Leading by example
Egis Projects Ireland is the leading company in operating and maintaining transport infrastructure in the State. Managing Director Steve Preece outlines the lessons that it has learned in leadership and project management.
“Successful leadership is about efficiency. It is about building long-term relationships with business partners and seeing each project we work on as a journey together,” Egis Projects Ireland Managing Director Steve Preece remarks.
Egis is an international group offering engineering, project structuring and operations services. In engineering and consulting its sectors of activity include transport, urban development, building, water, environment and energy. In roads and airports its offer is enlarged to encompass project development, equity investment, turnkey systems delivery, and operation and maintenance services.
Preece explains: “We specialise in the development of PPP projects, the operation of transport infrastructures, integration of operating systems and providing value added services to road users. This can range from traffic studies to on-site supervision in a project-oriented team environment.”
Owned by French-based Egis, the company was registered in Ireland in 2001. Globally, it has 12,000 employees and a turnover of €900 million, making it a major player in the public-private partnership market.
“A true leader recognises the importance of bringing everyone together to work in tune with each other, in other words pulling together in the right direction,” says Preece. “Years of financial engineering experience have confirmed Egis Projects’ expertise in investing in long-term, complex projects.”
Through its worldwide presence, Egis has developed a unique know-how in managing complex transport infrastructure projects. Egis aims to be ahead of the game, recognising customer needs and imagining new solutions for infrastructure users and providers.
Channelling an in-depth knowledge of new technologies and creative, multi-cultural talents ensures that our solutions meet local and international requirements.
Egis also has a recognised ability to innovate, bringing the right people on board and building long-lasting partnerships with many of the world’s finest contractors and consultants. Its involvement in all stages of a project ensures that it sees the bigger picture. As a turnkey contractor, it can also deliver all necessary equipment to operate infrastructure and monitor its performance through intelligent transport systems.
A network of experts, both at head office and in 23 operating subsidiaries, offers a unique advisory and audit capabilities in operation and maintenance, capitalising on over 20 years of expertise and know-how.
Projects
At present, we are operating 10 projects jointly and solely around Ireland with our head office based in Dublin.
Egis has a 100 per cent stake in the company operating the Dublin Port Tunnel toll road – Egis Road and Tunnel Operation (ERTO) – which was established in 2005. ERTO manages all processes involved in the operation and maintenance of the tunnel e.g. toll collection, traffic management, tunnel safety procedures, emergency and contingency planning, equipment and infrastructure maintenance and inspection.
ERTO is also responsible for the Motorway Traffic Control Centre (MTCC), which manages traffic on the M1 and M50 and will soon take on responsibility for the M7 and M8. The company offers outsourced services for electronic tolling, car park payments and fleet management through a partnership with fleet management market leader Celtrak.
Egis Projects SA is a shareholder of easytrip, which supplies single electronic tags for all toll road schemes and a growing number of car parks in Ireland. Over 185,000 tags are in operation. Egis’ IT systems are supplied and designed on a turnkey basis and the company also operates the Information Exchange Agent: a clearing house for all Irish toll road schemes.
Separately, it forms part of the Go Safe consortium that operates a network of speed cameras in the Irish Republic responsible for the design, implementation and set-up of the Garda safety cameras service. This includes cameras and vans (mobile units), back office systems and infrastructure, depots and security systems.
Egis Lagan Services Ltd is a newly formed company specifically established to undertake maintenance and renewals work on the Irish motorway network on behalf of the National Roads Authority. It has responsibility for 330km of mainline carriageway along the M7, M8 and M9 motorways and the N25/N40 road network around Cork City.
Four subsidiaries serve the greater Dublin area’s commuters: EastLink Ltd, SouthLink N25 Ltd, MidLink M7/M8 and NorthLink M1 Ltd.
Egis Projects Ireland (EPIR) has a service level agreement with East-Link Limited up to the end of the concession in 2015. EPIR manage all elements of the day-to-day operations through seconded staff with support from central services. In addition EPIR designed, procured and financed the entire toll operating equipment. EPIR continues to support the toll hardware and software systems 24/7 365 days a year.
SouthLink N25 Ltd are the operations and maintenance operators for CRG Ltd on the N25 Waterford City Bypass PPP Project. Opened in October 2009, the project comprises a 23 km 2×2 lane dual carriageway section, the 475m Cable-Stayed River Suir Bridge, 32 structures, 4 interchanges and an open system with one ten lane toll plaza.
MidLink M7/M8 Ltd are the operations and maintenance operators for CRG Ltd on the M7/M8 Portlaoise Motorway PPP. Opened in May 2012, the project comprises 41km of 2×2 lane Motorway forming an integral link in two major inter-urban routes between Dublin-Limerick and Dublin-Cork. The project consists of four motorway interchanges, 59 structures comprising rail structures, viaducts, road bridges and culverts.
NorthLink M1 Ltd – The Dundalk Western Bypass (DWB) project is a PPP project involving the construction of 11km of motorway and the operation and maintenance of the M1 Motorway from junction 7 in Meath to just short of junction 16 in Louth. In February 2004 the DWB PPP contract was awarded to Celtic Roads Group Dundalk Ltd. The contract involves the design, financing and construction of 11km of motorway to the west of Dundalk together with the operation and maintenance of the total 53km motorway, including the 352m cable-stayed Boyne Bridge, for a period of 30 years. The Dundalk Western Bypass opened in April 2004. In 2008 the toll plaza was extended by 2 lanes to cater for the projected increases in traffic demands.
“As a company we have identified the strengths of being based in Ireland,” Preece comments. “We take the view that this is an integral part for Egis Projects for the future.
“With Ireland still considered as fairly young to road infrastructure and operation, in the eyes of Europe, we believe we still have a considerable amount of experience to bring to Ireland. This will benefit the public as well as the incumbent government as they look to expand and maintain the road network within the difficult constraints of the Irish economy.”
Preece concluded: “Our future ambitions are to maintain our position as the largest operator and main provider of PPP schemes and road projects and to continue to assist and develop the best practices used throughout the world and Ireland by investment and development through partnerships.”
Egis in brief
• Centre of excellence and competence
• Over 30 Irish staff full-time working as a core of excellence
• Supporting over 400 staff indirectly in Ireland and France
• Highly skilled people seconded to bring their worldwide knowledge and expertise
• Using knowledge to deliver client satisfaction and project optimisation
• Innovative project development record across a wide range of projects
• Highly diversified experience and worldwide presence across a wide portfolio of projects
Egis Projects Ireland
Unit 24, Northwood House
Northwood Business Park
Santry, Dublin 9
Tel: 01 469 1200
Email: information@egis.ie
Web: www.egis.ie
