The French specialist in railway engineering Ikos acquires the British Aegis

Founded in 2005, the very discreet Ikos Consulting company employs 1.000 engineers in ten countries, including 650 in France. "It has the particularity of being specialized in the railway sector, which in the world of engineering consulting is quite atypical because we are rather dealing with generalists", explained to AFP its founder and president Serge Chelly .

Ikos did not disclose any amount for the transaction.

The French company works on issues of metros, trams, high-speed trains, on-board systems and infrastructures, and has developed a department dedicated to innovation, which works on hydrogen, cybersecurity, autonomous trains, predictive maintenance. and the concept of Hyperloop magnetic levitation trains.

Aegis Engineering Systems, a British company employing 70 people and 50 partners, is more specialized in rolling stock, underlined Mr Chelly.

"They have an offer that we do not have on equipment certification, quality studies that certify products," he noted.

The increased presence in the UK should also serve as a springboard for the company to enter new markets in Commonwealth countries, he noted.

The acquisition of Aegis is Ikos' first external growth operation, but probably not the last according to Mr. Chelly. "We study cases because we feel solid to do so. There are countries that interest us, such as Germany or the United States," he said.