SENER expands in Australian market with deal to acquire infrastructure consultancy Tactix

SENER, has signed a deal with Australian consultancy Tactix Group with the aim of becoming a major provider of mass transit, rail and roads project solutions across Australia. SENER has signed an agreement to acquire 60 per cent of Tactix, with the other 40 per cent to remain with current Australian shareholders. The acquisition means SENER will consolidate its presence in Australia, where it has operated an office since 2016, working on major railway projects such as Melbourne Metro, Cross River Railway in Brisbane and roads projects such as West Gate Tunnel in Melbourne. The agreement is subject to customary approvals, including by the Australian Government. If approved, it is expected the new company will be operational within several weeks.

Tactix has operated from its head office in Sydney since 2012 as a consultancy for the transport and infrastructure sectors, in project execution and resource management. It has grown to a team of 150 consultants offering primarily the delivery of road and rail engineering systems, design, project management and assurance to major transport and infrastructure projects across Australia.

SENER Group, with head office in Bilbao, is an international leader in urban transport, rail and roads. It has 2,700 staff working in aerospace, infrastructure, energy and marine sectors across five continents. It is currently working on major projects in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Some of its most notable projects include the California high-speed line, the HS2 high-speed line in the United Kingdom, the Toluca-Mexico City intercity train, the Doha metro and the Guadalajara metro. In total, it has worked on more than 15,000 km of railway studies and projects, 5,000 km in high-speed rail, making it one of the world’s leading companies in this sector.

The newly merged company will operate under the name Tactix, but with the benefit of SENER’s global resources and infrastructure. The new company will offer services from systems assurance and integration services to design activities across more than 15 disciplines, from design phase to construction supervision, procurement, testing and commissioning, operations and maintenance. Tactix’s management team will maintain the same roles and shareholding structure.

Jorge Sengadorta Cudós, CEO of SENER Group, said, “We have reached an agreement with Tactix’ shareholders to incorporate this innovative company in SENER’s Mobility business. Tactix has acquired a great position in the Australian infrastructure market and has proved some great capacities during the last decade. Together, we can jointly bring value to our clients and take on ambitious projects in the Australian infrastructures sector.”

Ben Neary, CEO of Tactix, adds: “Tactix’s entry into the SENER group will enable us to accelerate our growth strategy, as we can now offer a wider range of services and target larger projects together with SENER. With this reinforcement of capabilities, we aim to become, in the medium term, the leading company in the transport infrastructure sector in Australia.”