Grontmij announced Tuesday that it had divested its French monitoring and testing business. This divestment will help the Dutch engineering firm not only reduce debt but also to focus on its engineering operations.

The French unit, which conducted reviews of building material and geotechnical studies, was worth Eur67 million. The company shelled out a total of Eur71 millions including debt payment.

The group of investors was led by Siparex, a French private equity firm. Other investors included BNP Paribas Développement, Bpifrance Investissement, and Cathay Capital.

Grontmij was a leader in the consulting and engineering industry. It also ranked as one of the largest engineering consultancies in Europe. The company provided services to built and natural environment-related market sectors such as infrastructure, urban development, water, and energy. These services included consultancy, management, and design and engineering.

Grontmij's presence has been established in China, Turkey, Poland, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, France, and the Netherlands. The firm employed 8,000 professionals who work all over the world on the company's projects.