Consolidating as a leading manufacturer of cement and concrete, Lafarge looks forward to being a role model when it comes to innovative technology and sustainability.
Lafarge entered the Indian market in 1999, through its cement business, with the acquisition of Tata Steel’s cement activity followed by the purchase of the Raymond Cement facility in 2001 and currently the company has four cement plants in India, two in Chhattisgarh and grinding units in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
In recent years, Lafarge has significantly enlarged its operations across its three business divisions – cement, aggregates and concrete. The company has an established presence across all major cities and towns in India and is known as the market leader in the ready-mix concrete business with over 80 plants, following its acquisition of L&T Concrete.
Lafarge in cement
Lafarge Cement is one of the leading players in Eastern and Central India. The company produces high performance blended cements in Portland Slag Cement (PSC) and Portland Pozzolona Cement (PPC) variants. The long-standing international experience and wide diversity provides much needed expertise while understanding the essential properties of cement and its premium quality.
The company manufactures three products in cement:
Concreto smartwash: This cement is suitable for exteriors as well as interiors. With minimum investment, the smart wash technique gives the user a terrazzo floor look-alike finish on the walls. Smartwash requires no painting at all. Application of a coat of silicon paint makes the wall resistant to water ingress and washable.
Duraguard: Duraguard build a home that lasts a lifetime. The strength and longevity of cement depends on its granular composition along with its chemical constituents.
Portland slag cement
Portland slag sement is available in the major markets of East India and is well accepted and appreciated by the consumers for its superior product quality and consistency.
Lafarge in concrete
Lafarge serves the concrete requirements of small and large contractors, builders, architects, developers and individuals and has over 68 ready mix concrete plants in 35 cities. With innovative technologies, the company has come up with various types of concrete which are as follows Hydromedia: Hydromedia is a permeable concrete pavement combining the durability of concrete with the environmental benefits of permeable surfaces. It can be used to reduce the impact of stormwater runoff and reduce the heat island effect.
Artevia: Artevia is a range of decorative concrete that combines design and performance, offering a rich colour palette, incomparable textured effects and infinite freedom of design.
Lightweight concrete: Mortar mix of lighter weight contributes to reduction of cost to overall structural design.
Mega PP fiber concrete: This fiber concrete reduces labour, required to place and plastic shrinkage control mesh and removes the potential risk of corrosion os steel crack control mesh.
Research centre: Lafarge’s research is closely linked to the needs and specifications of the markets where the group operates. Lafarge has put into place an international R&D network, which includes a research center near Lyons, France and technical centers and laboratories around the world for the development and industrialisation of solutions at local level. The company dedicates more than 120 million euros per year to research, product development and industrial performance and process improvement. This investment is significantly higher than that of other players in the sector.
The company has four technical centres for cement located in:
- Vienna, Austria, and Lyon, France, serving Europe (Europe Technical Center – ETC).
- Montreal, Canada, serving the Americas (Corporate Technical Services – CTS). The CTS has a branch in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil.
- Beijing, China, serving Asia (Asian Technical Center – ATC). The ATC has a branch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Cairo, Egypt, serving Africa and the Middle-East (Cairo Technical
- Center – CTC).
Lafarge also has a number of concrete development laboratories, which work in close partnership with the Lafarge Research Center to carry out testing to adapt new products to local market conditions.
The group opened two labs dedicated to construction development, one in Lyons and the other in Chongqing, China. A third of those labs were opened in 2012 in Mumbai. These laboratories support the Group’s international R&D international network, and allow an even more local approach to the construction markets. They also allow the development of new systems and solutions fitting perfectly with the needs of the field.
Lafarge on sustainability
The group is convinced that sustained economic growth cannot occur without social progress, environmental protection and respect for local communities. Also the company launched Sustainability Ambition 2020. The 34 new quantitative targets are organised around the three main pillars of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental.
- Lafarge’s 34 ambitions include three major ambitions to be achieved by 2020.
- Reducing CO2 emissions per ton of cement by 33 per cent compared to 1990 levels.
- Usage of 50 per cent of non-fossil fuels in cement plants by 2020 including 30 per cent of biomass.
- 20 per cent of concrete containing reused and recycled materials.