A drone flies over the national road bypass site, carrying out topographical surveys in just a few minutes that would previously have required tedious work. Sensors installed in vehicles, such as skips and trucks, make it possible to monitor the progress of the work in real time and better coordinate it. All information is shared with the client, the Finnish government, in this case.
We are a few dozen kilometers east of the capital, Helsinki, where the teams from Destia, the Finnish number one in the construction and maintenance of road and rail infrastructure, are busy before the first cold weather. ‘winter. This former public company is one of the pioneers of the sector in terms of digitalization of construction sites. It was bought in 2021 by Colas, a subsidiary of Bouygues and very discreet world leader in roads, of which this is the last major acquisition.
« Even in our traditional businesses, data digitization has become a key element to improve our processes, differentiate ourselves and gain market share. », explains Pierre Vanstoflegatte, the general director of Colas. The tools created by Destia will now be deployed in other countries where the French group is established.
50,000 projects carried out each year
For Colas, an almost century-old company, the future is still to be invented. It was created in 1929 by the British oil company Shell, from a chemical process for manufacturing bitumen invented in 1922, which revolutionized the sector at the time. Colas is thus the contraction of Cold and Asphalt.
In the fold of Bouygues since 1986, the company, which was taken out of the Stock Exchange in 2023, had a turnover of 16 billion euros in 2023, including 40% in France and 29% on the American continent, for €316 million in net profit. It has 65,000 employees worldwide (including 29,500 in France), with a presence in 50 countries and around 50,000 projects carried out each year.
« We are important economic players in local life and always remain local, because our materials do not travel a lot”underlines Pierre Vanstoflegatte. The company has three thousand production sites for its aggregates, which makes it autonomous in the majority of countries where it is located. Major works represent around 30% of its activity, compared to 70% for small, everyday projects, “ the business », According to the boss of Colas.
Transforming asphalt into green spaces in cities
But the world is changing quickly and we have to adapt. “ We took advantage of the entry of Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union, which therefore benefited from the provision of structural funds to modernize their road infrastructure. But we are reaching the end of the cycle. Investments today go primarily to rail », explains Francis Glass, general manager of the Europe, Middle East, Africa zone.
The market is also evolving in France. Demand is strong for the construction of tramways and the development of dedicated lanes for buses and bicycles. “ Before, the communities asked us to pave the central square around the war memorial, the roundabouts and to concrete the edges of the waterways, or even to divert them. Today, it’s the opposite, orders are clearly greening of citieswhich requires new skills », deciphers Pierre Vanstoflegatte. Colas has just bought a green spaces company in Normandy.
The group is also seeking to diversify into new activities around water networks. It also wants to strengthen itself in the private sector, notably through factory earthworks. It is also looking for acquisitions, in Europe but also in North America. There, the road market remains growing, in particular with maintenance contracts which offer regular income and the Bouygues subsidiary intends to use Destia’s know-how in winter road management.
Reduce carbon footprint
Colas also has major ambitions in terms of decarbonization with the objective of reducing its direct emissions by 46.5% in 2030 compared to 2021. Power plants for heating bitumen have moved from diesel or gas and undoubtedly tomorrow to hydrogen. On construction sites, the first electric machines are appearing, despite their still high cost. “ A diesel bulldozer costs on average €150,000. It costs €300,000 for an electric model, and €500,000 for one. hydrogen version », notes the boss of Colas.
Emphasis is also placed on the circular economy and the use of new plant binders, based on pine or eucalyptus oil, as in South Africa, and the recovery of waste from agricultural sectors. “ Today, 45% to 50% of our consumption of materials comes from recycling, for example concrete from deconstructed structures, and bio-based productscompared to 10% ten years ago », assures Francis Glass. According to him, it is innovation and customer demand that drive production “ greener ».
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