Serco Group
3256177
223707154
2008-07-05T10:54:28Z
SpellingBot
6773085
competative → competitive
{{Refimprove|date=July 2007}}
{{Infobox Company
| company_name = Serco Group plc
| company_logo = [[Image:Sercologo.jpg]]
| company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ({{lse|SRP}})
| foundation = [[1929]]
| location = [[Hook, Hart|Hook]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| key_people = [[Kevin Beeston]], [[Chair (official)|Chairman]]<br>Christopher Hyman, [[CEO]]
| industry = [[Service (economics)|Business Services]]
| products =
| revenue = [[Pound sterling|£]]2,810.7 million ([[2007]])
| operating_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]123.2 million ([[2007]])
| net_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]82.4 million ([[2007]])
| num_employees = 47,000 ([[2007]])
| parent =
| subsid =
| homepage = [http://www.serco.com www.serco.com]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Serco Group plc''' ({{lse|SRP}}) is a [[Service (economics)|Business Services]] company based in [[Hook, North Hampshire]]. It is listed on the [[London Stock Exchange]] and is a constituent of the [[FTSE 250 Index]].
==Description==
Serco was founded in [[1929]] as a [[United Kingdom]] division of the [[Radio Corporation of America]] and initially provided services to the cinema industry. It changed its name to Serco in [[1987]] and has been a stock exchange listed company since [[1988]]. Serco's company [[motto]] is ''Bringing Service to Life''.
[[The Guardian]] has called Serco 'probably the biggest company you've never heard of'<ref>Jane Martin, 'Happy Touchy Feely and Driven by Good', The Guardian, 24/02/06</ref>. It has grown in recent years thanks to the ongoing [[privatisation]] of public services and [[outsourcing]] of government services in the [[UK]].
==Operations==
Serco operates in various sectors:
* [[Transport]]: Serco manages the [[Docklands Light Railway]] in [[London]] and [[Great Southern Railway (Australia)|Great Southern Railways]] in Australia. Serco also has a joint venture with NedRailways, the UK arm of Dutch national rail operator [[Nederlandse Spoorwegen]], to operate passenger trains in the UK. [[Serco-NedRailways]] has a 25 year concession for [[Merseyrail]] in [[Liverpool]] and operates [[Northern Rail]] services in the north of [[England]]. Serco will operate the future [[Dubai Metro]].<ref>[http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2007/07/7631/serco_preferred_bidder_for_dubai_metro_operations_contract.html Serco preferred bidder for Dubai metro operations contract], [[Railway Gazette International]] 2007-07-01, retrieved 2008-03-15</ref>. Serco formerly operated the [[Copenhagen Metro]] with Ansaldo STS, until selling its share with effect from January 1 2008.<ref>[http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2008/01/8063/milanese_run_koslashbenhavn_metro.html Milanese run København Metro], [[Railway Gazette International]] 2008-01-08, retrieved 2008-03-15</ref> In addition, Serco Rail Operations operates infrastructure monitoring trains in the [[UK]]<ref>[http://www.serco.com/markets/transport/railoperations.asp Serco website - rail operations]</ref>. Serco also operates [[speed camera]] systems throughout the [[UK]] and designs, writes & tests the software that controls the Matrix Message Signs, Signals, emergency roadside telephones (SOS) and traffic monitoring on England's motorway network including the National Traffic Control Centre.
* [[Science]]: Serco manages the [[National Physical Laboratory, UK|UK's National Physical Laboratory]].
* [[Detention]]:<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.serco.com/markets/homeaffairs/offendermanagement/Index.asp
|title=Offender Management Home Page
|publisher=Serco
|accessdate=2008-04-24
}}</ref> Serco supplies [[electronic tagging]] devices for offenders and asylum seekers. In Britain, Serco runs four [[prisons]], a Young Offenders Institution and two [[Immigration Removal Centre]]s. Serco is also responsible for transporting and detaining prisoners at several Law Courts across the country. In addition, Serco runs a Secure Training Centre in County Durham. Serco also operates Hunfeld Prison in Germany and Acacia Prison in Western Australia.
* [[defence industry|Defence]]: Serco holds defence contracts worldwide including the UK Government’s first modern outsourced contract for the operation and maintenance of the [[UK]] [[Ballistic Missile Early Warning System]] at [[RAF Fylingdales]]; contracts are also held for the operation and maintenance of [[RAF Brize Norton]], [[RAF Halton]] and [[RAF Northolt]] in the [[UK]] and [[RAF Ascension Island]] in the mid-Atlantic. Serco also provides support services to [[garrisons]] in [[Australia]]. [[Serco]] also manages many aspects of operations at the [[Defence College of Management and Technology]] in [[Shrivenham]].
* [[Aviation]]: Serco provides air traffic control services at international airports in Dubai, Bahrain and at some smaller airports in the USA. Since 2004 Serco have also had £5m a year from the US government to manage airports in Iraq.
* [[Fire]]: Serco has now moved into the competitive fire system maintenance and installation market. With the empoyment of a new head Jeff Pankhurst, this side of the busines is expected to grow and start threatening other more well established companies.
* [[Health]]: Serco provide facilities management services at the [[Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital]], Leicester Royal Infirmary and Wishaw Hospital as well as healthcare services in London, Cardiff and Oxfordshire.
* [[Education]]: Serco holds a 10 year contract with [[Bradford]] City Council to manage and operate the [[local education authority]], providing education support services to the City's schools, and similarly manages and operates [[Walsall]] and [[Stoke-on-Trent]] local education authorities. Serco is also the provider of a [[Student information system]], ''Facility'', used in schools and colleges in several countries.
* [[drivers license|Driver's licensing]]: Serco, through a purpose-made division Serco DES, holds a 10 year, $114 million contract with the [[Province of Ontario]] to operate the province's DriveTest driver examination centres. These tests include vision, road, and knowledge tests for all persons seeking to become a licensed automobile driver in the province. <ref>[http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2003/02/25/c4019.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html Government of Ontario]</ref>
* [[Leisure]]: Serco operates a number of leisure centres across the UK including the [[Manchester Aquatics Centre]], the aquatic venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in [[Manchester]].
* Serco also administers a number of publicly funded websites in the UK, including the [[Business Link]] website.
Serco operates in [[Continental Europe]], the [[Middle East]], the [[Asia Pacific]] region and [[North America]], but the majority of its turnover still comes from the UK.
==External links==
*[http://www.serco.com SERCO Group plc Official site]
*[http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=SRP.L SERCO Yahoo profile]
*[http://www.serco-fm.nl SERCO Netherlands website]
== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>
{{FTSE 250 Index constituents}}
[[Category:Business services companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Companies based in London]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1929]]
[[de:Serco Group]]
[[nl:Serco]]