Skip to main content

Swarco acquires British traffic group

Austrian traffic technology group Swarco has acquired the APT group of companies, creating one of the largest traffic and parking management systems businesses in Europe.
May 8, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
Austrian Traffic Technology group 129 Swarco has acquired the APT group of companies, creating one of the largest traffic and parking management systems businesses in Europe.

In a deal signed by Swarco founder and owner Manfred Swarovski on 7 May 2014, Swarco purchased 100 per cent of the shares of the APT Group based in Harrow/Middlesex, comprising 7182 APT Security Systems, 1774 APT Skidata, 7763 APT Street Services, 1936 APT Technologies, 7637 Signpost Solutions and 7760 ParkingPal. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Swarco is particularly strong in the adaptive control of urban and interurban traffic including public transport solutions and parking management systems – everything from LED-based signage and parking guidance solutions to efficient parking information and communications technologies. APT similarly has strength and depth in its range of solutions that are centred on the safe movement and management of vehicles and people for the future urban environment.

Swarco CEO Cees de Wijs acknowledges the natural fit between the two groups, their products, and their current and prospective target markets: “We have complementary rather than competing products and solutions, and strong synergies in terms of business ethics, culture and corporate dynamics,” he said.

Swarco Group CFO Daniel Sieberer, who managed the transaction, is convinced that the acquisition of APT Group will significantly upgrade Swarco‘s position on the UK Traffic Management market. “In particular we will strengthen our parking and electromobility business, which strategically is one of our most important investment focuses.“

Dermot Murphy, chief executive of the APT Group of Companies, describes the merger as a ‘win-win’ for customers: “Customers will benefit from having an even broader range of products, services and indeed people with whom to work,” he said.  “But more than this, the combined resources of both businesses can be focused on researching and developing new products, and bringing those products to market in a more timely fashion in line with customer demands. The two companies will be able to share product development, service, sales and marketing resource. There will be a significantly increased number of field-based resources on hand to support the two companies’ customers nationwide.”

Swarco and APT have previously worked successfully together on a number of projects and proven the concept and advantages of a combined offer to the market, such as the parking guidance management of major UK shopping centres. In Scandinavia Swarco is the exclusive partner for Skidata parking systems.

In the UK Swarco now has operations including its subsidiary Swarco Traffic and a manufacturing presence in Richmond, Yorkshire and sales and service centre in Milton Keynes, as well as the APT facilities in Harrow and Tipton.

Related Content

  • July 27, 2015
    Public transport ITS in Europe ‘a billion-dollar market’
    According to a new research report from analysts Berg Insight, the market value for intelligent transport systems (ITS) deployed in public transport operations in Europe was US$1.1 billion in 2014. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 percent, the market is expected to reach US$1.6 billion by 2019. Berg Insight says that the European market for ITS for public transport is in a growth phase which will continue throughout the forecasted period. In most countries, the fluctuating economic climat
  • August 28, 2015
    UK shopping centre opts for APT parking systems
    APT Skidata is to deliver a fully integrated parking solution for the Bradford Broadway shopping centre development – the UK’s largest retail centre to be opened in 2015. Currently in its final construction phase, the shopping centre, situated in the heart of Bradford’s retail district, is part of a wider urban regeneration project in Bradford, ‘Connecting the City’, and is due to open on 5 November.
  • April 13, 2018
    Swarco expands in Switzerland
    Swarco has acquired the majority shareholding in Bergauer Holding. The Switzerland based company develops and integrates intelligent traffic guidance and control systems as well as guidance systems for infrastructure and security projects. For the medium term, the project planning, installation and services activities of Bergauer Signalbau and Swarco will be merged into Swarco Schweiz as part of a strategy to achieve a better service for clients. Bergauer will continue to manage the project planning
  • March 18, 2022
    Dynniq Mobility switches to Swarco
    Rebranding 'will establish a common feeling', says Swarco, following acquisition last year