News

Cougar Automation rebrands as Actemium to become one of the largest automation providers in the UK

We’re extremely excited to welcome Cougar Automation to our Actemium family, making us one of the largest automation providers in the UK. With effect from 19th August 2021, Cougar Automation will join the network of other VINCI Energies UK & RoI business units operating under the Actemium brand name, emphasising their collaboration and growth ambitions in the control and software automation sector.

The three Cougar Automation business units will now be known as Actemium Automation.

Cougar Automation, which employs 110 people in six UK offices, was acquired by VINCI Energies UK & RoI in 2017 and the rebrand to Actemium signifies the next step of its integration into the international group.

Since joining VINCI Energies UK & RoI, Cougar Automation has worked closely with the other Actemium business units both in the UK and internationally by drawing upon its 30 years’ experience in programming, networking, the Internet of Things (IoT) or Industry 4.0, functional safety and cybersecurity for industrial control systems.

By rebranding and joining the rest of the network this highlights the strength of Actemium as one of the largest automation providers in the UK and RoI with 250 staff in 11 locations, and its growth ambitions along with 380 other specialist Actemium business units globally. Explaining the significance of this rebranding, Derek Burton, Actemium Automation Perimeter Director said: “The culture and values at Cougar Automation remain unchanged and calling ourselves Actemium Automation will facilitate a logic and flow to our customer conversations and really signal that the power of the whole Actemium network is at our disposal.”

Derek Burton, Actemium Automation Perimeter Director

Geographical outreach and 24/7 technical support

In the UK and RoI, each Actemium Automation business unit is ideally located to support its clients:

The newly rebranded Actemium Automation Yorkshire operates through three offices based in Warrington, Huddersfield and Birmingham, while Actemium Automation Hampshire operates through Bristol, Portsmouth and Maidstone. Both business units focus on sectors that include water and wastewater, pharmaceuticals, cement, biomass, oil and gas midstream (pipelines and terminals), and alternative energy such as tidal, landfill gas and CHP. They also operate at airports, where they provide automated systems for refuelling planes.

Actemium Automation Nottingham and Actemium Automation Teesside, which already operate under the Actemium Automation brand, will continue to support the food and pharmaceutical industries respectively.

The newly rebranded, Actemium Automation UK 24/7 Support business unit, has personnel based at offices across the Actemium Automation network, where they support customers nationally with round-the-clock reactive call out services for control and automation issues. The team uses remote monitoring to spot and prevent potential problems with customers’ control systems, to rapidly diagnose and resolve any issues as they occur. This dedication to customer uptime is a key differentiator in the market.

For Mark Campbell, Business Unit General Manager for Actemium Automation Yorkshire, “The rebranding of Cougar Automation North to Actemium Automation Yorkshire is the next logical step since our acquisition by VINCI in 2017. We have already had several opportunities to partner with other Actemium business units and becoming an integral part of the Actemium family will enhance them further, both with existing customers and sectors and new ones.”

In total alignment with the advantages that rebranding to Actemium will bring to the business and the wider network, Donald Wibberley, Business Unit General Manager for Actemium Automation Hampshire stated that “Since joining the group in 2017, we have been exposed to the Actemium brand in the UK, Europe and further afield. This has allowed us to share knowledge, best practice and open up opportunities we would previously not have had visibility of. We are excited about what this new chapter will bring to the business unit, and the increased collaboration in the wider Actemium family.”