By Kim Jae-heun

HanmiGlobal Chairman Kim Jong-hoon / Courtesy of HanmiGlobal

HanmiGlobal has acquired the UK construction consultancy firm Walker Sime to expand its presence in Europe, the company said, Tuesday.

Through its U.K. subsidiary, the Korean firm purchased a 92.5 percent stake in Walker Sime to become its largest shareholder. HanmiGlobal plans to provide professional technology and services to global customers by utilizing English manpower and expertise in related sectors.

Walker Sime, located in Manchester, in the northeast of England, was established in 1999 and has been providing professional services in construction project management and architectural design. The English company also carries out a number of projects in the energy sector as well as architecture and recently expanded its scope from the private sector to the public sector.

In 2019, HanmiGlobal acquired K2, another construction project management firm, and founded the global cost management company, Turner & Townsend Korea in collaboration with its headquarters.

The Korean company plans to expand its business in the United Kingdom and across Europe by creating synergy between Walker Sime and Turner & Townsend Korea.

It can increase project orders from Korean investment companies entering the UK market and support Korean battery-makers to build secondary battery production facilities in Eastern Europe.

In addition, the firm can participate in Saudi Arabia's future construction project to build new cities together with its British affiliate. Last year, HanmiGlobal won an e-PMO (special project management office) service for Saudi Arabia's NEOM Smart City.

"We plan to diversify our overseas business by securing new growth engines in the fields of energy infrastructure and development," a HanmiGlobal official said.