Lafarge
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- For the New York City architectural firm, see Heins & LaFarge
Lafarge (Euronext: LG, NYSE: LR) is a French industrial company specializing in five major products: Cement, construction aggregates, concrete, gypsum wallboard, and roofing tile. It is the largest cement manufacturing company in the world.
[edit] History
Lafarge was founded in 1833 by Joseph-Auguste Pavin de Lafarge at Le Teil (Ardèche), to exploit the famous limestone quarry in Mont Saint-Victor between Le Teil and Viviers. The limestone is white and argillaceous, and yielded an eminently hydraulic lime. It signed its first international contract for the delivery of 110,000 tonnes of lime to the Suez Canal construction project in 1864. Moving into cement manufacture, Lafarge established a reputation for effective and innovative R&D. It developed calcium aluminate cements, and "Lafarge" became a synonym for these cements throughout the English-speaking world. It was also an early pioneer in the production of white Portland cement, still made at the company's original Le Teil plant.
In 1919, a public company was formed, named Société anonyme des chaux et ciments de Lafarge et du Teil. By 1939, Lafarge had become the largest French cement manufacturer.
In 1980, it joined with the cement company Coppée to become SA Lafarge Coppée.
In 2001 Lafarge, then the world's second largest cement manufacturer, acquired Blue Circle Industries (BCI), which was then the world's sixth largest cement manufacturer, to become world leader.
In 2006 Lafarge North America shareholders accepted a $3 billion tender offer from Lafarge Group which gave the parent company full control over the North American business, removing LNA from the New York Stock Exchange. Previously the Group had owned 53% of LNA shares.
In addition, the group has recently divested its roofing division, selling to a private equity group in a deal that resulted in Lafarge retaining a 35% equity stake.
Currently, Lafarge is the largest cement manufacturing company in the world, employing over 80,000 workers, and is located in seventy-six countries. Lafarge's concrete business also includes specialty products such as concrete that is translucent to light, and tensile concrete known as Ductal that does not require steel reinforcements.
Also Lafarge has expanded its business into the asphalt production & asphalt construction within North America known as Lafarge Paving & Construction Limited.
[edit] External links
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