Kate Adlington
Global Press Office,London
All parts of the firm have contributed to another year of solid financial performance. Annual revenue grew by 3.6% to £1.56 billion for the period April 2017 to March 2018.
Operating profit, before staff profit sharing, rose to 12.2%, up from 11.6% the previous year. The firm has also seen an increase in its order book, now standing at £1.31 billion, up nearly a quarter from last year. This increase can be attributed in part to the firm’s strategic focus on North America as well as its continued strength in the UK infrastructure market. It is also a sign of clients across the world increasingly recognising the value the firm brings by combining technical expertise in the built environment with relevant skills across strategy, economics, financing, programme management and operations.
During the year the firm has made progress in strengthening its global presence, particularly in Southeast Asia and North America. Across Southeast Asia Arup now has eight offices and more than 1,000 staff members. Projects such as the Rawang Bypass in Malaysia – drastically reducing travel time between Serendah and Kuala Lumpur – are typical of the positive impact the firm’s work is having in the region.
An area of focus this year has been on digital transformation. Arup has made significant progress in five important areas: automation, data, digital services, digital products and technology. Projects such as our work on 3D printing in steel and concrete and driverless cars demonstrate the impact we are already having.
Following the firm’s decision in 2017 to embed The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals across our operations, we have made good progress in putting plans in place to align our work even more closely with these goals.