Annual Report 2011 Holcim Ltd

10
100 years
100 years – from a small factory to a global enterprise
Dear Shareholder,
This is a very special year for our company: it turns 100. We are pleased to be able to celebrate our centennial.
On February 15, 1912, the Aargauische Portlandcementfabrik was founded with the purpose of building a cement
factory in the small farming village of Holderbank in the Swiss canton of Aargau. In 1913, the plant was
commissioned and in its first year produced 90,000 tonnes of cement. That may not seem much by today’s
standards, but at the time the factory and its modern technology made a difference. Another notable difference
was the entrepreneurial energy brought to the enterprise by Ernst Schmidheiny – a businessman who
joined the company soon after it was founded. Looking back over a century, it is clear that already in the early
years the company’s hallmarks, such as “technological leadership”, “growing international presence”, and
“integration of employees at all levels” were part and parcel of its corporate thinking and actions.
World War One put a temporary brake on the company’s development. But soon it moved into Belgium,
France, Lebanon, Egypt, and elsewhere. The figures in this Annual Report illustrate once again how systematically
the company has pursued international expansion. The 90,000 tonnes in small Holderbank have grown
into a cement capacity of 216 million tonnes in 149 plants, plus 492 aggregates plants and 1,435 ready-mix
concrete plants. This growth reflects how the world has changed. Cities have grown and industries have expanded,
as has the infrastructure they need: schools and hospitals, airports and railways, roads, bridges, and
dams. This has created markets for building materials. But these opportunities had to be grasped – by businessmen
and investors who had the courage to commit themselves and their own funds. They could never
have done it on their own, and they knew it. For the past 100 years the corporate strategy has been put into
effect by employees at all levels. Hence, it is no coincidence that they, the employees – in the plants on all
continents – are the center of attention in this centennial year. Highly renowned photographers depict the
people as they are. The ensuing book is intended to express the respect and gratitude that those at the head
of the company have for these people – and for those who went before them.
In the financial year under review, the world has been a source of progress for us, but also of setbacks;
a lot has remained the same, but some things are changing as well.
Sales grow in all segments
Holcim increased sales of cement, aggregates, and ready-mix concrete in four of its five Group regions. Only
the Group region Africa Middle East delivered slightly lower volumes. Aggregates experienced the strongest
growth, especially in Latin America and Asia. Sales of cement were also impressive in Latin America, followed
by Asia – no surprise there. In North America sales of ready-mix concrete were supported by acquisitions. The
strongest organic growth was achieved by the Group companies in Latin America.