Compagnie de Saint Gobain is one of the 100 largest and at the same time one of the oldest industrial trusts of the world. The companies employed 2004 approximately 180,000 humans combined under their roof with an annual turnover of approximately 32 billion euro, which makes the enterprise tenth-largest France. Saint Gobain is world-wide in approximately 50 countries represented. In particular with building and insulating materials, with glass, industrial ceramic(s), abrasives, with packing materials and with the piping construction plays the company a prominent role; with some products of these ranges even as world market leaders or as European market leaders.

Economic basic data

Legal form and participation conditions

The parent company is a corporation. Approximately 85% of the shares are in the strewing possession. 6% of the shares are held by coworkers of the enterprise, 1.7% of the enterprise. , The companies CDC, Cogema, AXA and BNP Paribas hold the remainder, with participation within the one-digit per cent range. The capital stock consists of more than 340 million shares in the nominal value of 4 euro and amounts to nearly 1.4 billion euro (conditions at the end of of 2004). The market capitalization with a course of approximately 55 euro per share (conditions March 2006) amounts to approximately 19.5 billion euro.

Company arrangement

Under the roof of the parent company approximately 1200 private firms are consolidated.

Saint Gobain is a matrix organization. It is divided below the central management into general delegations and main sections:

In Germany Saint Gobain represented by the general delegation Germany and Central Europe with seat in Aachen. This central management is responsible for the countries Germany, Tschechien, Slowakei, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia.

Conversion, yield and number of employees

Allocation of turnover after sections

Allocation of turnover after regions

Management

• Jean Louis Beffa, Chairman and CEO ( Directeur ) since January 1986
• Pierre de Chalendar, Chief operating Officer

Senior Vice Presidents:

• Jacques Aschenbroich
• Jean Claude Breffort
• Roberto Caliari
• Philippe Crouzet
• Claude Imauven Fessard
• Jean Phelizon

Corporate Secretary:

• Berne pool of broadcasting corporations Field

General delegates for Germany and Central Europe:

• Paul Neeteson

History

Emergence of an enterprise in the age of the mercantilism

Under king Louis XIV receives his Minister of Finance Jean Baptiste Colbert the order to create a Compagnie of the Glaces in Paris. This is the birth of the Manufacture Royale glaces de Miroirs (royal Spiegelglasmanufaktur) in Paris quarters the Faubourg Saint Antoine. As some other enterprises, which develop in that time, is them an element of the central steered economic policy of France in 17. Century. The merkantilistischen production teachings prevailing at that time following, the goods in such enterprises in exactly fixed kind and quality and in arbeitsteilig organized production are manufactured, contrary to the production way art-relating to crafts prevailing before. Although market and production are nationally adjusted, employers lie in private hand. The first large order of the recent enterprise is glass production for the mirror hall of the royal lock in Versailles.

After several conversions and renaming the society under the name Compagnie of the Grandes Glaces firmiert. It receives 1688 from state because of the monopoly on the production of flat glass of all dimensions starting from 60 tariff x 40 tariff (1,56m x 1,04m) upward. 1692 are shifted production into the village Saint Gobain in the Picardie in north France. In the following years further manufacturing plants are added. The new locations serve finally as name givers for the new company name: Manufactures of the Glaces et the Produits Chimiques de St. Gobain, Chauny et Circy Paris.

After the death of Colbert rival businesses become certified. The company comes after the loss of the monopoly first into economic difficulties. She can achieve however from own Kraft a supremacy again: Louis Lucas de Nehou, director of hut with Saint Gobain, develops a new procedure for the production of flat glass starting from 1688, with which this can be manufactured in better quality, in larger quantities and in larger dimensions. With this table rolling procedure in such a way specified the Glasschmelze on even casting tables is filled, rolled then with heavy rollers smoothly and finally with sand polished. Before flat glass was won mostly by heating up, cutting open and flat-rolling cylindrical glass. For instance starting from 1691 the new casting process arrives at ready for the market ones. Saint Gobain displaces thereby gradually venezianische glass production of the European market, prevailing before. Nehous method is improved in the course of the time constantly, remains however in principle to in 19. Century the standard technique for the production of flat glass.

Also in 18. Century still profits to Saint Gobain from national privileges. The French revolution means the final parting from this restaurant economics: On 4 August 1789 the national assembly decides the abolishment of the privilege system characteristic of the bourbonische monarchy. With the code de Commerce of 1807 uses the napoleonische government a new corporate law, on the basis of freedom of trade and competition.

Growth to a European large-scale enterprise

At the beginning 18. Century gets Saint Gobain strong competition by the corporation Manufacture Royale cristaux et de verre. Around 1840 both companies divide approximately in each case to the half the European market for flat glass. With the expansion to Germany the Manufacture Royale has even a projection/lead. On the other hand the two enterprises begin to cooperate since 1830 concerning sales and storekeeping and in the following years repeat fusion discussions to lead with one another. Approximately starting from 1850 the European competition, particularly in Great Britain and Belgium, becomes ever more strongly. Under this outside pressure the fusion is driven into the 1850er years in front and comes finally 1858 to conditions. Saint Gobain becomes thereby the dominating flat glass producer in Europe.

With the fusion the company name is determined, which outlasts into the today's present: anonymous one of the Manufactures of the Glaces et Produits Chimiques de Saint Gobain, Chauny & Circy (corporation to the production of and chemical products of Saint Gobain, Chauny and Circy).

At the same time also the expansion is in front driven to Germany. 1853 are created, still of the Manufacture Royale, the first address in Germany, in the forest yard of Baden, which is today a quarter of Mannheim. 1857 are transferred, this time directly on the part of Saint Gobain, the mirror glasswork existing since 1837 to Stolberg with firm head office to Aachen.

These activities are the beginning for more than hundred years, of a clearly outlined expansion and Arrondierungsstrategie held out. In the core it consists to be limited to the sector glass and closely bordering production departments to maintain but on this sector the market leader shank by geographical expansion and continual modernization of production. The geographical expansion is usually managed by buying up and development of existing enterprises.

Establishments of factories in the Italian Pisa (1888) follow, in the Bilin (1897), at the Belgian production locations (1898) and Sas de Gand (1904) and in the Spanish Arija. On the American market Saint Gobain is since 1831 present, first by a sales agency in New York. Later, around 1920, the purchase of firm portions different glasses of producing enterprises in the USA will follow.

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