Georgia-based Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., a provider of critical inspection, maintenance and restoration services for utility and telecom infrastructure in the U.S., this week announced that it has acquired the geospatial and asset management business of Effigis Geo-Solutions, a specialist in geospatial information serving major Canadian utilities and telecommunication providers.
Effigis has been a division of Cansel, Canada’s largest supplier of geospatial and engineering field equipment, which will retain the Earth Observation and Products groups of Effigis.
Martin Trudelle, president of Cansel, said:
“With its acquisition of Effigis, Osmose gains unmatched geospatial expertise and asset management competence. For the Effigis team, Osmose provides a trusted, powerful vehicle for new growth and opportunities. It is truly a great match. Meanwhile the Earth Observation and Products divisions of Effigis will continue to be a key part of the wider Cansel business.”
Effigis will maintain its Canadian headquarters in Montreal as well as operations in British Columbia and will become a key part of Osmose’s Canadian company.
The stakeholders said the combination of Osmose and Effigis creates a complete, data-driven technology set for ensuring the resilience and reliability of critical utility and telecom-owned infrastructure in the Canadian market.
Founded in 1934, Osmose is a portfolio company of EQT Infrastructure and a provider of critical inspection, mobile contact voltage testing, maintenance and restoration services for electric transmission, distribution and telecommunications utilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Headquartered near Atlanta in Peachtree City, Georgia, the company employs more than 4,000 people. Osmose says its field technicians, professional engineers, wood scientists and corrosion experts utilize their expertise to identify and solve issues to make utility infrastructure safer, longer lasting and more resilient while lowering the total cost of ownership for operators.
Osmose CEO Mike Adams explained the acquisition's parameters:
“We are thrilled about this combination with Effigis. Their expertise using people and technology to better assess and manage structural assets fits perfectly with our technology-enabled, analytics-driven service approach to utility asset management. Effigis’s leadership shares our commitment to unparalleled service, quality, and safety, and to strengthening the structures that power and connect our communities.
We accelerated Osmose’s expansion into Canada in 2020 with the acquisition of Provincial Pole Specialists, Inc. (PPSI) and its sister company Central Pole Inspection and Maintenance, Inc. (CPIM) - collectively the largest utility pole maintenance providers in Canada. Effigis’s presence in Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario as well as other key markets enable us to extend our footprint and scope of services across the country.
With customers including Hydro-Quebec, Bell Canada, Telus, Vidéotron, Fortis and Teck, Effigis maintains a stellar reputation that will further enhance Osmose’s leadership position.”
Founded in 1991, Effigis draws from an extensive selection of geospatial data collection tools to provide services ranging from land information collection to the development of custom solutions that address land mapping, field operations tracking, asset management and cable network monitoring needs.
The combined companies emphasized that coupling Osmose’s data-driven utility asset inspection, structural analysis, and restoration capabilities with the services of Effigis will provides Canadian utility and telecom providers with a new level of support for enhancing infrastructure strength and safety.
Claude Levasseur, SVP of geospatial and asset management with Effigis, remarked:
“We are excited to leverage Osmose’s brand, multi-decade operational experience, services like pole restoration, massive store of industry data, and innovative assessment and analysis tools to deliver the most comprehensive structural asset management solution available to our customers. Together, we’ll accelerate growth and bolster the structural resiliency and performance of Canada’s utility infrastructure.”
Learn more at https://www.osmose.com/ and https://effigis.com/en/.
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