London, 14 April 2003: Laing O’Rourke and Intel have announced a major new deal which will see the construction company become one of the first enterprises to adopt Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology company-wide. Laing O’Rourke is one of the UK’s leading construction companies and the link-up with Intel is part of its industry leadership strategy to introduce the benefits of wireless computing to its staff and customers in order to dramatically improve communications.

Laing O’Rourke plans to provide many of its 4,000 staff with notebook PCs based on Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology which features built-in wireless LAN capabilities. The company is also installing wireless local area network (WLAN) hotspots at its offices, including its headquarters in Dartford, and at various construction sites. The combination of Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology and the wireless hotspots will enable staff to easily access email and their corporate network from their offices and construction sites. Additionally the company intends to build WLAN hotspots into major new developments it is working on such as Heathrow Terminal 5 and other high profile commercial projects throughout the country.

“Our vision is to exploit the benefits of wireless internet access in every aspect of our work and to bring the benefits to our customers too,” explained Ray O’Rourke, chief executive, Laing O’Rourke. “We chose to work with Intel because it is a leader in innovation and its people share our belief that wireless computing can dramatically improve ways of working.”


“Equipping our staff with notebook PCs based on Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology will radically improve construction site communications and the productivity of our engineers who spend much of their time at different offices and construction sites,” explained Sam Simons, director of strategy at Laing O’Rourke. “We believe the impact of wireless computing on the construction industry will be far-ranging. From the engineer who will be able to view and change digital plans on a notebook PC on-site, even at the top of scaffolding, to the architect who will be designing buildings in a different way in order to facilitate wireless working.”

“Intel believes that using truly mobile notebook computers can change the way people live and work. As a driver of innovation in its industry Laing O’Rourke has recognised the extraordinary potential of wireless computing and how it can be exploited to its competitive advantage,” explained Rick Skett, managing director of Intel UK and Ireland. “We are looking forward to working closely with the company to help make its wireless plans a reality and to seeing the impact that wireless computing will have on the construction and design of buildings in the future.”

Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology represents the next generation of mobile computing. Specifically built for wireless mobility, Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology features integrated wireless LAN capabilities and offers breakthrough mobile performance while enabling extended battery life in thinner, lighter notebook designs.