From March 15 to 17, Benoit BAZIN, CEO of Saint-Gobain Group, SREEDHAR N., CFO of Saint-Gobain Group and Antoine VIGNIAL, Secretary General and General Counsel of Saint-Gobain Group, jointly visited China. This has also been the first time for members of Group executive committee to visit China since 2019.
Accompanied by Ludovic WEBER, CEO of APAC Region, Benoit BAZIN and his team visited plants and labs, interacted with local managers, and met with government officials and media, making the journey fruitful and down-to-earth.
Plant and Lab Tour
Benoit and his team went to Saint-Gobain Sekurit plant in Minhang District as the first stop after arriving in Shanghai, accompanied by Eloi GUENET, General Manager of Sekurit Asia, and relevant colleagues. During the visit, they walked into the production workshop, listened to the story of the production line (from construction to operation), process requirements of production and current environment and prospect of the highly competitive new energy vehicle industry. The roaring machines and busy workflow in the workshop illustrated the dynamic of Sekurit business in Chinese market.
The second plant visited was Saint-Gobain's construction materials production site in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, which was officially opened in May 2021 to produce a new type of construction gypsum powder made from desulfurized gypsum. The Phase II project of the site was kicked off in early 2023. Paul Sheng, CEO of Saint-Gobain China, and representatives of the management team accompanied Benoit and his team to visit the Phase II project and the Phase I plant, as well as introduced the investment layout and development plan of construction materials business in China. Benoit fully recognized the importance of China business in the Group's global strategy, and he is optimistic about the prospects of construction materials business in Chinese market.
In addition to the production lines, Benoit's team also had a tour around the labs at Saint-Gobain Research & Development Shanghai. As one of the eight R&D centers of the Group, it provides innovation support for the whole Asia-Pacific region. Alain ZANOLI, Vice President of Innovation APAC, accompanied Benoit and his team to visit the labs of each business and invited scientists to give detailed explanations and demonstrations.
Business Reviews and Talks
During the three-day visit, Benoit and his team joined a series of business review meetings: one-on-one business presentations and exchanges with each business team leader to better understand the status and development potential of business operations in China. The heads of key functions in the Regional Office also had a brief talk with Benoit.
Representatives from APAC Women Empowerment (WE) organization also talked with Benoit about building a culture of diversity and inclusion in Asia-Pacific region and introduced the online forums and other activities that APAC WE have organized since its establishment in 2022.
Benoit also spent an hour to present the Group's strategic priorities and development tasks to nearly 100 senior managers in China, encouraging them to stay confident and focused to achieve even better results in 2023.
Government and Media Networking
Meeting and communicating with government officials and media was also one of the key tasks of Benoit and his team's visit to China. Saint-Gobain's prosperous development in China cannot be achieved without the full support of local government. A healthy and favorable business environment is also essential for Saint-Gobain to firmly invest in Chinese market.
In Yangzhou, Benoit and his team met with the Secretary of Yangzhou Municipal Party Committee and government officials of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone to discuss the layout plan of Saint-Gobain's construction materials business in Yangzhou and the radiation effect to the surrounding cities. The Group's roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 also guides the carbon reduction initiatives in the production operations of Yangzhou plant. Saint-Gobain is investing in Yangzhou with a socially responsible attitude and will achieve a win-win outcome for both the government and the company.
The media has always been an important voice channel for Saint-Gobain to expand its influence and establish a positive brand image in China. In an interview with Xinhua News Agency and International Channel Shanghai (ICS), Benoit clearly affirmed the Group's solid confidence and high hopes for the Chinese market, considering it an indispensable "piece of the puzzle" in the Group's strategic plan. Saint-Gobain has been expanding its business since entering the Chinese market, and its steady development fully testifies the importance and potential of the market. He said he will visit more cities and factories in China on a regular basis.
