Profile

01 World leader

World leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure

Backed by a workforce of 58,000 people, Colas undertakes about 85,000 projects every year via a network of 800 construction units and 2,000 material production and recycling sites in some fifty countries worldwide on five continents.

In 2018, Colas' consolidated revenue totaled 13.2 billion euros, with international markets accounting for 51% of this figure. The Group's share of net profit was 226 million euros.

Roads

Roads account for roughly 69% of the Group's total business activity in 2018, including the construction and maintenance of roads, highways, runways, city streets, urban development projects, reserved-lane public transport (tramways and bus lanes), ports, industrial platforms, logistics and retail hubs, recreational facilities, bike paths, and environmental projects.

Colas also provides civil engineering services (small and large structures) and operates in the building sector (construction, rehabilitation, deconstruction) in certain regions.

Construction materials

Construction materials (in particular aggregates and bitumen) account for 16% of the Group’s total business activity in 2018.

Upstream from its construction and maintenance business, the Group operates in the production, distribution, sales and recycling of construction materials (aggregates, emulsions and binders, asphalt mixes, ready-mix concrete, bitumen) including bitumen storage, through its extensive international network of quarries, gravel pits, emulsion plants, asphalt plants, concrete plants, recycling units, bitumen terminals and a bitumen production plant.

Railways

The Railway business, performed by Colas Rail and its subsidiaries, accounts for 7% of the Group’s total revenue in 2018.

It includes the design and engineering of large complex projects, the construction, renewal and maintenance of railway networks (HSL high-speed lines, conventional lines, trams, metros), including track laying and maintenance, electrification (catenaries and substations), signaling and security systems, etc., as well as rail freight activity.

Colas is also present in the following activities:

Road safety and signaling (Aximum): 2% of the Group’s total revenue in 2018
Networks (Spac) : 2% of the Group’s total revenue in 2018

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, with recurrent maintenance needs for infrastructure in developed countries, significant construction and equipment needs for infrastructure in emerging countries, growing needs for public transport infrastructure and infrastructure that is adapted to new forms of mobility, as well as needs for mobility solutions: these needs are ceaselessly growing and changing, fueled by population growth, the extension of urbanization, increased environmental requirements, the digital transformation and a shift towards a service-based economy;
a global collective expertise based on 58,000 men and women employees sharing a common history and values, first and foremost safety, ethics and respect for the environment; Colas’ know-how and expertise are recognized worldwide and federated by a strong brand;
cutting-edge innovation, enabling the development of products, techniques and associated services in the form of new offers for infrastructure and mobility solutions focusing on customer needs, new uses, and on the challenges posed by the energy transition and digital transformation. The Colas Campus for Science and Techniques is a cornerstone for this capacity to innovate, and Mobility by Colas, a mobility services activator, was created to serve the digital transformation;
a strong local foothold backed by a decentralized organization, consisting of a network operating in more than 50 countries on five continents, comprising 800 local construction units that operate in their own region, as well as 2,000 material production and recycling of units. In addition to these long-standing local profit centers, designed to perform small-scale maintenance and development projects, which represent the bulk of the Group's business, Colas can respond to complex offers and perform major projects backed by a dedicated structure, Colas Projects, which works alongside the subsidiaries in the design and implementation of these projects;
vertical integration in the majority of its local business units via the production and recycling of construction materials (aggregates, bitumen emulsions, asphalt mixes, etc.) including bitumen storage. These units constitute a tight-knit international network of production, recycling and storage sites, allowing the Group to have control of the value chain upstream from the construction business, thus securing supply chains, managing environmental impacts, and improving operational performance.

03 Strategy

Strategy

Colas' development strategy is based on a vision: collective global expertise serving a strong brand and profitable, sustainable growth, built on the following cornerstones:

promoting industrial activities, including aggregates and bitumen, in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, in order to control the availability and quality of supplies and improve the Group’s competitive edge;
broadening the Group’s range of offers in two areas: on the one hand, complex or large projects for public and private customers, and on the other hand, new and innovative business lines and services, focused on customer and user expectations for sustainable mobility;
pursuing targeted international development, mainly through external growth and in low-risk countries, to establish and develop local leadership positions, as well as to benefit from geographical diversification that fosters the distribution of risks;
accelerating the digital transformation, in processes, industries, and new lines of business, to improve the quality of services, bolster the Group’s competitive edge, and offer new services.