GTM
Created in 1891
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The Genissiat dam
The birth of a leader
Grands Travaux de Marseille (GTM) was created in Marseille in 1891 by local businessmen to equip the city with a modern sewage system. The work was carried out by Charles Rebuffel, who turned GTM into a leader in French civil engineering. Until 1914, the company recorded steady growth, driven by diversification into new technologies (electrical works, harbour construction and underground structures) and by foreign markets. The war weakened GTM's position and forced it to refocus on industrial construction and electrical works. Efforts to redeploy continued throughout the roaring twenties. During that period, GTM was very successful in the French colonies. Thanks to its presence abroad, the company was less affected by World War II. During the war, it built several electrical facilities (e.g. the GĂ©nissiat dam) and carried out projects for the occupation forces.
The post-war boom
The first sites of the post-war reconstruction period allowed GTM to recover quickly. But the group was confronted with the challenge of decolonisation. To sustain growth, GTM relied on its ability to innovate, as reflected in the Havana tunnels and the Savines bridge. As of 1957, under the chairmanship of René Gonon, the company won several contracts in Africa, and notably took part in saving the Abu Simbel temple, in work on the Nile river, and in projects in North and South America and the Middle East. GTM diversified into offshore oil structures, nuclear power plants, and concessions, through parking lots and Cofiroute. GTM succeeded in keeping its historical businesses, while adding new ones.
The age of alliances
In 1982, GTM merged with Entrepose, a company created in 1935 by metallurgist groups, with which GTM had a long-standing partnership. Entrepose contributed complementary businesses and markets, like underground pipe systems and drilling and sounding activities. Entrepose enabled GTM to expand in the Middle East and Latin America. Yet when orderbooks from emerging countries began to shrink, GTM-Entrepose was forced to retrench to European markets. Fortunately, the French market offered many opportunities. GTM-Entrepose was general contractor for the Georges Pompidou Centre and the La Villette science park. In 1987, Dumez acquired an interest in GTM-Entrepose. As of 1994, Dumez and GTM-Entrepose began considering a merger of their construction and civil engineering activities. The merger became effective two years later. The new entity, called Groupe GTM, became part of the VINCI group in 2001.