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In October 2006, 124 families were given the keys to their newly built houses in the new village of Desa Kuala Garing: the result of a close collaboration between Lafarge Cement in Malaysia and the State of Selangor, where the town of Rawang is situated. Tailor-made solutions Following the flood in March 2001, Lafarge started to study the problem of Rawang River flooding which poses a constant threat to the population. It quickly became apparent to the Group’s management that the river needed to be diverted and widened to protect local residents. A particularly exposed community of homeless families had been living in a highrisk area along the banks of the river for over thirty years. Part of the area belongs to Lafarge Cement in Malaysia. “A study of flooding in recent years revealed that it was completely unpredictable and represented a constant threat to people working and living in the area,” explains Alain Croüy, CEO of Lafarge Cement in Malaysia. The defined action plan had two parts: the construction of a residential area to rehouse homeless families living in the area, and river development work to prevent flooding. Supporting local initiatives Lafarge’s project, which had been submitted to the local authorities, received the full sup- P A G E 3 8 | L A FA R G E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 | C R E S C E N D O MAL AYSIA In 2001, floods engulfed the town of Rawang in Malaysia. To prevent such a disaster happening again, Lafarge carried out a large-scale project to protect the residents which involved diverting and widening the Rawang River and building a new village. The Rawang River won’t burst its banks anymore port of the State of Selangor in 2003. As stressed by YB Dato’s Tang See Hang, a member of the executive committee of the State of Selangor and a congressman in Rawang: “This project will prevent the risk of flooding at the same time as helping to resolve the housing problem in our community." The combined efforts of the State of Selangor and Lafarge have led to the State granting a piece of land, provided all families with access to property and obtained subsidies for the construction of housing. Lafarge’s contribution in terms of material and financial resources has exceeded €2.5 million. In 2004, a relocation agreement was signed with the families. In addition to the construction of an 80m 2 house for each family, Lafarge created a play area, a school, the village hall, a few stores and a basketball court. River diversion work, which got underway in early 2007, is expected to be completed by the end of the year and should protect the area from the risk of flooding for many years to come. ■ The village of Desa Kuala Garing created to host the homeless families. © ARR Mediatheque Lafarge CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD © © Paulo Romeu / Myzoom In addition to the concrete for the velodrome, Lafarge supplied plasterboard for the construction of Rio’s Engenhão stadium. Concrete on top form! The velodrome is part of a new sports complex in Rio de Janeiro dedicated to speed sports and hosted the speed skating and cycling events in this summer’s Pan American Games. The construction of the velodrome involved Lafarge Brazil's technical team, made up of engineers and salespeople, analyzing both the technical challenges and the customer’s requirements. “Our approach consisted of coming up with an end-to-end proposal, particularly in terms of services and solutions, focusing on the customer’s expectations and needs rather than on the product itself, as is often the case,” explained Leonardo Gonçalves, Strategy and Marketing Manager at Lafarge Concrete in Brazil. Opting for a custom-made product The team also had to work within a tight timeframe. “We had about two months to build the tracks’ foundations, which is a relatively short time,” said the Strategy and Marketing Manager. From a technical point of view, the surface had to be extremely smooth and tough to cover it with a special woodfloor imported from Siberia. “That is why, after analyzing the objectives, we proposed Especial II concrete. It is a strong, high-quality concrete which pours well, making it easy to apply,” explained Leonardo BR AZIL Lafarge Brazil helped to build the track at the new velodrome for the Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro this year. The project involved tailoring a solution to the customer’s requirements. Gonçalves. Easier and therefore quicker to apply, the product fulfilled the construction requirements and offered Lafarge Brazil teams greater leeway, allowing more checks to be carried out. Proposing Especial II concrete, combined with standard concrete, which the customer was planning at the outset, was a value-added solution. “By focusing our attention on customer’s needs, we are able to offer a service that better suits their requirements and provide solutions that they might not have thought of,” said Leonardo Gonçalves. A total of 1,300m 3 of concrete was required to construct and cover the cycle tracks, which have been admired by the 1,500 velodrome spectators during recent competitions. ■ C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 | P A G E 4 1
Page 1 and 2: “Being involved and innovating fo
Page 3 and 4: exploring a world on the move © Ge
Page 5 and 6: Tokyo, Japan, is extending its rive
Page 7 and 8: “ According to numerous analysts,
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Page 13 and 14: MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES
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Page 17 and 18: ••• Lafarge has unveiled its
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Page 25 and 26: © Benoît Fougeirol STRIVING TO AT

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