Profile

Repaving and upgrading the access road to the Mont Ventoux, France

The Colas Group operates in every aspect of construction and maintenance for roads and for other types of transport infrastructure as well as on projects involving urban development and recreational facilities. The Group boasts two operational segments: Roads, its core business (including civil engineering and building activities), and Specialized activities that are complementary to its Roads sector (Railways, Waterproofing, Road Safety and signaling, and Pipelines).

01 Leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure

Leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure

Backed by a workforce of 55,000 people, nearly half of whom work outside of mainland France, Colas undertakes about 80,000 projects every year via a network of 800 construction units and 2,000 material production sites in some fifty countries worldwide on five continents.


In 2017, Colas' consolidated revenue totaled 11.7 billion euros, with international markets accounting for 48% of this figure. The Group's share of net profit was 328 million euros.

Roads, our core business

Roads account for roughly 82% of the Group's total business activity, including:

  • the construction and maintenance of roads, highways, runways, ports, industrial platforms, logistics hubs, reserved-lane public transport (tramways and bus lanes), recreational facilities, bike paths, motor racing circuits and environmental projects. Colas also provides civil engineering services (small and large structures) and operates in the building sector (construction, rehabilitation, demolition/deconstruction) in certain regions;
  • upstream activities involving the production and recycling of construction materials (aggregates, emulsions and binders, asphalt mixes, ready-mix concrete, bitumen) through its extensive international network of quarries, emulsion plants, asphalt plants, concrete plants and a bitumen production plant.

Specialized activities

Colas also operates specialized activities complementary to its Road business including:

enabling the Group to offer a full range of products and services to all its customers.

02 Key strengths

Key strengths

The Group’s strengths reside in the following driving forces:

  • long-term growth markets in every country around the world, fueled by population growth, increasing urbanization, significant infrastructure needs in emerging countries, recurrent maintenance needs in developed countries, environmental issues, new forms of mobility and the digital revolution;
  • vertical integration in most local units, with material production activities upstream of construction activities, securing supply and boosting operational performance;
  • a tight-knit local network, backed by 800 construction units and 2,000 material production units located in more than 50 countries on five continents;
  • leading positions in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, including the production of building materials (aggregates, bitumen products) with recognized expertise and a renowned brand name;
  • collective intelligence backed by 55,000 employees sharing a common history and values;
  • a focus on cutting-edge innovation, by developing products and associated services that offer solutions based on the needs of customers and meet the challenges of the energy transition, as well as by using digital tools to increase productivity;
  • the expertise to respond to complex offers and to carry out major projects;
  • a solid financial structure, with a capacity to generate cash flow that allows Colas to pursue growth by continuing to invest in targeted assets

03 Strategy

Strategy

Colas' development strategy is based on a vision: collective global expertise serving a strong brand and profitable growth.

This vision is built on strategic cornerstones:

  • broadening the range of offers: large complex projects for public customers or major private accounts, new businesses and innovative services focused on customers' expectations of sustainable mobility;
  • sharing collective operational expertise at a global level in key segments (quarries, bituminous products, construction work) to boost the competitive edge of local units and improve the quality of their services;
  • controlling the core business’ two key resources, aggregates and bitumen, to secure availability and quality of supplies and improve the Group’s competitive edge;
  • strengthening and expanding the network of permanent units around the world, mainly through external growth, to establish and develop local leader positions and benefit from geographical diversification to help share risks.


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