JCA Engineering revenue boosted by data centre demand

JCA Engineering has reported a 44 per cent jump in turnover, as the engineering and construction company benefitted from rising demand for data centres in the UK.

Revenue at the Stevenage-based firm, which is a subsidiary of Mitie Group, was up from £104m to £149.6m in the year to 31 March 2026. Mitie acquired JCA Engineering in a £31.5m deal in late 2023.

Founded in 2004, JCA Engineering holds design patents for cooling systems used in data centres and specialises in critical environments, such as healthcare facilities, science infrastructure and data centres.

In its accounts for the 12 months to the end of March this year, the company noted the “significant demand for new and upgraded data centre infrastructure capable of supporting higher power densities, enhanced cooling requirements and greater operational resilience” in the UK market.

The firm said it had “responded positively” to this increased demand for data centres and had “seen a number of such projects progress into active delivery during the year”.

Meanwhile, pre-tax profit rose to £10m, compared with £6.2m in the previous year. The pre-tax figure was 6.7 per cent of total revenue (2025: 6 per cent) and JCA Engineering’s gross profit margin was 11 per cent compared with 13.3 per cent in the previous year.

The company’s cash position reduced significantly, but this was due to timing of cash receipts and the fact that cash is held centrally by the Mitie Group.

At the end of March 2026, the company had cash and cash equivalents of £332,000, down from £1.6m in 2025. Nonetheless, net current assets rose to £32m from £28m.

During the year to 31 March 2026, the average number of people working for JCA Engineering was 299, up from 270. That meant the company spent £19.6m on wages and salaries in the period, up from £16.9m in the previous year.

JCA Engineering also noted in its accounts that its parent company, Mitie, is the subject of a £3.1bn takeover bid made by OCS Group in July this year. If the deal is approved, it should complete in the first quarter of 2027.