route s - colas · v é g é c o l among the mimosa s in the medieval city of bormes-les-mimosas in...

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Jean-Paul ChambasOn the RoadParis, 2004

ROUTE SColas Group magazine n u m b e r 17 – July 2 0 0 5

D o s s i e r

A s i aColas bets on bitumen

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starting points 03

R O U T ESNo. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

olas has laid the foundations forgrowth and durability on no less thanseven inalienable principles that everyperson in the Group must follow:

Anticipate, Satisfy Customers, Be Enterprising but Cautious, Set the Example, Meet the Needs of your Team, Enhance Pr o f i t a b i l i t y, Combine Coherence and Autonomy.

These principles are the cornerstone of our Group’si d e n t i t y. They are the key to past, present andfuture success.

These are the guidelines that make up the veryfabric of the Group. They reflect the basic,fundamental values from which none can nor shall derogate.

Any breach may endanger the Group as a whole.

Everyone must respect these inalienable principleswith constancy and thoroughness, adjusting themto suit each specific line of business and eachgeographic zone in which we operate.

C

by Alain Dupont

C O N T EN T S NUMBER 17 - JULY 2 0 0 5

s i t e - s e e i n g04 > From the United States to Denmark, aroundMorocco and throughout France… a rapid triparound the world in words and pictures to see Colasjobsites, work in progress and finished projects.

en route22 > Sintra develops networks in Quebec.30 > Colas and Portsmouth set up a lastingp a r t n e r s h i p .36 > The “RCE A” link provides a strategic east-west connection.

i t i n e r a r i e s4 3 > They all do their jobs with enthusiasm and

have decided to share their daily routine and theirprojects with us.

c r o s s r o a d s50 > Dossier: Colas bets on bitumen in Asia.56 > Events, products, human resources… A look at six months of Group life.

i n t e r s e c t i o n s78 > Gérard Mortier: “The art of the opera is a mirror of Europe.”80 > Roland Geoffrois: “How long will crude oil last?” 8 2 > Jean-Paul Chambas: “I set out on the road armed with no more than brushes andcanvases…”

Inalienable Principles of the Colas G r o u p

> Anticipate Anticipating means foreseeing the future, imaginingchanges, reflecting on the past, preparing upstreamand avoiding risks.

> Satisfy Customers Satisfying customers means trying to meet all theirneeds, both spoken and potential.

> Be Enterprising but Cautious Being enterprising but remaining cautious meanstaking daring, courageous initiatives within the limits imposed by vigilance.

> Set the Exa m p l eSetting an example means that your behaviorshould serve as a model.

> Meet the Needs of your Team Meeting the needs of your people means that youmust make it possible for each member of theGroup to develop as an individual.

> Enhance Profitability Being profitable means making money and creat-ing resources to bolster Group development.

> Combine Coherence and AutonomyCombining coherence and autonomy means working together towards a common goal, whilemaintaining a certain degree of freedom.

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C o r s i ca has 250 kilometersof railway, 160 of which formthe Bastia-Ajaccio rail link. To carry out the renovation of a105-kilometer stretch, Corsicanlocal authorities chose a con-sortium of Seco-Rail, TSO andCorse Travaux. The contract is a first for Seco-Rail in moreways than one – financially (it

is worth e74 million, 40% ofw h i ch is for Seco-Rail), contrac-tually (supply and application ofmaterials) and on account of the narrow-gauge railway lines(one meter, in comparison with1.435 meters, the normalFr e n ch and European standard),a difference that required theacquisition of special equipment.

Work started in November2004. The first 34-kilometersection was completed in June.The second, some 42 kilo-meters long, will begin in Sep-t e m b e r, and completion of thecontract is scheduled for June2 0 07. Teams averaging between80 and 100 have been workingon the project.

Seco-Rail on track for Corsica

04 site-seeing

From the United States to Denmark,around Morocco and throughout

France… a rapid trip around the world inw o rds and pictures to see Colas jobsites,work in pro g ress and finished projects.

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R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

F R A N C E

F r a n c e

M a d a g a s c a r

D e n m a r kB e l g i u m

M o ro c c oUnited States

A ?14 million refurbishment andi m p rovement contract was ca r r i e dout in the space of six months bySully-Miller on the sites of GatewayPlaza and the Harbor Boulevardparking lot in Los Angeles. Wo r kincluded laying of granite pavingstones and cobblestones, insta l l i n gb e n ches and fountains, new stre e tlighting, planting and constructionof a bicycle park. Sully-Miller alsolaid tramlines, which includeda p p l i cation of colored asphalt mix. A total of nearly 13 kilometersof work was completed lastD e c e m b e r.

Sully-Miller goes seaside

UNITED STAT E S

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R O U T E S N° 00 mois annéeR O U T E S No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5 R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

V é g é c o l among the mimosa sIn the medieval city of Bormes-les-Mimosas in the south ofFrance, teams from Colas Midi-Méditerranée’s Ollioules profitcenter have refurbished the RueCarnot. This main shopping streetp a cked with tourists is the roadthat leads to the ch u r ch of Saint-Trophyme and in the summer,crowds gather to see the Fr e n chPresident and his wife attend service when they stay at Fo r tBrégançon, the Presidential summer residence. Fo l l o w i n gcomplete refurbishment of allunderground networks, stone

gutters and granite paving stoneswere laid and nearly 500 m2

of roadway was surfaced withVégécol asphalt mix. Because it is transparent, Végécol – a 100% plant-based binderdeveloped by the Campus forScience and Te chniques atMagny-les-Hameaux – allowsthe color of the aggregates usedin the mix to show through. Th i swas particularly appropriate inBormes-les-Mimosas, where theroad surface now harmonizeswith the light ochre of the locals t o n e .

A huge wall now rears itsflanks around the Enstedelectric power plant, run byElsam and located in the smalltown of Abenrade in southernDenmark. The contract, worth e4 million, was won by Colas Danmark followingcompetition with five othercompanies and represents a technical challenge that is amply illustrated by thedimensions of the structure – 560 meters long, 26 meters

high and 20 centimeters thick !Formed out of eight concretepanels, each 70 meters long,the wall now completely pro-tects neighboring residentsfrom noise and coal dust. Builtin less than seven months by a team of around forty, thismajor accomplishment hasopened up interesting horizonsfor Colas Danmark. Elsam,w h i ch supplies a major shareof domestic power in Denmark,is considering similar installa-tions in other power plants.

Another b r i ck in the wall

Smac Acieroïd at the Lyon Conference Center In 2004, the Vénissieux andVa u l x - e n - Velin Smac Aciero ï dagencies won two contractsfor the extension of the CitéInternationale conference centerfrom the contracting authority of Greater Lyon. The Salle 30 0 0c o n ference auditorium wasdesigned by the Renzo Pianostudio, who are also arch i t e c t sfor the center. Work, whichbegan in August 2004, includeswaterproofing, facade and roof-ing work. The first contract,worth ?1.6 million, involves

F R A N C EF R A N C E D E N M A R K

waterproofing concrete on the esplanade and the moat,installing plant-covered roofsand terraces. The second contract, worth ?6.2 million, includes application ofribbed cladding and aluminumon the facade, noise-reducingroofing, an over-roof, noise-reducing cladding and mountingmetal tiles on 900 aluminumframes. Completion of work is scheduled for next August.

06 s i t e - s e e i n g s i t e - s e e i n g 07


Th ree years ago, the SacerAtlantique Avrillé profit center, wishing to find a sustainablesolution for improving thestrength of a high-traffic buslane in the town center ofAngers, used an innovative tech-nique that combined a concretebase course and the ActiveJ o i n t® p r e - c r a cking process. The structure was then coveredwith a wearing course of colored

Sacersol. The quality of the finished job convinced the townof Angers to use the same t e chnique in its program to reorganize the Halles quarter, to surround the St MauriceCathedral and the Angers Castleand, specifically, on two particu-larly steep streets that are sub-ject to very heavy bus traffic.Because of the large number of underground networks at

shallow depth, the Active Joint®

p r e - c r a cking process was a logical solution. Sacer At l a n t i q u e ,the key contractor, used it onsome 1,500 m2 of roadway.Using the same process, thePlace de la République square,w h i ch is the site of an under-ground car park, was coveredwith slabs over a 2,500 m2

surface.

Concrete and Active Joints – a dynamic duo!F R A N C E

s i t e - s e e i n g 09

The 511-kilometer Mediter-ranean Freeway now links theAlgerian border to the city ofTangiers. Financed by foreigninvestment (Europe, Japan, Gulf States), the aim of theproject is to open up the regionand encourage tourism andeconomic development. GTR, a Colas Morocco subsidiary,w h i ch won three contracts onthe gigantic project for a total

of e39 million, recently com-pleted the work. It took 200operators two years to construct92 kilometers of road throughthe Nador region on the RasKe b d a n a -Oued Kert stretch. The site, which is located on the coast in a hilly region, wast e chnically challenging andrequired major excavation workand fill to a great height, all ofw h i ch had to be treated as

engineering structures. A fe wfigures help to put the scale ofthe job into context – 4.4 millionm3 excavated, more than 1.7 m3

of fill, 556,000 m2 of roadway,33,000 m3 of concrete and150,000 metric tons of asphaltmix.

The end of a gigantic project at Nador M O R O C C O

R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

08 s i t e - s e e i n g


The Monts Tunnel in Chambéryis well-known to holiday-makers traveling through theMaurienne and Tarentaise val-leys. The roof was heavily dam-aged, so the Fr e n ch authoritiesdecided to refurbish the tunneland upgrade it to meet currentstandards. The contract for bo t hthe main services and roadwayof this major project wasawarded to Screg Sud-Est’s

Annecy profit center. Work onthe e4.5 million contract beganin April and is being carried outin phases. The 900 meter tunnelconsists of two separate tubes,with 6 lanes in all. The companyhas four months to carry outexcavation work, roadway demo-lition, pipeworks and infrastruc-ture repair on the first of them.The schedule is tight as it cannoti n t e r fere with further work

s cheduled for waterproofing,lighting and ventilation contrac-tors who will follow on. Havingstripped the roadway to a depthof 95cm, then raised it 55cm tohelp reinforce the roof, teams willapply asphalt mix designed forheavy traffic. Work is takingplace at night (six days a week)to meet scheduling and trafficrequirements. Somaro is respon-sible for signs and signals.

The Monts Tunnel r e a ches new heightsF R A N C E

s i t e - s e e i n g 1 1

R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

Résipoly Chrysor, Fre n ch numberone manufacturer of resin-based in-place surface applications, hasadded a prestigious name to itscustomer base with the boutique of the Fre n ch haute-couture fashiondesigner Jean-Charles de Castel-bajac, located in the heart of Paris.The resin supplied by Résipoly Chrysor for the floor and walls deliversf l e x i b i l i t y, comfort and strength. Th ecompany played a very active part in selecting and applying the colorsch o s e n .

Résipoly Chrysor for haute-couture surfaces

F R A N C E


Five road surface re g e n e r a-tion contracts have been ca r-ried out by Colas Martinique,over more than 110,000 m2, for a total value of ?4.1 million.The equipment required for theNovacol application processarrived on the island in Marchand was scheduled to ship outtwo months later. This put pres-sure on the schedule managers,who had taken particular care

with the upstream preparatoryphase of work. With an averagedaily output of 4,500 m2 of in-place regeneration and 400 metric tons of asphalt mixapplied, the Lamentin, Sainte-Luce, Vauclin, Gros-Morne andMarigot projects were all car-ried out rapidly. To ensure levelsof quality and safety, whilekeeping the nuisance level for users low, major human

resources (a team of thirtyoperators) were deployed andthorough inspections were regularly carried out.

Novacol used on five projects M A R T I N I Q U E


Originally built in 19 37 and329 meters in length, t h eHelen Fa i r child Bridge inNorthumberland County,Pennsylvania, bears the nameof a local benefactor whobecame famous for organizingthe dispatch of medical teamsto France during the FirstWorld Wa r. The structure’shistorical interest led thePennsylvania Highways

Authority to the decision thatthe bridge should be renovatedrather than replaced with anew structure. The contract,worth in excess of ?6 million,was awarded to HRI Inc., a subsidiary of Colas Inc. Work on the project began in February 2004. The bridge is scheduled to open to trafficin November. A program oflocal celebrations worthy of

s u ch an event is already well in the planning stage.

Refurbishment of the Helen Fa i r child BridgeUNITED STAT E S

R O U T E S No . 17 – July 2005R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

1 2 s i t e - s e e i n g


A 10-story high publichousing apartment building,1 75 meters long and 10 meterswide, proved to be no match for the teams from Colas Ile-de-Fr a n c e /Normandie subsidiaryGenier-Deforge, whose job wasto demolish it. It took six monthsto carry out the carefully definedphases of the job. First was adismantling phase in which thebuilding was completely stripped.N ext came asbestos removal, ledby teams specially trained andequipped for this type of work,w h i ch is subject to stringenthealth and safety regulations.

Then came the demolitionphase, using three bulldozers, inw h i ch the largest, an 80 - m e t r i cton machine, knocked out theupper stories, a second, smallerone, worked on the lower levels,and a third bulldozer dug out the basement of the building.After demolition, the rubble wasremoved. The vacant site hasbeen sold by the owners, theSeine-et-Marne public housinga u t h o r i t y, to the town ofD a m m a r i e - l è s - Lys, which has a project to turn it into anextension of a nearby park.

Bringing down the house F R A N C E


R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

to existing roads, building theroad base on the main sectionof road and completing thestructures. The third phaseinvolves construction of theroadways and equipment. ScregGrands Travaux is responsiblefor managing the project andwork on the main section. ScregIDF /N is in charge of the mainservices. In all, over 150 people(to rise to 300 at the project’speak) are working on the ?1 0 4million contract, scheduled forcompletion in January 2006 .

The Alençon-Rouen stre t ch of the A28 motorway is one of the biggest highway con-struction projects in France. It involves 125 kilometers ofnew roadway, over 100 fe e d e r s ,six interchanges and flyovers, alink with the A88 motorway andsix service areas. Screg GrandsTravaux and Screg IDF /N areresponsible for carrying out 50%of the contract. The first phaseof work started in March 2003with excavation and engineeringstructures. The second phase in-volves hooking up the highway

The Montpellier tram systemis being extended with a sec-ond line between the SNCF railroad station and Notre-Dame-d e -Sablassou. Seco-Rail hasbeen awarded four contracts:nine kilometers of double plat-form, five sidings and six linksincluding a connection with linenumber 1 at Corum. The teamsare welding the rails using analuminothermic process, beforecladding them with foam,installing drainage, adjusting

t r a cks and track equipment and then pouring concrete up to the top level of the sleepers.Excavation work and the com-pacted concrete platform werecontracted to a consortium ofColas Midi-Méditerranée, SacerSud-Est and Screg Sud-Est. Th eteams are also responsible forlaying grass, paving, applicationof asphalt mix and surface-retarded concrete. To ensure that disturbance on tramline 1 is kept to a minimum, specifics cheduling was put in place forwork on the connections. Th esite is due to be completed atthe end of 2006 .

A secondtramline forM o n t p e l l i e r

F R A N C E

R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


The A28 motorway is a major contract for Screg F R A N C E

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In the very heart of Paris, notfar from the Eiffel To w e r, t h enew Quai Branly museum isnearing completion. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, themuseum devoted to the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia,Oceania and the Americas will open in 2006. The SmacAcieroïd profit center ofChâteaufort won the contract to waterproof this flagship ex a m-ple of modern architecture. Th e

contract, worth over e1.5 million,involves 15,000 m2 of flat roofingto waterproof, mainly usingBaryphalte. Work began as farb a ck as January 2004, with ateam of 30. Specific aspects ofthe site include the variety ofmaterials, both steel and con-crete, numerous areas involvingover 150 flat roofs, not all acces-sible, to be tiled or planted, alongwith a number of ponds. Te a m shad to be particularly careful

a bout safety issues because ofthe large number of tourists whovisit the area and the densen e i g h borhood housing.Managing stock was also difficult. Work is scheduled forcompletion by the summer. The Quai Branly museum willunquestionably rate as one ofthe most architecturally beautifulcontracts Smac Acieroïd hasworked on.

Smac Acieroïd will be on showat the Quai Branly museum F R A N C E

R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


The town of Saint Nicolas in eastern Flanders bo a s t sthe largest square in Belgium. It has successfully redevelopedthe square, getting rid of all on-street parking and constructingan underground parking lot.The huge 12,000m2 area isnow used for street marketsand as a venue for events of all kinds. We g e bo, a ScregBelgium subsidiary, assigned afifteen-strong team to the pro-

ject to carry out all the external infrastructure work – the squareitself, the entrances to the park-ing lot, roadway and drainage. Natural materials were useds u ch as blue Belgian stone forthe sidewalks, and terracottacobblestones for paving thesquare. A formal inaugurationceremony was held in Marchand for the occasion the localshopkeepers had a giantEaster egg made, so large

in fact that its dimensions havebeen considered worthy of anentry in the Guinness Book ofR e c o r d s. A true accolade for amajor contract!

Belgium’s largest square renovated by We g e b oB E L G I U M


R O U T E S No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


The quality of the platform on which the TGV Est high-speed railroad will be builtre p resents a major ch a l l e n g e .For this reason, a new sub-base,designed by a Colas Est/ScregEst joint venture, assisted by theColas central laboratory for theasphalt concrete mix design,has been subjected to testingover a three-kilometer stretchnear the new Champagne-

Ardenne train station. The testsform part of the approvalprocess for the technical solu-tion that was chosen. If theyprove conclusive, the processwill form part of the refe r e n c estandards for construction ofhigh-speed rail lines. Other testswill also take place; using sen-sors placed under the rails, it will be possible to verify theirm e chanical strength, durability

and behavior under traffic.U l t i m a t e l y, use of the lines willshow how easy it is to carry out maintenance operations. All these tests form part of amonitoring protocol and a reportwill be produced that will allowthe Fr e n ch Railway Network to give its approval to the appli-cation tech n i q u e .

Real-world test for the TGV Est platformF R A N C E


R O U T E S No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

The La Défense business quarter,just outside Paris in Courbevoie, is still expanding, and Screg Ile-de-France/Normandie subsidiaryCosson continues to play a role. It is carrying out excavation workprior to the construction of the 38-story high-rise built over eightlevels of parking lot as well asexcavation of six levels for theRenaissance public parking lot.

Cosson at La Défense

F R A N C E


The Saint-Etienne tram sys-tem project began in Novem-ber 2004. Worth ?10.2 million,the contract was awarded to aconsortium of seven companies,including five Group subsidiaries.Colas Rhône-Alpes, main con-tractor for the operation, is usingteams from its Saint-Etienneprofit center. The Sacer Ly o nagency and the Screg Saint-Etienne center are partners for the main services work.Pipeworks are being carried out

by TPCF, a local subsidiary ofColas Rhône-Alpes. In addition,Smac Acieroïd is surfacing side-walks and roads in asphalt. Th emain challenge of the contracthas been to keep the site opera-tional. Tram traffic will only bestopped during the three sum-mer months, which has meantthat scheduling is a particularlyt r i cky exercise. Roughly 35 people, rising to 80 at peak periods, are working on the contract, which should be com-

pleted in 2006 and the trambrought into service at the startof September next year.

The Saint-Etienne tram is on the railsF R A N C E

R O U T E S No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


Colas Madagascar hasa chieved a major accom-plishment building aboulevard in the Malagasycapital of An t a n a n a r i v o .Work was completed six monthsahead of schedule. Initially, 18 months were slated for theconstruction of this 2x2 ringroad, intended to open up the center of town. Over 60 0people worked on the site,w h i ch was 12.9 kilometers long,9.5 kilometers of which involved

new roadway through ricepaddies. For the contract,150,000 m3 were excavated and22,000 metric tons of asphaltconcrete along with 13,000metric tons of road base asphaltmix were applied. Fivereinforced-concrete structureswere built on sunken piles.Sacer’s Toulouse profit centerseconded one of its sitesupervisors for a period ofseven months to lead the teamsand train a number of local site

supervisors. Worth a totalamount of ?10.5 million, theproject, including the structuralwork and deep foundations, was performed entirely by ColasMadagascar teams, with norecourse to subcontracting. The thermoplastic road markings and vertical signswere produced in partnershipwith Somaro and its subsidiary,I n d a s c o .

Bring on the b o u l e v a r d!M A D A G A S C A R


R O U T E S No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


u t o route 73 is one of Quebec’smain north-south highways. Itlinks the ca p i tal, Quebec City,to Beauce, a rapidly expandingregion that is close to the bo rder with the United Sta t e s .BML, a division of Sintra, is

c u r rently working on this highway, which is oneof its largest projects ever, building a 5.5 km sec-tion for a contract worth almost e5.5 million. “Weare due to hand over this section on September 30 ,and although the work had to be interrupted for thew i n t e r, which is very long in these parts, we areexpecting to deliver it on sch e d u l e ,” project man-ager Jacques Gagnon confidently asserts.Apart from coping with climate constraints, theteams were also required to contend with demandsimposed by pro-environmental legislation. Blastingis not permitted during the period of winter herding*of deer, for instance, which lasts three months.Another pro-environmental feature of the project is the construction of a deer passage under theh i g h w a y. S u ch obligations have been warmly welcomed bythe 25-strong team working on Autoroute 73 . Th e ya t t a ch a lot of importance to nature conservation, avalue that they are proud to uphold.“ This is a very interesting project for us, because ofhow many areas it enables us to deal with,” ex p l a i n sJacques Gagnon. “Beyond the construction of theroad itself, we are creating the underground net-works, widening the concrete structures and in-stalling the lighting, as well as protecting flora andfauna, which is something that counts for a lot inthese parts.”

Master blastersDynamiting is an inevitable process in carving

out the route of the new section. It is a highly intri-cate task. After the ground has had its vegetationremoved and the rocks have been stripped andtheir volume assessed, surveying and ch e cking areperformed, followed by drilling with a remote-con-trolled hydraulic drill. The hole is then covered witha plastic cone to prevent the intrusion of materials.Blasting is only carried out late in the day. Air mat-tresses are placed over the drill-holes in order toprevent projections into the neighboring forest,w h i ch would result in fines being imposed. In all,90,000 m3 of rock were blasted over the 5-kilometers t r e t ch. The operation took seven months to com-plete.

Q UEBEC• Land area: 1,668 , 0 0 0 k m2 (3 times larger than Fr a n c e )• Population: 7 million inhabita n t s• Density: 4 inhabitants per km2

• Capital city: Quebec• Status: province of the Canadian Confederation • Official language: Fre n ch

en route 2 5

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

A POWERFUL WE A PON To bo re into the very hardg round of the Laurentides, Sintra Energie uses ane x t remely efficient hydraulicdrill capable of re a ch i n gdepths of up to two meters inb a rely half an hour.

ABML

A SO L IDLY ESTA BL ISHED SUBSIDI A RY A division of Sintra, BML has been solidly establishedfor several years in the Quebec region, where it hasbeen responsible for building numerous roads andhighways, as well as constructing undergroundnetworks. The company operates ten quarries and ten asphalt plants in the vicinity of the capital city and Rivière-du-Loup. It is one of the region’s leadingsuppliers of asphalt mix and crushed rocks, and alsosells cement concrete. BML’s largest customer is thegovernment of Quebec, but it also works for municipalauthorities.

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Q u e b e c

Q UEBE C

*Winter herding: to escape the rigors of the Quebec winters,deer gather in herds. Forested areas retain traces of theirpassage.


Acquisitions to keep down costs Construction of this major section of highway has

led BML to acquire quarries and concrete plants inthe vicinity of Chaudière-Appalaches, in Beauce.“ This enables us to reduce the cost of transportingmaterials, which can prove to be very ex p e n s i v e ,”says Serge Ouellet, Managing Director of BML .One of these recent acquisitions is the Saint-Georges concrete plant, which has annual produc-tion of about 15,000 m3. It supplies more than sev-enty customers in a 40-kilometer radius, and evenreceives orders from an American contractor in thestate of Maine. The facility is operational all yearround, unlike the Saint-Joseph quarry, purchased in March 2005, which only operates six months a year. BML has also purchased the Saint-Joseph con-crete plant. Although its business undergoes aslowdown during the winter months, the plant pro-duces an average of 12,000 m3 of concrete annu-a l l y. In the immediate, it will make it possible to sup-

The company started out in 1997 with three con-tracts, on the south bank of Montreal, in Abitibi andin Gaspésie. In 1998, it was presented with anopportunity to demonstrate its know-how whenthousands of homes in Montreal and the regionwere deprived of electricity as a result of a cata-strophic ice storm. 30,000 poles were reinstalled inthe space of three months. “We worked around thec l o ck for thirty days and nights,” Bernard March a n drecalls with pride. The experience was enriching forthe teams, and it enabled the company to boost itsexpertise under extreme conditions.

Light up the sky In all the Quebec region’s wide range of

weather conditions, Sintra Energie’s employees areat work twelve months a year. Pole installers arecapable of working in temperatures of -30° C onsurfaces under two meters of snow, at a rate of fivepoles per day. The Laurentides have a reputationfor having hard, rocky ground but Sintra Energie

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

ply the Autoroute 73 site. “All these acquisitions area sign that the company is in sound health and isembarking on a new phase of ex p a n s i o n ,” remarksConcrete Product Manager Marc Grenier.

In the Laurentides Traveling to another part of Quebec, we come

across another of the Group’s activities. SintraEnergie, a division founded by Sintra Inc. in 1997, specializes in installing poles for power and tele-phone distribution. Its customers include the public-sector utility Hydro-Québec and Bell Canada, theoriginal telephone operator. As Daniel Pe l n e a u l t ,regional director of Sintra Inc., explains, “SintraEnergie was set up by specialists.The key to itssuccess lies in the quality of its personnel.” AddsOperational Manager Bernard Marchand, one ofthe pioneers of this business sector: “The twothings that really make Sintra Energie stand outfrom its competitors are its specialist skills in rock -drilling and the training of its people.” >

SINTRA ENERGIE

EN JOY ING CONSTA N TGROW T HSintra Energie covers a territory of no less than100,000 km2 in the Laurentides, Outaouais, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Lanaudière regions. Fifteen crewseach made up of two or three people work permanentlyon installing poles for power and telephone supply lines(whether wood, metal or concrete). In Quebec, poleinstallation contracts are concluded for three years andare renewable. Sintra Energie currently holds the largestcontract, representing 40% of the market. Sales in thisbusiness sector have grown 10% per year over the past three years, and growth of roughly 20% is expectedin 2005. “Sintra Energie has been enjoying regular but moderate growth, because we want to build thesubsidiary on solid bases,” remarks Louis Gabanna,President of ColasCanada.

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J AC Q UES GAGNO N

MO DEST BUT PROUDJacques Gagnon, an engineer withBML, is at home on jobsites. In a 25-year ca re e r, he has traveled thelength and breadth of Quebec,working on projects that he ta l k sa bout with modesty but not withoutemotion. Whenever he returns tosites where he worked many yearsp re v i o u s l y, he always feels a certa i npride. From Gaspé to Lévis, fro mCap-des-Rosiers to Autoroute 20, the quality of the infrastructure sbears witness to BML’s expertise.What has most marked Jacques overall these years is teamwork. “When Is tarted out, I used to hesitate beforemaking decisions, but that’s not thecase any more. The people that weret h e re before me have passed ontheir experience,” he says, “and inturn I let newcomers benefit fro meverything I have learned. I am in awonderful profession, even thoughit’s not always plain sailing! Wo r k i n gas part of a group like Colas brings a great deal of satisfaction.”

ERIC SO UCY

A BORN WA NDERERAfter spending eighteen years as amechanic in the Sintra workshops,Eric Soucy switched to operating ahydraulic drill. “I was able to have acareer change while staying withSintra,” he remarks. For the past sixmonths, Eric and his drill have beentraveling all around Quebec, proudto be playing a part in the develop-ment of Sintra Energie. “Thanks tothe hydraulic drill, I manage to makeperfect holes in the rock. Some-times passers-by stop to watch mywork and congratulate me on it!”smiles Eric. But what gives him thegreatest satisfaction is when he isable to repair a damaged power linein a remote region. “People arerelieved, and I am pleased that Ihave been able to break theirisolation. Sintra connects people tothe rest of the world…” Eric is nowpreparing to set off for the north ofQuebec, where he will be installingpower lines in a Native Americanreservation.

C L AUDE LABB É

KINGP INOF THE COMPA N YClaude Labbé has been with SintraEnergie since the very outset, in1996. Very much the kingpin of this Laurentides-based unit, hesupervises all jobsites and isresponsible for procurement, in-voicing, equipment and allocatingemployees to jobs. In this respect,he acts a father-figure: “What mat-ters most is being happy in yourwork,” he says. Heading a team of twenty people working over a100-km radius, Claude drives anaverage of 300 km a day to keepon top of all the demands of hisbusiness. It is a job he greatlyenjoys, because it enables him tospend a lot of time on the road andto discover places that have beenlittle explored. Although he is amodest man, he is well aware thatmany thousands of people owe him a debt of gratitude. When theweekend comes, Claude driveshome to see his family… who live 400 km away!

en route 2 9

a fine opening for the Group. We are not movingaway from our vocation, which is to create linksbetween people. Just like roads or airport runways,the lines that carry electrical power or telecom-munications signals serve to open up isolated partsof the country.”

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

ACQ UIRING ASSETS TOREDUCE CO S T SThe acquisition of quarriesand concrete plants close towork sites makes it possibleto keep transportation costsdown.

is able to cope with this difficulty thanks to itshydraulic drill, which is capable of boring to a depthof two meters in little less than half an hour. Apart from installing electricity and telephone poles, Sintra Energie is also active in such otherareas as developing electric generators, poweringcampsites and installing underground electric m a i n s .

A fine opening“Sintra Energie is the proof that a company

can expand by investing in new sectors,” remarksLouis Gabanna, President of ColasCanada. “This is

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ebruary 1, 2005 saw a minor revolution occur in Po r t s m o u t h ,home port of the British Royal Navy,situated on the south coast ofEngland, when a fleet of 70 vehiclesbearing the livery of Colas began fan-ning out through the streets of the

c i t y, leaving many local residents and road users baf-fled. The huge project of maintaining and upgradingthe networks of Portsmouth was underway.

Ongoing dialogue and transparency Three years of uninterrupted feasibility studies

and efforts were needed to ensure that the con-tract was won when the results of the biddingprocess were announced in July 2004. The hard-

fought battle ended in victory thanks to the appli-cation of two principles: dialogue and transparency.“ Throughout the negotiation process, we main-tained a very open but very constructive attitudewith the municipal authority,” comments BrianH i cks, Managing Director of Ensign Highways, thespecial-purpose subsidiary set up by Colas SA andColas Ltd to negotiate and implement the contract.“ You aren’t awarded a contract on this scale and ofthis duration on the basis of commercial and finan-cial arguments alone. It was absolutely vital for usto create a win-win partnership with the city coun-cil, our common aim being to find ways of offe r i n groad users and local residents a service match i n gtheir expectations as closely as possible.” What made the strategy of openness all the

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

The home port of the British Royal Navy, situatedon the south coast ofEngland, Portsmouth todaytotals 200,000 inhabitantsand boasts a network of 480 kilometers of roads.

F

3 0 en route

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Colas is now established as part of thescenery in Portsmouth. The 25-year PFI

contract signed by the Group and the City Council in July 2004came into effect in January 2005. 160 people are permanentlyassigned to this vast network upgrading and maintenance project.

UNI T ED KINGDOM

UNI T ED KINGDO M• Land area: 244 , 0 0 0 k m2

• Population: 59.5 million inhabita n t s• Density: 244 inhabitants per km2

• Capital city: Lo n d o n• Currency: sterling• Language: English • Transport infrastructures: 372 , 0 0 0 km of ro a d w a y, 17, 0 0 0 km of railway, 3,200 km of navigable waterway

UNI T ED KIN GDOM

Po r t s m o u t hLo n d o n

Colas and Portsmouth set up a lasting partnership

1colrou017_GB_34_35_baf2 22/09/05 12:37 Page 30

a technical model takingaccount of hypotheses oftraffic levels, the initialstate of the network andthe life expectancy of them a t e r i a l s .” 80% composed

of mixed pavement structure, with asphalt concretelayers of between 110 mm and 210 mm, the net-work has suffered deterioration along 40% of itslength. “After performing computerized simulations,we decided on a structural treatment of the basecourses and one or two surface treatments forvisual appearance and grip, as well as the replace-ment of 70% of street lights over the next fivey e a r s ,” relates Eric Brangier. “This will be followedby a second phase of maintenance, scheduled overthe long term.”

An efficient system already brings benefits The system that Colas implemented has made

it possible to carry out the transition with the pre-

more necessary was thefact that this Pu b l i c - Pr i v a t ePartnership is a first in theUnited Kingdom: never be-

fore has a city the size of Portsmouth (200,000inhabitants) entrusted all aspects of its road net-work management to a private contractor. “Both themunicipal authority and ourselves needed to beparticularly imaginative and come up with satis-factory compromises, especially when it came torisk-sharing, to ensure that we would be able toguarantee the quality of the network at a certainlevel for 25 years,” continues Brian Hicks. “A m o n gmany other factors, negotiations took account ofrises in oil prices and the question of shared riskswith regard to the city’s 84 engineering structures.”

A colossal pro j e c tOn a technical level, Colas also managed to

meet the expectations of the authorities and localresidents by developing tools and mobilizing re-

sources on the scale of the tasks to be under-t a k e n .Since February 1, when the first pneumaticdrills were wielded on Farlington Avenue and Burr-fields Road, some 160 people have been workingin teams throughout Portsmouth every day on up-grading the 480 kilometers of road network and 84 engineering structures and maintaining thesidewalks and 19,000 street lights, as well as tend-ing 40 hectares of parks and gardens and morethan 10,000 trees! The project is huge, the networkhaving suffered from a chronic lack of maintenancecombined with the chaotic nature of past works. “ There will be a progressive build-up in the work ourteams carry out,” explains Eric Brangier, HighwayManager at Ensign Highways. “One of the mainchallenges in the bidding procedure was sch e d u l-ing the phase of refurbishing the network over then ext five years and the maintenance program thatwould be capable of guaranteeing that the roadsretain the same level of quality for the next twentyyears. To be able to do this, we have developed

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

> KEY FIGURES

> L ENGTH OFCON T R ACT

2 5 y e a r s

> VA L UE OF CON T R ACT

650 million euros

> ROA DS

480 km of road network, including:

65 km of main roads

90 km of secondary roads

3 2 5 km of minor roads

> ENGINEERINGST RUCT URES

84 engineering structures, including

22 b r i d g e s

> ST REET LIGH T ING

19,000 street lights

> PA RKS AND GARDENS

40h e c t a r e s

1 0 , 0 0 0t r e e s

> FL EET

70 v e h i c l e s

> M A NPOWER

160 p e o p l e

>

LET THERE BE LI GHT! Within five years, 70 %of street lights will havebeen changed andupgraded to meetE u ropean sta n d a rd s .

NI GHT AND DAY …Some works are ca r r i e dout at night, emerg e n c yrepairs in particular. Th erapid response team ison call 24 hours a day,365 days a year, comerain, hail or shine…


en route 3 5

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

with 6 two-man teams permanently combing theentire city, in vehicles and on foot, on the lookoutfor any damage requiring repair. Alongside this roleof surveillance is one of information, which willprove essential as the road works progress.“ Portsmouth is an old naval base with a road net-work that is both very dense and highly congested,”adds Brian Hicks. “The works are therefore in-evitably going to create major difficulties for localresidents, particularly with regard to traffic disrup-tion and noise. So we have to be very diplomatic,and explain to people as often as necessary thatthe temporary inconvenience is the price to be paidfor having a top-quality network.”

A LL OV ER PO R T SMOUTH P rojects are underway inn u m e rous parts of the city sothat traffic nuisance is not allconcentrated in one district,ensuring that as many ro a dusers as possible benefitf rom the pro g re s s i v ei m p rovement of the ro a dnetwork.

PAUL TAY LO R

WE ARE NOW MUCH MO RE EF F IC IENT Paul Taylor joined Colas in 1993 when the companywas brought in by Portsmouth City Council to maintainthe city’s street lighting. He heads a team of six. Hisduties have taken on a new dimension since the newcontract came into effect. “The work we do is nowmuch more efficient thanks to the coordination be-tween the teams of electricians and the road worksteams,” he explains. “It means, for example, that we can avoid having to wait for the end of a project beforebeginning to upgrade the lighting.” Such synergy isparticularly useful bearing in mind the vast amount ofwork that will be carried out: “We are going to change70% of the street lights within the next five years,bringing them into compliance with European stan-dards, replacing the old orange-colored bulbs by white high pressure sodium bulbs,” says Paul. “This is a huge technical challenge. What helps motivate usis the fact that we feel we are helping improve livingconditions in Portsmouth.”

T RE VOR WA RD

IT’S OUR JO BTO BE THERE WI T HIN THE HOUR Trevor Ward knows Portsmouth like the back of hishand. He spent fifteen years working for the municipalroad maintenance department before being hired byColas in the context of the partnership agreementsigned in 2004. The 38-year-old is now a member of the 16-strong rapid response team, which is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This unit was alreadythere before the arrival of Colas, but it has now greatlyimproved its response capability: “Come rain, hail orshine, we are required to be on the scene within an hourof any report of damage to the road surface so that wecan make the site safe, carry out repairs if the damageis superficial and, most of all, perform the initialdiagnostic which is then passed on to the engineeringteam.” This chain of information works very effectively,much to the satisfaction of local residents. “In the past,when people saw us arrive, they’d be saying, ‘Abouttime!’ Now it’s rather ‘What, are you here already?’!”laughs Trevor.

vious system under good conditions. It is basedon the permanent mobilization of crews and theimplementation of a coordinated twelve-month pro-gram covering roads, street lighting, sidewalks andparks and gardens. In order to prevent nuisancecaused by road works from being concentrated inone district and to ensure that as many road usersas possible benefit from the progressive improve-ment of the network, projects are spread out overnumerous neighborhoods. In the first two monthsof the contract, 15,000m2 of sidewalks and 2,000m2 of roads were refurbished, as were 260 streetl i g h t s … practically as many as were upgraded inthe whole of 2004!In parallel to these programmed operations, Colasalso performs a service of neighborhood patrols,

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he Fr e n ch road network is notknown for being particularlywell-endowed when it comesto major east-west highways.The new highway, called the“ RCE A” (Central Europe-At l a n t i cRoad), which will link the town of

Saintes, in western France, with Mâcon andC h a l o n - s u r -Saône in Burgundy, is a cornerstone ofthe project intended to provide a bridge betweencertain regions of western and central France withother parts of Europe. When it is completed, thisstrategic highway will provide a direct connectionbetween France’s Atlantic coast and the motorwaynetwork in eastern France, and therefore withG e r m a n y, Switzerland, Italy and central Europe.

Designed as a highway with no crossroads or traf-fic lights, the RCEA is made up of alternating sections of motorway and four-lane ex p r e s s w a y.Spreading across the country, works are being carried out in six Fr e n ch d é p a r t e m e n ts: Charente-Maritime, Charente, Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Allierand Saône-et-Lo i r e .

Up to 50% of heavy trucks In December 2003, France’s Interministerial

Committee for Regional Development confirmedthe need for works on the RCEA to be completedwith urgency, earmarking e128 million of additionalcredits intended to accelerate the constructionprocess, particularly the section between the A20and A71 motorways, in Burgundy. The stakes are

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

T

3 6 en ro u te

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With so much at stake, work on the Central Euro p e -Atlantic Road (the “RCEA”) is re q u i red to advance

at a rapid rate. In Burgundy, Perrier TP is performing the earthworksfor a new 4-lane section of the road. The project is marked by verytight deadlines and the diversity of materials found onsite.

F R A NC E

S a i n t e sFR A N C E M â c o n

C h a l o n /S a ô n e

The RCEA linkp rovides a strategic east-west connection

SET UP FOR A “MAJOR PR OJE CT ”

The schedule imposed forthis project justified putting

in place a ‘major pro j e c t ’s t r u c t u re for what is only anaverage-size project – man-

power of roughly 100 people,70 site machines in service

and two eight-hour shifts a day. Everything must be

completed by August 2006 ,asphalt surfacing included.


R O U T ESN ° 17 – 2 0 0 5R O U T ES N ° 15 0 4

organization on the basis of two eight-hour shiftsper day. The whole job has to be completed byAugust 2006, including the asphalt surfacing. As far as the earthworks are concerned, though,progress of the work is strongly governed bymeteorological factors, particularly the uncertain-ties of winter weather conditions.

Very damp conditionsOver a section that is approximately 60 meters

wide, work on the site began at each end, movingtowards the center at a rate of 15,000m3 per day.The earthworks are of a conventional nature: ex c a-vation of materials and screening for reutilization,storage of non-reused materials and constructionof embankments. But this region is very damp. Byearly May, the Perrier TP teams had already ex p e r i-enced a month of bad weather and had lost twenty

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

3 8 en route

MIC HEL DURIF

GOT TOGET OUT MO RE …M i chel Durif, age 56, is the site ad-m i n i s t r a t o r. His tasks include dealingwith the pay and tracking hoursworked and equipment employed aswell as drawing up monthly manage-ment reports. When he is working ona project, he always remains in closec o n tact with the Perrier TP humanre s o u rces manager. He has beenwith the company for nine years. In the early days, he was out anda bout all the time, first on the TG VMéditerranée contract and later onthe Lyon tramline project. Then hespent six years in “sedentary” postsat head office in Lyon. “I’m enjoyinglife on the RCEA pro j e c t ,” he says.“ Th e re’s a really good atmospherebetween the teams.”

J É R Ô ME COIL LOT

A CH A NCE TO MEE TIN T ERES T INGP EO P L EWith eleven years at Perrier TP behindhim, Jérôme Coillot, age 35, is one of six site supervisors on the RCEAp roject. He heads a crew working with a digger, three or four dumpers,a bulldozer, two compactors and ag r a d e r. The biggest concern on thisp roject, he says, is the weatherconditions: “They deteriorate veryrapidly here. The risk is that you stopwork too late before the rain sta r t s .The materials haven’t had time toclose up.You have to smooth overembankments so that the water ca n ’ tget in.” From one project to the next,he appreciates meeting and workingwith different people. “The humanside means a lot to me,” he adds.

GUIL L AUME PERRIER

SE T T ING YOURSELF A TA RGE TGuillaume Perrier, age 27, qualifiedto drive site machines in Montalieu,near Lyon. Since being hired byPerrier TP, seven years ago, he hasdriven mechanical shovels as wellas dumpers and compactors. He isa great enthusiast about his work.“Moving earth all day long is some-thing I really enjoy doing. You set a target for yourself, get a particularzone in your sights. If the machineis capable of shifting 1,80 0 m3

in eight hours, I go all out to achievethe target.” The work is very varied,depending on whether he is in-volved in heavy earthworks, strip-ping vegetation or grading.Guillaume appreciates the outdoorlife: “It suits me down to the ground!”

working days. It is impossible to work in the rain,and even after that, it is necessary to wait a furtherday or two, at the judgement of the site manager,before the site machines can start up again. Wh a t ’ smore, the nature of the materials makes the jobc o m p l ex . According to GTR classifications, thematerials excavated are B4, B5, A1, A2, A3 andA4: “As a matter of fact, there’s practically the entirerange of existing materials, with the exception ofbo u l d e r s ,” states Sandra Bonnardel, head of geo-t e chnical quality control. “Materials with high claycontent are very sensitive to moisture, which isquite problematic.”

The vital part played by the labo r a t o r yOn this project, the labo r a t o r y, which has been

set up in a nearby building, has a key role to play,as the following overheard telephone conversa-

between Charolles and La Fo u r che, northwest ofMâcon.

A “major project” structure In December 2004, Perrier TP, bidding jointly

with Bec, was awarded the contract for the earth-works, which got underway in March 2005. In total,construction of this section is worth e20 million.Colas Rhône-Alpes, Axima Centre, Sacer Sud-Estand Screg Sud-Est are co-contractors.“At 1 million cubic meters, this is only an average-size project for us,” says senior site manager JeanKe s s l e r, “but we have decided to organize it in a‘major project’ structure, which we normally onlyuse for much bigger operations. This is justified bythe schedule we are required to work to.” Th eproject involves manpower of roughly 100 people on site, the use of some 70 site machines, and work >

>

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

high, in terms not only of restoring the balancebetween different parts of the country, but also ofroad safe t y. Road traffic is growing year after year,especially heavy trucks, and the number of roadaccident fatalities continues to increase. Traffic onthe RN79, in the vicinity of the new road, stands at10,000 vehicles per day, with heavy trucks consti-tuting an average of 35%, this proportion reach i n g50% on Thursday and Fr i d a y, the busiest days ofthe week. “These figures are constantly rising,”states the Saône-et-Loire roads authority. “Everytime a new section of the RCEA is opened, there isa distinct increase in the number of heavy trucks onthe road.” With the aim of reducing the number of accidentson a particularly stretch of the RN79, which isstraight but has poor visibility, it was decided to build a new 7.5-kilometer four-lane ex p r e s s w a y


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R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

CO MPLEX MAT ERI A LS A c c o rding to GTR classifica-tions, the materials exca v a t e da re B4, B5, A1, A2, A3 and A4,p r a c t i cally the entire range ofexisting materials apart fro mboulders.

tion would suggest: “Do you have any sufficientlydry B5 today? We’re doing the top few centimetersso we need good materials – we can’t use dampmaterials for the top layer!” Before works got underw a y, the laboratory carried out a geotechnical sur-v e y, thereby validating the findings of the regionalPonts et Chaussées Labo r a t o r y. Now, samples aretaken every day. “We keep track of what has beenexcavated on a daily basis so that we can assesswhat can be reutilized and how,” says a lab tech n i-cian as he looks up from a blue methylene test to determine the clay content of materials sampledthat morning. Several factors come into play in

the reuse of excavated earth, such as the thick n e s sof the layer, the speed and number of compactorruns, and so on. “The whole economy of this projectis based on reusing materials,” remarks SandraBonnardel. “The lab has to be able to guide the site manager.”

A good working atmosphere On site, employees of Perrier TP and Bec are

working in harmony on alternate shifts. “The atmos-phere is good,” reports Jean Ke s s l e r. Each com-pany’s personnel has to organize their own accom-modation. This region is popular with tourists, and,

KEY FIGURES

>

>

> E A R T H WORKS

1 30 , 0 0 0 m3 of stripping

90 0 , 0 0 0 m3 of cut

50 0 , 0 0 0 m3 of fill

40 0 , 0 0 0 m3

of landform deposits

80 , 0 0 0m3 of sub-base

8 , 0 0 0 m of feeders

> DR A IN AGE

4 , 2 0 0 m3 of draining course

17, 0 0 0m of pipeworks

8 , 560 m of drainage ditch e s

10 , 2 0 0 m of curved concretegutter

7, 50 0 m of concrete ditches

> SURFACES

70 , 0 0 0 m2 of surfaced r e s s i n g s

2 0 , 0 0 0metric tons of roadbase asphalt

10 , 0 0 0metric tons of highmodulus asphalt concrete


RESO URC ES

SUBS TANTIAL ME A NS> Manpower:Approximately 100 people on average. Two eight-hour shifts (one from 5:30 am to 1:00 pm, theother from 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm).

> Equipment:Roughly 70 site machines, including two 80-metric tonexcavators with capacity of 500 m3/hour.

as such, hotels and holiday homes are plentiful,but in July and August most have already beenreserved by vacationers! Bec employees, mostlyhoused in caravans, do not have this problem tocontend with! Early in May, some stretches were still beingstripped, while others were at the cut-and-fill phase.Some of the drainage works and hydraulic struc-tures had already been carried out by Axima, butmost of them can only be performed when theearthworks are complete. In August, the lime andcement processing plant will be set up on-site tocomplete the top layer and the base course. Wo r k-ing at full speed, it will generate 800 metric tonsper hour. There will then be an interval of roughlythree or four months, coinciding with the winterperiod, but teams at Perrier TP are counting onbeginning the surfacing phase in March 2006.

>

R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


RESO URC ES

SUBS TANTIAL ME A NS> Manpower:Approximately 100 people on average. Two eight-hour shifts (one from 5:30 am to 1:00 pm, theother from 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm).

> Equipment:Roughly 70 site machines, including two 80-metric tonexcavators with capacity of 500 m3/hour.

as such, hotels and holiday homes are plentiful,but in July and August most have already beenreserved by vacationers! Bec employees, mostlyhoused in caravans, do not have this problem tocontend with! Early in May, some stretches were still beingstripped, while others were at the cut-and-fill phase.Some of the drainage works and hydraulic struc-tures had already been carried out by Axima, butmost of them can only be performed when theearthworks are complete. In August, the lime andcement processing plant will be set up on-site tocomplete the top layer and the base course. Wo r k-ing at full speed, it will generate 800 metric tonsper hour. There will then be an interval of roughlythree or four months, coinciding with the winterperiod, but teams at Perrier TP are counting onbeginning the surfacing phase in March 2006.

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R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5


i t i n e r a r i e s 4 3

R O U T ES N° 00 R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

They are site supervisors, pro j e c ta s s i s tants, site foremen, skilled

workers… They all do their jobs withenthusiasm and have decided to share theirdaily routine and their projects with us.

>

FRANK KEOHANEGRAVEL PIT GENERAL MANAGERUNITED STATES

Frank Keohane (on the rightin the photo) gives it to yous t r a i g h t - f ro m - t h e - s h o u l d e r,emphasizing his enthusiasm forwork and dislike of formality. Heis rightly proud of his attitude,w h i ch has seen this self-mademan rise from salesman tocontractor and then general

manager of United Rock Pr o-ducts. The company operates a 200-hectare gravel pit inIrwindale, California, whichproduces several million metrictons of aggregates per year. “My experience as an employee,then as a manager convincedme that performance, andtherefore success in business,are based on interpersonalc o n t a c t ,” says Frank. His strong

relational skills helped earn himthe title of Irwindale Business-man of the Ye a r. Frank hasresponsibility for managementof all the site which he finds “an extraordinary profe s s i o n a lchallenge because business isso good.” He likens it to “a well-bonded organization in which a team spirit prevails and peoplelike to pass on knowledge tothe next generation.”

“Enthusiasm helps team spirit prevail!”

F r a n c eH u n g a r yU n i t e d

S ta t e s

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R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

“Colas University is a tool for training and discussion”LUDOVIC BRINGOLD,SITE FOREMANFRANCE

H i red by the Vesoul pro f i tc e n t re of Sacer Paris Nord -Est after graduating with adiploma in civil engineering,25-year-old site foremanLudovic Bringold is delightedwith the training he received at Colas University. “Mysupervisors recommended meto take part in a four-weekColas University session in theoutskirts of Paris. The trainers

were both highly competentt e chnically and very pragmatic.They never hesitated to throwout the set program in order to deal with case studiesbased on participants’ ownex p e r i e n c e ,” he explains. The course also gave himinformation about complexissues he knew little about, but which will help him as heclimbs the corporate ladder.“My goal is to make sites u p e r v i s o r. So, Colas Universitygave me some very valuableinformation in terms of team

management and humanresources. I'm certain that all of the things I learned willprove highly useful.” C u r r e n t l y, Ludovic is workingon a contract in Bilbao. “Colasgave me a wonderful oppor-tunity to celebrate my birthdayin sunny Spain!" he laughs.

“What I like best is being where the action is!”ORSOLYA FOLDI,PROJECT ASSISTANT HUNGARY

As soon as she graduatedwith a diploma in economics,Orsolya Foldi only had onething in mind – being wherethe action is! Her wish sooncame true, since just onemonth after graduation in July 2003, she joined ColasHungaria to take part in theextraordinary challenge ofdeveloping the Hungarian road network. “I couldn’t have

wished for a better first job, as I arrived at the start of the M5motorway contract, a projectthat is very important both forthe company and my country,”explains 25-year-old Orsolya. “I was therefore able to followevery step and I dealt witheverything we are involved in.”Her feeling of usefulness isstrengthened by the teamspirit. “We form a tightly-knitteam within which we are allhighly supportive of each other.I have learned a great dealfrom my more experienced

c o l l e a g u e s ,” she reflects,adding: “but I have also takenmany initiatives that it wouldhave been harder to implementin a larger structure.”

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

4 4 i t i n e r a r i e s i t i n e r a r i e s 4 5


R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

“H u n g a r y is at a turning-point in its history”PETER OLAH,SITE SUPERVISORHUNGARY

Playing a part in thee x t r a o rdinary Hungarianeconomic boom is the ambi-tion of Peter Olah, site super-visor at Alterra since 2003. “Fo rH u n g a r y, joining the EuropeanUnion in May 2004 was afundamental step, opening uphighly interesting economichorizons, particularly in terms ofroad infrastructure. The country has an extremely inadequate

network which is in a very poorstate of repair,” comments the29-year-old civil engineer. He isfully committed to this ch a l l e n g e ,since he is in charge of theconstruction of seven motorwaybridges over the strategic M5motorway link between Budapestand Szeged, heading to theborder with Serbia. Peter’s jobrequires excellent profe s s i o n a land interpersonal skills. “To seethat all the various phases ofthe project are carried outc o r r e c t l y, you need ex p e r tknowledge of foundations,

structural reinforcement, arch i-tecture and electricity – all o fw h i ch makes the job ex t r e m el yr i ch from a technical viewpoint,”he explains. “My role also con-sists of finding the right personto assist when we encounterproblems that we can’t resolvei n t e r n a l l y. This means that I haveto be in constant contact withnumerous partners.”

“Skill and determination are the keys to success”Perrier TP as a site foreman. I love the unexpected, and Iwasn't disappointed!” For fouryears, she built up major ex p e r i-ence working on highly variedcontracts, and succeeded in carving herself a place inwhat is still a strongly male-dominated universe. Next shestudied for a civil engineeringdiploma. When she returned toPerrier TP, it was as a civil engi-neer in the costing departments,becoming a site supervisor in2004. Frédérique is entrustedwith key contracts, including

those whose budgets often goover the ?1 million mark. Shesees her career as proof that“no career path is closed towomen, as long as they arecompetent and truly determinedto succeed!”

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

4 6 i t i n e r a r i e s i t i n e r a r i e s 4 7

FRÉDÉRIQUE CURNILLON, SITE SUPERVISOR FRANCE

The word “monotony” simplydoes not exist in the voca b u-lary of 31-year-old Fr é d é r i q u eCurnillon, site supervisor withPerrier TP. “Very early on, I knewthat office life was not for me,”explains this determined youngwoman. “As soon as I left highs chool, I went to a tech n i c a ls chool to study civil engineeringand graduated with a qualifica-tion that allowed me to join


R O U T ESNo. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

“I’m grateful the Group trusted me”GREGORY FICHTEN,SKILLED ROADWORKERFRANCE

Grégory Fichten has a smileon his face. He joined ScregNord-Picardie five years ago as a labo r e r, and today he is askilled roadworker at the Dun-kerque agency, having recentlybeen awarded a profe s s i o n a lqualification certificate. His newdiploma is testament to a fault-less career path so far, whichhas seen him rapidly promotedthrough the ranks. “I dedicate

the success I have had to thesite foremen I have worked for,”said Grégory at the presentationc e r e m o n y. “Over all these years,they have managed to pass theirknow-how on to me, patientlyand pedagogically.” He could not hide his emotions at whathe has achieved. “I joined thecompany because of my father,who has worked here fortwenty-five years laying curbs.The least I could do was tomake him proud of me. And asfar as my supervisors whochose me for this training

program are concerned, it wasimportant to show them theywere right to trust me.” Th e i rconfidence was clearly justified,because of the eleven traineeswho followed the arduous pro-gram, only six emerged with the priceless diploma in theirhands. So Grégory has everyreason to smile!

“C o l a s offered me a real career!”and short jobs,” he recalls. “In the course of these I discoveredColas, which I joined as a tempo-rary operator in October 1999. I immediately realized I wasmade for this type of work, so Idid everything possible to ensurethat the temporary assignmentbecame a permanent one!” Afew months later he succeededin getting hired permanently as a machine operator. “It gave mec o n f i d e n c e ,” he explains enthusi-a s t i c a l l y, “it was the proof that byworking hard at something youcan achieve it.” His evident will to

win came to the attention of hissuperiors who offered him train-ing in urban road work and mainnetworks, completed by profe s-sional certification, somethingthat opened up new horizons forhim. “I took this as a sign of trust,although I was very aware that it was a real professional ch a l-lenge. I hope that I can get to be a site foreman five years fromn o w.”

R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

48 i t i n e r a r i e s i t i n e r a r i e s 49

JEROME MILLET,SKILLED ROADWORKERFRANCE

At age 26, Jérôme Millet is ahappy man. A highly skilledmain services operator at theColas profit center in Bourges,he claims to have found not onlya vocation through the company,but a career in line with his aspi-rations. “I went to a tech n i c a ls chool and graduated with aspecialist landscaping high-s chool diploma, then did a num-ber of temporary assignments


c ro s s ro a d s 5 1DOSSIER

R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

olas’ first steps in Asia date back to theearly 1980 s , when the Group took part inthe construction of the Jakarta airport, serv-

ing the Indonesian capital. The successful ex p e r i-ence then led, in 1990, to the setting up of the firstColas joint venture in this region of the world – theIndonesian-based company Wa s c o .“Since that time, partnerships with local playershave become one of the characteristic features of our Asian business strategy,” explains Jacques Pa s t o r, Manager of Colas Asia. “In the six Asiancountries where the Group is currently established,we have set up joint-ventures with both local pri-vate sector and governmental partners, to whomwe delegate responsibility for operational affairsas a general rule. This method of doing businesshas proved successful since Colas Asia now rep-resents sales of ?200 million. This has made itpossible for us to expand gradually, without taking any undue risks, given our partners’ solid businessn e t w o r k .”

Business based on pro d u c t i o nThe establishment of an Asia department in the

Group’s organization chart in 1993, with a regionaloffice based in Bangkok, Thailand, gave impetus tothis partnership-acquisition policy. For the past tenyears, the Group has multiplied its partnerships, andtoday boasts approximately twenty businesses(offices or plants) spread through six Asian coun-tries – Thailand, India, Indonesia, China, Vi e t n a mand Malaysia.“Another strong point of Colas in Asia is that almostall of our activities are based on manufacturing (pro-duction of aggregates, bitumen emulsions and mod-ified bitumen) or sales (bitumen),” continues JacquesPa s t o r. “Road works only account for some 10% of our business, which is in inverse proportion to thefigures that characterize Group business as a whole.”Colas Asia has nonetheless been involved in sev-eral important contracts, such as in Thailand withthe construction of the northern access to the newBangkok international airport and the Bangkok-

C

A s i aColas bets on bitumenColas’ Asian business is based on two strong focal points, both pillars of its development strategy in the zone: the distributionand sales of bitumen coupled with a business-centered approachin the form of associations with powerful local industrial partners.

COLAS IN VIE T N A ME s tablished in Vietnam since1996, the Group has anemulsion plant and sellsb i t u m e n .

>


5 2 c r o s s r o a d s

DOSSIER

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

Tipco’s Tasco Amata site produces 6,200 million metric tons of bitumen.

Pattaya highway contract. In Indonesia, the Groupwas involved in work on the airport at Balikpapanand the contract that is currently under way for the Surabaya airport. Bitumen sales, Colas Asia’smain business activity, nonetheless represent almost1 million metric tons over the entire zone. The Groupitself consumes some 3.5 million metric tons of bitu-men yearly, the equivalent of the entire Fr e n ch mar-ket. For the sake of comparison, the world marketitself is an estimated 85 million metric tons.

C o n t rolling the bitumen ch a i nColas’ strategy in Asia consists of working as far

upstream in the bitumen production and distributionchain as possible. The strategy is supported by the

various partnerships set up with local producers,whether family-run companies or listed corporations,state-owned entities, such as in India, or partner-ships with municipal authorities, as in China, andalso through ownership of resources. The Groupcurrently owns nine bitumen depots and six bitument a n k e r s .In Vietnam, Colas has floating depots, constructedon transportation barges that shuttle between theirmoorings and ships anchored in the mouths of estu-aries to get supplies. “We want to promote win-winpartnerships in which local players display genuineindustrial ex p e r t i s e ,” says Vincent Roubinet, head of Group business in Indonesia. “Until now, with the exception of Vietnam, we have maintained our >

>

c r o s s r o a d s 5 3

DOSSIER

R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5



DOSSIER

Construction of a new taxiway and airport terminal at Surabaya airport in Indonesia.

R O U T ESNo . 17 – Ju l y 2 0 0 5

5 4 c r o s s r o a d s

DOSSIER

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

KEY 2005 FIGURES COL AS IN ASI A• 1,500 employees• e200 million of sales• 800,000 metric tons of bitumen sold• 9 bitumen depots in four countries• 6 bitumen tankers• 1,000,000 metric tons of aggregates• 400,000 metric tons of asphalt mix

The latest development to occur is the 2004 agree-ment for a joint-venture contract with Tasco (a Th a icompany specialized in emulsions and asphalt sales in partnership with Colas) for the constructionof a refinery in the port area of Kemaman, on theeast coast of Malaysia. “ For the first time, the Colas Group will become a bitumen producer,” states Jacques Pa s t o r. “The plant is scheduled to be operational as of mid-2 0 06, and it will have the capacity to produce over800,000 metric tons of bitumen from Venezuelan crude. We are transporters, distributors to asphaltand emulsion plants and now producers, which makes us a major player on the bitumen market in

original partnerships, which are based on true synergies. The thing that takes longest with oura p p r o a ch is finding the right partners, in the form ofmanufacturers who are solidly established in theirz o n e .”

A key market playerColas Asia is fully mobilized around these devel-

opment prospects and is constantly on the lookoutfor opportunities that may arise in other countriesin the zone, such as Cambodia, the Philippines,Burma, South Korea and even Australia, which wouldsupplement the existing distribution and transportnetwork for bitumen products.

Asia. We are preparing to play an ever-greater roleboth by making our regional bitumen distributionnetwork denser and by developing our own pro-duction through the future Malaysian plant. This haspositioned us very far upstream on the bitumench a i n .”

>

The Prapadaeng depot in Thailand, which has a storage capacity of 19,600 metric tons of bitumen and 20 millionliters of fuel.


c r o s s r o a d s 5 75 6 c r o s s r o a d s


ACQUISI T IONS ACQUISI T IONS

n 2004, the Group strengthened itsp resence in France and in other coun-tries through the acquisition of new pro-

duction sites and construction companies.

In Europe In mainland France, Colas acquired Jouen

(located at Ailly in northern France), Pignato(located at Pu g e t -Théniers in southern Fr a n c e ) ,materials producer Macovi (at Casseneuil in thesouth-west) and the Alissas quarries in south-central France. In Slovakia, public works contractorIS Kosice, which was awarded a constructioncontract for a 7.6-kilometer section of the Pr e s o v -Svinia motorway, joined the Group. The company

has two quarries that produce 900,000 metric tonsa n n u a l l y, five asphalt mix plants and four concreteplants. In Poland, Colas acquired a quarry with a150,000-metric ton annual capacity in Winna Gora,near the Czech bo r d e r. In Romania, two con-struction companies, ADP Constanta and ADPTimisoara, joined the Group.

In North America In the Province of Quebec, ColasCanada ac-

quired the Saint-Joseph and Saint-G e o r g e squarries and concrete plants. In Alaska, the Groupstrengthened its position as the state’s number one road construction company through theacquisition of the assets of Exclusive Landscaping,

The Group pursues its external growth strategy

I w h i ch owns three gravel pits (250,000 metric tonsannually) and an asphalt mix plant (100,000 metrictons annually). Other acquisitions took place in theUnited States, including a public works contractorand bitumen production plants in Cincinnati andDayton, Ohio; a quarry and a construction companyin Arkansas; and a construction and surfacingcontractor in Norfolk, Vi r g i n i a .

From the Indian Ocean to AsiaOn Reunion Island, GTOI, a Group subsidiary,

has broadened its scope of business with theacquisition of materials producer SCPR (fiveaggregate production sites and six prefabr i c a t e dc i n d e r - b l o ck production plants) and SIR,

a company specialized in asphalt mix production. In Vietnam, ADCO, which is specialized in the saleof bitumen, joined the Group.All in all, the companies acquired by Colas in 2004represent production of 2.7 million metric tons ofaggregates, 118 million metric tons of reserves,plus 1 million metric tons of asphalt mix and144,000 cubic meters of ready-mix concrete.In 2005, the Group is continuing its policy ofgrowth through acquisition. This includes theacquisition from the British group Jarvis of two road paint production and application companies,Prosign in France and Veluvine in the Netherlands,w h i ch together represent total sales of ?8 5m i l l i o n .



R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

SI T ES SI T ES

t the end of the first half of 2005 ,through its subsidiary FERA 69, the ColasGroup brought into service a new hot-

mix asphalt production unit on the site of Mions,located in the outskirts of Lyon. With annualproduction of 170,000 metric tons and output of360 metric tons per hour, storage capacity of 480 metric tons and four hoppers, the new facilityforms an addition to the resources already on-site.Since 2004, these have included an off-loadingzone for construction debris with a capacity of400,000 metric tons per year, a materials recyclingplatform with capacity of 250,000 metric tons per

year and a natural aggregates installation withcapacity of 500,000 metric tons per year. Lo c a t e djust fifteen minutes from the center of the city withdirect access to the east Lyon bypass, Mions isnow a major industrial facility.

Industry synergies For Jean-Marc Cornut, head of operations for

Colas Rhône-Alpes, “the platform is a perfect illus-tration of Group policy in terms of industry syner-gies, as the site has made it possible to grouptogether a number of shared facilities such asadministrative buildings, all the weigh-bridges and

The Mions facility – an industrial tool for the future

A other company workshops and labo r a t o r i e s .”Mions also wants to cultivate a flagship reputationfor environmental protection, quality of finishedproducts and working conditions. In addition tocladding of buildings, fully covered screens andsilo storage, the site also has automated loading of transportation vehicles, sprinklers and a dust-scrubbing system.In terms of logistics, loading and tracking of trans-port by each company in the Group have been facilitated by deployment of a GPS localization sys-tem and e-Routes software, giving operators ex c e l-lent responsiveness.

To d a y, Mions has become an industrial tool of the future, which Jean-Marc Cornut emphasizes:“Along with productivity increases, the existence ofa facility of this type at the entrance to Lyon givesthe Group the resources necessary to develop in a sustainable manner. We are the best placed onthe market because of the number of quarrieslocated in the greater Lyon area.”

The new plant unit in Mions produces 170,000 metric tons of asphalt mix a year with output of 360 metric tons per hour… … and has storage capacity of 480 metric tons and four hoppers.




EQUIPMEN T EQUIPMEN T

uctioned off in 45 seconds! That is all ittakes to sell a piece of construction equip-ment. Every year, the Ritchie Bros company

handles 140 construction equipment sales world-wide, with a total of some 200,000 vehicles sold.There are nine auctions held in Europe every year,four of them in Moerdijk, in the Netherlands. In December, Colas decided to sell off its ageingplant from its West African subsidiaries by way ofo f fering it at auction. 85 machines, mainly bulldozersand graders, were taken to the Netherlands andfreshened up – which chiefly consisted of repaint-ing them and putting on new tires. This operationwas necessary to ensure both that the equipmentr e a ched a better price and to remove the Group

livery colors and logos from the equipment so that itis not taken advantage of by other companies. Colashad managed to liquidate most of its plant by the endof the sale.

Good org a n i z a t i o nSo how is an auction of this type organized? Sales

are held continuously between 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.Pu r chasers have a chance to inspect the plant, whichis set out on a 28-hectare parking lot and arrangedby category, brand, type and age. Sellers are notrequired to guarantee that plant is in working order.E a ch piece of equipment is evaluated by five Ritch i eBros assessors and an opening price based on cur-rent market rates and the price bracket is set. Bids

Going, going… gone in less than a minute!

A rise in increments of ?250 for a price estimated atbetween ?1,000 and ?5,000, ?500 between ?5 , 0 0 0and ?10,000, ?1,000 between ?10,000 and ?5 0 , 0 0 0,and ?5,000 over ?5 0 , 0 0 0 .The bidders are seated in stands in the “open-air”auction house. The equipment drives by on a ramp,and everything happens very quick l y. The auctioneerguides the bids, which fall thick and fast. If some 15seconds elapse with no bid, the machine is consid-ered sold. In the case of immobile or hard-to-moveequipment, the sale takes place in the parking lot.

Auction sales for Fr a n c e ?Who buys equipment at auction? Construction

and public works companies from the Middle East,

South-East Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia and NorthAfrica. Contractors in the United States and Canadabuy heavy equipment, in particular. Sellers includeconstruction industry players, rental companies, leas-ing organizations and dealerships. Licenses are currently being sought for auctions ofthis type to take place in France. Colas is workingclosely with Ritchie Bros to find a site where the firstauction can take place.Auctions are also now held on the Internet, and Colashas sold 17% of its used units in this manner, whichparticularly attracts American purch a s e r s .

In the port of Moerdijk in the Netherlands, used construction equipment is for sale on a 28-hectare parking lot. The equipment is paraded on a platform in front of buyers before being auctioned off.


crossroads 6 56 4 c r o s s r o a d s

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

PRODUCTS PRODUCTS

i b redec is a road-surfacing materialcomposed of fiber-glass that pre v e n t sc r a cks from rising to the surface. It was

developed in Scotland in 1989 by Colas Ltd underthe European Roadex project, which was intendedto promote the ex change of expertise in roadsurfacing throughout northern European countries.Ten years later, a report concluded that this newt e chnology had proved successful.In 1992, Pioneer Road Services, an Australianc o m p a n y, concluded a contract for the applicationunder license of 70 0 , 0 0 0 m2 of Fibredec a year.The United States also showed interest in the tech-nique, and negotiations began with contractors inKansas and North Carolina. The next stage was

development of machines to apply the product. Th i sgave rise to a partnership with the Fr e n ch equip-ment manufacturer Secmair. Colas took delivery ofthe first of these new-generation machines in2003. The same year in the United States, a ColasInc. subsidiary, Midland, decided to make Fibredecpart of its development strategy and acquirem a chines from Colas Ltd. In November, tests weresuccessfully carried out in New York State, and Mid-land went ahead with the purchase of a Secmairm a ch i n e .C u r r e n t l y, Fibredec represents an annual market of 80 0 , 0 0 0 m2 in the United Kingdom and UnitedS t a t e s .

The Fibredec success story

F

Developed by Colas Ltd in the UK, Fibredec is now being exported to the United Sta t e s .

he 4th World Congress on Emulsion willtake place in the city of Lyon, from Octo-ber 3 to 6, 2006 . It will bring together in-

dustry players and academics specializing in theprocess. For this 4th Congress, Colas has chosen toshare the sponsoring and organization of the eventwith other partners.The science of emulsions is changing rapidly. Indus-tries using the process face new challenges, firstamong which is that of sustainable development. One aim of the Congress is to review the currentstate of these new issues. For Colas, the Congresswill be an opportunity to give the results of its latestinnovations. In this context, information will be pub-lished about Somaro’s most recent work, with alter-

native solutions to solvents for its road-marking prod-ucts, as well as a new breaking agent making it possible to apply road markings in poor weather con-ditions. The Emulfix process, which is designed toadjust bitumen emulsion properties by modifying themanufacturing conditions, will also be presented.Colas will present the bitumen “additivation” tech-nique, which improves the behavior of bitumens thatwere previously considered unsuitable for emulsion.F i n a l l y, there will also be information on a bitumenemulsion stabilized by solids. Even though it has yetto find a market, this latest development makes iteasier to understand what happens when dropletsof bitumen come into contact with aggregates.

New challenges for emulsion

T

The 4th World Congress on Emulsion will provide an opportunity to present recent Group innovations.



R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

HUMAN RESOURCES HUMAN RESOURCES

olas performed re m a r kably well at the38th Fr e n ch National WorldSkills Com-petition, held in Nantes in January. Th e

competition, open to 650 young people agedbetween 18 and 23, from all parts of France, isregarded as a sort of professional “Olympics” inw h i ch apprentices, skilled workers and tech n i c a lhigh school students pit their skills against eachother in some fifty disciplines. The competitionallowed the Colas teams to distinguish themselveswith an excellent performance.Thanks to perfect synchronization and strongteamwork, the winning duo of Samuel Robert andGwénaël Tartu, from Colas Rhône-Alpes, cameaway with a gold medal in the “Road Construction”

c a t e g o r y. Cédric Teffo, from Helary (Colas Centre-Ouest), also got the gold in the “Pipeworks” event.More than just a competition, the NationalWorldSkills Competition constitutes, for the roadindustry in particular, a unique occasion to presentits professions. This year, 92,000 visitors came tosupport the candidates during the two-day event.

An extremely gratifying experience...Samuel and Gwénaël agree that the gold medal

gave them the most enormous satisfaction bo t hindividually and also for all of those in the companywho believed in them. “The WorldSkills competitionwas a very emotional moment for us because wewon, and because we were able to show the public,

Going for the gold at the WorldSkills Competition

C and above all the large numbers of other youngpeople who were present, what our profession trulyconsists of,” adds Gwénaël.

... that is highly beneficial to a ca re e rCédric will also be remembering the Wo r l d S k i l l s

competition for many years to come. “I spent anunforgettable weekend, both on account of thegold medal and this great atmosphere, and mysupervisors gave me the news that I had beenpromoted to site supervisor level. I really wasn't ex-pecting that!” A well-deserved reward, as Cédricspared no effort.But that is not the end of the competition for ourGroup’s three winners. They have been invited to

join the other members of the France team torepresent “Road Construction” at the internationalfinals to be held in Helsinki.

Young Group employees hard at work during the competition at Nantes in January. Gwénaël Tartu (left), Samuel Robert (above right) and Cédric Teffo (below right).




S A FE T Y S A FE T Y

he past months, a number of eventshave served as reminders that Safetyis a Group priority. These include cere-

monies to present Fr e n ch safety awards, the Fr e n chCrystal Wo o d p e cker (Colas Est), the InternationalCrystal Wo o d p e cker (Branscome, United States), adistinction from the Fr e n ch Federation of Public Wo r k sCompanies for two Group companies earned in thec o n t ext of its safety competition, renewal of the GroupRoad Safety Charter and signature of a EuropeanRoad Safety Charter.

2 0 04 safety awards for 14 winnersAmong the profit centers that recorded no lost-

time accidents in 2004, fourteen received awards

for their excellent results. Category I winners (lessthan 60,000 hours worked): Resins unit (ScregEst), Carcassonne sector (Screg Sud-O u e s t ) ,M e r s ch (Screg Sud-Est), Nantes Acier (Smac Aci-eroïd), Perasso Alpes (Colas Midi-Méditerranée),Ramon (Screg Nord-Picardie) and the La Roch e l l e ,Sarrazy and Tarbes (Colas Sud-Ouest) profit cen-ters. Category II winners (between 60,000 and100,000 hours worked): Narbonne profit center(Colas Midi-Méditerranée) and Novello and So t r a s o(Colas Sud-Ouest). Category III winners (between100,000 and 160,000 hours worked): Sarrebo u r gprofit center (Colas Est). Category IV (over1 60,000 hours worked): Oise profit center (ColasN o r d - P i c a r d i e ) .

More safety news

T Aw a rds given by the Fre n ch Federation ofPublic Works Companies

Group performance in terms of safety is alsorecognized by external organizations, as isdemonstrated by the results of the Fr e n ch Fe d-eration of Public Works Companies’ safe t ycompetition. Among the four categories of 2004award-winners, the Group features twice withthe Screg Nord-Picardie Ramon profit center,w h i ch received first prize in the category ofcompanies with less than fifty employees thatrecorded no accidents during the year, and theColas Sud-Ouest profit center, which won thirdprize in the category for companies with over fiftye m p l o y e e s .

New road safety charters The partnership charter between the Fr e n ch

inter-ministry delegation on road safe t y, the depart-ment for highway and traffic safe t y, the Fr e n chworkers’ health insurance fund and the Group wasrenewed in 2004 in France. Set up in 1997, theCharter was previously renewed in 2001. In addi-tion, a European Charter was signed at the begin-ning of July. It is expected that the new Charter willhave the same positive impact in the other Euro-pean countries as it has had in France, where be-tween 1997 and 2004 the rate of road accidentsin the Group fell 51% even though the number ofvehicles rose 56%.

Mobilizing the entire Group around safety has paid off. In 2004, 14 profit centers received safety awards and twosubsidiaries received distinctions from the Fre n ch Public Works Federation, the FN T P.

New comic strips have been produced to encourage even greater safety on the ro a d .


oint headquarters for regional roadconstruction subsidiaries are startingto take shape. On some projects, work is

already very far advanced. The concept emergedfrom the Group’s need to put coherent regionalorganizations in place which involves grouping func-tional departments. All regional headquarters will becalled “Echangeur” – a reference to Group corpo-rate headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt.Construction operations began in late 2002. Th eLyon building, the work of architects Pierre Ribo u l e tand Albert Constantin, will shortly be handed overand staff will move in at the end of August.In Bordeaux, Michel Pétuaud-Létang is heading the

Regional headquarters are springing up

HE A DQUA R T ERS



IN THE PICT URE

2 ND COLAS SKI CHALLEN GEIn March 2005, 45 teams

got together for a friendly ski competition over twos tages of the Va l - d ’ I s è re

giant slalom. Colas Suissetook first place, closely

followed by Screg Sud-Estand Colas Midi-Méditerranée.

project and work is scheduled for completion inOctober 2005. The Nantes regional headquarters,designed by architect Bruno Huerre, will be ready inM a r ch 2006. The Lille building, with handover slatedfor summer 2006, is designed by Paul Chemetov,the architect of the Fr e n ch Quai de Bercy FinanceM i n i s t r y. All the Echangeurs have landscaping de-signed by renowned landscaping architect BernardLassus, who won the Grand Prix for arch i t e c t u r a llandscaping in 1996 .The functionality and architectural quality of thesenew office complexes will encourage synergies be-tween subsidiaries and will symbolize the vitality ofthe Group.

J

E changeur Lyon will be ready to receive regional road construction subsidiaries headquarters at the end of the summer.

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IN THE PICT URE

R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

7 2 crossroads

IN THE PICT URE

R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

A CO N V ENTION FOR NORTH AMERI CA NWO RKSHOP MANAGERSIN LAS VEGASThe key topic at the March conventionwas the importance of teamwork.

T E C HNI CAL CO N V ENTION IN PA RIS M o re than 200 of the Group’s tech n i ca lspecialists congregated at the GrandeA rche in Paris in March for ap re s e n tation of Group projects in thea reas of re s e a rch and innovation.

PRESEN TATION OF DIPLO M A SI n M a rch, the USIRFofficially pre s e n t e dseven of the Gro u p ’ semployees withp rofessional qualifica t i o nc e r t i f i cates.

CA N A DA: COLAS CUP 2005The 4th Colas Cup

i c e - h o ck e y tournament was held in Calgary,

A l b e r ta in January. Six teams took

part in the event, w h i ch was won

by Wapiti Gravel Suppliers, cup-

winners back in 2002.


c r o s s r o a d s 7 57 4 crossroads

IN THE PICT URE IN THE PICT URE

R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

T R O PHY PRESEN TATION S c reg Ouest won the 2004Road Safety Challenge.

T R O PHY PRESEN TATION A safety trophy was won by Mersch, a subsidiary ofS c reg Sud-Est.

S A FE TY AWA RD FOR SPAC The Major Projects agency ofSpac won a safety trophy for

2 0 04 jointly sponsored byFre n ch gas utility GDF andan organization pro m o t i n gaccident prevention in the

Fre n ch construction andpublic works sector.

T R O PHY PRESEN TATION A safety trophy was award e dto a Nantes-based agency of Smac Acieroïd.



IN THE PICT URE IN THE PICT URE

R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5R O U T ES No. 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

The twenty vice presidents of the Orders of Compagnons de la Route pose together on the occasion of the National Council in April.

TRADE FA IR FOR THEFRENCH D É PA RTEMEN T SColas had a booth at a tradefair ta rgeting administrators of Fre n ch d é p a rtements, h e l din Nantes in April.

1 - Pierre Caillet (Colas Rhône-Alpes)2 - B e r n a rd Martinez (Colas Sud-O u e s t )3 - Jacques Rosenthal (Colas Midi-Méditerranée)4 - Emmanuel Leve (Screg Ouest)5 - José Campion (Screg Sud-Est)6 - Dominique Duval (Colas Ile-de-Fr a n c e /N o r m a n d i e )7 - Didier Gérard (Colas Est)8 - G é r a rd Clop (Screg Ile-de-Fr a n c e /N o r m a n d i e )9 - J o rge Lopes (Smac Aciero ï d )

10 - Guy Bourez (Screg Nord - P i ca rd i e )11 - Frédéric Gaillard (Seco-Rail)1 2 - Manuel Fe r reira (Sacer Atlantique)1 3 - Josian Braems (Colas Nord - P i ca rd i e )14 - René Gstalter (Screg Est)15 - Pierre Coffinier (Sacer Paris-Nord - E s t )16 - Eric Po rch e ron (Somaro )17 - G é r a rd Pinois (Spac)18 - Fr a n ck Rigolot (Screg Sud-O u e s t )19 - Jacques Da Ponte (Sacer Sud-Est)2 0 - Christian Arlot (Colas Centre -O u e s t )

12 3 4 5

6 7 89 10

11

15 1617 18

19 2 0

1 2 141 3

20TH BIR T HDAY OF AMI COA round 100 members of Amico, the association of past and pre s e n temployees of Colas, attendedcelebrations at Echangeur held in June.


R O U T ESN ° 00 R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

Gérard Mortier: “ The art of the opera is a mirror of Europe”i rector of the Paris National Opera,G é r a rd Mortier was the guest of theC e rcle Colas last December. To ta l l y

passionate about opera, he believes it is bo t hthe theater of strong emotions and a re f l e c t i o nof European identity.

Does opera still have a meaning at the dawn ofthe 21st century?G é r a rd Mortier: The art of the opera is alive andwell. In Paris and New York, it attracts over a millionpeople a year. True, new operas are rare and a lot

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

of people think that it is a form of art that is too arti-ficial, verging on the ridiculous. It is also true thatHollywood films have taken away the function of aspectacular form of entertainment that made it sucha success in the 19th century. Nonetheless, operaclearly still holds a fascination.

How do you explain this fascination with opera?G.M.: I believe that the success of opera comes firstof all from the emotional power of song. Singing isan expression of the soul; it reaches the depths ofthe unconscious. Another specificity of sung drama

is the existential nature of the themes that it dealswith, such as death, love, exile, reunitings – all of whichact as catalysts for powerful feelings. In particular,opera is where you find grace, clemency and Utopia.In their operatic works, Mozart, Verdi and Beethovenmagnificently express the hope that can arise at theheart of the most tragic moment. The opera is thesacred place where emotions are re-lived.

You have previously stated that opera is thereflection of a European identity…G.M.: Opera was born in Italy during the Renaissance.For its sources, the repertoire drew on Greek the-a t e r, itself the basis of major European principles andgreat topics of debate in European thought, suchas democracy, justice, the right to asylum, reason ofstate, the basic laws of humanity, the myth of therebel, the banishment of scapegoats, the dangersof imperialism, tensions in the Middle East, and soon. All these themes are extremely current in Europet o d a y. But beyond the repertoire, the history of operaillustrates the changes in European society over500 years and the diversity of its ideologies.

What examples can you give of this?G.M.: When Monteverdi composed O r f e o, the firstopera in the history of music, in 1607, the founda-tions for a “people’s theater” were being laid. In the 17th century, opera was confronted with twod i f ferent concepts of cultural policy – that of the north-ern European countries, which favored private patron-age, and that of France, where composers weresubsidized by the king.In the 18th century, Mozart brought one of the majorissues of the end of the century of Enlightenmentinto focus by adopting a position on the institutionof marriage in The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanniand Così Fan Tutte.With Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris and later, in the19th century, with Bizet’s C a r m e n, opera providedwomen with roles of heroines or femmes fatales, pre-figuring the way the condition of women evolved. Th ecentury of colonialism also gave rise to operas withexotic settings such as Verdi’s A i d a and Berlioz’s T h eT r o j a n s. Then, in 1876, two new public opera houses wereopened which, by the very nature of their arch i t e c-ture, showed the diversity of European ideologies.They were the Paris Opera (the “Opéra Garnier”), with

its magnificent staircase, the symbol of the triumphof the bourgeoisie in France and, at the other endof the scale, the Wagner Festival Theater (the“ Festspielhaus”) in Bayreuth, a model of simplicityin the Greek tradition.

You stress the European dimension of opera.Does that mean that opera is produced in Vi e n n athe same way that it is in Paris, for insta n c e ?G.M.: Opera is a thoroughly European art, not onlyin terms of themes, as I have already said, but alsoin terms of language. Nobody thinks it odd to singin German or Italian in a Fr e n ch theater! Similarly,opera fans will travel from one opera destination toanother with no problem.That said, audiences are different, depending onwhere they are. In Austria and Germany, musical cul-ture is very strong; in France, culture is more liter-ary and visual. So you can’t “do” the same opera inParis that you put on in Vi e n n a .Here in Paris I intend to showcase the orchestra byinviting highly renowned guest musicians. In addi-tion I hope to develop co-productions with Berlin, Milanand London. So, more than ever, opera will be a mir-ror of European culture!

D

7 8 i n t e r s e c t i o n sCERCLE COL AS

Born in 1943 in theBelgian city of Ghent,G é r a rd Mortier, who has a doctorate in law, beganhis ca reer as artisticd i rector at the FlandersFestival, then worked inDüsseldorf, Frankfurt andH a m b u rg before beingappointed to the Th é â t reRoyal de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1981 .Between 1991 and 2001 ,he headed the SalzburgFestival, before beingrecruited by the ParisNational Opera where he was appointed d i rector in 2004 .

i n t e r s e c t i o n s 7 9

PA RIS NAT IONAL OPER A

T WO OPERA HOUSES T WO STYLES OF ARC HI T ECT UREThe Paris National Opera has two distinct venues forstaging opera. First of all comes the Opéra Garnier.Inaugurated in 1875, the ornate marble-and-gilt PalaisGarnier, as the opera house is known, sports an ornatestaircase and numerous foyers richly decorated withpaintings and sculpture. It is not just a theater, but also a museum of opera and choreography. Built byCharles Garnier, the auditorium ceiling was repainted in 1964 by artist Marc Chagall. A few kilometers away,and some one hundred years on, is the Opéra Bastille.Opened in 1989, it was designed by the Canadian-Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott. The architectureappears transparent with see-through facades and the same materials used both inside and outside. The Opéra Bastille benefits from homogenousacoustics, state-of-the-art stage equipment, workshopsand rehearsal rooms, making it a major modernperformance venue.


Roland Geoffrois:“How long will crude oil last?”

e take a look at the question withRoland Geoffrois, an expert in oilissues.

What is the current situation with fuel con-sumption and crude oil reserves?Roland Geoffrois: It is a huge topic, and the answersare more complex than the questions. This is because,although figures on oil production and fuel con-sumption are relatively reliable, those concerningreserves are subject to estimates that vary enor-

mously according to the sources and the authors.But there is no way around some of the data. It isclear to everyone that the world’s fossil fuel reserves(oil, gas and coal) are not inexhaustible – far fromit. To d a y, at the current rate of world fuel con-sumption (almost 85 million barrels per day asopposed to 75 million just five years ago), provenreserves of conventional crude oil represent someforty years of production.

But doesn’t the notion of reserves depend ona combination of technical and economic ele-ments?R.G.: You have to take account of natural dwindlingof all oil fields that are exploited. After a period ofinitial growth, all fields dry up little by little – inex-

o r a b l y. Take the example of the huge Frigg gasfield, in the North Sea. I took part in its develop-ment 30 years ago, saw it peak, then decline. It wasfinally shut down at the end of 2004. The point isthat this operation of fields also depends upon aneconomic relationship between the cost of the pro-duction and the expected productivity. When a fieldbecomes too expensive to operate, when the tech-niques used become too heavy or are over-com-plex for too low a yield, it is better to abandon thefield entirely.

So, can this fall-off take place not just at thelevel of an oilfield, but also globally, at the levelof the planet’s entire fossil fuel reserves?R.G.: Most experts today use what is called theHubbert model as a reference standard. Accordingto this model, production will mirror the same curveof growth and decline as the discovery of new oilfields, but with a time-lag. In fact, the curves increasethen decline with lesser or greater amplitude. Theculminating point is called “peak oil” or “peak gas”,but the peak can also be a plateau, as it may lastseveral years. For crude oil, we can expect the peakbetween 2015 and 2025. After that, a gap is likelyto arise between world demand for crude and pro-duction, which will no longer be able to keep pacewith demand.

How has this evaluation been arrived at?R.G.: Estimating the length of proven reserves mustbe considered carefully and weighted by differentcriteria such as expected changes in fuel con-sumption in the years to come with, on the one hand,the arrival of new consumers led by China and India,and on the other, awareness of the need to limit fuelconsumption in the more advanced countries; con-stantly increasing oil prices; use of alternative ener-gies; world investment capacity and the use of“non-conventional” crude, for example, from thenew heavy crude fields in Venezuela and Canada,which is expensive and complicated to produce butvast in quantity, as each field is estimated to be theequivalent of current Saudi Arabian reserves. It iscertain that the notion of oil reserves is a variableone, depending on whether the cost of the barrelstands at $10 as it did in 1998 or at $50 as it doestoday, or even at $100 as it may well do tomorrow.

What conclusions are to be drawn from the sit-

uation, and above all, what solutions can bedeveloped?R.G.: There are a number of points to make: oil andgas will be with us for a long time to come, but ulti-mate reserves cannot be extended for ever.Petroleum production will attain its peak between2010 and 2030. Its cost will increase becauseeverything that becomes rare becomes expensive.In time, the global share of nuclear energy is goingto increase in a significant manner, and coal willremain important. Renewable energies will increasebut they will remain a minority in the global energymix. Finally, crude oil will be difficult to replace foruse in transport and as a chemical base.As far as solutions are concerned, there are almostas many as there are experts! But I think it is vitalto call on all possible resources at once, startingwith saving energy! Also, we need to use energystreams that are more efficient (supplemental fuels,for example), improve recovery of heavy crude, workon carbon dioxide containment, redevelop nuclearenergy and coal for production of electric power byworking to reduce the drawbacks of both sourcesof energy and direct crude oil to the uses for whichit is least easily replaced, and develop hybrid vehi-cles along with all other forms of more fuel-eco-nomical system including combined road/railtransport. Whatever happens, we need to react…and much more quickly than a lot of people imag-ine!

R O U T ES No . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

8 0 i n t e r s e c t i o n s

ENERGIES

A graduate of thep restigious Ecole Centraleengineering school andMI T, Roland Geoffrois spenthis entire ca reer in thep e t roleum industry, work-ing upstream with To ta lE x p l o r a t i o n - P ro d u c t i o nf rom 1970 to 2003. InAlgeria, Indonesia, AbuDhabi and Scotland hefirst initiated and thendeveloped numero u sp roduction operations inthe field before settlingdown in Paris, where hewas seconded to theFre n ch Pe t roleum Instituteand also took ch a rge ofc o o rdination of upstre a mR&D for the To tal gro u p .An expert on all things oil, he has taken part inn u m e rous debates on the topic.

W

R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

PRIM A RY ENERGY CONSUMP T ION In MTOI* / 2003 World France

(sources: BP Review/DGEMP)

Oil 3,637 (37%) 95 (34%)

Gas 2,332 (24%) 39 (14%)

Coal 2,578 (27%) 13 (5%)

Nuclear 599 (6%) 115 (41%)

Renewable 595 (6%) 18 (6%)

Total 9,741 (100%) 280 (100%)* Millions of metric tons of oil equivalent

i n t e r s e c t i o n s 8 1


R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

8 2 i n t e r s e c t i o n s

F OUNDAT ION

J e a n - Paul Chambas: “I set out on the road armed with no more than brushes and canvases…”

our painting for the Colas Fo u n d a t i o nseems to tell your own story… Jean-Paul Chambas: Well, yes, you can

see a truck from my family’s company, Alex Cham-bas, which Colas bought out in the 1970s, with itsoval logo on the cab door, and, pointing toward it,the yellow-and-black Colas logo. And there are alsotwo writers who have influenced me – a portrait ofJ a ck Kerouac, who wrote On the Road, and thefigure of Ernest Hemingway, nobly posing as a roadl a bo r e r, which is a job I did for a while in my dad’sbusiness. You can also see a footprint on the road,like a souvenir of my own footsteps…

Do your life and your painting overlap?J . - P.C.: When I was twenty, I refused to join mydad’s company, and I set out on the road, armedwith no more than my brushes and canvases. Ever

since then, all my life has been in painting. In mypictures you find a parade of my heroes, whetherliterary (Blaise Cendrars, Malcolm Lo w r y, ArthurRimbaud and James Joyce) or historical (Marx andRobespierre), a statue of a red devil, a souvenir ofM exico… and my native village, Vic, a well-knownvenue for bullfighting. But when I paint decors fortheater and opera, then I am representing otherpeople’s lives — writers or directors.

It is hard to categorize you in a particularartistic genre .J . - P.C.: Yes, I try my hand at lots of things… whichshould put off all those who like to stick labels onthings! Multiple sources of inspiration call for variedmeans of expression! There’s always somethinghappening, characters come into my universe…Quite simply, that’s where my paintings come from.

Born in a village near theFre n ch Pyrenees in 1947,Jean-Paul Chambas ch o s epainting at the age of 20.He regularly contributes to exhibitions, in Fr a n c eand numerous other coun-tries. He has designedmany decors, posters andcostumes for theater andopera and has decoratedsubway station ceilingsand walls in Paris, To u l o u s eand Mexico City withf rescos. He is now workingon the decors for a festivalof Greek tragedy inSyracuse, and has anexhibition at the GalvaniGallery in To u l o u s e .

Y


R O U T ESNo . 17 – J u l y 2 0 0 5

a ck n o w l e d g e m e n t s 8 3

Routes, a Colas Group magazine, 7, place René-Clair, 92653 Boulogne-Billancourt, France.Tel.: (+33) 1476 17 500. www. c o l a s . c o m .ISSN: 0988 - 6907. Publisher: Alain Dupont. Editor-in-Chief: Hervé Garnier. Managing editor: P a s cale Dubo i s . C o p y: Colas, Angie.Photos: Colas, J e a n - François Chapuis, Laurent Zylberman, Joachim Bertrand, Patrick Robineau, Véronique Paul, Mich e l i n eJauson, Eric Béber, Jean-Paul Teillet, Philippe Castaño, Marc Carbo n a re, Marc Paygnard, Pascal Lebeau, Olivier Hanigan, SipaP resse, Vu agency, rights reserved. Graphics: Picotto. Translation: Nouvel Angle. Design and production: (+33) 15 5 34460 0(ref. 1COL ROU 0 17 ) .

Jean-Eric Po i r i e r, Rémy Desmoulin,Laurent Fuvel, Bernard Batut, Caroline Mapoula-Chardonnet, Jean-Claude Roffé, Anne de Loppinot,Rémi Tourniaire, Jacques Pastor,Thierry Defrene, Olivier Bo u z a t ,Ya n n i ck Jama, Delphine Haraux, Pierre Pringuet, Sabine Tang, Henning Kaas, Florent Lehote, Pascal Goudet, Dominique Birraux,Eric Milliat, Raphaël Hamy, Daniel Deshaies, Luk Geeroms, Marc Maliszewicz, Thierry Le Roch ,Christophe Flatres, Sandra Bo n n a r d e l ,Gérard Pe r r i e r, Tracey Hofheinz.


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Jean-Paul ChambasOn the RoadParis, 2004

ROUTE SColas Group magazine n u m b e r 17 – July 2 0 0 5

D o s s i e r

A s i aColas bets on bitumen


route s - colas · v é g é c o l among the mimosa s in the medieval city of bormes-les-mimosas in...

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