Lafarge
S.A. - (en)
Lafarge (Euronext: LG, NYSE: LR) is a French industrial company
specializing in five major products: Cement, construction
aggregates, concrete, gypsum wallboard, and roofing tile. It is
the largest cement manufacturing company in the world.
Lafarge was founded in 1833 by Joseph-Auguste Pavin de Lafarge at
Le Teil (Ardèche), to exploit the famous limestone quarry in Mont
Saint-Victor between Le Teil and Viviers. The limestone is white
and argillaceous, and yielded an eminently hydraulic lime. It
signed its first international contract for the delivery of
110,000 tonnes of lime to the Suez Canal construction project in
1864. Moving into cement manufacture, Lafarge established a
reputation for effective and innovative R&D. It developed
calcium aluminate cements, and "Lafarge" became a
synonym for these cements throughout the English-speaking world.
It was also an early pioneer in the production of white Portland
cement, still made at the company's original Le Teil plant.
In 1919, a public company was formed, named Société anonyme des
chaux et ciments de Lafarge et du Teil. By 1939, Lafarge had
become the largest French cement manufacturer.
In 1980, it joined with the cement company Coppée to become SA
Lafarge Coppée.
In 2001 Lafarge, then the world's second largest cement
manufacturer acquired Blue Circle Industries (BCI), which was then
the world's sixth largest cement manufacturer, to become world
leader.
In 2006 Lafarge North America shareholders accepted a $3 billion
tender offer from Lafarge Group which gave the parent company full
control over the North American business, removing LNA from the
New York Stock Exchange. Previously the Group had owned 53% of LNA
shares.
In addition, the group has recently divested its roofing division,
selling to a private equity group in a deal that resulted in
Lafarge retaining a 35% equity stake.
Currently, Lafarge is the largest cement manufacturing company in
the world, employing over 80,000 workers, and is located in
seventy-six countries. Lafarge's concrete business also includes
specialty products such as concrete that is translucent to light,
and tensile concrete known as Ductal that does not require steel
reinforcements.
Also Lafarge has expanded its business into the asphalt production
& asphalt construction within North America known as Lafarge
Paving & Construction Limited.
