12th Apr 2006 07:01
Atkins (WS) PLC12 April 2006 12 April 2006 WS Atkins plc Trading Update WS Atkins plc ('Atkins' or 'the Group'), the multi-disciplinary consultancygroup, is today providing an update on trading for the year ended 31 March 2006in advance of its preliminary results announcement on 20 June 2006. Overall, the Group continues to perform well. Trading in the second half of theyear has been satisfactory and it is anticipated that the results for the yearended 31 March 2006 will be at the upper end of expectations. BUSINESS SEGMENTS Design and Engineering Solutions has performed well with a number of significantcontract wins including work for the Carbon Trust, the Department forEnvironment Food and Rural Affairs, and British Nuclear Group as well as beingselected as one of three Tier 1 consultants for the engineering andinfrastructure development of the Olympic park site. The acquisition of MSL,announced on 3 April 2006, strengthens our capabilities in integrity managementin the oil & gas sector, building on our strong international position. The Rail business has benefited from the anticipated second half recovery of ourNetwork Rail related activities. Performance in the full year continues, asexpected, to be affected by the ongoing recovery of the Metronet capitalprogramme. The performance of Highways and Transportation has been in line withexpectations. We have won a number of new commissions in the Transport Planningsector as well as securing the Gloucestershire County Council contract whichcommenced on 1 April 2006. Middle East and China are performing as anticipated with further growth in ourMiddle East business. Management and Project Services has been trading strongly, in line withexpectations. Management Consultants was recently awarded a five-year contractwith Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to provide project andprogramme management support services. The performance of the Asset Management business has seen a one-off benefit inthe second half of the year from the finalisation of certain Defence relatedcontracts. In Equity Investments, the operational performance of Metronet was broadlysatisfactory. Metronet's management continue to focus on the recovery of theinitial 71/2 year capital programme. Lambert Smith Hampton has shown growth indemand for its consultancy and transactional services in the year. STAFF With continued focus on recruitment and retention, staff numbers at 31 March2006 are approximately 1,000 higher than last year. Atkins is one of The Sunday Times 20 Best Big Companies to Work For according tothe 2006 survey. For the sixth consecutive year Atkins was named as the numberone consultant in the Consultants File, published by New Civil Engineer. OUTLOOK With the order book strong and opportunities in all of our markets, the Boardbelieves that the Group is well positioned to make further progress in 2006/07. Enquiries: Atkins +44 (0)1372 726140Keith ClarkeChief Executive Robert MacLeodGroup Finance Director Brunswick +44 (0)20 7404 5959Mike Smith NOTES TO EDITORS: Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) plans, designs and enables the delivery of complexcapital programmes for clients in the public and private sectors across theworld. Atkins is the largest multi-disciplinary consultancy in Europe; thelargest engineering consultancy in the UK; and the fourth largest design firm inthe world. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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