A century of piling for Cementation Skanska

The Francois Cementation Company was founded in 1910 to commercialise a pioneering high-pressure grouting technique. The company quickly earned a reputation for innovation and its founder, Albert Francois, tendered for, secured and successfully completed a project to sink two shafts at Hatfield Colliery, using his cementation process. 

Hatfield colliery

The second shaft at Thorne Colliery, South Yorkshire, was completed in 1926, sixteen years after work had begun.

In the same year, the company won its first piling contract, and, over the next few years, a considerable investment was made in piling equipment, including the changeover from steam power to compressed air.

Early piling

The company continued to expand and, by the mid 20th century, in addition to piling, it had added diaphragm walls, deep shafts, and large-scale foundation systems. It became known not only for technical excellence but for its ability to take on the difficult jobs that required ingenuity, precision, and a deep understanding of the ground beneath our feet. 

Cementation joined the Skanska group in 2001, bringing together two organisations with shared values and a commitment to building for a better society. Today, Cementation Skanska delivers fully integrated foundation solutions, from digital design and steel fabrication to instrumentation and high capacity load testing.

Deon Louw, Cementation Skanska’s divisional director, said: “As we celebrate 100 years since that first piling project, we honour the generations of people who made this legacy possible.

“Their skill, resilience, and pride in their craft have shaped the company’s identity and contributed to buildings and infrastructure that millions rely on every day.

“They’ve built more than foundations, they’ve built the Cementation Skanska family that I am very proud to be part of.”

From energy infrastructure such as the award-winning South Clyde Energy Centre, major highways projects, A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme, to landmark buildings in the heart of London such as 2 Finsbury Avenue and 21 Moorfields, the company has become known for taking on tough challenges – the projects where the ground is unpredictable, the constraints are tight, and the stakes are high. As a result, Cementation Skanska now stands as a leader in sustainable, safe, and forward-thinking foundation engineering.