Responsibility for the strategic and organizational development of HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft resides at the control level with the Executive Board and the Group's corporate centers. These are Procurement, Controlling, Finance/Investor Relations, Human Resources, Accounting, Legal, Auditing, Tax, Corporate Development, Corporate Communications, Insurance Management and Corporate Governance/ Compliance.
The service level provides a range of services for the Group as a whole. The service units are the Personnel Management Center Europe, the Service Center (services provided for operational units such as Legal, Tax and Accounting), and the occupational safety, health and environmental protection (OSHEP) competence center.
Also directly subordinate to HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft are the two companies HOCHTIEF ViCon and HOCHTIEF Insurance Broking and Risk Management Solutions. These support the capability portfolio of the operational units with innovative solutions and services.
HOCHTIEF Insurance also provides reinsurance services through subsidiary companies, chiefly for the HOCHTIEF Americas division. Insurance is provided in this way among other things for construction work and liability risks. The company also transfers best-practice solutions within the Group. In 2008, for example, "subguard" policies against subcontractor default – tried-and-trusted approach used by Turner in the USA – was adopted by the HOCHTIEF Europe division. This further enhanced the risk management system and substantially strengthened HOCHTIEF's position in the event of subcontractor insolvency.
The HOCHTIEF insurance activities allow us to keep down insurance costs by covering calculable risks ourselves. HOCHTIEF Insurance additionally generates third-party business with outside partners.
This allows clients to visualize their projects in their entirety, enabling comprehensive, low-risk planning and development. ViCon can also be used to great advantage in the operating phase to optimize processes. This kind of integrated presentation of all elements and factors yields a clear economic benefit, especially in complex, large-scale projects.
All the corporate units can take advantage of this innovative offering – has been engaged in more than 340 HOCHTIEF projects throughout the Group to date. The company also markets its services externally, such as the new ViCon Implementation and ViCon Management services. The Implementation module includes all tasks required to successfully introduce virtual construction in a company. The Management service module provides clients with help and support throughout the entire project to ensure the ViCon services are used effectively, with ViCon acting as a "virtual project monitor."
As an international provider of construction services, HOCHTIEF has a presence in all of the key construction markets through its global network. These notably include Europe, the Americas, Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and the Gulf states. The latest statistics of the Engineering News-Record still rank HOCHTIEF as the world's most international provider of construction services – a position which also enables us to compensate regional market fluctuations.
Our business activities are determined by innovative services and market demand. For this reason, we place particular emphasis on sustainability, engaging in projects related to green building, energy efficiency and alternative power generation.
Our services are always tailored to provide custom solutions' every project is unique. This requires us, as our clients' dependable partners, to demonstrate above-average flexibility, show innovative drive and deliver the highest standards of quality.
Further information on the activities of our operational units is available on pages 3 and 4 and on pages 83-109.