LafargeHolcim was born of the merger of equals by Lafarge and Holcim in 2015. With over 180 years of combined experience, our united Group aims to usher in a new era of leading-edge technologies and innovations in the building materials industry to address the challenges of the 21st century.
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1833: The Lafarge company was born in Le Teil (Ardèche, France). Joseph-Auguste Pavin de Lafarge began regular extraction operations in the limestone quarries.
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1864: First major project: the Suez Canal. Lafarge won the "contract of the century" in Egypt and delivered the 200,000 tons of hydraulic lime needed to build the piers of the Suez Canal.
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1887: The world's first research laboratory on cement. Following its commercial success, Lafarge opened a research laboratory near Le Teil, France. This laboratory was the first in the world to specialize in cement.
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1950s-70s: International expansion in North and South America. Through plant constructions and acquisitions of firms, Lafarge established a good position in the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
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1980s-90s: Going global. Lafarge led a significant International expansion with new operations in Sub-Saharan and East Africa as well as in China, India, and South Korea.
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2008: Acquisition of Orascom Cement. Lafarge acquired Orascom Cement, the leading cement group in the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin, with number one positions in the key markets of Egypt, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.
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2014: Holcim and Lafarge announced their merger project.
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2015: Closing of the merger, which gave birth to LafargeHolcim, the new leader of the building materials industry.