On the fast track

With support from UK Trade & Investment, Balfour Beatty Rail has extended its reach in Australia, making new contacts and securing a pipeline of business opportunities.

World-class infrastructure business, Balfour Beatty, offers expertise in the services needed to drive infrastructure developments, including financing, planning and design, construction, maintenance and support.

Having worked on projects in Australia since 1998, in 2008 the company decided to explore further opportunities for business development there. Its first port of call was UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) in Sydney.

UKTI was organising a fact-finding mission for UK companies to come to Australia and find out about the local rail industry. Balfour Beatty was invited to join the group. This gave the company the contacts and information that it needed to confidently open an office in Sydney in early 2010.

Various lucrative contracts have followed, including a AUD$835 million (£535 million) contract to work on the Footscray to Deer Park section of the Melbourne Regional Rail link project. Balfour Beatty has stayed in touch with UKTI since then, making the most of various networking opportunities

“It was useful to have UKTI on board,” Mike Millar, General Manager of Balfour Beatty Rail, Australia. “We still stay in touch with them as we continue to grow. UKTI is a great source of support for UK businesses expanding overseas.”

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UKTI Support

Doing business in another country can be a challenge, so it’s good to know that UK Trade & Investment is there to help you succeed.

Through a range of unique services, including participation at selected trade fairs, overseas missions and providing bespoke market intelligence, UK Trade & Investment can help you crack foreign markets and quickly get to grips with regulations and business. Find out how we can help.