A sustainable construction giant with a strong presence in the country invests US$815 million in its regional expansion

The French multinational Saint-Gobaindedicated to sustainable construction with a strong presence in Argentinacompleted the purchase of a construction chemicals company in Mexico that consolidates its expansion in Latin America.

Saint-Gobain paid US$815 million throughout an acquisition process that began in August 2024 and that could only now be definitively closed, after having achieved approval from the Mexican antitrust authorities.

The operation was decided last year after the acquisitions that the French company made with the French chemical firms Chryso and GCP (with operations in North America). It also added Fosroc in the emerging markets of Asia and the Middle East.

Through this agreement, the French multinational detailed that expects to generate additional income of US$285 millionprojecting an average annual growth of 20% in the next five years.

After this acquisition “the total turnover in this sector will reach 6.5 billion euros in 79 countries”, as specified by the company on the occasion of announcing the operation.

The Ovniver group operates in the construction chemicals sector in Mexico and Central America. It has 16 manufacturing plants and around 1,000 employees. It develops innovative solutions for residential and non-residential construction markets, including façade coatings, tile adhesives, waterproofing and surface preparation mortars.

With this acquisition Saint-Gobain seeks to position itself in the construction chemical products market and intensify its industrial, logistical and commercial presence in the region, reinforcing its Latin American leadership, as well as complementing in Mexico and Central America the wide range of products, solutions and systems that the Group makes available to its clients.

“Ovniver’s prestigious brands, as well as its outstanding commercial and specification team, also constitute very valuable assets “which will accelerate the growth of Saint-Gobain, and more broadly the adoption by the Mexican and Latin American markets of the light and sustainable construction solutions promoted by the Group within the framework of its Grow & Impact strategy,” highlighted the French group in a release.

“The perfect alignment between Ovniver and the Saint-Gobain Group in terms of principles, values, management model and growth strategyas well as the firm commitment of both to decarbonization and the social responsibility of the company, predict a fluid, harmonious integration process that generates extremely relevant synergies,” he added.

Initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality goals in 2050

Saint-Goban account more than 160,000 employees, distributed in 79 countries. In Latin America, Argentina is among the five main markets. It has been present here since 1938 and It has 1,200 direct and indirect collaborators, 14 production plants, 3 distribution centers and an administrative office.

The company is committed to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050. In this framework, Saint-Gobain Argentina is a pioneer in the study and obtaining of its product life cycles (LCA) and environmental declarations (EPD), which are certified and verified by third parties under international regulations.

With these documents, all the impacts of your products are known from the origin to the end and allow us to take actions to reduce our footprint in the different stages of the cycle.

“The current context, marked by the energy crisisrequires us to take responsible measures and seek innovative responses that reduce energy consumption in the construction sector, which represents a significant percentage of total consumption of the country,” explained Mariano Bó, CEO of Saint-Gobain for Argentina, Chile and Peru.

And he added: “At Saint-Gobain Argentina, we are committed to passive construction (efficient thermally insulated envelopes) that seeks to reduce as much as possible the energy demand of a building in heating and cooling. Through optimized designs and the intelligent use of high-quality materials, we can create buildings that are not only comfortable and healthy for their inhabitants, but that also significantly reduce their environmental impact”.

Unlike traditional construction methods that use bricks and cement, without proper thermal insulation, The passive construction of lightweight systems focuses on the search for efficiency and sustainability. Over the past two years, the group has intensified its efforts to promote sustainability and energy efficiency in construction.