The Cohesive Companies, a wholly-owned but independently operated digital integrator business unit of Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced its acquisition of OXplus, the leading rail asset management specialist headquartered in Veghel, Netherlands.
The acquisition coincides with the appointment of Dr. Mark Bew MBE as CEO of The Cohesive Companies, succeeding Noah Eckhouse, who has retired after 17 years of exemplary service within Bentley Systems capped by the successful convergence, from multiple predecessor organizations, of The Cohesive Companies in 2020. OXplus becomes the sixth brand to enter The Cohesive Companies fold in support of its mission to deliver the strongest social, economic, and environmental outcomes for infrastructure clients and their constituents.
OXplus supports rail owners, operators, and maintainers, and rolling stock manufacturers around the globe with digital tools and solutions that give them a deep insight into the performance of their assets. It builds smart systems, and delivers standout client experiences, that use IoT data to effectively predict when repair or intervention is needed, that prevent downtime, that reduce operational costs, and that enable efficient scheduling of assets.
The acquisition of OXplus, founded in 2010, will accelerate The Cohesive Companies’ expansion of its Enterprise Asset Management presence within Europe and elsewhere. For instance, OXplus has recently supported the prestigious Riyadh Metro project, the largest single-phase metro project underway globally, and is also supporting Siemens Mobility to efficiently execute the maintenance of Riyadh Metro’s new train fleet.
Bew joined Bentley Systems and The Cohesive Companies with its 2020 acquisition of the UK-based built-environment consultancy PCSG, providing digital advisory services and solutions to world-leading owners and operators in the transportation sector. Representative clients and projects include HS2, Europe’s largest infrastructure project, in developing a digital twin of the entire rail system; Highways England (National Highways), operator of the UK strategic road network; and Heathrow Airport Ltd. Prior to his co-leadership of PCSG, Bew held information and business system leadership roles with Costain and URS-Scott Wilson. Based in London, Bew also chaired the UK government’s BIM Task Group, which led the work to embed digital techniques and processes within major UK public sector infrastructure programs.
In a further appointment, George Church has been named COO of The Cohesive Companies. Based in Boston, USA, Church brings a depth of knowledge and expertise gained through 27 years at Bentley Systems, including as senior vice president of its professional services business.
Mark Bew said: “We are delighted to welcome the OXplus team to enhance The Cohesive Companies’ balance across geographies and sectors. Our collective success and learning curves in delivering projects while working fully virtually throughout the pandemic has proven our growth strategy in globally bringing together and further attracting world-class talent resources.
“I take the helm from Noah Eckhouse enthusiastic about our unique strengths as a full lifecycle digital integrator, delivering transformational outcomes across the built and natural environment, independent of our clients’ investment choices among technology vendors. It is particularly meaningful to me that OXplus’ proficiencies in rail and transport operations and service optimization now helps us be able to fulfill the vision, expressed through the UK public sector’s digital twin aspirations, for improved social benefits from infrastructure.”
