Ramboll

Infobox_Company
company_name = Ramboll
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = Copenhagen, Denmark (1945)
location_city = Virum
location_country = Denmark
key_people = Flemming Bligaard Pedersen, CEO
Michael Rosenvold, Chief Financial Officer
Beate W. Bentzen, Chief Development Officer
Søren Holm Johansen, Chief Market Officer
industry = Engineering
Consultancy
Management
Building
Environmental planning
Infrastructure
Industrial processes
Telecommunication
Information technology consulting
revenue = profit DKK 4,739.6 million (2007)cite web | title=Annual Report 2007 | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/financialinformation/2007.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]
net_income = profit DKK 218.6 million (2007)cite web | title=Annual Report 2007 | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/financialinformation/2007.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]
num_employees = 8,263 (2008)cite web | title=Webpage | url= http://www.ramboll.com/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-01 ]
homepage = [http://www.ramboll.com/ www.ramboll.com]

Ramboll Group A/S (also known as just "Ramboll") is the largest consulting engineering group in the Nordic countries. Ramboll is through its many subsidiaries and daughter companies, involved in a variety of international projects all over the world.

History

Ramboll was founded in October 1945 as "Rambøll & Hannemann" in Copenhagen. cite web | title=Founding Fathers | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] In 1991 the company merged with "B. Højlund Rasmussen A/S" into "Rambøll, Hannemann & Højlund A/S". cite web | title=1990-2002 | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/1990-2002.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] The year 2003 was a turning point for the company; the merger with Swedish Scandiaconsult made it the largest consulting engineering business in the Nordics. cite web | title=2003-present | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/2003-.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]

In the summer 2007, Ramboll again broadened both its expertise and geographical presence by acquiring the UK based engineering firm Whitbybird. When Whitbybird was acquired the company employed 680 people and had offices throughout the UK and in Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates. Whitbybird has expertise within high-rise, fire engineering, facade engineering and design.

In April 2008, Rambolls presence in India was significantly strengthened by acquiring the Indian telecom design company ImIsoft. This acquisition made Ramboll the largest international design firm within telecommunication.cite web | title=2003-present | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/2003-.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]

1945–1991: A typical Danish firm

Ramboll was founded in October 1945 as "Rambøll & Hannemann" in Copenhagen. cite web | title=Founding Fathers | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] Børge Johannes Rambøll (1911-) received a degree in civil engineering from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 1935. In 1944 he defended his doctorate in engineering. He had worked for several different firms, amongst others Wright, Thomasen & Kier. In 1937-1944 he was employed by Professor Christian Nøkkentvedt at DTU, where he later also became a professor. cite web | title=Børge Johannes Rambøll | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/borgejohannnesramboll.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] Johan Georg Hannemann (1907-1980) completed his studies at DTU in 1930. He then took a position under Anker Engelund at DTU and worked for him part-time, also after the establishment of “Rambøll & Hannemann”. cite web | title=Johan Georg Hannemann | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/johangeorghannemann.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] In 1947 they opened a branch office in Aarhus.

Their first important work was with the Danish broadcast engineering services (Radioingeniørtjenesten), which at the time was erecting a large number of towers and transmitters. “Rambøll & Hannemann” designed and erected a lot of broadcast towers in Denmark and Norway after 1950. This field of speciality also led to their involvement in the work with high-tension-line towers for major power plants and work for the Norwegian telephone directorate. The number of jobs for the Norwegian national broadcasting company (NRK) increased and in 1976 “Rambøll & Hannemann” opened their first Norwegian branch office in Oslo. The company grew and their scope of work extended across a wide variety of projects in the 1950s and 1960s. They had 20-30 employees in the 1950s; this grew to about 170 in the 1960s. cite web | title=1945-1969 | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/1945-1969.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]

1991-2003: Nordic expansion

In 1991 the company merged with "B. Højlund Rasmussen A/S" into "Rambøll, Hannemann & Højlund A/S". cite web | title=1990-2002 | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/1990-2002.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] The year 2003 was a turning point for the company; the merger with Swedish Scandiaconsult made it the largest consulting engineering business in the Nordics. cite web | title=2003-present | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/history/2003-.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ]

2003-: International growth

The positive financial development in the Nordics has stimulated organic growth in Ramboll. In addition to this a lot of the daughter companies have made acquisitions of different sizes in their local areas. For instance the acquisition of Storvik & Co in Norway, August 2006.cite pressrelease | title= Storvik & Co AS blir en del av Rambøll | url= http://www.ramboll.no/nyheter/06-08-16_storvik.htm | publisher = Rambøll Norge | date = 2007-08-16 | accessdate = 2007-07-02]

In August 2007 Ramboll bought privately owned UK based engineering firm Whitbybird. At the time of the acquisition Whitbybird employed 680 people, with offices throughout the UK and in Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates, making this the largest acquisition made by the Ramboll Group since the merger with Scandiaconsult in 2003.cite book | title= Ramboll kops rival Whitbybird | url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/08/12/cnramboll112.xml | publisher = The Daily Telegraph | accessdate= 2007-09-13]

Ownership

All shares in Ramboll Group A/S are owned by the Ramboll Foundation (approx. 93% of the shares) and by Ramboll Employees Shareholders called Ramboll Partners (approx. 7% of the shares). The Ramboll Foundation's main objective is to be main owner of Ramboll Group A/S, and through that, to promote the company's continuance and development, financially as well as commercially. The Foundation may support research and education, in technical and scientific fields, in particular, with a view to promoting – directly or indirectly – the development of the company and the job satisfaction of its employees. The Foundation can also grant financial support in three areas: 1. Financial support for research, studies, and education, 2. Financial support for charity and purposes of public utility, 3. Financial support to former and present employees in difficult situations. cite web | title=Ramboll Foundation | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/ownership.aspx/ | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-09-29 ] .

Organisation

Ramboll Group A/S includes Business Units with their daughter companies in several European countries, including all the Nordic countries, as well as companies and offices in the Baltics and project offices all over the world.

Management

The Ramboll Group Directors' Forum (GDF), comprising Group CEO, Group CFO, Group Chief Development Officer, Group Chief Market Officer, Managing Directors from the eight Strategic Business Units and the four Service Area Directors, is the operational managing body of the Ramboll Group.cite website | title= Ramboll Group Management | url= http://www.ramboll.com/about%20us/groupmanagement/groupdirectorsforum.aspx | publisher = Ramboll Group | date = 2008 | accessdate = 2008-09-29 ]

Business Units

* Rambøll Denmark
* Ramböll Sverige
* Rambøll Norge
* Ramboll Finland
* Rambøll Management
* Rambøll Informatik
* Ramboll Oil & Gas

Other international units

* Ramboll Russia
* Ramboll Estonia
* Ramboll Lithuania
* Ramboll Latvia
* Ramboll Whitbybird (Operates predominantly in the United Kingdom)

Large scale projects

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They were also involved in the planning and construction of the Great Belt Bridge (1988-1998).cite web|title= Contracts under EU-tender | url= http://www.sundogbaelt.dk/uk/Menu/Sund+%26+B%c3%a6lt/Outsourcing/Contracts/Contracts+under+EU-tender | date = 2000 | accessdate = 2007-07-04 ] This bridge connects Halsskov on Zealand with Knudshoved on Funen, 18 kilometres to its west, a two-track railway and a four-lane motorway had to be built, aligned via the small islet Sprogø in the middle of the Great Belt.

services. cite web | title=Copenhagen Opera House| url= http://www.ramboll.com/projects/viewproject.aspx?projectid=A2EA8C56-67B2-46C2-A32C-EE37C8318505 | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-10-30 ] This was carried out between 2001 and 2004.

A characteristic feature of the Opera building is the gigantic roof covering the entire building stretching all the way to the harbour front. Measuring 158 metres x 90 metres, the Opera roof is one of the largest roof constructions in the world. The innovative design of the roof, which Ramboll has projected in cooperation with Henning Larsen Architects, was the reason for the Opera winning "The 2008 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award". The Committee that selected the Opera as the winner compliments the design of the roof and the use of bridge construction principles. These principles provide strength, stability and stiffness to the 43 metre long roof all the way from the columns of the foyer to the furthest corner of the roof. cite web | title=Copenhagen Opera House| url= http://www.ramboll.com/projects/viewproject.aspx?projectid=A2EA8C56-67B2-46C2-A32C-EE37C8318505 | publisher = Ramboll | date = September 2008 | accessdate= 2008-10-30 ]

Ramboll is currently working on several projects concerning linking the infrastructure of the Nordic countries.cite web|title= E39 | url= http://ramboll.verticportals.com/Pages/07_02_03.html | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-07-04 ] Among these are projects under the Trans-European Networks.

References

External links

* [http://www.ramboll.com/ The Ramboll Group homepage]