SHANGHAI, January 9, 2015 – Saint-Gobain marked the beginning of its yearlong 350th anniversary in Shanghai today with Opening Day activities held in Shanghai. Launching the celebrationswere Saint-Gobain's Global CEO Pierre-André de Chalendar and Asia-Pacific CEO Javier Gimeno, with special attendance by Emmanuel Lenain, the French General Counsel in Shanghai.
The day's events included a press conference and opening ceremony, followed by the unveiling of five futuristic glass pavilions that are temporarily installingalong the North Bund as part of Saint-Gobain's anniversary celebrations. Each pavilion was designed to engage visitors with a different sensory experience while at the same time showcasing Saint-Gobain's technological innovations in high-performance glass and construction materials. The pavilions will be open to the public, free of charge, from January 12through to January 16, before they make their way across the globe, with three other planned stops at Sao Paolo (Brazil), Philadelphia (USA), and Paris (France).
The 350th anniversary represented not only a look back into Saint-Gobain's remarkable legacy of achievements, but also presented the company with an opportunity to promote their strategies, values, and confidence in the future.
"With 350 years of history and 350 years of ongoing innovation, we have a proven understandingof long-term success, as well as the composure and agility to adapt to the ever-changing world," said Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain. "This is key to our continued existence and the reason why we continue to invest heavily in designing innovative, high-performance building materials, and in inventing tomorrow's sustainable habitat."
Saint-Gobain considers innovation as an integral part of its DNA, wherein one in four products sold by Saint-Gobain today did not exist five years ago. The Group has been ranked as the top 100 Global Innovators by Thomsen Reuters for four consecutive years and remains perpetually in a forward-thinking mode, concentrating its efforts on inventing increasingly innovative materials. At its research center in Shanghai (Saint-Gobain Research (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.), Saint-Gobain employs 240 researchers to develop products that cater to the specific needs of the Chinese market, wherein 150 patents and over 1000 invention disclosures were filed since its establishment in 2005.
"We decided to begin celebrating our anniversary from China, as it is one of our most important and fastest growing markets," said Javier Gimeno, CEO and General Delegate of Saint-Gobain Asia-Pacific. "With the country experiencing rapid urbanization and an expanding middle class, we have tremendous opportunity for growth. In today's China market, there is an increasing demand for high sustainability, high-performance material, and these are areas in which Saint-Gobain has a long, established leadership."
Present in China since 1985, Saint-Gobain has been responsible for the glass and construction materials of some of the country’s most well-known and iconic buildings, including the Shanghai World Financial Center, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Linked Hybrid. In 2014 Saint-Gobain generated sales of 1.1 billion euros in China and added a new Guangzhou plant in November. This year, the company has plans to further expand and increase market share in the country, with a new plant being invested in Wuhan.
About Saint-Gobain (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
Saint-Gobain has been present in China since 1985. It has 50 subsidiary companies operating in a range of markets including flat glass, insulation, gypsum, ceramics & plastics, abrasives, industrial mortar and pipes. The group is determined to be present in China with its complete range of activities and markets. Saint-Gobain's sales in 2013 in China total about 1 billion Euros. It employs about 10,000 people throughout China today.
For more information about Saint-Gobain China, visit www.saint-gobain.com.cn
About Saint-Gobain Group
In 2015, Saint-Gobain is celebrating its 350th anniversary, 350 reasons to believe in the future. 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
For media inquiries:Catherine Liu
Saint-Gobain (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
TEL: +86 21 6361-8741
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