Etex launches Cedral Terrace,
a new application for fibre cement boards for beautiful, durable and easy to install and maintain terrace planks. With this innovation Etex carves out its own niche on the European terrace plank market.
Annual report 2019
With a strong performance on our three strategic priorities, 2019 was a remarkable year: outstanding financial results, increased unity, alignment and focus, and engaging initiatives to boost individual as well as collective achievement of our teams. Inspiring ways of living through lightweight solutions with an agile approach and a united team is our way forward.
“In 2019, we have delivered on all of our strategic priorities"
Through relentless strategic execution and group-wide commitment to our three-pillar agenda, Etex made significant strides forward in 2019 toward its ambition: to establish ourselves as a lightweight construction specialist in order to meet global challenges and be a key player in the transformation of the construction industry.
Advancing on our three pillar agenda
The future success of our company hinges on three priorities: profitable growth, operational performance and engaged people. All of our concrete strategic initiatives and decisions are both driven and enabled by this three-pillar agenda, which requires the dedication of every single Etex colleague around the world.
We recorded remarkable financial results in 2019 as a group, with mixed divisional results adding up to record top-line growth.
Increasing unity, alignment, agility and focus created the path to launch New Ways, our newest division which embodies our ambition to lead in dry and modular construction. Our One Etex movement recorded several milestones and we kept giving highest priority to safety and to building a sustainable, socially responsible organisation.
We introduced the Etex Awards with three levels of recognition for outstanding performance of individuals and of teams. Acting on our sense of purpose we built a partnership with a housing initiative in Latin America and we organized the second edition of our Etex Explorer programme to shape and develop emerging talent.
Building performance
Led by Neil Ash since January 2020, Building Performance is Etex’s largest division. France, Germany and the UK are its largest markets, and it continues to pioneer dry construction in Latin America. We asked Neil to share his insights on the division’s performance in 2019 and his vision of the future.
“We promised an outstanding performance in 2019, and we delivered.”
Exteriors
Created on 1 January 2019, the Exteriors division is led by Michael Fenlon and is active on a global scale. This division combines the fibre cement exteriors activities of the former Roofing and Facade divisions, in line with Etex’s focussed strategic plan. Michael tells us more about the division’s challenging debut year.
“We’re looking at a challenging present, but a very promising future.”
Residential Roofing
The Residential Roofing division was defined on 1 January 2019 and gathers the group’s clay and concrete tile roofing activities (as well as components and accessories). In 2019 it focussed on its performance while delivering on the divestment strategy in place to enable the smoothest, most streamlined transition possible. Paul Van Oyen, CEO of Etex and Interim Head of the Residential Roofing division until October 2019, tells us more about the past, present and future of the business.
“We made targeted divestments and focussed on commercial and operational performance.”
Industry
Since 2016, the Industry division has pioneered in the domains of structural fire protection and high performance insulation in thermal process industries, construction, transportation, energy and beyond. Head of Division Steven Heytens describes the 2019 performance of this globally active division, highlighting its robust progress along its sustainable growth trajectory.
"Sales and profitability kept rising in 2019 - we’re right on track.”
New ways
Launched at the beginning of 2020, New Ways is the fifth division of Etex. It embodies our ambition to be a key player in the transformation of the construction industry. We believe that the emerging market for offsite lightweight and modular building solutions can fulfil many global needs. Specialised in these technologies, New Ways will bring high-quality, beautiful and affordable living spaces to people around the world. We invited the Head of New Ways, Cristian Montes, to tell us more about the mindset, mission and objectives of the division.
“Our mandate is to build this new business with a pioneering mindset, as it is something different, challenging and new.”
Building Performance
A Chilean housing developer building high-quality homes for low-income familieswith hi-tech Etex lightweight solutions.
A Chilean housing developer building high-quality homes for low-income familieswith hi-tech Etex lightweight solutions.
Exteriors
Two British architects on building the Bristol Business School, inspired by the right cladding solution.
Two British architects on building the Bristol Business School, inspired by the right cladding solution.
Residential Roofing
A CEO from an expanding German construction firm on a fruitful collaboration with the Etex roofing solutions team.
A CEO from an expanding German construction firm on a fruitful collaboration with the Etex roofing solutions team.
Industry
A Dutch engineer developing extremely reliable car brakes with Etex insulation technology.
A Dutch engineer developing extremely reliable car brakes with Etex insulation technology.
Key Events 2019
February
Cedral Terrace
March
Techo
April
World Safety Day
April
The Etex Way
July
Etex Awards
August
Umbelino Monteiro
August
Marley Ltd
September
Innovation Days
October
Dangote Group
November
Tecverde Engenharia
December
Louise Cail, Didier Staquet and Neil Ash
January 2020
New Ways
Etex partners with Techo, an international NGO, to help local communities build homes for vulnerable families. Sixteen volunteers from all over the world help construct several houses near Lima, Peru, contributing to our first global corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
On the occasion of the World Safety Day 2019, Etex takes its safety insights beyond factory walls. Facilities worldwide invite family members, partners, installers and dealers to participate in local activities around safety.
Etex publishes its new code of conduct, The Etex Way, with the goal of developing and maintaining a strong safety, ethics and compliance culture. The Etex Way provides guidance in identifying risky situations and key recommendations on how to deal with them.
Etex launches the Etex Awards, a global reward and recognition programme promoting ownership of line management to stimulate our culture of people management and feedback. Etex employees, managers and Executive Committee members can nominate their colleagues and teams.
Etex sells Umbelino Monteiro, its clay tile business in Portugal, to roofing specialist Edilians as part of its strategy to focus on its lightweight construction core business areas in the context of the ongoing residential roofing market consolidation across Europe.
Etex announces the sale of Marley Ltd, our subsidiary and the leading UK manufacturer and supplier of roofing tiles and components, to Inflexion. This transaction is fully in line with the strategy of Etex focused on lightweight construction and enables us to concentrate on our core businesses: plasterboards, fibre cement and passive fire protection solutions.
80 customers from 9 countries gather in our Innovation & Technology Centre in Avignon, France, for the Innovation Days, an international, cross-border discussion about innovation.
Thanks to a strong focus on sales excellence, Etex signs an agreement with the Dangote Group refinery in Nigeria. As part of this strategic initiative, the Industry division will supply Promat Fendolite fire protection and thermal insulation solutions.
E2E, the Chile-based joint venture founded by Etex and Arauco, signs a share purchase agreement to acquire a majority stake in Tecverde Engenharia, building company specialised in woodframe construction systems.
Three members of the Executive Committee are leaving the company: Joëlle Boxus, Chief Human Resources Officer, Alexander Carnevale, Chief Performance Officer, and Per-Olof Algotsson, Head of Building Performance. Their successors are respectively Louise Cail, Didier Staquet and Neil Ash. All three of them are former Etex executives.
To respond to global macro trends like rapid urbanisation, shortage of skilled labour and large housing deficits, Etex creates a new division dedicated to new ways of construction and specialised in modular construction. New Ways will shape the building industry of tomorrow by further developing new construction methods.
