Against the constantly evolving backdrop of an uncertain, unpredictable and complex world, companies face the challenge of adapting their activities and planning for the long term. To support its ambitions and continue to be a world leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, Colas is committed to understanding and analyzing the underlying trends that could impact its business. Analysis.
Foresight
Anticipating future trends to inform current decisions is known as foresight. At Colas, the Group’s General Management regularly adopts this approach. We live in a fast-changing, complex world. So it’s important to take stock every five or six years. Having a better understanding of the world around us, particularly the factors driving new trends, allows us to project and adapt. That’s vital if we are to continue to support our customers and make sure we aren’t left behind by our competitors.
Underlying Trends
The term “megatrend” is used to refer to major changes emerging on a global scale with a medium and long-term impact on societies. These changes are driven by economic, political, technological, sociological, environmental or legal factors... Megatrends have a global reach: they influence the decisions of governments, businesses and organizations seeking to adapt to them.
Climate change, digitalization, urban population growth, economic and political tensions causing global instability: these are the main trends shaping the world in which Colas is doing business. “At least ten of these megatrends have a direct and potentially important impact on Colas’ activities”, states Sébastien Bessière, Colas Strategy Director.
From Climate Change to Demographic Trends
Some examples? Climate change is upsetting weather patterns and increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters such as droughts, floods, storms and hurricanes. These phenomena can cause serious damage to roads, bridges and railways, as well as our own facilities. This trend is a technical challenge for Colas. We need to adapt our products and solutions to cope with more extreme temperatures. But it’s also an opportunity for us to grow in the water management-related infrastructures sector.
In a quite different area, demographic changes in many developed countries – where people are having fewer children and living longer than ever before – are already putting a strain on companies’ human resources, especially in the construction industry, where hiring the right people is increasingly difficult. At Colas, half of all employees are Skilled Workers out on jobsites.
A Collaborative Approach
Construction, industries, quarries, techniques, human resources, support: all of the company’s functions, from head offices to local sites, are concerned. Hundreds of Colas employees have already been mobilized. Colas is a Group that is present on all five continents. It is vital to take into account the diversity of our businesses and our sites in order to identify the main risks and opportunities. Managers from all of Colas’ companies and geographic zones have taken part in brainstorming workshops. The aim is compare different perspectives in order to work together to identify key success factors for “surfing” future trends.
This project has been a clear demonstration of Colas’ value of sharing and the strength of the Group’s collective intelligence.” Assets that can only serve to reinforce the solid foundations Colas already has to embrace the future.
