South Australian construction and engineering company Ahrens has acquired Savannah Engineers for an undisclosed sum, expanding its existing Pilbara presence.
South Australian construction and engineering company Ahrens Group has acquired Savannah Engineers for an undisclosed sum, expanding its existing Pilbara presence.
Belmont-based Savannah Engineers (WA) Pty Ltd was in receivership and had around 200 staff, according to its website.
The acquisition will grow Ahrens’ existing base in Newman, while also securing two established facilities in Karratha and Port Headland.
Ahrens will aim to leave the operating structure of Savannah in the Pilbara as is, adding an extra 50 employees to its Western Australian workforce, which now represents about 30 per cent of the group’s national employees.
Ahrens managing director Stefan Ahrens said acquiring more of the supply chain strengthened the company’s position and the extra locations in the Pilbara meant Ahrens would be better able to mobilise at short notice and meet tight deadlines.
“Our vertically integrated structure means we can control more of the construction process,” he said.
“We aim to deliver a customised value-for-money outcome on every project, no matter what size.”
Savannah Engineers, an engineering maintenance company, provides services to the mining and marine industries in the Pilbara, including shutdown and fixed plant maintenance.
The acquisition of Savannah Engineering comes only a month after Ahrens purchased Perth-based Pioneer Water Tanks, which had 70 locally employed staff.
Intertanc Pty Ltd, with previous BlueScope Water management and Ahrens as key stakeholders, announced in June that it had bought the BlueScope Water business and planned to revive the Pioneer Water Tanks brand.
Along with the Savannah and Pioneer acquisitions, there has been an expansion of Ahrens’ business in Sydney to target car parks and the food sector. Mr Ahrens said this would allow the company to prosper under the Asian resource boom.
“Australia is really the resource bowl to Asia,” he said.
“Our diversification into maintenance facilities will deliver multiple income streams, which will provide security during the ups and downs of the mining and construction industry.”
With a head office in South Australia and 16 offices and factories nationwide, Ahrens Group employs more than 500 people across the country.
