Colas, the world's leading roadbuilder

Founded in 1929 to exploit a new Cold Asphalt paving technique, Colas has since become a leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure and urban and recreational amenities.
 

Colas in brief

Business

Roads account for around 80% of the group's sales and can be broken down into two areas.

• Construction and maintenance of roads, motorways, airport runways, port, industrial and logistics platforms, city streets, car parks, reserved lanes for public transport, cycle paths, racing circuits, recreational facilities, etc.
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• Materials production and recycling of building materials, used for the group's own projects or sold to third parties. 685 quarries and gravel pits, 159 emulsion plants and 607 asphalt plants respectively produced 106 million tonnes of aggregates, 1.6 million tonnes of emulsion and 48 million tonnes of asphalt mix in the course of 2009.

Colas also operates in road-related fields: safety, roadmarkings and traffic management; waterproofing, cladding and roofing; pipes, mains and civil engineering; building; railway works (rail, tram and subway track); and services and concessions. The group is thus in a position to offer its public and private-sector clients an extensive range of products and services.

Geographical locations

The group's solid business platform in France has enabled Colas to expand into international markets, first Africa and the Indian Ocean in the 1930s, followed by North America in the early 1960s, then most of Europe over the last 15 years. In 2009, France accounted for 58.3% of sales, North America for 16.6%, Europe excluding France for 17.5% and Africa/Indian Ocean/Asia for 7.6%. 

Corporate strategy

Responsible development at Colas is based on:

• technology and innovation: the prime concerns of R&D teams (1,000 researchers, engineers and technical staff) are respect for the environment, safety, quality and the comfort of users and neighbouring residents (EcologicieL^®, warm asphalt mixes and low-temperature mastic asphalt, plant-based binders, fluxing agents and road-marking products, cold in situ recycling processes, porous, ultra skid-resistant, noise-reducing, coloured surfacing, photovoltaic roofing, etc.);
   
•  a profitable and sustainable external growth strategy, based mainly on acquisitions and aimed at extending the international network, controlling aggregate resources and developing industrial activities;  
   
• an organisational structure that is decentralised, flexible, responsive and adapted to market expectations. Profit centre supervisors are backed up by operational management teams in regional subsidiaries, who enjoy close relations with clients and contracting authorities;

• a culture of shared and unifying values: besides its stringent safety and quality requirements, Colas is strongly committed to enhancing and protecting the environment (environmental charter, ISO 14001 certifications) and respecting professional ethics (Code of Ethics, rules of conduct, internal control).

People

The main thrusts of the group's human resources policy are recruitment based on diversity (5,800 new employees taken on in 2009), training (Colas Campus and Colas University), safety (accident prevention on worksites and on the road), mobility and internal promotion, and decentralised management based on respect and trust.
 

 

(Updated: March 2010)