E. Pihl & Søn A/S from a management perspective

For many years, E. Pihl & Søn A/S was one of the most international and well-known contractors in the world. In its 126 years of existence, the company completed projects in more than 60 countries as it developed from being a small masonry company in Copenhagen, Denmark to a multi-national contractor with a turnover of 6.5 billion Danish kroner (1 billion USD). The long history and great productivity of the company were some of the reasons that it took most people in the industry by a surprise, when E. Pihl & Søn A/S on the 26th of August 2013 was declared bankrupt.

To provide an insight on the significance of the case of E. Pihl & Søn A/S in the aspect of project and portfolio management in construction, this study will briefly go through the history of the company, including the great expansions in the later years. The business and management strategies will be elaborated and analyzed to clarify the challenges the company faced through the years and how they were handled, and finally a conclusion summarizing the reasons for E. Pihl & Søn A/S’ bankruptcy will be presented together with implications from the case that can hopefully contribute to other companies not suffering the same fate.

The main source for the information used in this article is the acknowledged book “Sørens Saga” written by journalist Poul Høegh Østergaard and published in 2014.