Capgemini Engineering
Capgemini Engineering is Capgemini’s global engineering and R&D services brand, formed from the integration of Altran with Capgemini’s existing engineering activities.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Capgemini Engineering is the engineering and research and development services brand of Capgemini Group. Its business traces its origins to CGS Informatique, founded in France in 1982 by former Peat Marwick consultants Alexis Kniazeff and Hubert Martigny. The company subsequently developed under the Altran name and built a global engineering-consulting network through a combination of organic growth, small specialist business units, and acquisitions. The business focuses on technology-intensive industries and supports clients across the product and industrial life cycle. Its work can include technology and market assessment, feasibility analysis, product and system architecture, industrial design, embedded software, electronics, systems engineering, testing, manufacturing support, operational improvement, and digital transformation. Sector exposure has historically included aerospace and defence, automotive and transportation, telecommunications, electronics, energy, industrial goods, life sciences, and information technology. During the 1980s and 1990s, the predecessor organization expanded from French technology consulting into a broader European network. Its early assignments included communications infrastructure for France’s high-speed TGV rail system, automated-metro technology, and aerospace and space-control systems. The group’s decentralized model gave acquired and newly created units considerable operating autonomy, while central management provided coordination and access to wider capabilities. This model supported rapid expansion into Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Austria, and other markets. Altran continued to broaden its technical scope during the 2000s and 2010s. It established operations in Asia and the Americas, launched research and innovation programs, and acquired firms specializing in data science, software engineering, cybersecurity, semiconductors, product development, automotive engineering, and digital design. Notable transactions included the acquisition of IndustrieHansa, Tessella, Synapse, Lohika, GlobalEdge, and Aricent. The Aricent transaction, announced in 2017 and completed in 2018, substantially increased the group’s scale in digital engineering and helped it reach approximately €3 billion in turnover after completion. Capgemini agreed to acquire Altran in 2019 in a transaction intended to combine Capgemini’s consulting, technology, and managed-services capabilities with Altran’s engineering and R&D expertise. The takeover was completed in 2020; Altran was delisted after Capgemini reached the relevant squeeze-out threshold. On 8 April 2021, the combined engineering and R&D activities were renamed Capgemini Engineering. The brand now operates as part of Capgemini’s broader portfolio, linking physical engineering, intelligent products, software, cloud, data, artificial intelligence, and industrial operations. It serves multinational and industrial clients through a geographically distributed delivery and consulting network.
History
Capgemini Engineering developed from the French engineering consultancy founded in 1982 as CGS Informatique by Alexis Kniazeff and Hubert Martigny. Both founders had worked at Peat Marwick, now associated with KPMG. By the middle of the decade the firm had a growing engineering workforce, and in 1987 it completed an important railway-technology assignment involving the onboard communications network for France’s TGV trains. The company also entered the public market in 1987 and expanded its technical base through acquisitions, including an aeronautics simulation and modelling business. In the early 1990s, the organization increasingly placed engineers directly within client projects, creating a flexible model for outsourced high-technology R&D. It expanded across transportation, telecommunications, energy, information technology, and industrial systems. Acquisitions in France and elsewhere in Europe established a network of semi-independent specialist units. The company entered Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Austria through a mixture of acquisitions and new offices. By the end of the decade, international activity represented a significant share of sales. The group’s international expansion accelerated after 2000. It entered the United States and South America, expanded into Asia, and acquired or established businesses in software, aerospace, automotive, telecommunications, electronics, energy, life sciences, and industrial consulting. It also pursued research and innovation through Altran Research and related programs. Projects associated with the predecessor group included work on automated metro systems, aerospace systems, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, automotive technologies, digital products, and industrial networks. A major phase of expansion occurred in the 2010s. Altran acquired IndustrieHansa in Germany, Nspyre in the Netherlands, SiConTech in India, Tessella in data science, Synapse in product development, Lohika in software engineering, Swell and Benteler Engineering in automotive engineering, Pricol Technologies, Information Risk Management, and GlobalEdge. In 2017 it announced the acquisition of Aricent, a digital design and engineering company. The transaction was completed in March 2018 and materially increased Altran’s capabilities in software, communications, and digital product engineering. Capgemini announced a friendly takeover of Altran in 2019. The transaction closed on 1 April 2020, followed by the delisting of Altran after Capgemini reached the applicable squeeze-out threshold. Capgemini integrated the acquired engineering and R&D operations with its own engineering activities and renamed the combined business Capgemini Engineering on 8 April 2021. The current brand extends the predecessor’s industrial engineering heritage into intelligent products, embedded systems, software, data, artificial intelligence, cloud-connected operations, manufacturing, and lifecycle services. It remains a business brand within Capgemini Group rather than a separately listed company.
- 2026
Michael Schulte becomes CEO of Engineering
[1]Michael Schulte takes responsibility for Capgemini’s Engineering business and joins the leadership presentation for the organization.
- 2021
Capgemini Engineering launches as a unified brand
[8]Altran’s engineering and R&D activities are combined with Capgemini’s digital engineering services and presented under the Capgemini Engineering name.
- 2020
Capgemini completes the Altran acquisition
[3]Capgemini reaches full ownership of Altran after the successful tender offer and squeeze-out process.
- 2019
Capgemini announces the acquisition of Altran
[2]Capgemini proposes a friendly cash tender offer to acquire Altran and combine engineering and R&D with consulting and technology services.
- 2011
Dominique Cerutti becomes chairman and CEO of Altran
[10]Dominique Cerutti is appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Altran.
- 2002
Arthur D. Little operations are acquired
[8]Altran supports a management buyout of Arthur D. Little’s European, Asian and Latin American operations and acquires the Arthur D. Little brand and trademark.
- 1997
Praxis Critical Systems is acquired
[8]Altran acquires Praxis Critical Systems, adding software and safety-engineering expertise in the United Kingdom.
- 1993
European expansion begins
[11]Altran begins establishing a broader European footprint, starting with Belgium and subsequently expanding into other major European markets.
- 1992
Altran Conseil is created
[11]A consulting activity is created to serve automotive equipment, nuclear and consumer-electronics industries.
- 1989
Expansion into aerospace simulation and structural analysis
[11]Altran acquires Ségur Informatique, strengthening its engineering capabilities in simulation and aerospace structural calculations.
Products and positioning
A global engineering and R&D partner combining industrial-domain expertise with Capgemini’s consulting, technology, cloud, data, artificial-intelligence and digital-transformation capabilities. Its core proposition is to help clients engineer intelligent, connected, software-defined and sustainable products, systems and operations.
Artificial intelligence and engineering transformation
AI engineering
AI engineering applies artificial intelligence across products, engineering processes and industrial operations. Capgemini Engineering positions this capability around moving beyond experimentation toward measurable deployment, including AI-enabled productivity, intelligent products, engineering copilots, data-driven decision-making and AI-supported lifecycle management.
Embedded software and electronics
Embedded systems engineering
Embedded systems engineering covers the hardware, software, electronics, controls and connectivity needed for intelligent products. Typical applications include automotive systems, aerospace and defense equipment, industrial machinery, connected devices, telecommunications infrastructure and other products requiring performance, reliability, safety and real-time behavior.
Software product engineering
Digital software product engineering
This offering supports the development, modernization, scaling and operation of digital software products. It combines product strategy, software architecture, cloud-native engineering, user-facing applications, data and AI capabilities, quality assurance and continuous delivery to help organizations bring software-enabled products to market faster.
Systems engineering
Products and systems engineering
Products and systems engineering addresses increasingly complex products in which hardware, software, electronics, controls, data and AI must work together. Capabilities include systems engineering, autonomous and advanced-driver-assistance systems, digital continuity, simulation, digital twins, model-based verification and sustainable engineering.
Manufacturing engineering
Manufacturing and industrial operations
This line connects engineering with manufacturing, supply chain, quality and operations. It supports industrial transformation through manufacturing engineering, connected factories, industrial data, automation, operational resilience, process optimization and AI-enabled production environments.
Network and lifecycle services
Network engineering and product sustenance
Network engineering and product sustenance help clients improve the availability, reliability, serviceability and total cost of ownership of connected products and networks. The work can include AI-enabled integration, observability, digital twins, predictive operations, lifecycle optimization, maintenance and post-launch product support.
Product lifecycle engineering
Product lifecycle management
Product lifecycle management connects engineering data, processes, models and operational feedback across the life of a product. It supports collaboration among design, systems engineering, manufacturing, service and business teams while helping clients maintain digital continuity and improve product development efficiency.
Controversies
2004
Investigation involving Altran founders over alleged false invoicing and misuse of company funds
Public biographical and historical accounts report that Altran co-founders Hubert Martigny and Alexis Kniazeff were placed under investigation in 2004 in connection with allegations involving false invoices and financial misconduct at the company. The matter concerns the historical Altran organization and predates the Capgemini Engineering brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Solar Impulse support
International
Altran supported the Solar Impulse project, an initiative focused on demonstrating long-distance flight powered by solar energy.
Outcome. The project reinforced Altran’s positioning around advanced engineering, sustainability and technology innovation.
- 2000Renault Formula One partnership
France · Europe
Altran became associated with a partnership involving the Renault Formula One team, using the relationship to highlight its engineering, technology and innovation capabilities.
Outcome. The partnership served as a technology and brand-visibility initiative linking Altran with high-performance engineering and motorsport.
Brand decisions
2026
Michael Schulte appointed CEO of Engineeringleadership_changeBackground
Capgemini’s engineering business continued to be managed as a major global business line within the group.
Action taken
Michael Schulte became CEO of Engineering, with Volkmar Varnhagen identified as COO of Capgemini Engineering.
Aftermath
The leadership structure emphasizes the integration of engineering services with Capgemini’s broader group platform and industrial transformation agenda.
2021
Creation of the Capgemini Engineering operating brandStrategyBackground
Capgemini needed to integrate Altran’s engineering heritage with its own digital engineering and technology capabilities after the acquisition.
Action taken
Capgemini grouped the relevant engineering and R&D businesses and launched the Capgemini Engineering identity.
Aftermath
The new brand became the group’s principal market-facing identity for engineering, R&D, intelligent products, industrial transformation and related lifecycle services.
2020
Capgemini completes the Altran takeover and squeeze-outM&ABackground
After the tender offer and reopening process, Capgemini reached the threshold required to acquire the remaining Altran shares and integrate the company into Capgemini Group.
Action taken
Capgemini implemented the squeeze-out and became the sole owner of Altran.
Aftermath
Altran ceased to operate as a separately listed public company and its engineering and R&D activities became part of Capgemini’s integrated engineering platform.
2019
Capgemini proposes the acquisition of AltranM&ABackground
Capgemini sought to strengthen its position in the digital transformation of industrial and technology companies by combining its consulting, technology and cloud capabilities with Altran’s engineering and R&D services.
Action taken
Capgemini announced a friendly cash tender offer for Altran and separately agreed to acquire a block of Altran shares from shareholders led by Apax Partners.
Aftermath
The transaction proceeded through regulatory review, an increased offer price and a reopened tender offer before Capgemini obtained full ownership in 2020.
Total cash consideration announced for the acquisition, excluding net financial debt. €3.6 billion (June 24, 2019 announcement)
Recent events
- 2026
Michael Schulte becomes CEO of Engineering[1]
Leadership change
Capgemini identifies Michael Schulte as CEO of Engineering and a member of the Group Executive Board.
- 2026
Capgemini Engineering expands its AI and digital-engineering positioning[5]
Product launch · strategy
Current Capgemini Engineering materials emphasize AI engineering, software-defined products, engineering knowledge intelligence, simulation, digital twins and engineering industrialization.
- 2021
Capgemini creates the Capgemini Engineering brand[8]
strategy · M&A
Capgemini grouped Altran’s engineering and R&D operations with Capgemini’s digital engineering activities under the Capgemini Engineering name.
- 2020
Capgemini increases Altran tender-offer price to €14.50 per share[3]
M&A · Pricing
Capgemini increased the price of its friendly tender offer and made additional undertakings during the acquisition process.
- 2020
Capgemini reports success of its friendly tender offer for Altran[3]
M&A
Capgemini announced that its offer had succeeded and that the offer would be reopened for a further period.
- 2020
Capgemini reaches 98% ownership of Altran[4]
M&A
Following the reopening of the offer, Capgemini reported ownership of 98% of Altran’s share capital and announced its intention to implement a squeeze-out.
- 2020
Capgemini completes acquisition and squeeze-out of Altran[3]
M&A
The squeeze-out procedure was completed and Altran became wholly owned by Capgemini Group.
- 2019
Capgemini announces proposed acquisition of Altran[2]
M&A · Regulation
Capgemini announced a friendly cash offer for Altran, intending to combine consulting and technology capabilities with Altran’s engineering and R&D activities.
Sources11 sources
- 1Capgemini Engineering: Pioneering New Horizonscapgemini.com
- 2Capgemini to acquire Altraninvestors.capgemini.com
- 3Capgemini acquisition of Altran timelineinvestors.capgemini.com
- 4Capgemini reaches 98% ownership of Altrancapgemini.com
- 5Product and systems engineeringcapgemini.com
- 6Manufacturing and industrial operationscapgemini.com
- 7Network engineering and product sustenancecapgemini.com
- 8Capgemini Engineering articleen.wikipedia.org
- 9Hubert Martigny articlefr.wikipedia.org
- 10Altran 2017 registration documentignition.altran.com
- 11The Altran name is establishedfr.wikipedia.org
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