Lafarge
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- For the New York City architectural firm, see Heins & LaFarge
Lafarge (Euronext: LG, NYSE: LR) is a French industrial company specializing in five major products: Cement, construction aggregates, concrete, gypsum wallboard, and roofing tile.
[edit] History
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 aluminous 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 Belgian 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.
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.
[edit] External links
| CAC 40 companies of France | Image:Flag of France.svg | |
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Accor |
AGF |
Air Liquide |
Alcatel-Lucent |
Alstom |
Arcelor-Mittal |
AXA |
BNP Paribas |
Bouygues |
Capgemini |
Carrefour |
Crédit Agricole |
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