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Number 5 April 2008<br />
China<br />
Towards<br />
sustainable<br />
ecology<br />
Orascom Cement,<br />
growth<br />
accelerator<br />
Green fuel<br />
in Kenya
© Photolibrary<br />
EXPLORING<br />
A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
06 China, towards sustainable ecology<br />
12 <strong>The</strong> sky’s the limit for today’s towers<br />
16 <strong>The</strong> structural revolution of Villa Navarra<br />
MOVING FORWARD<br />
IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
20 Orascom Cement, a growth accelerator<br />
26 Human Resources: the challenge of internal growth<br />
30 Health & Safety: forging ahead<br />
CONTRIBUTING<br />
TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD<br />
36 Objective: “zero net energy”<br />
38 Rebuilding a community<br />
40 Renovated Romanian heritage<br />
42 Bees provide a buzz for biodiversity<br />
44 Green fuel in Kenya<br />
STRIVING<br />
TO ATTAIN OUR FULL POTENTIAL<br />
48 Highlights<br />
BRUNO LAFONT<br />
Chairman and<br />
CEO of <strong>Lafarge</strong> ©<br />
questioning bias, thinking out of the box, progressing every day… Proving<br />
by our initiatives that <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s leadership in sustainable development,<br />
controlled growth and local development is not just empty words… <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are the topics covered in this issue of Crescendo, which focuses on the<br />
international arena, as does our Group. <strong>The</strong> Middle East is our first<br />
destination, increasingly central to <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s strategy since the acquisition<br />
of Orascom Cement. We then head for China, a key growth vector,<br />
representing alone half of the worldwide cement market. Contributing to<br />
growth in China also means supporting this country in achieving its<br />
environmental goals. In this area in particular, the Chinese authorities<br />
recently demonstrated a first-rate, can-do approach to reducing energy<br />
consumption.<br />
Building professionals have a tendency to overestimate the cost of<br />
sustainable buildings. <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s<br />
leading role in the EEB (Energy<br />
Efficiency in Building) initiative<br />
to reduce energy consumption<br />
in buildings aims to contribute to changing this. Finally, Crescendo aims<br />
to show that healthy and dynamic economic growth can go hand-in-hand<br />
with social development and support for local communities. <strong>The</strong> “biofuel”<br />
project in Kenya, the exemplary renovation of a former quarry in Spain,<br />
or the massive mobilization to help people affected by the forest fires in<br />
Greece all demonstrate that our values have meaning and that they are<br />
central to our commitment to excellence.<br />
Progressing every day<br />
BRUNO LAFONT<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 0 3<br />
Jacques Grison
a world on the move<br />
© Photothèque <strong>Lafarge</strong> exploring
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
<strong>The</strong> growth of emerging markets is a cause for concern in light<br />
of the increasing risks from global warming. And China in<br />
particular with its 1.3 billion inhabitants. Criticized for the rise<br />
in greenhouse gas emissions directly caused by<br />
its development, the Middle Kingdom is countering the criticisms<br />
of industrialized nations and putting the spotlight on its can-do<br />
approach to protecting the environment.<br />
China, towards<br />
sustainable ecology<br />
<strong>The</strong> port<br />
of Chongqing,<br />
in Yunnan Province,<br />
second most<br />
industrialized city<br />
in China.<br />
western nations have always been fascinated by China, which houses<br />
a fifth of the world’s population, and this fascination has grown since it<br />
entered the global development arena. China’s economic “miracle” with<br />
high levels of growth (11.4% in 2007) has inspired awe in industrialized<br />
nations. Over the last ten years, China’s GDP to date has grown at a rate<br />
of over 200% according to the International Monetary Fund. Particularly<br />
evident in the building sector, China’s dynamic economy now absorbs<br />
half of the world production of cement. About 30 cities have crossed the<br />
2-million inhabitant mark and population levels in towns developing on the<br />
outskirts can be counted in tens of millions. To meet industrial and<br />
residential energy needs, China is increasing its electrical production<br />
capacity by 50 gigawatts a year, which is like building two new power<br />
stations a week!<br />
<strong>The</strong> soaring economy is affecting China’s population and indirectly<br />
impacting the world economy. But public opinion in the most developed<br />
countries is also voicing its concern. Indeed, people are fearful of global<br />
warming and this exploding economic development is perceived as a<br />
threat for the environment. <strong>The</strong> media and environmental groups were<br />
quick to pinpoint China as the world’s highest producer of CO2 in 2007.<br />
However, two key factors shall be taken in account. First, while China did<br />
actually produce more CO2 than any other country, its rate of emission •••<br />
P A G E 0 6 | L A FA R G E | O C T O B R E 2 0 0 7 | C R E S C E N D O C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 0 7<br />
© Photononstop
“ <strong>The</strong> five-year plan intends<br />
to cut energy<br />
consumption by 4% a year.”<br />
••• per inhabitant is still considerably lower than in the United States,<br />
Europe or Japan. Second, focused can-do policies have recently been<br />
put into practice by the authorities to reconcile economic growth with<br />
environmental protection.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first signs of a responsible industry<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chinese authorities have expressed their annoyance at this criticism.<br />
Like the governments of other emerging nations, they dislike being<br />
lectured by countries that based their economic growth on the consumption<br />
of fossil fuels (the main cause of current CO 2 concentration levels in<br />
the atmosphere) for two centuries. <strong>The</strong>y have retorted that they have<br />
absolutely no intention of curbing their growth when their standard of<br />
living is still well below that of more developed countries. Even so, China<br />
is aware of the risks involved in uncontrolled economic development<br />
and the central government has embarked on a new policy focusing on<br />
energy efficiency and reducing pollution.<br />
Pan Yue, Vice-Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration,<br />
described the government’s position in an interview for the Nanfang Zhoumo<br />
<strong>magazine</strong>: “In 2007, we included the need to cut energy consumption<br />
by 4% and to reduce polluting emissions by 2% a year in our eleventh<br />
P A G E 0 8 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
PAN YUE<br />
Vice-Minister of the State Environmental<br />
Protection Administration<br />
© Photononstop<br />
Shanghai by night…<br />
Consumption of<br />
electricity is rising by a<br />
colossal 50 GW a year.<br />
five-year plan. Far from falling, in 2006, emissions of the main pollutants<br />
rose, there was an ecological accident every two days on average, and<br />
complaints by the population concerning the environment rose by 30%.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> year 2007 saw a reversal of the trend and energy consumption in<br />
terms of GDP fell by 3.27%. This is encouraging, but still considered<br />
under par by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in view of the country’s commitments<br />
for 2010. So in another show of willingness, the government took<br />
drastic action, which includes restrictions on new industrial projects if<br />
regions do not comply with environmental regulations. Going beyond<br />
the commitments made by many Western countries, the government<br />
has set the State Environmental Protection Administration, now a fullyfledged<br />
ministry, the goal of producing 15% of renewable energy by<br />
2015 and 30% by 2030.<br />
Three per cent of GDP: the weight of pollution<br />
For the government, the priority is now to reconcile economic development<br />
with respect for the environment. Indeed, China knows that one is<br />
not possible without the other in the 21st century. <strong>The</strong> China Green<br />
National Accounting Study Report thus estimated that pollution cost the<br />
country 512 billion yuan (about 50 billion euros) in 2004, equal to 3% of<br />
© REA<br />
LAFARGE IN CHINA<br />
“In compliance with <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s pledges in the Sustainability Ambitions<br />
2012 programme, we have voluntarily set ourselves objectives that go<br />
beyond local regulations,” explains Marie Fan Xiaohong, Environment<br />
Manager of <strong>Lafarge</strong> Shui On Cement in China. We intend to dramatically<br />
cut our CO2 emissions and to reduce dust emissions, SO2 (sulfur dioxide)<br />
and NOx. Present on the Chinese market since 1994, the Group has<br />
become a leader in the cement business in the south-west of the country<br />
following a joint-venture with a local firm in November 2005. Its twenty<br />
production units offload 24 million tons of cement and employ 10,000<br />
people. Several ultra-modern, highly energy-efficient plants are currently<br />
being built to coincide with market growth. <strong>Lafarge</strong> also produces<br />
plasterboard in Shanghai, Chongqing or Chengdu and is preparing its<br />
rollout on the aggregates and concrete markets. ■<br />
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
GDP. This was an unacceptable situation for the authorities who pledged<br />
new, much more restrictive standards in the National Programme on<br />
Climate Change launched in June 2007.<br />
Against this backdrop, some ambitious projects are under way, including<br />
the eco-city of Dongtan on the island of Chongming, an hour’s boat ride<br />
from Shanghai. This new city should by ready by 2010, coinciding with<br />
the Universal Exhibition in Shanghai. It will be fully self-sufficient, powered<br />
by electricity from wind turbines and solar panels, with local organic food<br />
production and a public transport system comprising a hydrogen bus<br />
and river taxis. <strong>The</strong> new city should be able to house 50,000 people.<br />
This new vision probably fuelled ambition to develop Chongqing, a<br />
30-million-inhabitant megalopolis in south-west China, and where Bruno<br />
Lafont, Chairman and CEO of <strong>Lafarge</strong>, was appointed advisor to the<br />
mayor. “We have set ourselves some very ambitious objectives,” states<br />
Wang Hongju, the city’s mayor. “First, we are planning to double the •••<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 0 9
© DR<br />
CLAUDE MANDIL<br />
Engineer from the École des<br />
Mines, and a graduate of the<br />
École Polytechnique. Former<br />
Director General of Energy and<br />
Raw Materials at the Ministry<br />
of Industry and chairman of the<br />
French Oil Institute.<br />
Executive Director of the<br />
International Energy Agency<br />
from February 2003 to<br />
September 2007.<br />
Claude Mandil<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Chinese authorities<br />
are aware of the threats”<br />
P A G E 1 0 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
Claude Mandil, former executive director of the International<br />
Energy Agency (IEA).<br />
Is China the world’s top polluter?<br />
Claude Mandil : In 2007, it was the highest<br />
emitter of CO2 in the world just ahead of the<br />
United States. But if we compare emissions<br />
(5 billion tons of CO2 a year) to population<br />
(1.3 billion inhabitants), China contributes<br />
to CO2 pollution four times less than<br />
Americans or Europeans. Even so, growth<br />
rates in China and other emerging countries<br />
indicate a potentially massive increase in<br />
greenhouse gas emissions.<br />
What are your projections for 2050?<br />
C. M. : It all depends on policies. If nothing<br />
is done, we will probably have been burned<br />
alive before then anyway! If the Kyoto<br />
commitments are respected, we should be<br />
able to bring CO2 emissions back to their<br />
present level. But scientists aren’t happy with<br />
this objective. <strong>The</strong>y defend a scenario based<br />
on a peak in 2015, which should then<br />
be halved by 2050. This is an extraordinary<br />
challenge. It will require an intense<br />
mobilization of opinions, deep changes<br />
in our behavior, and key policies to promote<br />
renewable energy, nuclear energy and<br />
above all technologies for capturing<br />
and confining CO2. What is China’s position with respect<br />
to these scenarios?<br />
C. M. : <strong>The</strong> authorities are aware of the<br />
environmental threats to the planet.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re ready to take action as long as<br />
this doesn’t curb their growth.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re involved in international<br />
discussions under the UN’s umbrella.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chinese government insists it has<br />
already considerably stepped up its<br />
efforts. Is this really the case?<br />
C. M. : <strong>The</strong> eleventh five-year plan contains<br />
some very ambitious objectives for cutting<br />
energy consumption per unit of GDP: 20% by<br />
2010. This is much higher than Europe which<br />
is at about 1% a year. But China publicly<br />
announced that it cannot meet this goal at<br />
present. Moreover, emission standards for<br />
new cars, based on those of the European<br />
Union, have been implemented. A policy to<br />
actively promote renewable energy and<br />
nuclear energy is also under way, although<br />
this is a drop in the ocean compared to coal.<br />
Finally, concerning coal, half of their new<br />
facilities are next-generation power stations,<br />
thus more energy-efficient and less polluting.<br />
Can companies play a role in this<br />
mobilization?<br />
C. M. : Pending the implementation<br />
of a post-Kyoto system which covers the<br />
whole world, they can impose the idea<br />
of sector-based agreements between key<br />
industries. Concerning cement firms, <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
proposes limit thresholds for emissions.<br />
As it produces 50% of worldwide cement,<br />
China must be involved in these agreements,<br />
particularly as a number of its cement works<br />
are recent and more energy-efficient. ■<br />
© Arup.com<br />
•••<br />
economic weight of the city in five years. Secondly, we have embarked<br />
on a can-do policy to cut energy consumption and emissions, introduce<br />
a sustainable development approach and improve our citizens’ living<br />
standards.” <strong>The</strong> city unveiled a five-point plan to achieve these objectives<br />
in 2008. Some of the features include the creation of hi-tech industrial<br />
activities; the closure of several former steelworks, cement works or<br />
polluting facilities; the development of renewable energy; and a system for<br />
controlling waste and pollution.<br />
Other local public-private initiatives are also a solution to economic development<br />
that respects the environment. In this context, the province of<br />
Yunnan has embarked on a key project with a twofold objective. First,<br />
they want to meet considerable local demand for construction materials;<br />
second, they want to modernize this key sector in the provincial economy,<br />
by encouraging energy-saving policies, developing the use of waste as a<br />
fuel alternative or developing new quality products. <strong>The</strong>se measures<br />
resulted in the conclusion of a milestone agreement between <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
and Chongqing City, covering accelerating development of all the Group’s<br />
activities. It is difficult to know yet whether these new policies will allow<br />
China to achieve an “ecological” miracle this time round, but the development<br />
of an industry able to reconcile economic drive with respect for the<br />
environment could eventually serve as a model for all emerging markets. ■<br />
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
With the policy to cut polluting<br />
emissions, renewable energy<br />
production projects are flourishing.<br />
Here, the project for the eco-city<br />
of Dongtan.<br />
DID YOU KNOW ?<br />
THE GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO ITS<br />
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY<br />
In a further show of its commitment to sustainable development, China<br />
created a fully-fledged Environment Ministry on March 15, 2008.<br />
This decision will add weight and resources to the former State<br />
Environmental Protection Administration, which worked to combat<br />
pollution and energy waste.<br />
In December 2008, <strong>Lafarge</strong> became a member of the Chinese Cement<br />
Association. It is for us another opportunity to contribute to upgrading<br />
environmental and safety standards of the industry and to embark other<br />
players in a common goal towards sustainability.<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> was hailed as one of the ten most influential international brands<br />
at a forum on construction and energy efficiency organized by the Chinese<br />
construction ministry. It received the accolade for being the only company<br />
able to provide an internal plasterboard-based heat insulation system<br />
combining both reliability and energy-efficiency.<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 1 1
<strong>The</strong> sky’s the limit<br />
for today’s towers<br />
P A G E 1 2 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
Faced with demographic growth, urban development, and global<br />
warming, many specialists are advocating energy-efficient<br />
and dense modern cities, spreading upwards. Architects are now<br />
inventing comfortable and pleasant sustainable or eco-towers<br />
with the potential offered by groundbreaking techniques and<br />
materials. And the towers are getting taller.<br />
all worldwide population figures are on the rise. <strong>The</strong> number of people<br />
on the planet is increasing and will reach 7.9 billion by 2025, compared<br />
to 6.4 billion today. More than two out of three inhabitants will live in<br />
the world’s cities. China alone will have to build over 400 new cities by<br />
then to absorb its soaring rural exodus. Space is limited and land is<br />
expensive. Most large cities, from São Paulo to Sydney, including Dubai,<br />
Shanghai or Bangkok, are looking upwards. With more than 7,000<br />
buildings higher than 152 meters, Hong Kong held the record for the<br />
city with the most skyscrapers in the world in 2005, ahead of New York<br />
or Tokyo. For many urban planners, high-density development is the<br />
key to countering the threat of global warming and declining natural<br />
resources and this involves building new, even taller towers. Because<br />
these towers use up less land, green and agricultural areas can be<br />
maintained, thus promoting biodiversity; permeable soil areas can also<br />
be spared and traffic congestion can be better controlled. In the new<br />
part of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, for example, building upwards<br />
has helped to preserve surrounding forest areas and even bring the<br />
forest into the city. With very energy-efficient design, these new<br />
skyscrapers can also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<br />
In Paris’s La Défense business district, the Generali Tower, to be<br />
completed by 2012, will boast half-opaque, half-transparent façades<br />
to better control heat input, as well as natural ventilation, solar •••<br />
<strong>The</strong> One Exchange Square<br />
in Hong Kong is a group<br />
of three, 52-storey<br />
buildings interlinked<br />
by gardens.<br />
© Getty Images<br />
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE
© DR © DR<br />
ALAIN SARFATI<br />
> Architect of the French<br />
Embassy in Beijing, China, and<br />
the Panache Tower project at<br />
Paris’s La Défense, Alain Sarfati<br />
runs Area, a multidisciplinary<br />
agency instrumental in the<br />
construction of several new<br />
towns in the 1970s. Area was<br />
behind the building of the<br />
National Archive Centre for the<br />
World of Work in Roubaix<br />
(1993), the National <strong>The</strong>atre in<br />
Toulouse’s city centre (1998)<br />
and the Bel Air area in Saint-<br />
Germain-en-Laye.<br />
THOM MAYNE<br />
> Winner of the Pritzker<br />
Architecture Prize in 2005,<br />
Thom Mayne created<br />
the Morphosis agency and the<br />
Southern California Institute<br />
of Architecture. Designer<br />
of the head office of BMW<br />
in Munich, he is currently<br />
building the Lighthouse Tower<br />
in Paris’s La Défense and<br />
working on other projects such<br />
as the Design Center in Taipei,<br />
China, the Sun Tower in South<br />
Korea and the Olympic Village<br />
in New York.<br />
P A G E 1 4 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
Alain Sarfati’s<br />
project for the<br />
Emperor Tower.<br />
La Défense’s future<br />
Lighthouse Tower<br />
designed by<br />
Thom Mayne.<br />
© S. Area / Sarfati<br />
© SIPA<br />
••• sensors, wind turbines on the roof, and outside gardens on each<br />
floor. Its neighbouring “Phare” or Lighthouse Tower will be equipped<br />
with a “double skin” on the south side and a transparent façade on the<br />
north side to maximize energy efficiency, in addition to a rainwater<br />
recovery system.<br />
Progress from all sides<br />
Engineering has progressed so much over the last few years that some<br />
real technical feats are now possible. Some of these include development<br />
of interlacing outside frames; load-bearing lattices; super corner<br />
columns or reinforced concrete pillars; the use of pendulum-like<br />
counterweights to reduce building oscillation; and groupings of thin<br />
high-rise buildngs. New materials have also been developed, including<br />
light-sensitive glass or ultra-high performance concretes. “<strong>The</strong>y offer<br />
unprecedented curving potential,” comments architect Alain Sarfati,<br />
designer of the curvy Panache Tower project in La Défense. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
developments are wings allowing architects to fly even higher. Like giant<br />
minarets, dominating Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, the 452-meter Petronas<br />
Twin Towers used to be the highest buildings on record. <strong>The</strong>n last<br />
February, they were outdone by Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,<br />
standing at a colossal 604.9 meters. But this is only the tip of the<br />
tower… Indeed, the developers hope to build it up to 800 meters. But<br />
this is a mere trifle compared to the Bionic Tower project, a 1,228-meter<br />
“rocket”, basking in artificial lakes and gardens, in Shanghai, or the<br />
2,000-meter-high set of 55 stacked pyramids, brainchild of architect<br />
Shimizu in Tokyo.<br />
Fascinating or off-putting?<br />
As fascinating as they may be, these buildings are not to everyone’s<br />
taste. While the Financial Center in Taipei or the pagoda-shaped Jin<br />
Mao Tower in Shanghai fit naturally into the local backdrop, other<br />
designs have been less convincing. Symbols of power, tower blocks<br />
were not really intended to be well-designed urban furniture for<br />
everyone’s benefit. “<strong>The</strong> upshot is that the isolated blocks are more<br />
costly, with higher charges and do not address high-density objectives.<br />
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
<strong>The</strong> land use coefficient is only 1.5 at La Défense, but three for Paris<br />
and eight for Chicago!” comments Alain Sarfati. He goes on to explain<br />
that the 19th century left us two major, but incompatible revolutions:<br />
“Horizontal speed, by train and car, which promoted urban sprawl, and<br />
vertical speed in elevators, a factor which contributed to the development<br />
of high-rise buildings. In some large cities, the problem is that no<br />
choice was made between the two phenomena,” he said. “So many<br />
people opted to live on the outskirts of cities in poorly situated tower<br />
blocks, with insufficient service networks, ultimately leading to the rejection<br />
of this type of building. Towns to live in are needed, welcoming all<br />
members of society, with powerful public transport networks and<br />
spacious gardens. In short, a real social project.” But positive changes<br />
are also afoot in this area. Thom Mayne’s “Phare” Building at La<br />
Défense is designed to blend in with its environment. “Rather than an<br />
isolated and independent building, we sought to develop a hybrid structure<br />
generating smooth transit through underground areas... up to<br />
horizontal public areas which then become vertical, thus offering a<br />
wealth of cultural and commercial experiences,” the architect explains.<br />
By revisiting the functional mix of offices, accommodation, shops and<br />
leisure and better designing the buildings, they should also offer a<br />
higher quality of life. <strong>The</strong> colossal Burj Dubai and the Shimizu Pyramid<br />
are cities in a tower. Accommodation, offices, shops, hotels, hospitals…<br />
<strong>The</strong> entire urban fabric can be contained in a vertical structure,<br />
with roads replaced by floors to create space and interactions on<br />
several levels. ■<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 1 5
EXPLORING A WORLD ON THE MOVE<br />
La Villa Navarra opens a new era in materials. Its roof in<br />
Ductal® concrete is a world first, the hybrid fruit of the<br />
boldness and expertise of Rudy Ricciotti*, architect and<br />
laureate of the National Architecture Grand Prix 2006,<br />
Romain Ricciotti, structural engineer, and Mouloud Behloul,<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> concrete engineer. <strong>The</strong>y meet up for a round table to<br />
talk about this building.<br />
<strong>The</strong> structural<br />
revolution<br />
of Villa Navarra<br />
a<br />
P A G E 1 6 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
n exceptional work, both aesthetically and for<br />
its technical complexity, Villa Navarra looks like<br />
a long, furtive silhouette set on the very rock,<br />
simply laid bare. And it is around this notion<br />
of “minimal aesthetics”, so dear to Rudy<br />
Ricciotti, that the discussion begins.<br />
Rudy Ricciotti : Our intention was to limit<br />
the villa’s impact on the site by blending it into<br />
the slope, without backfill, following a logic<br />
of unobtrusiveness. <strong>The</strong> outcome of this logic<br />
is its ultra-thin Ductal® roof. Can you remind<br />
us of size, Romain?<br />
Romain Ricciotti : 40 meters long,<br />
with a 7.86-meter cantilever and edges<br />
3 centimeters thick.<br />
Mouloud Behloul : In terms of concrete,<br />
that’s a sheet of paper! Ductal® is an ultrahigh<br />
performance fibre concrete, which allows<br />
us to break away from passive structures.<br />
It opens the way to a huge reduction in<br />
material and great creative freedom in forms,<br />
which, in this case, are curved, feminine.<br />
Romain Ricciotti : <strong>The</strong>se forms were<br />
dictated by external restrictions, such as the<br />
© Philippe Ruault<br />
width of the trucks used to transport materials.<br />
But also by the resolute demand for optimum<br />
mechanical yield, similar to that of steel<br />
structures. This structural roof only works in<br />
flexion, with a warp of 4 millimeters as a result<br />
of temperature variations, which is completely<br />
new. It has no incorporated waterproofing or<br />
insulation.<br />
Mouloud Behloul : Here, the material<br />
is used in its purest expression. Its specific<br />
nature – neither metal, nor wood, nor glass,<br />
and not really concrete – forced us to re-ask<br />
all those questions that “reinforced concrete”<br />
engineers hardly ever ask these days and to<br />
re-invent design and manufacturing methods.<br />
So, at the pouring stage, we had to calculate<br />
and check the direction of the fibres,<br />
because these change the mechanical<br />
properties of the concrete.<br />
Rudy Ricciotti : What we are talking about<br />
here is the very core of our work, which, in my<br />
opinion, is all about a choreography of efforts:<br />
an exceptional material, used in nuclear power<br />
stations, poured in aluminum moulds similar<br />
to the moulds used in the aeronautics industry,<br />
but employed with the traditional, even<br />
archaic, skills of craftsmen.<br />
Romain Ricciotti : You mention<br />
a “choreography of efforts”… It’s worth<br />
pointing out that the successive revolutions<br />
initiated by concrete have always come<br />
about through “committed” collaboration<br />
between architects and engineers.<br />
Mouloud Behloul : As I see it, the Navarra<br />
project is the fruit of reflection on the structural<br />
properties of Ductal® concrete. It probably<br />
marks the beginning of new beliefs and new<br />
practices concerning structures.<br />
Rudy Ricciotti : And I’m fairly optimistic<br />
about the chances of seeing the use<br />
of this exceptional material becoming very<br />
widespread.<br />
RUDY RICCIOTTI<br />
ROMAIN RICCIOTTI<br />
MOULOUD BEHLOUL<br />
A HOUSE-GALLERY<br />
> Enrico Navarra’s name is widely<br />
associated with Jean-Michel<br />
Basquiat, since he acted as one<br />
of his art dealers in the 1880s.<br />
He has just closed his Parisian<br />
art gallery down. He intends<br />
to make the Villa Navarra and<br />
its exceptional site into an<br />
enigmatic gallery, accessible only<br />
via a virtual visit.<br />
> Ductal® is ultra-high<br />
performance concrete made<br />
by <strong>Lafarge</strong>: its resistance is six to<br />
eight times greater than that<br />
of conventional concrete<br />
and it contains metallic fibers<br />
that make it ductile.<br />
While it enables a level of finesse<br />
never before seen in classic<br />
concrete works, it is also<br />
resistant to bending.<br />
It can undergo major<br />
transformations (pressure<br />
or dilation, for example), without<br />
breaking and it is resistant<br />
to hostile external conditions,<br />
such as abrasion, pollution, bad<br />
weather and scratches.<br />
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© Élise Sévère © Agence Ricciotti<br />
© Agence Ricciotti
© Ignus Gerbermoving<br />
forward<br />
in our businesses
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With the recent acquisition of Orascom Cement,<br />
the Middle East’s leading cement producer, <strong>Lafarge</strong> has<br />
seized the opportunity to firmly establish its presence<br />
in emerging markets promising brisk growth. This is<br />
another advantage that widens the Group’s development.<br />
Orascom Cement,<br />
a growth accelerator<br />
o<br />
rascom Cement is one of the major players on the world scene of<br />
growing markets. <strong>The</strong> company founded by Egypt’s Sawiris family in<br />
the Middle East is ranked number one in its field. Orascom Cement<br />
occupies a leading position in Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates<br />
and the north of Iraq. It is also very well-placed in many markets offering<br />
high potential (Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, but also Nigeria, Pakistan<br />
and North Korea). What is the key to its success? A smart equation<br />
associating quality industrial assets, excellent positioning in booming<br />
markets, and low production costs.<br />
An Egyptian success story spanning 30 years<br />
Founded by Onsi Sawiris in the 1970s, Orascom Construction Industries<br />
went on, in over two short decades, to become one of Egypt’s<br />
leading construction companies. It built its reputation with varied and<br />
complex construction projects: luxury hotels, railways, office and<br />
commercial buildings, and even wastewater treatment plants. At the<br />
turn of the 1990s, Onsi Sawiris passed on control of the company to his<br />
son, Nassef Sawiris. He embarked on an ambitious diversification<br />
programme, investing in cement. After remarkable success in Egypt,<br />
Nassef Sawiris launched the internationalization of his group, starting •••<br />
In the United Arab<br />
Emirates, the new town<br />
of Dubai Marina,<br />
an ambitious project,<br />
should provide housing<br />
for 120,000 inhabitants.<br />
© John Lamb<br />
MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES
MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
© Alain Le Breton<br />
NASSEF SAWIRIS<br />
> After joining the Orascom<br />
group in 1992, Nassef Sawiris<br />
became CEO of Orascom<br />
Construction Industries in 1998,<br />
ahead of an initial public<br />
offering completed in 1999.<br />
His strategy, based on<br />
geographic expansion and<br />
investment in complementary<br />
activities, such as cement,<br />
has helped him transform<br />
the company into an<br />
international level group.<br />
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••• in Algeria. In a few years, Orascom Cement made strong progress,<br />
both in terms of growth and profitability. Today, Orascom Cement has<br />
a cement production capacity of 35 million tons, which should grow<br />
to 45 million tons by 2010, with an operating margin of over 40%.<br />
<strong>The</strong> factories, all new or recent, are already organized to meet steep<br />
rises in production.<br />
Today, the Middle East’s leading cement producer has entered a<br />
new phase through its merger with the world leader, <strong>Lafarge</strong>. <strong>The</strong><br />
acquisition of Orascom Cement is completely in line with <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s<br />
growth strategy in the emerging markets. By acquiring a leading<br />
position in a region offering high potential growth and profitability,<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> has made a long term strategic operation.<br />
A major urban growth phenomenon<br />
<strong>The</strong> Middle East enjoys a number of advantages in terms of economic<br />
growth, demography and urbanization. <strong>The</strong> infrastructure needs are huge<br />
and demand for cement is constantly growing in the region. <strong>The</strong> dynamic<br />
state of the construction sector in the Middle East is far from running out<br />
of steam. <strong>The</strong> phenomenon of urbanization affecting most of the countries<br />
in the zone implies steadily growing needs in housing and infrastructure<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 2 3<br />
© DR Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Orascom’s production<br />
sites complement<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong>’s installations,<br />
creating dense,<br />
coherent coverage<br />
of a zone where<br />
demand is high.<br />
equipment. Thanks to a solid, steadily growing economy fed by oil and gas<br />
revenue, the upper-middle classes enjoy increased purchasing power<br />
and they are turning towards new real estate products. And the States have<br />
embarked on multiple major projects. <strong>The</strong> projects of the United Arab<br />
Emirates offer a glimpse of boom years ahead for the sector. <strong>The</strong> construction<br />
of ten museums has already been announced, including a Guggenheim<br />
Foundation by architect Frank Gehry and the Louvre Universal<br />
Museum in Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel, 2008 laureate of<br />
the Pritzker architecture prize for his work. Also in the works is a huge<br />
Islamic Arts museum in Qatar, designed by Ieoh Ming Pei and •••
MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
••• Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the French-American duo of architects of the<br />
Grand Louvre in Paris. Even the Bahrain archipelago has hired the services<br />
of star architects, including Anglo-Irakian Zaha Hadid, Japan’s Tadao<br />
Ando and France’s Architecture Studio. Similarly, Saudi Arabia intends to<br />
construct an immense tower 1,609 meters high at Djebbah, on the Red<br />
Sea. This is a record, compared to the 800 meters of the Burj Dubai or<br />
the 1,001 meters of the future Kuwait Tower.<br />
Boosting our presence and know-how<br />
This merger also brings <strong>Lafarge</strong> a rich source of human resources.<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> will benefit from the know-how of qualified teams and a development<br />
culture forged in the emerging markets. This also makes a<br />
springboard for the development of the Group’s Aggregates<br />
& Concrete Business in the region.<br />
P A G E 2 4 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
With the acquisition of Orascom Cement, many<br />
teams with diversified skills and competences now<br />
enrich the Group’s potential.<br />
By combining the internal development programme currently under<br />
way within its Cement Business with this acquisition, the Group’s total<br />
annual production capacity should grow by 50% between 2007 and<br />
2010, to reach 260 million tons of cement.<br />
Altogether, this is a strategic operation that, singles out <strong>Lafarge</strong> as<br />
the best-performing company in its sector and the leader in the highgrowth<br />
emerging markets. ■<br />
© Ignus Gerber<br />
© DR<br />
ÉRIC VERDEIL<br />
Researcher at the CNRS, deputy<br />
director of <strong>magazine</strong><br />
Géocarrefour and the author<br />
of several works.<br />
Éric Verdeil<br />
<strong>The</strong> Middle East, a region<br />
with huge potential<br />
Éric Verdeil, a researcher at the CNRS, University of Lyon,<br />
is specialized in urbanism in the Middle East.<br />
What can you tell us about today’s<br />
demographic situation of the Middle<br />
Eastern countries?<br />
Éric Verdeil : Globally, the whole Middle<br />
East region maintains annual demographic<br />
growth of close to 2%, noticeably higher<br />
than all the other developing regions. Egypt,<br />
for example, has a high fertility rate.<br />
Generally speaking, and in comparison with<br />
other regions of the planet, such as South<br />
Asia, the Middle East is experiencing<br />
significant demographic growth.<br />
What trends in urbanization<br />
can we see in the Middle East?<br />
É. V. : In this region, there is a considerable<br />
movement towards urbanization.<br />
We observe a still strong trend towards<br />
and around the capitals. However, there is<br />
another major phenomenon to underline,<br />
which is the transfer of population towards<br />
secondary towns. This is urbanization<br />
developing around small and medium-sized<br />
conurbations. This is a major trend,<br />
because these towns have great needs<br />
in infrastructure and equipment. Because<br />
of this, many places have to make<br />
consequent efforts to catch up with the<br />
level of the larger cities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> rate of growth in GDP in the developing<br />
countries in the Middle East increased<br />
steeply in 2007. What are the principal<br />
factors behind this rise?<br />
É. V. : <strong>The</strong> revenue coming from<br />
hydrocarbons makes a decisive contribution<br />
to supporting the growth of the Middle East<br />
countries. <strong>The</strong> Maghreb region also benefits<br />
from financial fallout. <strong>The</strong> capitals of the<br />
Gulf export their capital derived from oil to<br />
the services sector, real estate investment,<br />
hotel projects, etc. Indeed, we observe clear<br />
progress in the rate of growth of GDP.<br />
In particular, this benefits the better-off<br />
middle classes with high potential<br />
purchasing power. In the real estate sector,<br />
this is reflected in the research into new<br />
products. This is certainly a restricted<br />
market in terms of housing, but one that<br />
represents a segment enjoying very<br />
high growth. <strong>The</strong>se upper-middle classes<br />
have links abroad and seek their inspiration<br />
in other styles of living. For example, they<br />
tend to turn towards the urban periphery to<br />
design new living spaces. ■<br />
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P A G E 2 6 | L A FA R G E | M A Y 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
Staff levels need to be adapted to achieve the Group’s objectives<br />
in terms of bolstering production capacity.<br />
Forecasting needs require new means of recruitment in regions<br />
where competition to find qualified staff is tight.<br />
Human Resources:<br />
the challenge of internal<br />
growth<br />
t<br />
o meet growing demand in the building sector, <strong>Lafarge</strong> decided to<br />
increase its production capacity by 45 million tons of cement between<br />
2006 and 2010. This is an ambitious challenge, particularly now that<br />
the Group’s growth pools are far from its bases, in China, India, Southeast<br />
Asia, Central Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. All regions<br />
where technical skills are required to meet the huge growth of the<br />
building sector. And every new plant means 200 to 300 new<br />
employees, engineers, supervisors, operators and foremen need to<br />
be recruited and trained.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> acceleration of our growth has led us to review the way we were<br />
organized, in order to anticipate our needs upstream, to increase our<br />
recruitments and to train new teams,” states Pascal Rousseaux, in<br />
charge of human resources for the Cement technical teams. In its<br />
Cement Business, <strong>Lafarge</strong> recruited 585 engineers in 2007, compared<br />
to 350 in 2006. This year, the company is planning to take on 800<br />
employees, and recruitment should top the thousand mark by 2009.<br />
This is not even counting the four technical centres across the world,<br />
which also boosted their headcount by an additional 130 to 140<br />
engineers in 2008. “We started with an in-house strategy, promoting<br />
our best talents to management positions,” recounts Keith Deighton,<br />
in charge of organization and human resources in the Cement •••<br />
Planned production capacity<br />
increases mean that<br />
recruitment of skilled staff is<br />
now central to Group strategy<br />
on a worldwide level.<br />
© Jacques Grison<br />
MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES
PROMISING GATEWAYS BETWEEN<br />
INDIA AND NORTH AMERICA<br />
This is the first talent partnership of its kind<br />
in <strong>Lafarge</strong> wherein two units. <strong>Lafarge</strong> in India<br />
and in North America have entered into a formal<br />
partnership to source talent that benefits both<br />
operations. With a year’s partnership, <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
in North America has been able to gain access to<br />
deep technical cement experience. As the<br />
programme applies to existing talent as much as<br />
it does new recruits, it also helps <strong>Lafarge</strong> in India<br />
with retention efforts in a hot marketplace.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>se motivating career prospects for<br />
candidates have helped us to improve our image<br />
as an employer, enabling us to recruit more<br />
easily,” explains Reva Prakash, human resources<br />
manager for the Cement Business in India. About<br />
thirty engineers are currently on the programme,<br />
some are already working in Canada, with others<br />
on the course at the <strong>Lafarge</strong> plants in India,<br />
Malaysia and Indonesia, which recently joined<br />
the programme. “<strong>The</strong> prospects are very<br />
promising,” says David Cheney, in charge<br />
of human resources in the Cement Business in<br />
the United States and Canada; “We can cover<br />
20% of our human resources needs by recruiting<br />
about thirty engineers and technicians in India<br />
every year.” While this project continues<br />
to expand its territories breaking geographical<br />
barriers, the journey is already a win-win success.<br />
As Raji Ramanan Project Leader for this<br />
partnership says, “Managing the cultural<br />
transition and development of these talented<br />
professionals to fit the new work environment<br />
were the biggest challenges that we had to face<br />
in this project and while we work as a team across<br />
countries we see the efforts pay already.” ■<br />
P A G E 2 8 | L A FA R G E | M A Y 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
© DR Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
For many, incentive for joining<br />
the Group lies in the interesting<br />
career prospects it offers.<br />
“I CAME TO DRINK AT<br />
THE SOURCE”<br />
Marc Sinclair Mamiah,<br />
a young engineer from<br />
Cameroon thus<br />
summarizes his move<br />
to the TCEA (Technical<br />
Center Europe - Africa)<br />
in France, in the process<br />
and quality department<br />
(DPQ). This expatriation<br />
is part of his career plan:<br />
he believes it is an<br />
opportunity to progress<br />
and occupy positions<br />
with more responsibilities<br />
when he goes back to his<br />
original unit in Cameroon.<br />
••• Division. “But this method, principally used in China, is not enough<br />
given our rate of growth and the number of positions to be filled.” As<br />
a matter of fact, <strong>Lafarge</strong> plans to recruit 1,000 employees a year in<br />
China, to accompany its growth.<br />
Attracting employees and keeping them<br />
In addition to numbers, the quality of these employees is also a primary<br />
concern. But to attract the best talent, the Group has to deal with<br />
competition and local players. Not to mention oil and mining companies.<br />
"Our growth prospects leds us to rethink our strategy,” continues Keith<br />
Deighton. “We adopted a new, more forward-looking approach to anticipate<br />
our human resources needs. <strong>The</strong>n we started to recruit preproject<br />
to give ourselves time to find the right employees and train<br />
them.” This strategy resulted in the Spoutnik project in Russia and<br />
the former Soviet block and satellite states in 2007. A unit comprising<br />
a human resource project manager, two headhunters and a careers<br />
manager joined the local HR teams. A real war machine! <strong>The</strong> model<br />
was so successful that it was adapted for China, India and Africa.<br />
“Spoutnik made us completely rethink our operating procedures,”<br />
comments Pascal Rousseaux. “<strong>The</strong> business units now view the industrial<br />
challenges of growth and their human resources issues from a<br />
more global standpoint.”<br />
Another brand-new initiative is that <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s human resources<br />
managers in North America are now working hand-in-hand with their<br />
Indian counterparts. <strong>The</strong> goal is to recruit engineers or technicians in<br />
India to offset the lack of available labour in the United States and<br />
Canada (see box). Similarly, the Group recruits young high-flyers by<br />
MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
setting up partnerships with engineering schools. “Finding them is<br />
one thing, keeping them is another,” emphasizes Deighton. “Money is<br />
not enough of an incentive. Our strong advantage is that we offer<br />
motivating professional careers and prospects of rapid promotion. Our<br />
values and our Principals of action are strong assets in this environment.”<br />
Indeed, Group structure, based on a smaller business unit<br />
organization, offers potentially fast promotion to high management<br />
positions. This prospect should appeal to many young graduates<br />
destined to become the top managers of tomorrow. ■<br />
PLANTS BECOME SCHOOLS<br />
Appearances may be deceptive, but these are not run-of-the-mill plants.<br />
<strong>The</strong> school plants are a concept designed by <strong>Lafarge</strong> in 2007 to allow<br />
employees from all backgrounds to do training courses in real working<br />
conditions. This system teaches the industrial skills required to become<br />
a control room operator, maintenance inspector or process technician.<br />
Special sessions are organized for the engineers. <strong>The</strong> programme allows<br />
new recruits and units joining the Group following a takeover to quickly<br />
take the <strong>Lafarge</strong> culture and work methods on board. Dedicated teams<br />
monitor and teach trainees throughout their course. Five school plants<br />
are already up and running: two in China, one in Kenya for sub-Saharan<br />
Africa, one in Mexico for South America and one in Austria for Central<br />
and Eastern Europe. ■<br />
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MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
© DR Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
New Group safety standards<br />
have been developed with the<br />
aim of eventually eliminating<br />
severe work-related incidents.<br />
Safety, the basis of good performance, has long been<br />
an important issue for the Group and for a number of years<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> has ranked amongst the best performers within<br />
its sector. However in January 2006, newly appointed<br />
CEO Bruno Lafont decided that this was not enough: <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
should do better, in order to fully reflect its values at work.<br />
Health & Safety:<br />
forging ahead<br />
with the arrival of the new CEO in 2006, a pledge was taken: <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
should reach world-class status, be one of the “best of the best”, and<br />
join the world’s elite of industrial groups in terms of employee health<br />
and safety. In the words of Bruno Lafont, “we cannot be the sustainable<br />
leader if we are not excellent in safety.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> objectives were to halve the frequency rate of accidents at work<br />
between 2005 and 2008, with the aim of eventually eliminating all<br />
work-related fatalities. <strong>The</strong> process set in motion two years ago is<br />
bearing its fruits today. <strong>The</strong> first move was an extensive safety audit<br />
by external consultants that highlighted, above all, the need for a<br />
coherent Group policy and basic universal rules, and the need for<br />
line management to get more involved and committed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> audit quickly triggered action. In addition to the 400 health and<br />
safety professionals worldwide, a central Health & Safety Competency<br />
Centre was created and one of the Group’s top 25 managers,<br />
Dominique Calabrese, was appointed its head. <strong>The</strong> team worked to<br />
prepare a single Group policy and formulated eleven basic rules that,<br />
today, have been implemented throughout the organization. Across<br />
each of the 2,000 sites of the Group, the employees have signed the<br />
Safety Group policy with all the managers. Needless to say, our health<br />
and safety strategy goes far beyond implementing local statutory •••<br />
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MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BUSINESSES<br />
OUR SAFETY<br />
POLICY SYMBOL<br />
TALKING IT THROUGH IN INDIA<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> Gypsum in Rajasthan, India, has understood one thing:<br />
raising safety awareness must adapt to the local culture. Here,<br />
in a country where people are not as aware of the risks, a very special<br />
initiative was created. In July 2006, a new business unit and<br />
manufacturing plant was created and, from the beginning, safety<br />
culture was made an integral part with training carried out on all<br />
subjects and in all departments, not just on site. We provide outdoor<br />
safety training for the sales and marketing team, and a very special<br />
concept known as the “Forum”. Tailor-made to the local environment<br />
where literacy is not high, the “Forum” invites the group of 250<br />
workers to gather together around 1pm every Monday for a meeting<br />
in the open. People assemble voluntarily, together with their entire<br />
families who have come from villages in the region to live beside the<br />
site. <strong>The</strong>y sit on the ground and talk about dangers on the site.<br />
“We moved from a situation of little safety to risk awareness.<br />
And there is lots of human value in it; it has helped us to connect<br />
with the workers socially. When a manager is present on site,<br />
he too comes to sit on the ground and takes part,” explains Jérémie<br />
Rombaut, Project & Safety Manager, India. “<strong>The</strong> message we give is:<br />
‘we are all equal’. We have cared for them more than their contractors<br />
who are normally responsible for this training.” <strong>The</strong> high point came<br />
one day when the ladies sat in a circle and began singing a song they<br />
had composed on safety in <strong>Lafarge</strong>! <strong>The</strong> workers have adopted our<br />
safety spirit. Not surprisingly, this initiative has been selected<br />
as one of the best and most innovative Group-wide safety projects. ■<br />
P A G E 3 2 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
••• regulations. We have tried to understand how accidents occur and<br />
have isolated the four most dangerous processes in our activities:<br />
working at height, insulation, confined space entry and mobile<br />
equipment. We have begun to develop Group standards for all of<br />
these activities.<br />
A long-term link between safety and performance<br />
To eliminate the risks associated with these tasks, each of our<br />
2,000 production plants are undertaking specific safety initiatives<br />
adapted to their local needs and culture. Sometimes the idea can be<br />
simple, such as in Latin America where large stickers have been pasted<br />
to the walls of offices and factories, showing the height over which extra<br />
precautions such as personal protective equipment or scaffolding must<br />
be taken. By April 2008, our goal is that all employees will work at height<br />
in a safe manner. Or more complex, as in Germany where <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Gypsum now organizes full training for employees and clients on how to<br />
correctly and safely load a truck, in order to avoid loss of load leading to<br />
accidents or road obstruction. <strong>The</strong> desire to reduce fatalities and injuries<br />
likewise prompted the creation of the Forklift Challenge, an international<br />
competition involving eight of our Asian countries that raises awareness<br />
and competency levels, while also being fun and motivating for everyone.<br />
Apart from saving lives, there is a long-term link between safety and<br />
performance. When people are employed in a safe environment, it<br />
affects how they work in general. Some plants, such as in Concrete in<br />
Eastern Canada, find that an early morning safety talk by the foreman,<br />
called the “Daily Tool Box Talk”, is a good way to start the day. Our<br />
plants in Chile and Mexico, have found that an excellent way to raise<br />
safety awareness is to invite employees’ children to a safety workshop<br />
on how to ride a bicycle or what to do in case of an earthquake.<br />
Experiences such as these make safety a focal point and a subject<br />
everyone has in common.<br />
Zero tolerance<br />
<strong>The</strong> construction site of the Tula cement plant, in Northern Mexico,<br />
demonstrates the priority given to safety through its “zero tolerance”<br />
principle, with a number of accidents eleven times lower than the<br />
country’s national average. <strong>The</strong> construction site was finished four<br />
months ahead of schedule due to the low rate of accidents and as a<br />
result, Tula has become one of the most competitive cement plants in<br />
the region through its commitment to safety.<br />
A “safety month” will be organized in June 2008 in all <strong>Lafarge</strong> sites<br />
around the world in order to raise safety awareness even more. During<br />
this period, health and safety will be promoted internally and externally<br />
on all the sites, through dedicated operations: competitions, educational<br />
activities, open doors days… <strong>The</strong>se kinds of action mandate and improve<br />
communication and team spirit; moreover, they represent an<br />
unprecedented global movement in terms of safety in the workplace<br />
© Shaun Browne<br />
BRINGING TRAINING CENTRES ON SITE IN MALAYSIA<br />
A shining example for the rest of the Group comes from the Malaysian<br />
cement plants of Langkawi, Rawang, Pasir Gudang, and Kanthan.<br />
A dedicated safety training center has been deployed at the heart of each<br />
site. Each in-house centre is composed of two spaces, one<br />
for theoretical training and one for hands-on experience with equipment<br />
and the chance to become familiarized with all potentially dangerous<br />
situations. Conceived as a means of accelerating good practices in safety,<br />
employees are taught existing safety standards and are immediately<br />
brought up to date with new Group standards as they arrive. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
the opportunity to try out the Personal Protective Equipment, including<br />
the full harness and the equipment used in operations during cyclones.<br />
Conditions, such as working at height or in confined spaces, are<br />
replicated in the center and give employees the chance to test their<br />
reactions. <strong>The</strong>y can improve their practical understanding of energy<br />
insulation using junction boxes and fuse boards. <strong>The</strong> centers also<br />
facilitate the integration of new employees and their training<br />
as well as that of sub-contractors and visitors.<br />
Through showing dedication and commitment to the subject of safety<br />
across all the sites, we are able to send a clear message that the Group<br />
puts safety at the forefront of its operations. ■<br />
Raising risk awareness,<br />
changing our culture and<br />
reducing our accident rates<br />
are top priorities at <strong>Lafarge</strong>.<br />
which ultimately affects performance. <strong>The</strong> methodology, process and<br />
discipline rub off on to everyone’s general way of behaving. Group-wide,<br />
100 million euros have been invested so far in plant improvement and<br />
each product line has phased in an improvement plan. None of this<br />
would be feasible if we didn’t have our managers on board. To mobilize<br />
them, a “Leading with Safety” workshop was run for each of our senior<br />
managers and the objective for 2009 is to carry out this same training<br />
nationwide.<br />
Encouraging results<br />
Managers are fully involved through a bonus scheme related to safety<br />
performances. Already the results have proved to be encouraging. In<br />
2005, the pledge was made to cut the LTI (Lost Time Incident) rate in<br />
half by 2008. <strong>The</strong> accident frequency rate is going down: from 3.09 in<br />
2005 to 1.66 by the end of 2007, which is almost half. <strong>The</strong> severity rate<br />
has also been decreasing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next step includes also raising contractors’ standards. Last<br />
September we issued a contractor safety standard to control who we hire<br />
and how we pre-select, and we are looking at creating safety standards<br />
to be used internally by our contractors.<br />
One thing is certain: the awareness created at <strong>Lafarge</strong> over the last two<br />
years has taken on a momentum that is not ready to subside. As the<br />
saying goes, the heat is on, and is here to stay. ■<br />
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contributing<br />
to a sustainable world<br />
© Hamilton de Oliveira
CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD<br />
P A G E 3 6 | L A FA R G E | O C T O B R E 2 0 0 7 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
© Jacques Ferrier architecture<br />
<strong>The</strong> French Pavilion for the Shanghai Exhibition<br />
in 2010. Designed by the architect Jacques Ferrier,<br />
its insulation and utility systems reduce energy<br />
consumption and therefore CO 2 emissions. Its<br />
envelope is made of high-performance concrete.<br />
Objective:<br />
“zero net energy”<br />
<strong>The</strong> vast spurt of economic growth over the last<br />
two centuries has been based on burning fossil<br />
fuels. This is not sustainable, as it leads to an<br />
increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse<br />
gases in the atmosphere, which in turn<br />
causes climate change. This is why we must<br />
transition to a low-carbon model. But what does<br />
this have to do with buildings? A very great<br />
deal… Buildings, through their construction,<br />
their use, and their demolition, represent<br />
40% of world energy demand. This demand<br />
splits roughly one-third from commercial and<br />
two-thirds from residential buildings. <strong>The</strong><br />
challenge is growing. With a business-as-usual<br />
scenario, worldwide energy consumption in<br />
buildings is expected to grow 45% from 2002<br />
to 2050 and to increase as a proportion of all<br />
energy consumed.<br />
A four-step process<br />
Embarking several companies in this challenge,<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> has committed to the Energy Efficiency<br />
in Buildings (EEB) project under the umbrella<br />
of the WBCSD. <strong>The</strong> main aim of the project is<br />
to map out a transition to a 2050 world where<br />
buildings use zero net energy. <strong>The</strong> basic idea<br />
behind zero net energy is that the energy<br />
consumed by a building is equal to or lesser<br />
than the energy it produces. It is easy to state<br />
the goal but hard to get there. Such a profound<br />
change can only be built on a thorough and<br />
detailed understanding of the complex factors<br />
that determine energy use in buildings. So EEB<br />
WORLD<br />
Through chairing the “Energy Efficiency in Buildings” project, <strong>Lafarge</strong> shows<br />
it wants to play a leading role in securing the goal of zero net energy in<br />
buildings. This is an ambitious goal that involves the whole construction<br />
chain from the regulator to the end-user, and requires profound behavioral<br />
changes. Both a challenge and an opportunity for the future.<br />
has set out a four-step process. First, gather<br />
key facts and trends; then identify what needs<br />
to change; develop a roadmap, and finally in<br />
2009 deliver a call for action to achieve a world<br />
where buildings consume zero net energy.<br />
Throughout its work EEB is actively engaging<br />
all stakeholders, seeking ideas and opinions,<br />
using market research to understand the<br />
barriers to zero net energy and how to overcome<br />
them. In August 2007 EEB published EEB:<br />
Business Realities and Opportunities. What was<br />
particularly striking in the study was that 84%<br />
of energy use in the life cycle of a building<br />
comes from its use and 16% from all other<br />
phases: manufacturing the building materials,<br />
construction, maintenance or demolition.<br />
Clearly, increased energy efficiency at any stage<br />
in the life cycle is welcome but the biggest gains<br />
are available from use. <strong>The</strong> study concludes:<br />
“Technology available today can achieve<br />
dramatic improvements in energy efficiency,<br />
but market failures and behavioural barriers are<br />
blocking progress…”. <strong>The</strong> cost of green buildings,<br />
for example, is vastly overestimated. Now<br />
EEB is pursuing its efforts and is drafting a<br />
preliminary roadmap action plan setting out<br />
how the challenges may be solved. ■<br />
THE WBCSD<br />
<strong>The</strong> World Business<br />
Council for Sustainable<br />
Development (WBCSD) is<br />
a CEO-led, global<br />
association of some<br />
200 companies dealing<br />
exclusively with business<br />
and sustainable<br />
development. Members<br />
are drawn from more<br />
than 35 countries and<br />
20 major industrial<br />
sectors. <strong>The</strong> Council<br />
also benefits from a global<br />
network of about<br />
55 national and regional<br />
business councils<br />
and regional partners.<br />
CORE EEB<br />
MEMBERS<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> (Co-chair),<br />
United Technologies<br />
Corp. (Co-chair),<br />
Actelios, ArcelorMittal,<br />
Bosch, Cemex, DuPont,<br />
EDF, Gaz de France,<br />
Kansai Electric Power<br />
Company, Philips,<br />
Skanska, Sonae Sierra,<br />
Tepco.<br />
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In the aftermath of the devastating fires which swept through Greece in 2007,<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong>’s local subsidiary, continues its long-term<br />
work in helping the local population to rebuild their lives and communities.<br />
Rebuilding<br />
a community<br />
In August 2007, extremely violent fires<br />
ravaged Greece for ten long days. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> plant in Volos, on the island of<br />
Euboea, was particularly badly hit. It quickly<br />
mobilized human and physical resources to<br />
help the local population.<br />
<strong>The</strong> municipality of Tamyna, the immediate<br />
neighbouring community to the Milaki plant,<br />
was severely hit by the fires on Euboea.<br />
According to initial estimates, the fire<br />
destroyed 80% of the municipality.<br />
<strong>The</strong> environment in the mountainous<br />
settlements of the municipality was completely<br />
devastated. <strong>The</strong> most pronounced<br />
effect of the burning and deforestation was<br />
soil erosion. With rainfall, this would increase<br />
the risk of flooding, which would jeopardize<br />
the area because most torrents run through<br />
the community before reaching the sea.<br />
<strong>The</strong> situation was urgent. <strong>The</strong> fires had to<br />
be put out, but many people also had to be<br />
relocated to hotels, their animals had to be<br />
fed, and the population had to be warned of<br />
the danger of flooding, and the associated<br />
health risks.<br />
Fifteen cement silos were transformed into<br />
water towers in villages, and aid was given to<br />
employees whose homes were destroyed in<br />
the fire. Ms. Ecaterini Karapa, mayor of<br />
Tamyna, gratefully accepted the assistance<br />
of all employees in Milaki who volunteered to<br />
assist in the emergency work. <strong>The</strong> company<br />
cooperated not only by making the plant<br />
facilities and equipment available, but also<br />
P A G E 3 8 | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | C R E S C E N D O<br />
GREECE<br />
by responding to the immediate emergency<br />
needs and the longer-term rebuilding effort.<br />
One of <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s contributions is a special<br />
3-million-euro aid programme called PRAKSH;<br />
one million of it has been allocated to a national<br />
solidarity fund. <strong>The</strong> rest of the money will be<br />
dedicated to efforts to revive the local economy<br />
and re-establish the environment. Plans are<br />
also underway to build infrastructures to protect<br />
against fire and flooding, as well as to reforest<br />
the area.<br />
Helping to get back on track<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> in Greece has decided to make sure<br />
such a disaster never happens again. Funds<br />
donated by <strong>Lafarge</strong> have already enabled the<br />
municipalities of Euboea to buy six four-by-four<br />
vehicles equipped with fire-fighting systems.<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> has also committed itself to leading a<br />
more long-term policy, via a partnership with<br />
the French Embassy, to utilize the technical<br />
assistance of the specialists in the National<br />
Forestry Office toward efforts like fire prevention<br />
and reforestation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next step is deciding how best to contribute<br />
to reconstructing public buildings and restarting<br />
agricultural activity on Euboea, which includes<br />
olive groves, vines, beehives, and animal farms.<br />
Slowly, but surely, life is being revived from<br />
among the ashes. ■<br />
THE PRAXI<br />
PROGRAMME,<br />
IN FIGURES<br />
Out of the 3 million euro<br />
budget for <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s<br />
Praxi programme,<br />
1 million euros will go<br />
to a national solidarity<br />
fund and the<br />
2 other million euros<br />
will be used in schemes<br />
to revive the local<br />
economy and rehabilitate<br />
the environment.<br />
A Canadair helicopter<br />
fighting the forest blaze<br />
in Greece last year.<br />
© REA<br />
CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD<br />
© Pro Patrimonio<br />
<strong>The</strong> renovation of the villa<br />
marks the first major step<br />
to safeguard 20th-century<br />
Romanian heritage.<br />
Built in 1910 by one of Romania’s oldest aristocratic<br />
families, known for its avant-garde ideas,<br />
the Villa Golescu is a wonderful reminder of a<br />
bygone era. Indeed, in the past, owners were<br />
evicted from similar villas and the buildings<br />
eventually left to rack and ruin. Miraculously, this<br />
house, located downtown in Campulung-<br />
Muscel, in central Romania, and occupied by<br />
two of the family’s descendants until 2002,<br />
managed to escape such a grim destiny.<br />
Despite extensive deterioration, Villa Golescu<br />
remains as it was and is now a classified building.<br />
Its neo-Romanian style dates back to the<br />
early 20th century.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> house was donated to the Pro Patrimonio<br />
Foundation by the last descendants of the<br />
Golescu family,” explains Maria Berza, vicepresident<br />
of the foundation, which works to<br />
conserve Romania’s historical and natural<br />
heritage, and to raise the awareness of the local<br />
communities in terms of respecting and reviving<br />
their national heritage. “Restoring the Villa<br />
Golescu is a way of encouraging Romanians to<br />
see their history differently. It makes them stop<br />
and think about their national heritage.”<br />
Distinctive features of the house include its<br />
beautiful loggia, its arches and its carved pink<br />
Albesti stone window surrounds. Inside, the furniture<br />
attests to the occupants’ exquisite taste.<br />
UNESCO originally financed the renovation of<br />
the garden and has since been replaced by the<br />
Compagnons du Devoir, professionals who now<br />
ROMANIA<br />
<strong>The</strong> restoration of the Villa Golescu is a fantastic example of Romanian<br />
heritage, at a time when the country is coming to terms<br />
with its past. <strong>The</strong> Pro Patrimonio Foundation, sponsored by <strong>Lafarge</strong>,<br />
plans to commemorate a bygone era and lifestyle.<br />
Renovated<br />
Romanian heritage<br />
tend the array of plants, bushes and trees. <strong>The</strong><br />
grounds have magnolias, roses, pine trees and<br />
a festival of flowers.<br />
Conserving a way of life<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> has been sponsoring Pro Patrimonio<br />
since 2004 as part of its commitment to protecting<br />
heritage. In addition to financial support, its<br />
contribution to the project also includes providing<br />
the materials required for this sensitive<br />
restoration work. “We want to preserve every<br />
detail which recounts a way of life, the vestiges<br />
of which are rare in Romania,” explains architect<br />
Alexandra Chiliman, who heads the project.<br />
“It is more a conservation project than a renovation<br />
project.” Indeed, a cement mosaic, a<br />
beautiful library and an original iron bath were<br />
restored rather than replaced. Some heavier<br />
work has also been necessary, such as wall<br />
consolidation work, a drainage system and the<br />
installation of central heating. Once the project<br />
is completed, the Villa Golescu will be a museum<br />
illustrating turn-of-the-century lifestyle and<br />
an information centre for local heritage. ■<br />
THE PRO<br />
PATRIMONIO<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
Pro Patrimonio is<br />
a Romanian foundation<br />
which was created<br />
in 2000 by architect<br />
Serban Cantacuzène.<br />
It renovates and restores<br />
historical and natural<br />
heritage sites under<br />
threat and also plays<br />
a key role in raising the<br />
awareness of local<br />
communities. <strong>The</strong><br />
foundation thus focuses<br />
on local identity and<br />
memory, reviving<br />
traditional skills, and<br />
organizing cultural and<br />
tourist visits across the<br />
country. <strong>Lafarge</strong> is one<br />
of its main partners.<br />
Pro Patrimonio has been<br />
a member of Europa<br />
Nostra since 2003.<br />
For more information:<br />
propatrimonio.org<br />
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CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> Cementos has taken a different<br />
approach by recruiting a new kind of helper to<br />
rehabilitate its Yepes-Ciruelos quarry near<br />
Toledo. As part of an initiative launched in<br />
2005, with the participation of the University<br />
of Castilla-La Mancha and the environmental<br />
protection association, Plegadis, <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Cementos reintroduced nearly one million bees<br />
over 25% of the 1,000-hectare site. This will<br />
help to protect the local flora and fauna in a<br />
sustainable manner, as the insects pollinate<br />
several species of plants. <strong>The</strong> bees are also<br />
the favourite meal for the aptly named beeeater,<br />
a protected species of bird also present<br />
on the site.<br />
Last year, 50kg of honey were taken from<br />
20 beehives set up in the quarry, the first<br />
tangible proof of the project’s success.<br />
Raising awareness<br />
<strong>The</strong> reintroduction of bees was part of a<br />
challenging programme based on scientific<br />
criteria to rehabilitate the site. “<strong>The</strong> main<br />
objective was to rehabilitate the quarry,<br />
recreating the ecosystems that were present<br />
before human intervention,” said Pilar<br />
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SPAIN<br />
In the Yepes-Ciruelos quarry near Toledo, a new circle of life is taking place,<br />
thanks to honey-gathering bees, protected species and the planting of trees<br />
by the children of the <strong>Lafarge</strong> cement plant workers, in order to promote<br />
biodiversity and recreate the natural habitat.<br />
Bees provide a buzz<br />
for biodiversity<br />
Gegúndez, <strong>Lafarge</strong> Cementos environmental<br />
officer. <strong>The</strong>re’s also a large part of the<br />
programme that involves making people aware<br />
of environmental issues. This is why recreational<br />
areas and educational posts were set up<br />
in certain parts of the quarry.<br />
Once rehabilitated, the Yepes-Ciruelos quarry<br />
will be handed over to local authorities and<br />
will be opened to the public. This original<br />
approach has had a large impact in Spain.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re has been a lot of interest in the quarry.<br />
This has given us the chance to educate and<br />
create awareness of environmental and<br />
biodiversity issues among a large audience,”<br />
explained Laura Villaescusa from <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Cementos. <strong>The</strong> reforesting operation performed<br />
by the fifty children of employees from<br />
the <strong>Lafarge</strong> plant at Villaluenga de la Sagra is<br />
emblematic of this. ■<br />
Without bees,<br />
the pollination rate<br />
of local flora would be four<br />
or five times lower.<br />
SOS BEES<br />
Several recent studies<br />
show that world bee<br />
populations have been<br />
in decline, particularly<br />
because of pollution.<br />
This is the case in the<br />
United States, where<br />
a 30%-50% mortality<br />
rate was recorded from<br />
the end of winter 2005<br />
through 2007, compared<br />
to the usual 5%-10%.<br />
<strong>The</strong> same phenomenon<br />
has also been witnessed<br />
in France and Belgium<br />
over the past few years,<br />
including the winter of<br />
2006-2007. This could<br />
have a dramatic impact<br />
on the environment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> reproduction of more<br />
than 80% of plants<br />
in the world depends<br />
directly on pollinating<br />
insects. Without bees,<br />
the pollination rate would<br />
be four or five times<br />
lower. This would directly<br />
affect the survival<br />
of the entire ecosystem,<br />
including birds,<br />
rodents and mammals.<br />
(Source: science.gouv.fr)<br />
© Corbis
THE PROJECT<br />
CATCHES ON<br />
ELSEWHERE<br />
Other subsidiaries<br />
of <strong>Lafarge</strong> in Eastern Africa<br />
will soon launch into<br />
producing biofuel. This is<br />
the case at Hima Cement<br />
in Uganda, which plans<br />
to plant 240 hectares<br />
of trees, as well as Mbeya<br />
Cement in Tanzania. Both<br />
should benefit from the<br />
experience of the project<br />
carried out in Kenya.<br />
KENYA<br />
Natural solutions for environmental<br />
protection. Such is the aim of the biofuel<br />
project <strong>Lafarge</strong> is leading in<br />
Kenya in close association with<br />
the local population.<br />
Green fuel<br />
Nothing is wasted in nature; everything is part<br />
of a cycle. This principal is what inspired<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> in Kenya and its <strong>Lafarge</strong> Eco System<br />
subsidiary to launch a challenging biofuel<br />
project. <strong>The</strong> objective is to produce wood to<br />
be used as an alternative fuel to coal in the<br />
kilns at the <strong>Lafarge</strong> Bamburi and Mombasa<br />
plant.<br />
Reducing CO 2 emissions<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> Bamburi has set aside approximately<br />
900 hectares of its mining reserves located<br />
around the cement plant, as well as certain<br />
disused quarries. <strong>The</strong> land will be planted with<br />
mainly eucalyptus plants over a six-year cycle.<br />
An initial investment of around 36 million<br />
shillings (€370,000) was made, and will likely<br />
be doubled in 2008. By 2013, when the wood<br />
will be usable, 9% of coal fuel will be replaced<br />
by biofuel in the Mombasa plant kilns. “Not<br />
only is biofuel going to significantly reduce our<br />
CO 2 emissions, but it will also cost 20% less<br />
than coal,” explains Michel Puchercos, director<br />
of <strong>Lafarge</strong> Bamburi.<br />
Involving the local population<br />
<strong>The</strong> real strength of the project is rooted in the<br />
involvement of the local population. Several<br />
meetings were organized to explain the benefits<br />
of the biofuel approach to the village lead-<br />
ers, who then passed on this information<br />
to their people. One hundred and eighty<br />
local jobs were created in 2007 to plant and<br />
cultivate the trees. This is not to mention<br />
the various business opportunities for local<br />
companies, particularly for the supply of<br />
seeds. This initiative creates wealth while<br />
promoting environmental preservation. ■<br />
<strong>The</strong> development of<br />
alternative fuels creates new<br />
fields of activities, focused<br />
here on growing eucalyptus.<br />
© Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong> / Serge Henri<br />
CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE WORLD<br />
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©Paulo Romeu-Myzoom<br />
striving<br />
to attain our full<br />
potential
© REA<br />
STRIVING TO ATTAIN OUR FULL POTENTIAL<br />
Interior of the Salle Davioud (Pavilion About)<br />
Rémy Marciano, architect.<br />
Partnership with the Cité<br />
de l’Architecture in Paris<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> once again demonstrates its commitment to working alongside<br />
all architects. As a partner of the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine,<br />
and together with the architect Rémy Marciano, <strong>Lafarge</strong> completed the interior<br />
decoration of the training room for State-accredited architects and town-planners.<br />
Rémy Marciano used <strong>Lafarge</strong>’s ultra-high performance Ductal® concrete to achieve<br />
decorative effects evocative of the Mediterranean basin and to embed mineral<br />
matter in the surface. ■<br />
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Orascom<br />
joins the Group<br />
In January, <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
completed the €8.8 billion<br />
acquisition of the Egyptian<br />
Orascom Cement. This<br />
transaction strengthens the<br />
Group’s position in<br />
emerging markets, where<br />
construction needs are<br />
immense. By acquiring<br />
leadership positions in<br />
Middle-Eastern countries<br />
and the Mediterranean<br />
basin, <strong>Lafarge</strong> becomes the<br />
leader in fast-growing<br />
emerging markets. ■<br />
© Ignus Gerber ACQUISITION<br />
EMERGING MARKETS<br />
Acceleration<br />
of internal growth<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chinese equipment<br />
supplier CBMI has<br />
committed to building six<br />
cement plants that will<br />
respect Group standards<br />
involving safety,<br />
environment, energy<br />
efficiency and product<br />
quality, by the end of 2010.<br />
This 600-million-euro<br />
investment is part of the<br />
Group’s internal growth<br />
programme to build<br />
45 million tons of new<br />
cement plant capacity<br />
between 2006 and 2010,<br />
in order to meet growing<br />
construction needs in<br />
© Cédric Arnold<br />
© Cédric Arnold<br />
emerging markets. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
plant will be built in the<br />
Yongchuan district in<br />
southwestern China. ■<br />
SUSTAINABLE<br />
CONSTRUCTION<br />
EEB project<br />
ramped up<br />
According to a study<br />
carried out in the<br />
framework of the EEB<br />
(Energy Efficiency<br />
in Buildings) project by the<br />
World Business Council<br />
for Sustainable<br />
Development (WBCSD),<br />
construction professionals<br />
underestimate the impact<br />
of their activities on the<br />
environment and<br />
overestimate sustainable<br />
construction-related costs<br />
by almost 300%.<br />
A team of six internationally<br />
recognized environmental<br />
experts has joined the<br />
EEB project to supervise<br />
and validate the reliability<br />
of research activities. ■<br />
A young,<br />
international<br />
Executive<br />
Committee<br />
Jean-Carlos Angulo, Jean<br />
Desazars de Montgailhard,<br />
Thomas Farrell, Gérard<br />
Kuperfarb and Eric Olsen<br />
have joined the Group<br />
Executive Committee.<br />
First steps in<br />
the Indian<br />
concrete market<br />
Raipur – in March, the new<br />
company <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Aggregates & Concrete<br />
India Pvt. Ltd. inaugurated<br />
the first <strong>Lafarge</strong> concrete<br />
plant in India, with<br />
a production capacity of<br />
approximately 55,000<br />
cubic metres. <strong>The</strong> Group<br />
has therefore started its<br />
deployment on the<br />
emerging, high-potential<br />
Indian concrete market.<br />
High performance<br />
concrete for the<br />
French pavilion in<br />
Shanghai<br />
For the 2010 Shanghai<br />
Universal Exhibition,<br />
architect Jacques Ferrier<br />
will design the French<br />
pavilion, which will be<br />
surrounded by a fine mesh<br />
framework in highperformance<br />
concrete.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Group previously<br />
worked with the architect<br />
on the environmentallyfriendly<br />
Hypergreen Tower<br />
project.<br />
© DR Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
AFRICA<br />
Increased production<br />
capacities<br />
In Zambia, <strong>Lafarge</strong> is<br />
building a 750,000 metric<br />
ton-capacity cement plant<br />
close to the capital Lusaka,<br />
to meet the country’s<br />
growing infrastructure and<br />
housing needs. <strong>The</strong> Group<br />
is also increasing the size<br />
of its plants in South Africa,<br />
Uganda, Cameroon and<br />
Nigeria. ■<br />
UNITED KINGDOM<br />
New high-tech<br />
headquarters<br />
<strong>The</strong> head office of <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
Cement UK has moved<br />
to a new building in Solihull,<br />
near Birmingham<br />
International airport. <strong>The</strong><br />
three-storey building<br />
occupies over 5,500 m 2 and<br />
houses 140 employees.<br />
A showcase for innovative<br />
architecture and new<br />
concrete applications: high<br />
vaulted ceilings, fine<br />
colonnades in Agilia®<br />
concrete, and an imposing<br />
central stairway built with<br />
UHP Ductal® concrete, are<br />
all immediately impressive.<br />
But most of all, the building<br />
uses certain principles<br />
of sustainable architecture.<br />
“Our main intention was to<br />
© Cédric Arnold<br />
make the most of the<br />
thermal qualities of<br />
concrete,” explains Kathy<br />
Calverly, manager of the<br />
building project. “One<br />
aspect is that the reflective<br />
plaster coating on the<br />
vaulted ceiling naturally<br />
cools warm air without any<br />
refrigeration mechanism.” ■<br />
UKRAINE<br />
Plasterboard<br />
production site<br />
This March, the Group<br />
opened its first plasterboard<br />
factory in Ukraine. <strong>The</strong><br />
state-of-the-art installation<br />
represents an investment<br />
of 30 million euros, and<br />
is located in Artemivsk, in<br />
the Donetsk province. It<br />
employs 70 people and will<br />
produce 15 million square<br />
metres of plasterboard for<br />
distribution in Ukraine and<br />
southern Russia. <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
has also committed to<br />
actions to encourage the<br />
development of the town of<br />
Artemivsk, participating in<br />
the renovation of a park and<br />
sponsoring the renovation of<br />
several streets. ■<br />
C R E S C E N D O | L A FA R G E | A P R I L 2 0 0 8 | P A G E 4 9
STRIVING TO ATTAIN OUR FULL POTENTIAL<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong>, a strong<br />
global brand<br />
Clockwise from top left:<br />
1. Tirgu-Jiu quarry,<br />
Romania<br />
2. Schoolchildren after<br />
class, Sonadih, India<br />
3. Four Bears Bridge,<br />
New Town, North Dakota,<br />
USA<br />
4. Employee in the Hima<br />
cement plant, Uganda<br />
c<br />
reating a strong brand, recognized around the world, to carry its<br />
international leadership is the approach taken by <strong>Lafarge</strong>. “We are<br />
striving to be the best in our sector,” explains Bruno Lafont, Chairman<br />
and CEO. “This is our ambition and our brand should support this<br />
clearly and strongly. It should carry our values, what we are and<br />
what we strive to be.” Since <strong>Lafarge</strong> was founded in 1833, its history<br />
has always been centred on strong values. Today, as always, promoting<br />
the individual and diversity, openness, sharing of success,<br />
respect for the environment and for people are all part of our Group’s<br />
core values, that are also reflected in its new signature, “Bringing<br />
materials to life”. And because a brand is not just a logo and a<br />
company name, the effort made over the past few years to implement<br />
this identity is fully shared by all employees. At a time when<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong> is developing its presence on all levels and is multiplying<br />
innovations with high added value, the strength of its brand is a key<br />
means of differentiation. <strong>The</strong> new products being launched –<br />
Sensium®, Agilia®, Artevia®, Ductal®, Extensia, Chronolia,<br />
Synia, etc. – are closely associated with the <strong>Lafarge</strong> brand; they<br />
express an increase in quality, differentiation, and adaptation to<br />
customer needs.<br />
Throughout the world, <strong>Lafarge</strong> employees are all making their greatest<br />
effort, now more than ever before, so that our shareholders,<br />
our customers, our employees and the communities that surround<br />
us associate the <strong>Lafarge</strong> brand with progress in innovation, a capacity<br />
for greater attention for them, and a level of stringency in building<br />
a more sustainable world. ■<br />
© <strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
CONTACTS<br />
Director of Group<br />
Communications<br />
Philippe Hardouin<br />
philippe.hardouin@lafarge.com<br />
Tel. : + 33 1 44 34 11 71<br />
Fax : + 33 1 44 34 12 08<br />
Director of Group<br />
External Communications<br />
Stéphanie Tessier<br />
stephanie.tessier@lafarge.com<br />
Tel. : + 33 1 44 34 92 32<br />
Fax : + 33 1 44 34 12 23<br />
Registered with the AMF, the French<br />
market authority, the <strong>Lafarge</strong> 2007<br />
annual report and 2007 reference<br />
document, as well as the sustainability<br />
report, are available on request from<br />
www.lafarge.com<br />
Editor-in-chief<br />
Stéphanie Tessier<br />
Concept<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong>, Textuel<br />
Copy<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong>, Textuel<br />
Printed by<br />
E-Graphics<br />
Cover<br />
Young woman performing a fan<br />
dance facing the new Pudong district,<br />
in Shanghai.<br />
© Getty Images<br />
Back cover:<br />
Employee in a cement plant in<br />
Egypt clad in his protective clothing.<br />
© Ignus Gerber<br />
Printed on paper made<br />
from wood from sustainablygrown<br />
trees.<br />
Photographic Credits page 50:<br />
DR Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong>; Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong> –<br />
Jack Clark – Braun Intertec., Figg Engineering<br />
Group et Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson Inc. (designers);<br />
Médiathèque <strong>Lafarge</strong> – Hamilton de Oliveira / Réa.
“Safety, our core<br />
value, is key to<br />
achieving firstrate<br />
operational<br />
performance ”<br />
<strong>Lafarge</strong><br />
61, rue des Belles Feuilles, BP 40,<br />
75782 Paris Cedex 16, France<br />
Phone: + 33 1 44341111<br />
Fax: + 33 1 44341200<br />
www.lafarge.com