Saint-Gobain is pursuing its decarbonisation plan, while ensuring its growth in a crucial market. The French building materials group will invest more than $ 400 million to increase its production capacity in the United States, he said in a statement on Wednesday. This investment, spread over four years, will concern four “key production sites“in California and the southeastern part of the country, which produce roofing, insulation and plasterboard.
The group announces that it is in line with its plan ” Transform & Grow “Launched in 2018, then” Grow & Impact To display environmental commitments more clearly. Saint-Gobain, which has planned by 2025 to increase its share of the investment of 1.5 to 1.8 billion euros, including 500 million for its six research and development centers, wants “To become the world leader in sustainable construction”.
“The cumulative investments will reduce waste by more than 50% and CO2 emissions by more than 20% compared to existing technologies “, advances Saint-Gobain.
Above all, by securing production sites locally, the group is reducing the risks of soaring energy prices and supply chain problems that slow the flow of materials.
In 2021, the group anticipates “An increase in its energy and raw material costs of around 1.5 billion euros compared to 2020”, according to its managing director Benoît Bazin. He also confided in early October “Juggling permanently in the short term with supply chains ”.
The importance of the American market
After France, the United States also represents the group’s second market. THEe February 3, 2020, Saint-Gobain finalized the purchase of the American Continental Building Products (CBP), a major plaster player across the Atlantic, for 1.287 billion euros.
For the French, who is seeking to increase his market share across the Atlantic, the challenge also rests on the range of lightweight construction. In North America, it represents 45% of construction product sales.
“The construction market is accelerating in the United States with 15 to 20% margins of growth compared to its long-term average”, explained, to The gallery, Benoît Bazin, then Deputy Managing Director.
A year later, Saint-Gobain announced a sustainable energy purchase agreement for a period of 12 years with Invenergy in the United States, aimed at enabling the group to achieve its carbon neutrality objective by 2050. .
For now, Saint-Gobain, which is engaged in a strategic reorganization of its assets, has compensated inflation in the costs of raw materials and energy. The group, which is present in 70 countries, also saw its sales increase by 13.3% to 10.13 billion euros in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.
(With AFP)
