Engineering and design consultancy business WS Atkins has made its second acquisition in the past two months with the purchase of Finland-headquartered Poyry for a total of €17.25 million (£15.38 million).

Engineering and design consultancy business WS Atkins has made its second acquisition in the past two months with the purchase of Finland-headquartered Poyry for a total of €17.25 million (£15.38 million).

The deal for the oil and gas consultancy business is said by Atkins to strengthen its position in the support sector of Poyry’s market, and continues its strategy of growing skills in its energy business.

In March Atkins paid £785,000 for the Technical Services Scotland consultancy and technical support team in a deal with RWE npower’s Bellshill Technical Services, as part of its move to strengthen its capability in power generation.

Chief executive of Atkins, Keith Clarke, comments: ‘This acquisition represents a step up in Atkins’ ability to deliver process-led multi-disciplinary projects, adding to our traditional oil and gas consultancy assurance services, on a worldwide scale.’

According to a statement the Poyry buy provides increased access to the gas developments and liquefied natural gas market in Western Australia and Europe.

As part of the deal Poyry’s teams in Aberdeen (Scotland), Stavanger (Norway) and Perth (Australia) are to be integrated into Atkins’ existing operations in the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America.