WBHO’s Australian unit named the country’s ‘most active’ construction firm

Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon’s (WBHO’s) Australian subsidiary, Probuild, has been named the most active construction company in the country by the ‘Australian Housing Industry Association Construction 100 Report’.

Melbourne-based Probuild has jumped from fifth place last year to top spot in terms of work procured.

It was named ahead of local Australian companies such as Lendlease, Multiplex, John Holland and CPB Contractors.

“We entered the Australian market in 2000, after acquiring an interest in Probuild,” says WBHO CEO Louwtjie Nel. It now contributes 60% of our revenue.”

Probuild is one of Australia’s largest buildingconstructioncompanies, with a national pipeline of projects of more than R30-billion and a yearly turnover of more than R18-billion.

The company works across the commercial, educational, industrial, residential, retail, entertainment and sports and leisure sectors.

Nel notes that WBHO’s strategy to diversify internationally has paid dividends, especially now that the Australian market is growing at more than 3% a year – this while South Africa is “hardly growing at all”.

Probuild has made the most of the recent apartment boom in Melbourne and Sydney, as well as the demand for construction of mixed-used developments, including luxury hotels.

The company has built a number of structures from the West to the East Coast of Australia.

Looking ahead, WBHO expects the residential sector in Australia to slow down.

Other sectors are, however, expected to pick up on the back of large infrastructure spend in Australia.