Gold Coast.
In March 2015, Keolis Downer purchased bus operator Australian Transit Enterprises which operates the Hornibrook Bus Lines, Link SA, Path Transit and SouthLink operations with 930 buses. In July 2017, Keolis Downer commenced operating bus and ferry services in Newcastle under the Newcastle Transport brand.
Transport
Transport comprises Downer's road, rail infrastructure, bridge, airport and port businesses. It conducts transport infrastructure services that include earthworks, civil construction, asset management, maintenance, surfacing and stabilisation, supply of bituminous products and logistics, open space and facilities management and rail track signalling and electrification works.
Utilities
The Utilities service line provides services in the power, gas, water, renewable energy and communications sectors. Downer designs, builds, operates and maintains steel lattice transmission towers, electricity and gas networks, wastewater treatment plants, water assets, wind farms, solar farms and telecommunication networks such as the NBN.
Engineering, Construction and Maintenance (EC&M)
Downer's EC&M division provides services to greenfield and brownfield projects across industry sectors such as: oil and gas; power generation; commercial / non-residential; iron ore; coal; and industrial materials. These services are delivered on mining and industrial sites as well as commercial operations such as data centres, airport facilities and hospitals. EC&M has a Defence business which offers design, construction, operation and maintenance services to the Australian Army.
Mining
Downer's Mining business operates across 50 sites in Australia, Papua New Guinea, South America and Southern Africa. Most of Downer's Mining contracts deliver open cut mining and blasting services, with other services such as tyre management, underground mining, blasting, consulting services and site rehabilitation.
Spotless
Spotless operates in Australia and New Zealand and provides outsourced facility services, catering and laundry services, technical and engineering services, maintenance and asset management services and refrigeration solutions. Its customers include corporations and government departments, agencies and authorities at the Federal, State and Municipal level.
Sponsorships
In 2016, Downer Group became the naming rights sponsor of the NRL Auckland Nines through until 2018. It also sponsored the 2016 Anzac Test at the Newcastle International Sports Centre. In 2017, Downer signed on to be the major sponsor of the Sunshine Coast Lightning netball team. On 5th February 2018 it was announced that the Downer Group would sponsor the 2018 World Club Challenge
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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