Purple is the
new green!
Chairman's message,
Frédéric Sanchez
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the vital need for a strong industry worldwide. It goes hand in hand with a real realization of the need for the world’s biggest regions to bring their key industries back home to ensure their independence and strengthen their industrial and technical sovereignty, while striving to address the challenges of decarbonization. Industry has been long maligned but is now at the center of climate and energy transition issues.
Fives’ history is a reminder of how industry has developed over the years around innovations that have changed the world. How amazing is it that we designed and manufactured the first steam engines and the Eiffel Tower’s elevators in the 19th century and are now involved in the United States’ space exploration adventures thanks to our solutions and expertise? Fives, with its women and men, has set itself the ambition to imagine, before anyone else, the challenges we will have to overcome.
« As a pioneer in decarbonizing industry, the Group now has a clear technical edge when it comes to the energy transition »Twenty years ago, we took a bold and visionary gamble on the industry of the future. An industry that may or may not be digital and low-carbon. We also prioritized research and development programs aiming to reduce our technical solutions’ environmental impact. This long-standing leadership now means we are a key partner for the major transformations in the mobility sector, with electric vehicles, and the green hydrogen sector, which is the ultimate low-carbon energy source.
While the race to achieve short-term productivity with little regard for its environmental impacts is still guiding some actors, it is not the winning strategy for the long-term. It is time for a major transformation of our production methods. We have no choice; it is a matter of survival. There will be no industry in the future if it does not decarbonize. It is far from being a simple sectoral evolution, the future of our planet depends on it. As a pioneer in decarbonizing industry for over 15 years, the Group now has a clear technical edge when it comes to the energy transition, which it makes available to customers worldwide who are seeking to reduce their environmental impact.
« As the leader of sustainable industrial progress, the Group’s strength primarily lies in the many talented people who innovate every day to build the industry of the future »As the leader of sustainable industrial progress, the Group’s strength primarily lies in the many talented people who innovate every day to build the industry of the future. Without this pioneering spirit, without everyone’s commitment, without the solidarity and resilience, without the various subsidiaries working together, we would not be able to seize the opportunities generated by the strong economic recovery or handle the strong rebound in our orders. Fives’ employees are what make the Group successful.
There is no shortage of challenges to remain at the forefront of the industry of the future. We must continue to innovate to reduce industry's carbon emissions and ensure its digital transformation, and also attract and retain talent - those are our core challenges. With the increasing awareness of the need to fight climate change, companies have decided to massively invest in reducing their carbon footprint. It is an opportunity but also a huge responsibility for Fives, which now more than ever must use its leadership to take on one of the biggest social challenges of our century. Let us continue to pursue our ambition “faire aimer l’industrie” to encourage as many people as possible to join the wonderful adventure that Fives has been on for 200 years.