Acquires UNNICO Service Company
United Group Limited
United Group Limited was started in Perth, Australia as a construction company in the early 1970s. In the last 30+ years it had grown into a global organization, with over 12,000 employees, offering fully integrated services across diverse industries. From 2000-2006 United Group had been experiencing continued organic growth and was well positioned to capitalize on the infrastructure boom in Australia. As they looked for growth opportunities outside of the company, they found potential acquisitions that would help them expand both domestically and internationally. The three pillars upon which they wanted to grow were: “international expansion, the growing trend to outsource non-core services, and continued investment in essential infrastructure sectors in Australia and other international markets.”
From 2005 to 2006 United Group emerged as a global company as it acquired and successfully integrated:
Premas, the leading real estate and property management company in Asia
Alstom, one of the largest Australian and New Zealand transport and rail businesses
Equis, a leading property services business focused on global transaction and corporate real estate, with operations throughout the United States and other markets around the world
As United Group began to emerge as a global player in property services and infrastructure engineering, it would be crucial that they continue to maintain the values that helped them succeed thus far. United Group had always built a brand and reputation that was known for its reliability, innovative skills, and first-class capabilities. The culture that was fostered within the organization is:
Fully integrated services – because of the many services offered, United Group is able to customize each project to their customers’ needs
Customer-driven approach – United Group truly desires to see their customers’ lives improved by their products and services
Technology leadership – as United Group seeks to expand globally, they recognize that partnering with the leaders in technology is crucial to deliver superior solutions
Uncompromising Values – United Group holds strongly to their values of: “teamwork, open and honest communication, integrity, safety, and outstanding customer service”
Safety – while many organizations tout safety, United Group recognizes how essential it is to their continued success and holds all of their employees to a high standard
In 2007, United Group reached a milestone with their entry into the S&P/ASX 100 index, ranking them as one of the top 100 publicly listed companies in Australia.
UNICCO Service Company
Founded in 1949 as a privately held company, UNICCO is now one of North America’s largest integrated facilities services companies, with over 18,000 employees, and operations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. As organizations seek to outsource facility related functions so they can focus on their core business, UNICCO provides the solutions. UNICCO offers a variety of services including maintenance, operations, cleaning, lighting and administrative/office services for education, retail, industrial, government and public venue facilities. With a 95 percent customer retention rate and a strong reputation for quality, UNICCO has established itself as the leader in the domestic industry.
Another strength of UNICCO’s is their usage of advanced technology with interacting with their customers.
Because UNICCO is interested in being a responsible company, they have taken up the initiative to be a “green company” with their GreenClean program. It included employee training operational changes and was the first fully comprehensive green cleaning program in the industry. As a result of their efforts, they were awarded the 2007 PR News Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Environmental Communications.
In January 2007 UNICCO became a service affiliate with Service