Surbana Jurong lifts engineering expertise with Aussie buy

Singapore

SURBANA Jurong has signed a deal to acquire Australian engineering firm Robert Bird Group (RBG) - its fifth major acquisition since 2015 as it sets its sights on becoming an end-to-end engineering consultancy by adding expertise it still lacks.

In an interview with The Business Times, group CEO Wong Heang Fine declines to reveal the price it paid for the privately-owned consulting engineering firm, which also has offices in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Southeast Asia.

The Business Times understands that the consideration was not as substantial as that for SMEC Holdings, an Australian infrastructure consultancy that Surbana bought for S$400 million in 2016.

SMEC is focused on infrastructure development, compared to RBG's expertise in structural, civil and construction services for iconic complex projects. RBG's portfolio includes London's Westfield Shopping Centre, Dubai's ICD Brookfield Place tower, Sydney's One Central Park tower and Darling Harbour Live dev…