Maynard Design Group, one of the most experienced multi-disciplinary design consultancy in the transport sector, has announced the acquisition of Transport Design Consultancy (TDC), a pioneer behind several mega regional projects including Dubai Metro, Dubai Marine transport and Saudi Arabia's ambitious Riyadh Metro project.

 

According to industry experts, the merger brings together the two original pioneers of transport design consultancy sector on a global scale.

 

Maynard has been integral to the success of projects such as London Bridge station, Melbourne Metro and is currently a core part of the team behind Crossrail.

 

The group will bring the TDC brand under its structure, enabling greater collaboration and worldwide reach for each business. 

 

On the merger, the duo said it will jointly offer services in branding, wayfinding and product design for the transport, aviation, public realm, culture, education, healthcare, commercial and residential sectors in the UK and Europe, as well as Middle East, India and Australasia.

 

Maynard will become the most experienced multi-disciplinary design consultancy in the transport sector with over 400 projects delivered in 17 countries combined over the last 20 years, positively impacting over 3.5 billion journeys taken by people every year.

 

Internationally, the company has delivered wayfinding and product design across the Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland Metro systems, whilst also working in the Middle East on various high-profile cultural projects.

 

TDC said it has a long-standing relationship with UK Railway operators, having worked on numerous projects over the last 20 years across 800+ stations. 

 

Some of its other big projects include St Pancras International, the Dubai Metro integrated transport system, Riyadh Metro, Bengaluru International Airport, in addition to other works in India, Singapore, China, Egypt and a number of other Middle Eastern countries. 

 

The combined projects of the new design group will serve over 3.5 billion annual passenger journeys which make use of the wayfinding and supporting transport products designed by Maynard and TDC. 

 

These figures are significantly enhanced by both companies’ global work on airports, maritime and citywide wayfinding, it added.

 

Group Managing Director Julian Maynard said: "Acquiring TDC is a huge step towards our ambition of offering our expert and technical services globally. Our focus on the interaction of people, places and products together with our locations of the UK, Australia and New Zealand fits naturally together with TDC’s transport and wayfinding expertise and long-standing client relationships in the Middle East and Asia."

 

Its biggest projects in the region include Dubai Metro – first modern driverless metro system in Middle East; Dubai Marine, which is rapidly expanding with 50 stations and Riyadh Metro - largest single transport infrastructure project in the world with 84 stations - in addition to Bengaluru Airport - the third busiest airport in India and one of the region’s fastest growing with 33 million passengers - Delhi and Bangalore metros; Singapore Land Transport Authority/ MRT metro system and London Underground.

 

"Our shared values of collaboration, commitment and passion for detail and extensive wealth of technical skills and track record mean that, going forward, clients will benefit from a deeper level of understanding and experience coupled with a more comprehensive global reach," remarked Maynard.

 

"We are currently reviewing opportunities to expand into North America and Canada to offer clients our multidisciplinary and global expertise in transport," he added.

 

Tony Howard, a senior official of TDC, said: "Both firms have worked on some of the same projects over the last three decades and pioneered a collaborative, consultative and technically expert approach to the very complex practice of designing the way people will use transport systems and hubs."

 

"In this fast-changing world, where people are increasingly accessing global destinations, it seems only natural to combine forces and offer our clients greater strength and a greater depth of service. We offer this along with a consistent and unparalleled track record of delivery from both entities, wherever we have worked in the world," stated Howard.

 

On the topic of sustainability, the company’s strength in designing global transportation networks saves millions of carbon emissions yearly. 

 

With its work in Dubai alone, through reduced car journeys, the company has helped to save over 900,000 litres of fuel per day, he added. 

 

"With the Maynard and TDC teams coming together and by adding further insight and expertise as we continue to grow, we can go on steering the sector into the future and, in doing so, further enrich the lives of people, the journeys they take and the places they interact with," remarked Maynard.

 

"Between us we have a huge heritage and track record, but we are also constantly innovating and significantly contributing to sustainability programmes. After all, the projects we work on span several years, and then once delivered need to last several decades," he noted. 

 

"As such we are directly impacting billions of people who move through the places we have helped to design. These people will never fully know the energy and commitment we have invested in such projects to make their experience the best it can possibly be - but they are the core focus of ours from day one," he added.-TradeArabia News Service