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| Vinci 2011 Innovation Awards Competition - Prizes awarded to 17 in-house innovations Xavier Huillard, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of French construction group Vinci and chairman of the Final Jury for the 2011 Innovation Awards Competition, presented the 17 final prize-winners chosen from among the 1,717 projects submitted by 5,100 employees on 5 December at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. This year's Grand Prize was awarded to a Soletanche Bachy (Vinci Construction) laboratory team for its "polymer muds" used as drilling fluids, which offers reduced costs and environmental impact in foundation projects. A Sustainable Development Prize was awarded to the Aubagne Nymphea Environnement (Vinci Construction) team for its Notil, trawling for marine pollution innovation, a floating net that can be towed behind a boat to recover up to 10 tonnes of hydrocarbons after an oil spill. The jury also highlighted a project presented by a Sogea-Satom (Vinci Construction) team in Chad for its new "Sahel head and neck scarf", which won a Special Equipment Prize. This new-design headgear adapted to working conditions in sub-Saharan Africa is compatible with use of a hard hat and is produced by a local company employing women. Vinci has been organising the Innovation Awards Competition every two years since 1995. The competition invites the Group's 180,000 employees working in almost 100 countries to share their innovations with the aim of capitalising on them and facilitating their dissemination. Eleven "regions" compete against each other: seven in France (Nord, West, South-West, South-East, Rhône-Alpes, East, Paris Region), three outside France (Northern Europe, Central Europe, International Region) and one at central level (Central Activities). Employees enter their innovations in one of five categories: Materials, Processes and Techniques, Marketing and Services, Equipment and Tools, Management and Dissemination. All these innovations illustrate a state of mind that enables Vinci to continue progressing in terms of quality, safety, shortening deadlines and environmental protection. Since 2009, the juries also award a Dissemination Prize to reward prize-winning innovations from previous competitions that have been most widely disseminated across the Group. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |