OUR HISTORY
Nearly 130 years of history
An independent, family-run group, born from a marble quarry
To us, the company is like a tree: drawing on its roots set in a generous soil, reaching the sky, and renewing itself each season.
Our tree, Groupe CB is a family business specializing in mineral processing. With over 120 years of experience as our roots and our generous land represented by the territories in which we are involved, the skills and competencies of our teams enable us to bring all this to fruition. We undertake and move forward with confidence and boldness.
For 5 generations.
The arrival of the 5Th generation of the founding family within the company is the best guarantee of continuity and consistency with our fundamentals. At the same time, it provides a new impetus in building the Groupe of tomorrow.
1896
Auguste POULAIN, a marble merchant, acquired a marble quarry in the Boulonnais region and then, in 1917, invested in a marble sawing unit and created the Marbres du Boulonnais company.
1927
International development
Construction of the first "ballastière" to process marble waste into calibrated stones. The marble business expands rapidly in France and abroad. Products from Le Boulonnais can be found in numerous prestigious buildings in Europe and the United States.
1945
When Auguste Poulain passed away, his sons Michel and Georges took over and decided to build an aggregates crushing plant, a decisive step in the development of the company's activities in the extraction, manufacture and sale of aggregates.
1974
Marble becomes Carrières du Boulonnais
Marbres du Boulonnais is renamed Carrières du Boulonnais. A second major turning point is marked by major investments: the Ferques quarry site is linked to the railway and a materials washing plant dedicated to products for the concrete industry is created.
1977
Daniel POULAIN succeeds his father Michel. In 1981, he took over the entire capital, partially sold some 60 years earlier.
1985-95
The birth of a group
1998
Franck and Gilles POULAIN, sons of Daniel and Béatrice, take over the management of the Group with the same entrepreneurial fervor. The Groupe CB continues to grow in ready-mix concrete and concrete blocks, and acquires multimodal logistics platforms in the Paris region. It is now setting its sights internationally with the marketing of its range of refractorymaterials, complemented by customer services.
2004
Construction of a new automated physical plant at the Ferques quarry to enhance the value and sustainability of the deposit, and meet customer demand.
2008
The Groupe CB is born
The Group is renamed Groupe CB.
It continues its external growth. Les Granulats du Groupe CB's business expands in the Rhône-Alpes region, and the TRB Refractories business is now present in over 30 countries on 5 continents.
2011
Strengthening of the Granulats du Groupe CB's business in the Paris region with the commissioning of the multimodal logistics platform at Limay (78).
2012-2014
The Napoléon project, carried out in Ferques, will recover a 25-million-ton deposit located beneath the office zone. The project is an opportunity to build new offices in Ferques and the Groupe CB head office in Leulinghen-Bernes.
The new multimodal logistics platform at Rieux (60) goes into operation.
2018
The 5th generation of the Poulain family joins the governance bodies.
TheGroupe CB's strong commitment to the future of young people is reflected in the organization of the 1st Journée de l'Alternance (work-study day).
2017-2018
The 120 CB Tour, a major anniversary tour of the Groupe CB's various sites, is being organized to celebrate 120 years of the Group, 120 opportunities to say "Thank You" to employees, customers, partners, local residents and elected representatives!
The internationally recognized TRB Réfractaires sector celebrates its 70th anniversary with numerous foreign clients (European, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese), staff from foreign subsidiaries, local elected officials, suppliers and local residents.
2019
Continued business development for the Groupe CB
Shipment of the 1st train to our new multimodal logistics platform in Emerainville (77). And commissioning of our new concrete plant in Rouen.
Creation of PRIMA, the Groupe CB's foundation, and its annual competition for architecture and design students.
2020
The Groupe CB on the road to decarbonization
New rail terminal at Les Granulats du Groupe CB, the T2020.
Creation of Volta Transport, a rail, river and road logistics optimizer specializing in all types of bulk goods and the creation of low-carbon concrete.
Creation of the Group's green division: CB Green, serving the circular economy and low-carbon solutions
2021
Deployment of theGroupe CB's CSR approach, with the signature of our CSR Policy.
2023
Groupe CB unveils its purpose: " To make everyday life easier for women and men, thanks to our teams, our products and our solutions".
CB Green ECOCEM joint venturea major step in the Group's commitment to help reduce the cement industry's carbon emissions by 2030.