Merger looks sunk but ties still strong

Efforts to unite the specialist contracting sector have taken a blow as the merger between the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group and the National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC) looks to be dead in the water.

Critical meetings were being held by both parties at the time of going to press but feelings are that it is too early to instigate a full-scale merger. Cultural differences have been cited as making it difficult to achieve a merger at the moment and after lengthy talks many topics have not been resolved. SEC Group chief executive Rudi Klein described the likelihood of a merger as “very bleak”, stating: “So much is not finalised after 20 months of discussions, so if we can’t do it now when will we be able to?” However, Klein did stress that the two organisations would continue to work together under the umbrella of the Constructors Liaison Group (CLG).

Ironically a call to create greater supply chain integration has come from the SEC Group. Chairman Trevor Hursthouse said: “Specialist engineering is represented by a variety of trade and professional bodies...But, to maximise their effectiveness, all organisations within the sector must develop a common agenda.”

To this end the SEC Group is to schedule a meeting for February or March 2002, which will involve consultants, contractors and manufacturers involved in specialist engineering.