As many western economies continue to struggle in the wake of the recession, top companies in the environmental sector are expanding their global reach through a mix of organic growth and aggressive acquisitions. Within the water and wastewater sectors, competition has been particularly fierce, as firms look to narrow the bidding lists through consolidation and capitalize on emerging economies.
“It’s clear that AECOM and our competitors have moved the focus on global expansion to balance off North America and diversify,” says Robert Andrews, global managing director of Los Angeles-based AECOM’s water business. “The big firms are getting bigger, and the North American firms are getting more global.”