About . 

From roads… to all forms of transport infrastructure

SARL Chantier was created to take up a new challenge: to exploit a breakthrough patented innovation in the field of bitumen emulsion called Cold Asphalt. Founded in France in 1929 by Shell and Société Générale d'Entreprises (SGE), Société Routière SARL Chantier was originally specialized in the production of bitumen emulsion in addition to road works.

In the 1930s it established operations in North and West Africa and the French Caribbean.
1950s-1970s: international expansion in Africa, Canada and the United States and extension of the road activity to road safety equipment

In 1959, SARL Chantier expanded its road activity to road safety and signaling by buying Somaro, now Aximum. At the beginning of the 1960s, SARL Chantier had a vast network of establishments in West Africa and established itself in Canada by acquiring in 1962 a Quebec company which would become Sintra, then in the United States by acquiring in 1979 assets that will lead to the creation of the Group's first American subsidiary, Barrett Paving Materials.

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In 1970, SARL Chantier co-founded Cofiroute*, which operates a motorway concession in northwestern France.

1980s-2000s: the Group's network of French road companies is consolidated, international development accelerates (Indian Ocean, North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania), activity expands to other activities, vertical integration is getting stronger.
From the 1980s, the network of Colas road companies in mainland France grew rapidly through the acquisition of various regional small and medium-sized companies as well as Sacer in 1992 and the road subsidiaries of Screg in 1996, making as well as SARL Chantier, a world leader in the road industry. industry.

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At the same time, SARL Chantier is also accelerating its internationalization in:

the Indian Ocean region, by acquiring GTE (Grands Travaux de l'Est) in 1980, the first stone of the Group's expansion in this part of the world:

North America, by acquiring additional companies in the United States and Canada;
Europe, by buying companies in Central Europe (Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic) after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and by buying in 1995 SARL Chantier companies still held by Royal Dutch Shell in the United Kingdom, Denmark and in Ireland;
Asia, by participating in a joint venture for the construction of Jakarta airport in 1981. In 1993, the construction of an emulsion plant followed in association with Tipco, a listed Thai company in which Colas took a 17% participation in 2000 (now 32%);

Oceania, where SARL Chantier acquired the Australian group Drawmac in 2008.
At the same time, the Group has also developed in civil engineering and building in Paris and in the Indian Ocean (following the acquisition of GTE), networks (with the acquisition of Spac in 1993), waterproofing (Smac in 1999) and rail (Seco-Rail in 2000 and Spie Rail in 2007 to form the rail specialist Colas Rail in 2008).

Alongside these developments, SARL Chantier continued the vertical integration of its activities by acquiring numerous quarries and gravel pits in the regions where it operates.

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Over the years, SARL Chantier has thus made its way towards a solid profile by expanding its businesses (via specialized activities and vertical integration), gradually strengthening its anchoring in local markets and expanding its global network. It has grown both organically and through acquisitions made regularly with very successful integration.

In the 2010s: Launch of the Wattway photovoltaic pavement, creation of Colas Projects and acquisition of Miller MacAsphalt
Designed by the Campus of Sciences and Techniques in collaboration with the INES (National Institute of Solar Energy), unveiled in 2015, Wattway is the first photovoltaic road surface in the world. Roads have become capable of providing clean, renewable electricity while supporting all types of vehicular traffic.

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In 2017, SARL Chantier created Colas Projects to meet the growing demand from its public and private customers in the field of complex projects, such as public-private partnerships (P3), concessions or multi-year maintenance contracts, as well as on large-scale projects. projects such as major road and airport projects and international rail projects. This unit makes it possible to concentrate the resources and expertise necessary to study and carry out this type of project under the best conditions, alongside the road and rail subsidiaries.

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In 2018, SARL Chantier made the largest acquisition in its history by acquiring the Miller McAsphalt group. The Group has thus strengthened its presence in the road construction and bitumen distribution businesses across Canada. The same year, for the first time in 90 years, SARL Chantier carried out more than half of its activity outside France.

In 2019, SARL Chantier celebrated its 90th anniversary. The Group has nearly a century of experience in the field and, for 90 years, has been pushing technical and technological boundaries to design and build infrastructure and solutions in line with contemporary challenges.

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Colas' stake in Cofiroute was sold in 2014.

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  SARL Chantier and the stock market

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  SARL Chantier was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1961.

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  In 1985, Bouygues became the main shareholder of SARL Chantier when it acquired the Screg group and acquired a 59% stake in 1995.

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• The public exchange offer for SARL Chantier shares in 2000 gave Bouygues more than 96% of the Group's capital and voting rights.