Vienna International Construction Industry News

Read the latest headlines about developments in the international construction industry in Vienna and Austria

Linz-Based Unit of Bilfinger Delivers EUR 10 Mln Pipe System to Egypt

Bilfinger VAM, a Linz-based unit of German construction firm, will enjoy a capacity utilisation until autumn thanks to the contract for a pipe system in Egypt, the company said. The firm shares the EUR 10 million (USD 11.3 million) deal with another Bilfinger unit.

April 7, 2016

Strabag Builds Hydroelectric Power Plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina Worth € 57 Million

A consortium consisting of Austrian construction group Strabag and Croatian industrial company Končar has been awarded the contract to build the Vranduk power plant on the river Bosna on behalf of energy supply company JP Elektroprivreda BiH.

January 11, 2016

Insolvent DIY Chain BauMax Ended Its Operations

Insolvent DIY chain BauMax ended its operations completely on Friday with many stores sold to Obi of Germany. Seven stores did not attract a buyer. Some 700 employees in total are at risk of losing their jobs.

October 30, 2015

Wienerberger Annual Reports Ranked Among the Top 20 Worldwide

Wienerberger, the world's largest producer of bricks, has again won recognition for its Annual Report 2014 and also, for the first time, for its Sustainability Report 2014. Heimo Scheuch, Chief Executive Officer of Wienerberger AG, takes pride in these distinctions: "Open and active communication with all our stakeholders and the highest possible level of transparency are top priorities for us."

October 15, 2015

Strabag Wins Road Deal in Poland for € 118 Million

Listed builder Strabag won a EUR 118 million (USD 135.4 million) contract in Poland for the construction of a 15 km motorway section between Woźniki and Pyrzowice plus one motorway maintenance facility, two rest stops, 29 bridges and wildlife crossings. Completion is supposed to take place in mid-2018.

August 27, 2015

S&P Upgrades Strabag's Rating from BBB- to BBB

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has raised the credit rating of publicly listed construction group Strabag SE by one level from BBB- to BBB. The outlook remains at “stable”.

June 23, 2015

Strabag Builds EUR 37 Million Power Plant in Switzerland

Strabag AG is building the Rhone Oberwald run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant in the Swiss canton of Valais. The contract value of € 37 million comprises the construction of the necessary tunnels, galleries and underground chambers.

June 5, 2015

Strabag Builds Two Czech Motorways for € 24 Mln

Strabag a.s., the Czech subsidiary of Austrian-based publicly listed technology group Strabag SE, has been awarded two new motorway contracts in the Czech Republic as part of a consortium with Eurovia CS. The company will build two sections of the D3 motorway (see image) linking Prague with southern Bohemia.

March 9, 2015

Strabag SE Expects EBIT of at Least € 300 Million for 2015

Construction group Strabag SE today announced its first figures for the 2014 financial year and issued an outlook for 2015.

February 16, 2015

Andritz Signs EUR 250 Million Deal in the UK

Listed engineering group Andritz will supply equipment worth EUR 250 million for the world’s first tidal lagoon hydropower project in Swansea Bay, Wales.

February 10, 2015

Strabag SE Issues € 200 Million Corporate Bond

Construction group Strabag SE issues a € 200 million corporate bond. The fixed-interest bond has a term to maturity of seven years and a coupon of 1.625 % p.a.

January 29, 2015

Strabag Builds Volkswagen Factory in Wrzesnia, Poland

Strabag Sp. z o.o., the Polish subsidiary of publicly listed Strabag SE, has been awarded the contract to build a new production plant for Volkswagen commercial vehicles in Poland. The automobile manufacturer plans to manufacture the next generation of its VW Crafter delivery van in the new factory in Września. Strabag has been commissioned to build three of the five modern production and industrial buildings that form part of the overall investment by the middle of 2015.

December 3, 2014

Heimo Scheuch: "Wienerberger Bricks Secures Liquidity Reserves up to 2019"

Wienerberger AG today announced the conclusion of a new revolving credit line with a volume of Euro 400 million. It has a term extending to November 2019, replaces the previous facility and provides ongoing financing for general corporate purposes. According to Wienerberger, the strong interest led to an increase in the volume from the originally planned Euro 350 million to Euro 400 million. The bank consortium includes 10 banks under the direction of the long-standing partners Danske Bank A/S, Raiffeisen Bank International AG and UniCredit Bank Austria AG.

November 21, 2014

Strabag Extends Container Port in Mauritius for € 90 Mln

Strabag is extending and strengthening the container harbour at Port Louis, Mauritius, together with its partner Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Co. SA. The project has a volume of about € 90 million (USD 115 million), of which Strabag holds 50 %, and is to be completed in slightly over two years.

November 20, 2014

Strabag Consortium Builds € 300 Mln Eisack River Undercrossing for Brenner Base Tunnel

The construction group Strabag, in a consortium with the Italian construction companies Salini Impregilo, Consorzio Cooperative Costruzioni CCC and Collini Lavori, signed the € 300 million contract to build the Eisack Undercrossing section of the Brenner Base Tunnel.

October 24, 2014

Strabag Builds a Section of Polish A4 Motorway for € 85 Mln

A consortium consisting of Strabag Sp. z o.o. and Budimex S.A. has signed the contract to build a 41 km section of the A4 motorway from Rzeszów to Jarosław in south-eastern Poland. The gross contract has a value of about € 170 million. Strabag holds a 50 % share in the consortium. The construction time is estimated to take 14 months.

September 18, 2014

Strabag to Build Koscierzyna Bypass in Poland for EUR 40 Mln

A consortium of Strabag Poland and its subsidiary Heilit+Woerner has been awarded the design-and-build contract for a 7.6 km bypass around the city of Kościerzyna in northern Poland. The 7.6 km carriageway includes various civil engineering structures and environmental protection measures. The contract has a value of about € 40 million (PLN 165 million).

September 11, 2014

Analysis: The Brenner Base Tunnel

The Brenner Base Tunnel is a planned 55-kilometre long railway tunnel through the base of the Brenner massif. It will run from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof in Austria to Franzensfeste (Fortezza) in Italy, replacing part of the current Brenner railway. The line is part of Line 1, the Berlin to Palermo route, of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T).

August 11, 2014

Austrian Doka Provides Formwork Solutions for Tallest Residential Building in NYC

Located on what is dubbed as “Billionaire’s Row,” 432 Park Avenue is a 90-foot by 90-foot square luxury condo building being erected 1,398 feet (426m) high. When complete, it will be the tallest residential building in New York City and in the Western Hemisphere. “This building will be a landmark…rising out of Midtown like a pencil sticking up in the air twice as high as anything else in the neighborhood,” says Antonio Rodrigues, President of Roger & Sons Concrete, Inc., the contractor for the project.

August 1, 2014

Efkon Signs Vehicle-Tracking-Devices Deal with Indian Oil Corporation

Continuing the winning streak in the VTS (Vehicle-Tracking-Devices) business, Efkon India again was successful in winning 4 tenders for vehicle tracking systems. The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. ordered a total amount of 6631 devices which equals an order intake of € 1,4 Mio.

July 24, 2014

Poland: Strabag to Construct S7 Section “Trasa Nowohucka” in Kraków Worth € 130 Million

A consortium comprising Strabag Sp. z o.o. and Heilit+Woerner Sp. z o.o, two subsidiaries of Austrian listed company Strabag SE, has signed a contract for the construction of a stretch of the planned S7 expressway in the east of Kraków, called “Trasa Nowohucka”, which will run between Rybitwy and Igołomska.

July 24, 2014

Wienerberger Increases Capacity in the UK

Rising demand in the UK made it necessary for Wienerberger to initiated measures to increase its capacity. Around 200 million more bricks per annum will be produced by re-activating mothballed factories, investing in technology upgrades, adding shifts and new jobs throughout its UK operations, and importing from the continent. Earnings contribution from re-activated plants will be reflected in 2015 results

July 17, 2014

Strabag to Build Outfall Tunnel in Canada

Publicly-listed construction group Strabag has secured a new contract in Canada: In its winning tender, the company agreed to build the Mid-Halton Outfall Tunnel for CAD 79 million (approx. EUR 54 million). The project centres on the excavation of two 60 m deep shafts and a 6.3 km rock-bored tunnel that is designed to carry treated effluent water from the water treatment plant in Oakville into Lake Ontario.

July 17, 2014

Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element Raises Stake in Strabag to Over 25 Percent

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska's option to increase his stake in Austrian construction group Strabag SE to 25 percent plus one share (a blocking minority stake) has been exercised.

July 16, 2014

Strabag to Build Steel Plant in Russia for € 300 Million

Publicly listed construction group Strabag SE has been contracted by Russia’s Tula-Steel Company to build a steel production and rolling mill in Tula, some 200 km south of Moscow. The industrial complex will be constructed in close vicinity to Tulachermet’s existing iron mill. The contract value is € 300 million. Construction of the project will begin in autumn 2014 and is expected to be completed within 36 months. Also today, BWB the Austrian antitrust authority has approved the acquisition of a total of 25% in Strabag by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch.

July 14, 2014

Austrian Export Award 2014 for Above-Average Export Commitment

As part of a festive gala evening in Vienna's Museumsquartier, the Austrian Export Prize 2014 has been awarded by the Federal Minister for Science, Research and Economics, Reinhold Mitterlehner, and the President of the Economic Chamber Austria (WKO) Christoph Leitl.

June 26, 2014

Deripaska to Raise his Stake in Strabag to 25%

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska plans to raise his stake in construction company Strabag to 25% from 19.4%.

June 12, 2014

Nexans to Build Plant in Bulgaria

According to the Bulgarian Economy Ministry, French cable car constructor Nexans will establish a plant employing 600 persons.

May 12, 2014

Amazon Gets New Warehouse in the Czech Republic

US-based online retailer Amazon will get a warehouse in the EIA informationsystem in the Černovická terasa industrial zone in Brno.

May 12, 2014

Serbia: Effective Measures for Economy

The Serbian Chamber of Commerce considers the measures for economic growth “a very big thing”.

April 7, 2014

Austria: Dispute about Hypo Credit to Alpine

The granting of a loan to Alpine Bau, which went bankrupt soon afterwards, in the amount of € 25m by Austrian problem bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria has become an issue of the Austrian prosecution.

March 31, 2014

Serbia: Share of NPL Increases Dramatically

The share of bad loans in Serbia has increased to 21.3 percent.

March 6, 2014

Poland: Economic Growth to Speed Up

According to the Economy Ministry’s forecast, economic growth is supposed to come at 3 percent of GDP year-on-year this year. Inflation, on the other, is expected to come at 2 percent.

February 10, 2014

Austrian Industrial Sector only Sees Weak Recovery

The Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) warns about a fragile economic recovery.

January 30, 2014

London Roadshow with Austrian Companies

Austrian Companies with Erste Group and the Vienna Stock Exchange on Road Show to London

January 27, 2014

Austria: OeNB Forecasts Modest Economic Growth

According to the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) economic growth in Austria only came at 0.3 percent last year.

January 24, 2014

Austrian State Sues Six Banks

The Republic of Austria filed lawsuits against six lending banks of bankrupt construction enterprise Alpine.

January 17, 2014

Austria: VIG to Sell Stakes in Porr

Listed Vienna Insurance Grop (VIG) downsizes its stake in Austrian construction company Porr, which is also listed at the Vienna Stock Exchange.

January 9, 2014

Slovenia: Calls for Reforms Become Louder

The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (GZS) calls upon the government to accelerate the realization of reforms to boost economic growth.

January 8, 2014

Erste Group and Bank Austria Face Lawsuits

Two Austrian lending banks are involved both as plaintiffs and as defendants in bankrupt construction company Alpine’s court trials.

January 2, 2014

Czech Republic: Economic Sentiment Rises

As published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), the Czech economic sentiment indicator rose by one point to 5.5 points compared to November.

December 20, 2013

Construction Industry Remains Weak Point of Slovenian Industrial Sector

Slovenia´s industrial sector records a decline in employment and investments. Despite the economic downward trend, the energy sector achieves growing turnover figures.

November 16, 2013

Austria: Slight Economic Growth

The Austrian Institute for Economic Research (Wifo) has forecast an increase of the macroeconomic production by 0.2 percent in real terms compared to the previous quarter.

November 14, 2013

Slovenia: Significant Decline in Business Confidence

Sentiment indicator lower than in the previous month In October 2013 (-13 percentage points) the sentiment indicator was 1 percentage point lower than in September 2013 (-12 percentage points).

October 28, 2013

Without CESEE Business Alpine Would Still Exist

According to reports by auditor BDO and liquidator Stephan Riel, business in Austria remained profitable for insolvent construction company. If Alpine had never expanded business to CESEE it would still exist.

October 25, 2013

House Searches at Strabag Subsidiary in Croatia

The corruption scandal at the Croatian Chamber of Economy affects public road authority HAC and construction companies that were commissioned, among them Austrian Strabag and Alpine.

October 22, 2013

Bill Gates Becomes Second-Largest Shareholder in FCC

Spanish construction company and parent company of Austrian Alpine has a new shareholder: Founder of Microsoft Bill Gates has aquired a participation of around six percent.

October 22, 2013

Austria: Alpine Bankruptcy Caused Further Enterprises to Go Bust

Alpine’s bankruptcy has caused thirteen enterprises to slip into insolvency so far. Half of the companies are currently fighting for continuation, according to credit protection agency KSV 1870.

October 16, 2013

Austria: Alpine Holds € 52m in Assets

Creditors of Alpine have very little chances of being compensated after the construction company declared bankruptcy. Currently Alpine holds € 52m in assets.

October 9, 2013

Czech Republic: Construction Industry Still Contracts

In August 2013 the construction output decreased by 8.1%, year-on-year (y-o-y).

October 8, 2013