The magazine - Lafarge

© Benoît Fougeirol
STRIVING TO ATTAIN OUR FULL POTENTIAL
Thiais RATP Bus Center, near Paris,
made with Ductal®. Architects: ECDM.
Lafarge reports
a record 2007 first half
Sales up 4% to €8,385 million, current operating income up 20% to €1,360 million (up
23% in the Cement business and 30% in the Aggregates & Concrete business) and net
income of €934 million (up 70% year-on-year).
H1 2007 results, announced in August, augur well for the latter half of the year.
This performance that we have achieved, in spite of the difficult economic climate in the
United States, “reflects the structural improvement of our operations and the cost-cutting
initiatives taken throughout the Group,” explains Chief Executive Officier Bruno Lafont. ■
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© Samuel Ashfield
RECOGNITION
Environmental
policy receives
award
In July, Lafarge UK
received a Business
in the Community Award
for Excellence at the Royal
Albert Hall in London
in the presence of Al Gore
and the Prince of Wales.
This Eco-Award recognizes
the Group’s commitment
to the environment and
the effectiveness of its
resource recovery policy.
Lafarge’s policy involves
reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and
conserving non renewable
energy and material
resources by substituting
them with recycled waste
in the cement production
process. ■
SITE
Lafarge expands
its Gypsum
business in Asia
To increase its production
capacity and strengthen
its position in a highpotential
Asian market,
Lafarge Boral Gypsum
in Asia (a Lafarge-Boral
© Nian Zeng / Rapho
joint venture) has invested
$28 million in
the construction of two
plasterboard plants.
The factories, which
arein Chengdu (China)
and near to New Delhi
in India, each have
a production capacity of
10 million square meters.
They are expected to
begin production in the
first quarter of 2008. ■
INNOVATION
Chronolia
and Extensia ,
two revolutionary
concretes
The result of many years
of research, Lafarge’s
two new concretes
Chronolia and Extensia
meet today’s specific
construction needs.
By becoming resistant
in four hours instead
of between twelve
and twenty hours
for traditional concrete,
Chronolia saves
precious time!
Meanwhile, Extensia
concrete, which has
been specially designed
for concrete flooring
Disvestment
of Lafarge Roofing
completed
In March, Europe’s
leading private equity
firm PAI Partners
completed its acquisition
of Lafarge Roofing
for an enterprise value
of €2.4 billion.
Wishing to maintain
a link with the business,
which operates in
41 countries, Lafarge has
reinvested €215 million
alongside PAI Partners
to take a 35% stake
in the new entity. ■
A new production
line in China
At the beginning of 2007,
Lafarge Shui on Cement
opened a new production
line at its Dujiangyan
cement plant in China.
This injection of
$58 million has enabled
the Sichuan factory, which
was already one of the
country’s most modern
plants, to double its
production capacity.
This is a major asset
for Lafarge, enabling
it to keep up with the
exponential growth of
the world’s largest cement
market and shore up
its leadership position
in south-west China. ■
© Serge Henri
© ARR Mediatheque Lafarge
applications, can cover
a large surface area
without joints, steel mesh
or steel fibers, limiting
later cracking problems.
Two new materials that
are a real technological
revolution in concrete. ■
ACQUISITION
Lafarge
increases its stake
in Héraclès
Lafarge now holds
a 78.70% in Héraclès’
capital. In April, the Group
bought over 18 million
shares in Greece's leading
cement producer from the
Greek National Bank for
the sum of €322 million.
Lafarge, which already
held 52.70% of the
company’s capital, has
increased its stake
by 26%. ■
© ARR Mediatheque Lafarge
REDUCING CO 2
And that
makes three!
After Morocco and
Malaysia, Lafarge has
now introduced a third
Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) in
India. The project,
set up at the Arasmeta
cement plant, involves
replacing part of the
clinker making up the
cement with fly ash,
a by-product of coal-fired
power stations.
A highly effective way
of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions
linked to the cement
manufacturing process,
it is expected to reduce
CO 2 emissions by
around 70,000 tons
a year. ■
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