The market for railway construction is undergoing radical change, owing to the fact that projects are increasingly being comprehensively contracted out. Railway construction and maintenance are linked to railway-related concrete construction and vice versa. This new product-market combination fits neatly into Heijmans' full service strategy. Besides this, it implies involvement in the entire process from design through to maintenance and possibly even management. Heijmans has extensive experience in constructing large infrastructural works, such as the HSL and the Betuwe line. Up to now concrete construction has been the principal focus in these projects. The new activities will further increase the diversity of Heijmans Infrastructure in particular.
Heitkamp Rail (1908) is one of the five companies in the world capable of building high speed lines. To do this, it has developed its own system. The company has an extensive and specialist machine park, both for traditional railway construction and for the "Feste Fahrbahn-Systeme" and "Masse-Feder-Systeme" it has developed for high speed lines. Recently Heitkamp Rail was involved in the construction of the new development project on the section Cologne - Main. In addition, it is involved in railway-related concrete construction. Building and maintenance without disrupting railway traffic is one of its specialities. Where traditional railway construction is concerned, Heitkamp Rail built such sections as "Düsseldorf airport" and the Eurotunnel under the Aermel canal. In the Netherlands, Heitkamp Rail was involved in the renewal of the railway between Leeuwarden and Stavoren as well as the Utrechtboog and the doubling of the track between Harmelen and Woerden.
Heitkamp Rail is a profitable company. Including its share in cooperative partnerships, its expected turnover 2005 amounts to some EUR 65 million. Heijmans expects a positive contribution to earnings per share in 2006. Heitkamp Rail has around 310 employees and is currently part of the building group Heitkamp-Deilmann-Haniel (HDH) in Herne.
New activities
The proposed acquisition offers Heijmans opportunities to further expand its activities in the Netherlands. Heitkamp Rail has broad experience in other countries. Apart from its operations in Germany, the company is also active in the Netherlands, the UK, Austria, France and Eastern Europe. In the Netherlands, Heitkamp Rail has shareholdings in Nedrail v.o.f and Techrail b.v.
Heitkamp Rail operates from three branch offices in Germany. Heijmans currently already has two companies in Germany: Heijmans Bau and Franki Grundbau GmbH. Heijmans also operates in Belgium and the UK. The aim is to complete the takeover of Heitkamp Rail by 1 January 2006, after a due diligence investigation has been finalised.