Accenture buys civil engineering firm Comtech
Accenture, a global management and technology consultancy, has acquired Comtech Group, a Toronto-headquartered civil engineering consulting firm.
Founded in 1994, Comtech provides professional services in program and project management, engineering, technical advisory, and technology integration. The firm works with public and private sector clients in transportation and infrastructure, industrial and manufacturing, energy and utilities, and buildings and facilities.
Comtech’s recent project work includes the Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown West extension, the TTC’s Ontario Line subway project, and the Darlington nuclear power plant refurbishment.
The consultancy has approximately 300 employees across offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Troy, Michigan.
The deal will continue Accenture’s push into infrastructure consulting.
“We are expanding our capabilities at a time that Canada is committing to major infrastructure projects,” said David Morgenstern, president of Accenture Canada. “Our country has deep roots in manufacturing, process and engineering industries. We are also home to leading organizations in AI, automation and robotics. Comtech Group will enhance our ability to bring value and productivity to clients in this evolving landscape.”
Hugo Blasutta, president and CEO of Comtech, added, “As part of Accenture, we can deliver our proven solutions to even more clients in more industries.”
Accenture will roll Comtech into its Industry X business – which launched as “Industry X.0” in 2017. The unit was initially created to help industrial firms improve their factory operations through innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, and automation. In line with this, the consultancy bought a variety of product engineering firms, such as Zielpuls and Nytec, and industrial operations specialists such as Myrtle Consulting Group.
Accenture’s acquisition of infrastructure consultancy Anser this summer indicated the Dublin-headquartered firm was edging into a consulting market typically served by civil engineering firms like Aecom, Jacobs, and WSP.
Industry X’s remit now covers civil engineering and project management for capital projects in addition to previous specialties such as product engineering, digital production and operations, and autonomous robotic systems.
A press release for the Anser transaction pointed to growing federal spending on infrastructure and the ability to open “new adjacent market share opportunities for Accenture.”
Accenture – which traces its roots to the business and IT consulting practice of defunct accountancy Arthur Andersen – previously expanded into advertising and marketing in 2015 with the launch of Accenture Interactive (now Accenture Song). The firm swiftly built the division into one of the world’s largest digital marketing agencies through an aggressive M&A campaign.
Aside from Song, the 744,000-person company’s other divisions are strategy and consulting; operations; and technology.
