International Construction June podcast

In this month’s News pages, iC reports on a new set of fines for a string of leading South Korean contractors from the country’s fair Trade Commission (FTC), following findings that there was collusion and bid rigging on a series of gas pipeline construction schemes. It is the latest in a string of major cartel prosecutions over the last two years in the Korean construction sector.

In Business News, Ballast Nedam has said it is in talks with “foreign parties” about a potential merger or takeover of the company. The revelation follows news in October of a large and unexpected loss on an infrastructure project, which hit the company’s profits last year and has driven down its share price.

This month’s Regional Report comes from the Asia Pacific region, with economic analysis from IHS Global Insight and a look at the changing landscape for public private partnerships (PPPs) as governments and multi-lateral lenders increasingly look to leverage more private investment into the multi-trillion Dollar infrastructure segment.

Finally, one of the June edition’s features looks at the excavator segment, the largest slice of the global construction equipment industry, where a wealth of new machines have been launched over the last few years in response to stringent new exhaust emission regulations.