SAINT-GOBAIN CELEBRATES ITS 350TH ANNIVERSARY
SAINT-GOBAIN
CELEBRATES
ITS 350TH
ANNIVERSARY
WITH ITS SIGHTS
SET FIRMLY
ON THE FUTURE
WITH ITS SIGHTS
SET FIRMLY
ON THE FUTURE
Saint-Gobain’s 350th Anniversary is a
historic event, an extraordinary milestone in the life of the Company and its
people. But even as it celebrates its unique history, Saint-Gobain has its
sights set firmly on the future and, in particular, in India, in Shaping the Future.
Saint-Gobain entered India in 1996, and has achieved
strong and profitable growth since then. Today, it is a leader in all its major
businesses, has 20 manufacturing sites and about 4900 employees in India. In
2014, Saint-Gobain registered sales of about Rs.4800 crores. For Saint-Gobain,
India presents a huge opportunity for growth. Two large entities, Grindwell
Norton Limited (GNO), a publicly traded company, and Saint-Gobain India Pvt Ltd
(SGI) and a few smaller entities house Saint-Gobain’s businesses in India.
“India has been
an important market and investment destination for Saint-Gobain and,
going forward, will be even more so. Saint-Gobain believes that it can play an
important role in shaping the future by designing, manufacturing and
distributing building and high-performance materials, which provide innovative
solutions to meet the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental
protection. This is the core of Saint-Gobain’s strategy. On Saint-Gobain’s
350th anniversary, we aim to strengthen this commitment even further by becoming
the reference for sustainable habitat in India and doubling our business in the
country in the next few years.” says Mr. Anand Mahajan, General Delegate for
India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh, Saint-Gobain
SAINT-GOBAIN’S STRATEGY FOR INDIA – ‘SHAPING THE FUTURE’
Saint-Gobain’s has two ambitions for its businesses in India:
To shape the future of and to
become the Reference for Sustainable Habitat in India.
Strong and profitable growth of
all its businesses: more specifically, to more than double its business in
India and to exceed sales of Rs.10,000 crores by 2019.
Saint-Gobain believes that it
can play an important role in shaping the future by designing, manufacturing
and distributing building and high-performance materials, which provide
innovative solutions to meet the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and
environmental protection. This is the core of Saint-Gobain’s strategy.
Specifically for India, we will focus on three strategic priorities:
1.
Sustainable Habitat: There are
three important parts to this strategy:
·
Sustainable Buildings: inventing
products, solutions and systems for the buildings of the future.
·
Sustainable Manufacturing: reducing
the environmental impact of its industrial processes and supply chain
(elements: energy efficiency, life cycle cost analysis of its products, water
conservation, efficient and green logistics, Suppliers’ charter etc.)
·
Sustainable Construction:
Contributing to the development of skills and techniques for modern, efficient
construction, manufacturing and logistics.
2.
Innovation:Saint-Gobain is one of the
world’s 100 most innovative companies. Innovation is embedded in its history
and its identity. In 2013, Saint-Gobain invested 430Million Euro in R&D. In
December 2013, Saint-Gobain inaugurated its seventh,
transversal Research Centre - Saint-Gobain Research India (SGRI) - in close
collaboration with IIT Madras. Located in Chennai, SGRI will work for all of
Saint-Gobain’s businesses and will drive initiatives to develop innovative and
sustainable products and solutions for the region.
3.
Local Manufacturing:Saint-Gobain
has invested in building state-of-the-art, world-class
manufacturing plants in India and will continue to do so. Saint-Gobain has
pursued a “Make in India”strategy from the very beginning. More recently,
investments have been made in new facilities to serve global markets. This
trend will continue.
SAINT-GOBAIN IN INDIA
The India businesses are:
FLAT GLASS
a) SGI - Glass and Glass Solutions
business: Manufactures and markets clear, tinted and
solar control glass, fire resistant glass and other types of glasses from its
plants located in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
b) SGI and Saint-Gobain Sekurit
India Ltd - Automotive Glass business: Manufactures and markets automotive
glazing and modular components for the vehicle manufacturing segment and the
replacement market from its plants located in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
HIGH PERFORMANCE MATERIALS
c) GNO and its subsidiary,
Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials Bhutan - Abrasives (Bonded, Coated, Non-Woven,
Superabrasives and Thin Wheels), Silicon Carbide,High Performance Refractories
and Performance Plastics businesses: Manufactures and markets productsfrom its
plants located in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh and Bhutan.
d) Saint-Gobain Crystals &
Detectors Ltd -Manufactures and markets radiation detection and measurement
products in Bangalore.
e) SEPR Refractories India Pvt Ltd
- Manufactures and markets fused-cast refractories from its plant in Kerala.
CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS
f) SGI - Gyproc business: Manufactures
and markets an extensive range of gypsum plasterboards, gypsum plasters,
acoustic ceiling tiles for false
ceilings, dry wall partitions and wall lining systems from its plants located
in Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
g) SGI - Weber business: Manufactures
and markets products and solutions for tile and stone fixing, joint fillers (or
grouts), masonary mortars, water-proofing chemicals and admixtures.
350 YEARS OF HISTORY
In 1665, Louis XIV, prompted by
his Finance Minister Colbert, created the Manufacture Royale des Glaces de
Miroirs. Its first order was to make Glass for the Hall of Mirrors in the ‘Palais
de Versailles’. Some years later, this Company set up a manufacturing plant in
the village of Saint-Gobain in the north-east of France and eventually took its
name. Over the centuries since then, Saint-Gobain, the oldest Company in the
CAC 40, has weathered many a storm – the French Revolution, two World Wars, two
industrial and technological revolutions, major economic crises,
nationalization and privatization – and has emerged stronger. Its longevity is
based on its values, which have been
forged over 350 years and have been passed down through the generations, its
ability to anticipate and to adapt
and to innovate and, hence, to stay
one step ahead and its early belief in progress through internationalization. These have been the constants.
The latter part of the 20th
Century and beginning of the 21st Century have witnessed a
transformation of the Group. Key acquisitions during this period, including
Norton Company (a world leader in Abrasives, Ceramics and Performance Plastics)
in 1990, Poliet (which was the holding company of Point P, Lapeyre and Weber
&Broutin and which marked Saint-Gobain’s entry into the Building Materials
Distribution business) in 1996 and BPB (the world leader in Gypsum Plasterboard
and Plasters) in 2005, led to the Group’s strengthening its High Performance
Materials businesses and its global footprint and also its strategic focus on
sustainable habitat.
SAINT-GOBAIN - 2015
Saint-Gobain has a presence in 64
countries and has nearly 190000 employees worldwide. In 2013, Saint-Gobain registered
net sales of €42.0 billion and was ranked 180thin the Global Fortune
500 list.
Saint-Gobain is a diversified group
that creates and delivers innovative and high-performance solutions to enhance
our habitat and our daily life.
Research and Innovation are at the heart of
Saint-Gobain’s strategy. The Group’s research focuses both on breakthrough
innovations and on continuously improving its products, processes and
services. Today, Saint-Gobain has 7
transversal research centres located across the globe and files nearly 400
patents every year. Besides innovation, Saint-Gobain believes that
the emerging and fast-growing countries will be the drivers of growth for the
future.Saint-Gobain has evolved to be a decentralized
community of entrepreneurs who are focused on meeting the ever-changing needs
of their customers.
While
different events celebrating 350 years and involving all its stakeholders have
been planned in different parts of the world, the global initiatives include:
Futuristic
travelling pavilions in four cities (Shanghai, Sao Paolo, Philadelphia and
Paris) offering a unique sensory experience to the public at large.
A
virtual exhibition of the Group’s history
An
anniversary book
The
World 350 game on the mobile platform
Anniversary
day celebrations on 15th October 2015 (it was in October, 1665, that
King Louis XIV signed the letters authorizing the creation of the Manufacture
Royale des Glaces de Miroirs)
ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN
In 2015, Saint-Gobain is celebrating its 350th anniversary. Backed
by its experience and its capacity to continuously innovate, Saint-Gobain, the
world leader in the habitat and construction market, designs, manufactures and
distributes high-performance and building materials providing innovative
solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental
protection. With 2013 sales of €42 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64
countries and has nearly 190,000 employees. For more information about
Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com
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