International engineering services provider Byrne Looby Partners has announced a joint venture partnership with ASCO Consulting Engineers. With ASCO’s 40 years’ experience and licence as a Grade A engineering consultancy in Qatar, the move marks an essential part of Byrne Looby Partners’ growth in the Middle East, resulting in a significant increase of its workforce in both Ireland and the GCC region. The announcement was made during the Enterprise Ireland Trade and Investment Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE.
Byrne Looby Partners’ team of experienced and responsive engineering experts specialise in delivering solutions for the water, marine, infrastructure and energy sectors. The firm entered the Qatari market two years ago and since designed some of the largest water and tunnelling projects in the country. Founded in Ireland in 1998, the company has international offices in the UK, Qatar, KSA and UAE, delivering projects with a capital value up to $2bn.
Sam Murdock, Water Director, Byrne Looby Partners said, “through our Joint Venture with ASCO, we have created some solid revenue streams for 2014, we have grown the team and added new skills, and we have won world class projects in new areas.”
He continued, ‘’we are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship that will allow our Irish Engineering expertise, together with our local technical excellence, to assist in the development of Qatar and its 2030 Vision.’’
Byrne Looby Partners employs a total of 100 people across its offices and estimates that the number of employees serving Qatar will reach 20 in 2014. Around 40 % of these employees will be based in Qatar, while the remaining 60% will be serving the market from the company’s Dublin and Cork offices. The company’s Qatari revenue reached €1.2 million in 2013 and is expected to increase to €2.2M during this year. Byrne Looby’s work to date in Qatar has included tunneling for the Lusail Expressway, two major wastewater treatment plants in Doha and a Treated Sewage Effluent system upgrade for Qatar Petroleum.
Speaking in Doha during his trade mission to Qatar, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: ‘I am delighted to welcome this joint venture between Byrne Looby Partners and ASCO Consulting Engineers. This announcement builds on the significant achievements by Byrne Looby since they entered the Qatari market just two years ago. They continue to win highly prestigious contracts, underpinning the fact that Irish companies have a very high reputation in this region for quality, innovative services and products. I wish both parties every continued success’.
Speaking on the trade mission in Doha, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton TD said: ‘This announcement by Byrne Looby is very welcome and shows what is possible for Irish companies in this region. Construction and engineering are areas which we have targeted as part of our Action Plan for Jobs, and Byrne Looby’s success is a great endorsement of the strength of Irish exporting businesses’.