BIS Group continuing to expand its US activities with the acquisition of Westcon, Inc.

17-07-2012: With the acquisition of assembly and service company Westcon Inc., the Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services Group (BIS Group) continues to broaden its activities in the US market. Based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Westcon employs more than 1,000 persons and generates revenues in excess of EUR 150 million. The company was incorporated in 1981 and since then owned by management and private-equity investors.

Westcon’s range of activities encompasses maintenance, repairs, upgrading and full assembly of process plants primarily in the oil and gas midstream and downstream industries but also in the energy sector. Linde, Hess, Whiting Petroleum, Cargill, Tesoro and Sinclair are part of the main customers of Westcon Inc.

With the purchase of Westcon, the BIS Group is further broadening its presence in the United States. As Dr. Michael Herbermann, the CEO of the BIS Group, explains: “The acquisition of Westcon allows us to substantially strengthen our position in the US market and extend our activities to regions in which we were previously not present. It is consistent with the strategy being pursued by our parent company Bilfinger Berger SE of focusing on aquisition-driven expansion in addition to organic growth. The US is one of the target countries defined in this growth strategy.”

The BIS Group had 2,700 employees in the United States in 2011 generating revenues beyond EUR 400 million. The acquisition of Westcon, Inc. is still subject to antritrust clearance.