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Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

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Page 1: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

| A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 5

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RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:41 Page 2

Page 2: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

C o n t e n t s

| Message from the Chairman p3

| Key figures p4

| Sustainability p5

| Structures p8

| Soils p16

| P r o f i l e

Freyssinet is the world leader in specialist civil engineering and a subsidiary

of the VINCI Group. It conducts research, carries out work and supplies highly

technical products in its two main business areas, structures and soils. In 2005,

Freyssinet recorded a consolidated turnover of 508 million euro and net profit

after tax, VINCI share, of 22.2 million euro, giving a net margin of 4.4%.

The Group has over 70 operating subsidiaries on all five continents, and

employs around 3,700 people. Its structure is based on its business areas and

geographical divisions, which give it both worldwide expertise and strong local

roots. In all of its areas of activity, the Group fosters unparalleled know-how in

the profession through an active research and development policy.

CHAIRMANBruno Dupety

DEPUTY GENERALMANAGERJérôme Stubler

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jérôme StublerDIRECTOR,STRUCTURES DIVISION

Philippe ZankerDIRECTOR, FRANCE DIVISION

Patrick NagleDIRECTOR, UNITED KINGDOM/NORTHERN EUROPE DIVISION

Jorge MorenoDIRECTOR,IBERIAN-AMERICAN DIVISION

Roger BloomfieldDIRECTOR,NORTH AMERICA DIVISION

Philippe HéryDIRECTOR, TERRE ARMEEINTERNATIONALE

Bruno DupetyDIRECTOR,ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISIONAND SOILS DIVISION

Yann GrolimundADMINSTRATIVE ANDFINANCIAL DIRECTOR

Claude LascolsHUMAN RESOURCESAND COMMUNICATIONSDIRECTOR

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Page 3: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

| Message f rom the Chairman

03

Freyssinet’s best year ever

We end the year with a net margin of over 6%, one year ahead of the target

we set ourselves in our 4-5-6 action plan. 2005 was the best year ever

recorded by Freyssinet, with consolidated turnover of 508 million euro, up

11% on the previous financial year. Our net profit after tax, VINCI share,

comes to 22.2 million euro (4.4% of consolidated turnover) and puts us in

the leading group of VINCI Construction companies. Cashflow has risen

steadily to reach a record level of 30 million euro.

In positive markets, these good results also come from the recovery activities that we embarked on three

years ago. The almost complete absence of major projects in 2005 - the largest operation being the

repair of South Hook Jetty in the United Kingdom, worth 7 million euro - and the efficient management

of all of our medium-sized sites bear witness to this will to improve our profits that is shared by all of the

Group’s employees. Furthermore, with the take-over on 6 September last year of Mecatiss, previously

attached to VINCI Energies, we have supplemented and strengthened our offering in the three areas of

sealing, fire protection and radiation protection.

We are embarking on 2006 with an order book full of new, top quality projects, 28% up on the beginning

of last year. These include the start of the construction of the Dubai light rail system, where we will be

laying the segments and carrying out some of the prestressing work on the 54 km of viaducts.

Having received the Grand Prize in the 2005 VINCI Innovation awards, this year we will once again

continue with our research and development policy to improve our competitiveness and open the way

to new markets. The challenges for 2006 relate mainly to our human resources policy (recruitment and

training) in order to ensure that we have control of our development and can grow successfully.

We are therefore setting out confidently but also cautiously on the last phase of our 4-5-6 plan, the aims

of which are clearly defined.

Bruno DupetyChairman

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Page 4: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

Freyssinet64 %

MénardSoltraitement

10 %Reinforced Earth26 %

Structures

Soils

Distribution of turnover by activity

Structures18 %

United Kingdom/Northern Europe8 %

Iberian-American18 %

France14 %

Asia-Pacific17 %

North America12 %

Soils13 %

Distribution of turnover by division

Engineers and managers 15 %

Employees by category

Technicians 37 %

Manual workers and staff employees48 %

France 508

Employees by division

Iberian-American 485

United Kingdom/Northern Europe 251

Structures 668

Soils 285

Asia-Pacific 1 224

North America 217

| K e y f i g u r e s

3,638employees

04

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:42 Page 5

Page 5: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

05

Sustainability

| Several years ago Freyssinet under-

took a policy of sustainability. This policy

is taking shape and has been spread to

all of the subsidiaries, which are increa-

singly affected by the issues involved.

Environmental performanceWith regard to environmental protection, inFrance Freyssinet took part alongside Sogea,GTM Construction, Eurovia and VINCI Energiesin the drafting of the specifications for a sitewaste treatment system in the Île-de-Franceregion, an initiative aimed at ensuring that 60%of waste is recycled at approved sortingcentres and that the processing of such wasteis traceable. Since April 2005, the five compa-nies have thus been having much of their rubbleprocessed and recovered as road-buildingmaterials. For its part, Freyssinet’s Île-de-France/Normandy office has set up an «envi-ronmental control group» (GPE) to complete itsISO 14001 certification process. In the rest ofthe country, other environmental initiativeshave also been launched; the Nantes, Nancyand Lyons offices have thus increased thesums allocated to site waste water and reco-vered oil treatment. All of the offices, and par-ticularly Lyons and Marseilles, have made aneffort to organise the storage of resins andsensitive products and to carry out a selectivesort of waste on site, at warehouses and inthe offices.In Spain this year Freyssinet obtained UNE-EN-ISO 14001 certification and set up an environ-ment management system in conjunction withTierra Armada. Continuing on from this action,the two companies have defined and set upenvironmental indicators.

In the United States, DGI-Menard obtainedapproval from the New Jersey Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP) for the ins-tallation of controlled modulus columns oncontaminated land, having demonstratedthat the technique does not lead to the

penetration of pollutants into the water-bearing soil.In South Korea, on completion of the atmos-pheric consolidation of a 350,000m2 platformat the port of Kwang Yang using the MenardVacuum method, the Sangjee-Menard subsi-diary organised the recovery of the geo-texti le (35ha) and membrane used during thework and sent them to a recycling centre.For its part, in Pakistan Reinforced Earth hasreplaced almost its entire corporate fleetwith less polluting vehicles that run on CNG(compressed natural gas).

Social responsibilityPlacing people at the very heart of its structureand business, in 2005 Freyssinet pursued anactive staff recruitment and training policy at alllevels of the company.

Recruitment and trainingAt the end of 2005 the company had 3,638employees, compared with 3,178 in 2004; thisincrease is explained by the external growthoperations and the recruitment of newemployees. Worldwide over the financial year,1,417 people were recruited, 226 of whom tonewly created posts, compared with 1,085 inthe previous year.

The company also reduced its rate of tempora-ry workers from 10 to 6%, preferring to enterinto steady contracts. Once again this yearconsiderable effort was put into attractingyoung people to the company, who represen-ted 15% of new recruits. At the same time, theGroup continued to participate in a number ofnational and local student forums and streng-thened its partnerships with educational institu-

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:42 Page 6

Page 6: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

06

Sustainability

tions by organising site visits, offering place-ments and training contracts and awarding bur-saries to certain students.

Worldwide in 2005, 2,234 employees receivedinternal or external training, with a total of29,504 hours of teaching over the year, increa-sing on the previous year (28,815 hours and1,530 employees). Of these trainees, 128attended courses given at the EugèneFreyssinet internal training centre in Perray-en-Yvelines (France), where 2,331 hours of trainingwere given, 23% more than in 2004.

The financial year was also marked by the set-ting up of test «Prestressing Specialist» trainingsessions on an international scale, designed toharmonise knowledge of techniques within theGroup. For example, the training, which is com-pulsory in France for employees performingprestressing work, was given in Romania inJune. As part of its 4-5-6 action plan,Freyssinet also organised a massive internaltraining campaign during November andDecember. Seven training sessions on marke-ting and sales techniques, led by an externalconsultant, were held in France, Spain and theUnited Kingdom, for groups of around twentypeople.

SafetyAs a result of a sustained awareness campaign,the concept of safety is now firmly entrenchedin people’s minds. To bolster the existing sys-tem (the «Safety First!» process, the Vigirouteplan, non-negotiable provisions, etc.), in 2005the Group embarked on a campaign for theprevention of the risks linked to the consump-tion of drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

Posters on the theme giving the number of adrug support helpline were distributed to allsubsidiaries in France.Worldwide, other action worthy of mentionincludes Turkish subsidiary Freysas’ productionof a safety information manual and employeetraining. In Belgium and the Netherlands, allstaff and management took VCA safety certifi-cation courses. In Belgium, a working groupwas also set up to prepare the office for certifi-cation in accordance with the VCA and ISOstandards.

In France, Freyssinet’s South Eastern regionaloffice received certification from the Etang deBerre office of the MASE (a national organisa-tion for the improvement of industrial healthand safety) for one year in September, andUIC (chemical industries union) approval forthree years in October, as part of a referencesystem relating to the organisation of safety bycompanies habitually involved in construction,maintenance and logistics at establishmentsclassified as «upper tier» pursuant to theSeveso Directive.

Freyssinet France has been working on simpli-fying its safety data sheets, which are requiredto be delivered together with every productused on sites. The sheets are produced inconjunction with the Bouches-du-Rhône occu-pational medicine department and summarisethe precautions to be taken when handling theproducts visually on a single page.Emphasis is also constantly placed on the obli-gatory wearing of personal protection equip-ment (PPE), the precautions to take with regardto the environment and respiratory protectionwhen handling certain products. In the United

21

1 The Group pays

particular attention

to safety on all of

its sites

2 2,234 employees

received training

in 2005

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Page 7: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

07

States, DGI-Menard organised a number ofsafety training sessions for personnel in thefield, and in particular 40-hour hazmat trainingfocusing on hazardous materials given by theOccupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA), the government health and safetybody. Finally, in South Africa, eight out of thir-teen employees attended a certified first aidcourse; the rest of the team should receive thetraining during 2006.

QualityOver the course of the year, Freysas (Turkey),Salvarem (France) and Reinforced Earth (SouthAfrica) obtained BE EN ISO 9001:2000 certifi-cation, whilst the ISO 9001:V2001 certificationheld by Freyssinet Nederland (Netherlands),the Freyssinet South Eastern regional office(France) and Austress Freyssinet (Australia)was renewed.

Social actionIn 2005, Spanish subsidiary Tierra Armada lin-ked up with the Aprocor foundation, whichworks with the psychical handicapped, to setup a support programme for integration into theworld of work.

Knowledge sharingThe Group brought together over 220employees in Dubai in January 2005 tospread and share knowledge internally. Inaddition, group companies have played anactive part at a number of conferences, inclu-ding the IABSE, FIB, Ache (Spain), Anipar(Spain), PTI (United States), etc., and onvarious committees, to present their technicaladvances and take part in the drafting ordevelopment of new regulations.

InnovationThe Freyssinet group has been linked from thestart to the idea and values of innovation, anddevotes more than 1.5% of its turnover toresearch and development. This year, its tech-nical achievements have included theCohestrand cable system applied to suspen-ded bridges, which constituted a major inno-vation for Freyssinet with its first application onan industrial scale on the Kanne bridge(Belgium). The system guarantees a mainte-nance-free cable lifetime of over 100 years,and won the Grand Prize at the 2005 VINCIInnovation Awards.

In the field of Reinforced Earth, Terre Arméedeveloped and implemented the Omegaconnection on a first site near Morzine (France).The connection is a synthetic high tenacitypolyester-based reinforcement strip made up ofa continuous loop, the shape of whichresembles the Greek letter that gives it itsname. Partly cast into the panel during the pre-fabrication stage, this new corrosion-resistantfastener has other advantages, including sim-plifying the process of erecting walls, as itreduces the number of components deliveredto site, an anchor that guarantees optimumpull-out strength, and compatibility with anytype of concrete panel.

Finally, Ménard Soltraitement developed a newballasted column machine equipped with rearlegs that enable it to achieve record produc-tion rates of 500m per day (compared with250m with a conventional machine) and esta-blish the columns at depths of up to 16m dueto increased thrust, thus improving the qualityof the columns.

21

1 A dedicated time

for exchanges and

knowledge sharing:

the Group brought

together over 220

employees in Dubai

in January.

2 In December,

Freyssinet received

the Grand Prize at

the VINCI Innovation

awards for its

Cohestrand system

applied to suspended

bridges.

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:42 Page 8

Page 8: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

Structures

64%of turnover

08

| The construction, repair and maintenance of structures represent

two thirds of the Freyssinet group’s business and remained at a

high level in 2005 in all divisions. The company particularly stood

out in the industrial sector, taking part in the construction of a number

of liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks and nuclear contain-

ment vaults. With regard to civil engineering structures, Freyssinet

was mainly involved in the construction of decks using trusses

in Asia and the implementation of its Autofonçage® sinking and

Autoripage® sliding techniques in France.

21

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Page 9: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

way between Mexico City and Tuxpan,Freyssinet de México supplied and installedthe prestressing (350t) for a 365m long bridgeacross a breccia over 100m deep.

BuildingIn Europe, British subsidiary Freyssinet Ltdconfirmed its growth in the field of prestressedconcrete floors by taking part in the construc-tion of the Blenheim Centre in Hounslow, nearLondon. The building complex required 55,000m2

of prestressed floors. In Russia, Freyssinet ins-talled 120km of tendons and 92 anchors on thesaddle roof of the new Kolomna ice rink nearMoscow. In Singapore, PSC Freyssinet (S) PteLtd installed the prestressing in an industrialbuilding known as 8@TradeHub 21 (300t ofsteel) and a complex of 16 blocks of buildings(800t of steel).Finally, across the Atlantic, in the Santa Fé dis-trict of Mexico City, Freyssinet de Méxicocontributed to the construction of the Mirage

PrestressingFreyssinet’s historical business, prestressing,remained at a high level this year thanks to theexpansion of its use in building in particular inthe Anglo-saxon countries.

Civil engineering structuresIn the Auvergne Volcanoes National Park inFrance, Freyssinet completed the installation ofthe prestressing of the Sioule Viaduct (990mlong and 150m high) on the A89 motorway. InBelgium, Freyssinet Belgium contributed to theconstruction of four railway viaducts on the highspeed line between Liège and the German bor-der. A total of 650 connecting prestressing barsbetween supports and beams, and 1,200t ofcable in the supports, beams and sub-ballastslabs were installed. In Dubai (United ArabEmirates), Freyssinet Gulf was awarded thecontract to supply and install the prestressingfor the Ras Al Khor bridge (3,600t of steel), asix-lane, double-deck structure approximately500m long.In Asia, on the island of Singapore, PSCFreyssinet (S) Pte Ltd installed the externalprestressing for the deck (300t of steel) of theJalan Buroh overpass. On the Deep Bay site inHong Kong, Freyssinet carried out the installa-tion of the segments as well as the prestressing(1,500t). In South Korea, Freyssinet Korea car-ried out the entire construction, including civilengineering, of the Gaegok bridge, a 280mlong, 20m wide structure; the subsidiary ins-talled 220t of prestressing. In Indonesia,Freyssinet installed part of the prestressing(1,150t) on the Pasupati bridge, which links theeast and west sides of the town of Bandung.Finally, near Texcapa in Mexico, on the motor-

1 Railway viaduct

on the high speed line

between Liège an

the German border

2 Replacement of

the expansion joints

on the Saint-Cloud

viaduct, France

3 In 2005,

Freyssinet completed

the installation of

the prestressing on

the Sioule Viaduct,

France

4 Prestressing

the Gaegok bridge,

South Korea

LNG storage tanks: a quality offering

Reinvesting over 30 years’ experience in the nuclear field, in

2005 Freyssinet moved with the growing market for lique-

fied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks, which are structurally

identical to nuclear containment vaults, working on a num-

ber of projects. The methods and products developed by

the Group for these applications include the 55C15 anchor,

the strongest existing unit; thixotropic grouts; equal tension

jacks; and the cryogenic prestressing system, specially

developed for LNG storage tanks.

09

Construction43

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:42 Page 10

Page 10: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

towers, a complex of three 17-storey buildings,supplying and installing the prestressing for57,300m2 of floors.

IndustryIn the field of the industrial application of pre-stressing, 2005 was mainly marked by thenuclear containment vault and liquefied naturalgas (LNG) storage tank projects. On the Olkiluoto site in Finland, Freyssinetcontinued its work on the construction of thecontainment vault for the new generation EPR(European Pressure Reactor), in which 2,050tof steel and 540 anchors, will be installed. In China, also in the nuclear field, Freyssinetsupplied 490 prestressing anchors for the twocontainment vaults at the Tianwan power sta-tion in Jiangsu province, 382 anchors for theLing-Ao power station phase II units 3 and 4,and 2,072 anchors for the Qinshan extensionphase II. In India, prestressing work came to anend on the site of the two nuclear containmentvaults at the Kudankulam power station in thestate of Tamil Nadu, where Freyssinet installed2,713t of steel. In Spain, the most notable pro-ject of the financial year in the industrial fieldwas the construction of the two Mugardos LNGstorage tanks in La Coruña (150,000m3 unitcapacity, 76m in diameter and 45m high), whichrequired 1,500t of steel. At Fos-Cavaou in France, the company startedthe installation of 1,400t of prestressing onthree 103,300m3 storage tanks. In Asia, on theRussian island of Sakhalin, the Groups’ Britishsubsidiary Freyssinet Ltd contributed to thecompletion of two 130,000m3 storage tanks inAugust, installing some 352t of cables. InChina, having subjected its prestressing tocryogenic tests, the company started work on

1 LNG storage tanks

in Mugardos, Spain

2 The Blenheim Centre

in Hounslow, England

3 Borg El Arab Stadium

in Alexandria, Egypt

Structures

10

2

3

1

1

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Page 11: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

was constructed in Alexandria (Egypt) in 2005.The 37 stay cables on its roof were suppliedand installed by Freyssinet. Work started forFreyssinet on the prestressing and cablestaying of the Tabriz bridge near Lake Ourmia inthe north of Iran; the structure is the country’sfirst cable-stayed bridge. With a single 46mpylon, it is made up of two 57m spans suppor-ted by 32 stay cables split into four planes. Onthe Pasupati bridge in Bandung (Indonesia), the19 stay cables (120t) supporting the centralspan (161m) of the main bridge were installedby teams from Indonesian subsidiary PTFreyssinet Total Technology, in conjunction withFreyssinet and Austress Freyssinet. In the townof Butterworth (Malaysia), the last stay cablessupporting the 485m deck of the main SungaiPrai bridge were installed on 25 July.During the second half of the year, the companycommenced the installation of the cablestaying of two other important structures, theShenzhen Western Corridor in China, which willlink China and Hong Kong (two planes of13 cables), and the Bai Chay bridge in HalongBay, Vietnam (see box below). The latter, whichis 903m long, includes two pylons 137m highand a 435m central span supported by 112

the prestressing for the two Chengdu storagetanks (160,000m3), which will require 1,230t ofsteel. In the Persian Gulf state of Iran, 900t ofprestressing were installed on four gas storagetanks with a total capacity of 200,000m3 builton the South Pars field. The financial year wasalso marked by the awarding on 4 July, as asubcontractor of VINCI Construction GrandsProjets, of the contract for the supply and ins-tallation of 920t of prestressing on two160,000m3 LNG storage tanks to be built inCosta Azul, south of Tijuana, Mexico. In a com-pletely unrelated field, at the end of the year,Freyssinet Gulf installed 184 Freyssibar threa-ded prestressing bars to hold down four cranesat the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai.

Cabled structuresAlthough unlike 2004, 2005 wasn’t markedwith the completion of major international struc-tures (the Charilaos Trikoupis bridge in Greece,the Millau Viaduct in France, etc.), the financialyear contained a wealth of often innovativecable-stayed and suspended structures, suchas the Kanne bridge in Belgium.

Stay cablesAt the beginning of the year, in the Franche-Comté region of France, Freyssinet’s teamscompleted the launching of the steel deck andinstallation of 32 stay cables on the Méchellefootbridge, a 250m long structure over theMeurthe river. A few months later on 13 July,the Millennium bridge near Podgorica(Montenegro) was opened; the structure is 173mlong and is fitted with 300t of Freyssinet staycables. In anticipation of the 2006 Africa Cup ofNations, an 80,000 seat football stadium

1 LNG storage

tanks in Altamira,

Mexico

2 LNG storage

tanks in Chengdu,

China

3 Bai Chay Bridge,

Vietnam

11

112 «landscaped» stay cablesIn Halong Bay, Vietnam, the Bai Chay Bridge is fitted with

112 «landscaped» stay cables reminiscent of a sunset. To

absorb vibrations, the stay cables are equipped with internal

radial dampers (IRD), internal hydraulic dampers (IHD) and

internal elastomer dampers (HDR).

2 31

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Page 12: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 Sungai Prai Bridge,

Malaysia

2 Hegigio Bridge,

Papua New Guinea

3 Kanne Bridge,

Belgium

Structures

12

21

3

innovative Freyssinet low drag stay cables, theshaded yellow colour of which is reminiscent of asunset. Finally, in South Carolina (United States),the Group completed the installation of the staycables on the Arthur B. Ravenel Jr. bridge andfitted the structure with 128 dampers.

SuspensionUsing the same or very similar techniques ascable-staying, over time the suspension ofstructures has become a dedicated area ofresearch and development at Freyssinet thathas culminated in the perfecting of theCohestrand strand. Awarded the Grand Prize inthe 2005 VINCI Innovation awards, in the sameyear Cohestrand was installed for the first timeon an industrial scale on the Kanne bridge inBelgium, a 100m long, 21m wide structure thatis the first suspension bridge built in Belgiumsince the 1960s. In Dole (France), Freyssinetformed part of a consortium to build a 76msuspended footbridge. In Papua New Guinea,Freyssinet built a bridge to carry an oil pipelineover the Hegigio gorge, a fault 420m long and400m deep.

Structural accessoriesOn the Sioule Viaduct in France, Freyssinet in-stalled two rows of expansion joints, and fittedthe safety barriers on the structure with eightTranspec paraseismic devices. In Kosovo,Freyssinet was given the job of building theKacanik bridge, and supplied and fitted thestructure with five Transpec SHA paraseismicdevices. In the Balearics, Freyssinet’s Spanishsubsidiary supplied 54m of expansion joints forthe Ferrerias bridge. In Poland, 112 Tetron pot bearings were instal-

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:42 Page 13

Page 13: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

casting of the segments for a 365m bridgeculminating at over 100m above the MexicoCity-Tuxpan motorway, near Texcapa.

PrefabricationAt the port of Pusan (South Korea), where anew quay is to be installed in an area batteredby the swell, the port authorities have decidedto build a protective structure from prefabrica-ted concrete elements. Freyssinet Korea, whichis responsible for producing them, has manu-factured 800 slabs, 100 prestressed concretecaissons and 500 vertical panels, using a totalof 15,000m3 of high-performance concrete.

led on a steel structure in Wroclaw. 140 similardevices were installed in Asia on the ShenzhenWestern Corridor viaduct. In Australia, 18m ofexpansion joints were fitted on a new viaductacross the Murray River between the towns ofRobinvale and Euston (Victoria).

Construction methodsIn France, after the takeover of JMB Méthodesand its patents, in May 2005 Freyssinet wasable to complete a pedestrian crossing underthe railway at Villiers-sur-Marne using theAutofonçage® sinking system, and then inAugust the positioning of a 2,400t bridge inSaint-Chéron using the Autoripage® slidingtechnique. 35m long and with a 74.4 degreeskew, the bridge was prefabricated close to itsfinal location, and then slid over the ground ona lubricant bed using cables and three 1,000tjacks in just three hours. In Morocco, on the Casablanca-El Jadidamotorway route, Freyssinet supplied two mobi-le formwork travellers for the cantileverconstruction of twin bridges over the Oum er-Rebia. In Hong Kong, having completed theinstallation of the 113 spans of the Deep Bayviaduct using two trusses, between March andJune Freyssinet carried out the lifting of the rearspans (2,000t) of the Western ShenzhenCorridor bridge. In South Korea, FreyssinetKorea took charge of the construction of thespans of the Hwaebuk 1 and 2 motorwaybridges between Chungwon-gun andChungcheongbuk-do. The two parallel decks520 and 300m long were cast in situ using aMSS (movable scaffolding system). Finally, in Mexico, the Group designed andsupplied a mobile formwork traveller for the

1 Kacanik Bridge,

Kosovo

2 Deep Bay Viaduct,

Hong Kong

3 Oum er-Rebia

bridge, Morocco

4 Positioning of

the Saint-Chéron

bridge using

the Autoripage®

sliding method

13

2 31

4

RA05_anglais 13/06/06 10:43 Page 14

Page 14: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 Application of

cathodic protection

to the Custom House

Docks Development

in Ireland

2 Strengthening of

the car park of

the Atlantic building

using shotcrete,

France

3 Complete

rehabilitation of

the Bono bridge,

France

Structures

14

fibre fabric (TFC); the work was successfullycompleted without interruption to the operationof the site. Near the town of Hai Van in Vietnam,during the financial year Freyssinet worked aspart of a consortium to continue with and deli-ver part of the four tunnels that carry the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City railway over the Hai Van Pass.The work was carried out from a work train andconsisted of renovating and securing theconcrete on the walls. Finally, across theAtlantic, American subsidiary Freyssinet LLCstrengthened a pipeline in Phoenix, Arizona.

RehabilitationIn the Morbihan region of France, Freyssinet’srehabilitation know-how was demonstratedthrough the complete reconstruction of theBono bridge, a suspended structure built in1840. In January 2005 in the Poitou-Charentesregion, the company completed the generalreplacement of the retaining cable anchors onthe deck of the Martrou transporter bridge,which has been classed as a historical monu-ment since 1976. In the Pyrenees, thePescadère bridge, a 24m structure built overthe Gave in 1934, was strengthened using rein-forced concrete, and its six bearings werereplaced. In the Corrèze region, under the A89motorway, Freyssinet repaired a culvert 190mlong, 3m wide and 4.10m high, by groutingsome 360m of cracks. In Romania, Freyssinet carried out work on theTomsani bridge (55m) and the Comanestibridge (112m), where similar operations tookplace: the installation of additional prestressingwith tendons and bars to establish the conti-nuity of the decks; changing and reducing thenumber of expansion joints and bearings; and

Repair and maintenance2 31

Repair and maintenanceA world-renowned specialist in the field of struc-tural repair, maintenance and strengthening, thisyear Freyssinet once again contributed to anumber of projects around the world.

StrengtheningIn France, on the construction site of the LGVEst high speed line, Freyssinet France workednear Courmont to repair a cut-and-cover tunnelby applying shotcrete to a 5,500m2 area. NearParis, Freyssinet teams contributed to thestrengthening of two car parks, one in Nanterre,which was not yet in operation, with the appli-cation of 500m2 of carbon fibre fabric (TFC) onthe cover slab, and the other in Clamart, withshotcrete. Also in mainland France, in Voreppethe group strengthened a grain storage siloaround twenty metres tall. Each of its 12 cellswas strengthened with shotcrete (2,900m2)before a protective coating was applied. In the United Kingdom three of the group’s sub-sidiaries, Freyssinet Ltd, Freyssinet France andCCSL, combined their expertise in August torestore the 2 km South Hook Jetty, Wales (seebox p.15). In Ireland, CCSL applied cathodicprotection to the concrete reinforcements forthe Custom House Docks Development, thebody responsible for the development of theinternational financial services centre at the portof Dublin. For its part, Hungarian subsidiaryPannon Freyssinet was involved on the site of awater treatment plant for the installation of 9t ofadditional prestressing to strengthen two diges-ters 17m high and 18m in diameter. In NorthAfrica, Freyssinet strengthened the Jbel Oustcement works by applying 350m2 of carbon

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Page 15: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

Marne) where Freyssinet strengthened thetreatment tanks with shotcrete before applyinga fibreglass reinforced acid-proof epoxy coa-ting, and treated 1,500m2 of supply pipes bywet coating.

Replacementof structural fittingsThe financial year was marked in this field bythe Saint-Cloud viaduct project, near Paris,which saw the fitting of 76m of expansionjoints on the abutments and on the centralcantilevered section. In the Midi-Pyrénéesregion Freyssinet replaced the 12 bearings ona bridge over the Lot.In the north of France, the company replacedrails on the 317 and 318 overpasses on theRN30 road, which crosses the A2 motorwaynear the locality of La Sentinelle. In easternScotland in August, Freyssinet Ltd startedwork on the replacement of the bearings ona 2.25km bridge between Newport-on-Tayand Dundee.

the application of shotcrete to strengthen thestructures and bring them into compliance withstandards.

WatertightnessThe Group is a major player in water enginee-ring and holds several qualifications, such asthe Aquaplus label (which certifies the «environ-mental accountability of the water industry»),awarded to Freyssinet France, and once againthis year it was involved in the strengtheningand sealing of a number of structures.In February 2005, almost 900m of cracks werebridged on the open-air reservoir in Dupail(Bouches-du-Rhône), a structure 30m in dia-meter and 6m deep. In July, Freyssinet’s teamsundertook the complete rehabilitation (levellingof the concrete, application of a PVC sealantand repointing of brickwork) of the 100m long,18m high Muratte dam (Puy-de-Dôme). At thesame time, the Group was using shotcrete andthe application of a waterproof coating over1,250m2 to strengthen the Chocques watertower (Pas-de-Calais), which is 34m high.Some of the latest projects include the Saint-Thibault-les-Vignes purification plant (Seine-et-

1 Application of

watertightness at

the Saint-Thibault-

les-Vignes water

treatment plant,

France

2 Rehabilitation

of the Muratte dam,

France

3 Pipeline

strengthening

in Arizona,

United States

15

2 31

Threefold mission in the UKIn Milford Haven, Wales (United Kingdom), Freyssinet Ltd, Freyssinet France and CCSL pooled their expertise

to restore South Hook Jetty, where a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is to be built. The 30-year-old, 2,000m

jetty was partly corroded and required considerable repair. Supervised by Freyssinet Ltd, the work, which

began in August 2005 and lasted for 18 months, consisted of Freyssinet France repairing and strengthening

the damaged structures with shotcrete, and CCSL treating the reinforcements with cathodic protection.

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Page 16: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

Soils| During the 2005 financial year, Reinforced Earth business was

steady and particularly marked by the revival of retaining wall work

in Germany, the completion of a record-breaking project in

Swaziland and the development by SoilTech of the Omega synthe-

tic connection system for connecting facing and reinforcement

strips. In terms of soil improvement, Ménard Soltraitement signed

significant contracts on all five continents, particularly in South

Korea, Vietnam and Australia.

36%of turnover

16 21

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Page 17: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 Reinforced Earth

slip roads on the

Sheikh Zayed bridge,

Abu Dhabi

2 Dynamic

replacement near

Warsaw, Poland

3 Construction

of TerraTrel abutments

in Eisenhüttenstadt,

Germany

4 Mbabane

by-pass project,

Swaziland

5 Le Savoy retaining

wall, with Omega

synthetic connections,

France

17

Reinforced EarthRetaining wallsIn Eisenhüttenstadt, the German subsidiary ofReinforced Earth, Bewehrte Erde, designedseveral TerraTrel welded mesh bridge abut-ments, some permanent and some temporary,for the construction or reconstruction of civilengineering structures. In total, 1,320m2 of walls,the highest of which measure 8.5m, were erec-ted in just 20 days. In France, the outstandingevent remains the completion of the A51motorway (Grenoble-Sisteron) in May 2005,and the construction of 30,000m2 of TerraClassretaining walls on the mountainside, for whichTerre Armée designed and supplied the mate-rials. As part of the same project, the compa-ny was involved in the construction of the LeSavoy roundabout, for which it supplied itsOmega system, which comprises an innovati-ve synthetic connection that makesReinforced Earth structures invulnerable tocorrosion.On Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spanish sub-sidiary Tierra Armada SA designed two 5,580m2

and 1,312m2 architectural tiered retaining wallsfor the Tf-142 coast road between El Guinchoand Icod. In northern Portugal, the constructionof a 300m long, 27m high (6,000m2) tieredretaining wall as part of the IP3 motorway pro-ject is of note. In Rome, the «grande raccordoanulare», (ring road), was enhanced in 2005with a number of TerraTrel retaining walls up to350m in length and 14 m high. Further south inCaserta, near Naples, Terra Armata was invol-ved in the construction of 11,000m2 of retainingwalls using TerraClass facing and green walls tostrengthen a railway embankment. In North Africa, Terre Armée SNC won its first

contract in Morocco and designed two sliproad retaining walls made up of Freyssisolfacing (3,000m2) between the town and port ofTangiers. In the heart of Swaziland in southernAfrica, subsidiary Reinforced Earth designedand is supplying the materials for 36,000m2 ofReinforced Earth structures in Mbabane. In theemirate of Abu Dhabi, Reinforced Earth hascompleted its collaboration on the building of atiered wall 6,400m long and 12m tall at its highestpoint (32,000m2) as part of the construction ofthe Sheikh Zayed bridge. Moving to Asia, in Japan, several remarkablestructures have been completed by licensees,such as the 4,600m2-wall supporting the Ehimeprefectural road (Shikoku Island), with almostseven terraces approximately 9m high.Also in Japan, the construction of a 3,900m2

retaining wall on the railway line between Tokaiand Hokuriku in Gihu province is worthy ofnote. In Malaysia, group subsidiary ReinforcedEarth Management Services Sdn Bhd designedand supplied all of the materials for theconstruction of 60 retaining walls and bridgeabutments, a total of 45,000m2, as part of theGerbang Selatan Bersepadu project in Johor. In the United States, Reinforced Earth took partin the construction of a 2,300m long slip road

36.000m2

of retaining wallsIn Swaziland, Africa, Reinforced Earth is currently building

36,000m2 of retaining walls on the Mbabane by-pass. The

project constitutes a record for the South African subsidiary

and will be completed in 2007.

4 53

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Page 18: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 Slip road wall on

the Seminole bridge

in Florida,

United States

2 Structure combining

TechSpan arches

and spandrel walls

on the Princes Highway

at North Kiama,

Australia

3 Reinforced Earth

retaining wall on

the A51 motorway,

France

Soils

retaining wall culminating at a height of 7.3m(7,434m2) made up of facing decorated withpatterns illustrating aquatic life in CorpusChristi, Texas. In Denver, Colorado, the compa-ny continued with its collaboration on T-Rex(the Transportation Expansion Project), forwhich it has designed and supplied 105,311m2

of TerraPlus facings for a number of road andrail structures. In Castle Rock, a slip road retai-ning wall designed by Reinforced Earth hasbeen built. To blend the structure into the sur-rounding rocky landscape, the company repro-duced the pattern chosen for the facing panelsin six different variations, arranged randomly.Finally, the completion of the slip road wall for apedestrian bridge in Seminole county, Florida,must be noted. In Chile, Reinforced Earth technology was cho-sen for two major structures. The first, built forthe El Teniente mine in Caletones, is a 1,935m2

dump wall 6m in height. It is made up of spe-cial 20cm thick panels that can withstandtemperatures of 900°C. The second projectrelates to the construction of a 6,035m2, 9mhigh Reinforced Earth wall for the Nueva Aldeacellulose plant in Chillán.

Precast archesAt the end of the financial year, French entityTerre Armée SNC, in conjunction with itsSpanish sister company Tierra Armada SA,won its first contract for the construction in2006 of two TechSpan arches on the A89motorway near Brive. This project marks therevival of this activity in mainland France. 150km outside Doha in Qatar, on the UmmBab-Salwa road, Reinforced Earth carried outits third TechSpan precast arch project, usingelements 34m long with a 13m opening.

18

21

3

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Page 19: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 TechSpan arches

on the Umm

Bab-Salwa road,

Qatar

2 Wall strengthening

by Jet Grouting

in Quimperlé

France

3 Installation of

the anchors on

the Hegigio Bridge,

Papua New Guinea

Finally, in Australia the middle of the year sawthe completion of a 64m curved TechSpan pre-cast arch and a slip road retaining wall (2,400m2)with TerraClass facing on the Princes Highwayat North Kiama (New South Wales).

Foundations and groutingIn France, the teams at Ménard Soltraitementinstalled 680 Jet Grouting columns and usedsome one hundred nails to strengthen a wallrunning along the Isole river in the old town ofQuimperlé. An identical technique was used tostrengthen the foundations of Saumur castle,where the backfill had partly collapsed. Finally,in Biarritz Ménard Soltraitement built a com-posite retaining wall 90m long and 8m deep,combining Jet Grouting and piles to streng-then the foundations of buildings dating fromthe 1850s.In Australia, Austress Menard was awarded acontract for the strengthening of a retainingwall running alongside a runway at Sydneyairport reclaimed from the sea with the instal-lation of 2,815 Jet Grouting columns. In Eildon,Victoria, Austress Menard called in threedrilling machines to install 257 vertical anchorsto strengthen a dam. In Papua New Guinea,it installed the anchors for the Hegigio sus-pended bridge.

Soil treatmentSoil improvementwithout additional material2005 was marked by the resumption of dyna-mic compaction in France, with three simulta-neous projects. The first was in Arbresle(Rhône) to consolidate a piece of land destinedto hold a supermarket, the second in Garchizy

(Nièvre) for a logistics unit, and the third inChampagné (Sarthe), for a storage warehouse.In Constanta, Romania, the company spentfour months treating a 65,000m2 platform ofcompressible loess on which a shopping centrewill be built. In Spain, the technique was imple-mented twice by the Madrid-based subsidiary,in the Madrid suburbs for the consolidation of25,000m2 as part of the new light rail systemproject, and in Pau Arroyo del Fresno, to treatthe base for the roads for a residential project.

19

2

3

1

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Page 20: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 In Spain, Ménard

Soltraitement installed

CMCs on a section

of the high speed

railway line near

Barcelona

2 Soil consolidation

by dynamic compacting

in Desa Park, Malaysia

3 Installation of CMCs

in Bremen, Germany

Soils

20

21

3

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Page 21: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

1 Soil consolidation

by installation of

controlled modulus

columns in Calarasi,

Romania

2 Soil improvement

using the Menard

Vacuum process,

Ca Mau, Vietnam

a logistic platform. Then, over 10,000 CMCswere installed to strengthen compressible soilunderneath the biggest logistics platform(40,000m2) in Hamburg.In Calarasi, Romania, in order to improve thesoil stability under the new Saint-Gobain flatglass plant Ménard Soltraitement installed anetwork of 3,900 CMCs combined with a 60cmthick sand-gravel mixture distribution cushion.In France, 1,700 CMCs (10,000m) were instal-led to strengthen the soil at the new watertreatment plant for the urban community of Brive.

21

21

Business in Asia was particularly good in thefield of soil improvement in 2005. In Lindong,China, South Korean subsidiary Sangjee-Menard supervised the dynamic compactionconsolidation work on an area destined to takeeight large tanks for a new flavourings factory.The company also carried out soil improvementin South Korea, at the port of Kwang Yang (seebox below).Ménard Soltraitement used the same processMenard Vacuum in Ca Mau in the south ofVietnam, to consolidate the first section of a90,000 m2 marshy area on which a combined-cycle electric power station is to be built. Finally,near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, a soil improve-ment project using dynamic compaction andballasted columns was carried out in Desa Parkfor a vast building complex. In the Americas, worthy of note is the Minatitlánsite near Veracruz (Mexico), where MénardSoltraitement used dynamic compaction for theanti-liquefaction treatment of a 23,000m2 plat-form within the Lazaro Cardenas refinery. Furthersouth in Trinidad and Tobago, the company car-ried out the anti-liquefaction treatment of a25,000m2 plot of land to take buildings as part ofthe Port of Spain, International Waterfront project.

Soil improvementwith additional materialIn Europe, Ménard Soltraitement’s businesscontinued to grow. Two controlled moduluscolumn (CMC) projects were completed in Spain,with 12,000m in Barcelona to consolidate partof the high speed train line, and 25,000m inCartagena to strengthen the foundations of aliquefied natural gas storage tank.In Germany, the financial year first saw thecompletion of two large projects in Bremen for

350.000m2

of consolidated landLand has been reclaimed from the sea at the port of

Kwang Yang, South Korea. In 2005 Ménard Soltraitement

handed over a 295,000m2 platform consolidated using the

Menard Vacuum process (atmospheric consolidation)

before starting work on a new 55,000m2 section.

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Page 22: Freyssinet - 2005 annual report

22

In Mondragon, in the Vaucluse region, MénardSoltraitement used its new, more powerfuland more efficient stone column machine toconsolidate a 5,700m2 platform for an industrialcompost production site at a record rate. Thenew crane was then used alongside twoconventional machines in Beaune, allowing forthe installation of 3,000 stone columns in just

15.000m2

of ballasted blocksNear Warsaw, Poland, Ménard Soltraitement, in conjunction

with Freyssinet Polska, carried out soil inprovement using

15,000m2 of dynamic replacement on marshy land on

which the backfill for a future motorway is to be placed.

five weeks for the construction of a 55,000m2

logistics platform.Near Warsaw in Poland, Ménard Soltraitementworked with Freyssinet Polska to install 15,000m2

of dynamic replacement along the Vistule riverto consolidate the base for a road to be builtover 5.5m of backfill (see box below).At the beginning of the year in Ras Laffan,Qatar, VINCI Construction Grands Projets han-ded over the consolidation of the foundations ofa 76m diameter liquefied natural gas storagetank to Ménard Soltraitement. Following thisproject, for which a solution combining dynamicreplacement and rammed earth was implemented,the company was entrusted with the soilconsolidation using dynamic replacement for40 storage tanks at four purification plants aspart of the Qatar Gas II project.In North America, the year saw a wealth ofachievements for Ménard Soltraitement subsi-diary DGI-Menard. In June, the subsidiary ins-talled 135 controlled modulus columns in sixdays to strengthen the soil at a new service sta-tion in Monongahela, Pennsylvania (USA). InAugust it installed 350 CMCs to improve thesoil for a building complex on KenilworthAvenue in Washington DC. Finally, DGI-Menardconsolidated the soil for a future tool warehousein Quebec, installing 1,600 CMCs in just threeweeks - a fantastic performance on its firstCanadian project.

1 Installation of CMCs

on the Mondragon site,

France

2 Installation of CMCs

in Pennsylvania,

United States

Soils

21

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1 bis, rue du Petit-Clamart 78140 Vélizy-Villacoublay FrancePh. : (+33) 1 46 01 84 84 Fax : (+33) 1 46 01 85 85

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