It developed new bitumen emulsion-derived products and diversified into a wide range of road construction services during the 1930s.

[2] In the decades following World War II, the company established a strong position in the French market through collaboration with the government transportation ministry.

It continued to operate in former colonies in Africa and elsewhere, and began to expand via native subsidiaries in other European countries.

[2] In the 1980s, still the market leader in France and North Africa,[2] the company acquired Grands Travaux de l’Est, the starting point for expansion into countries surrounding the Indian Ocean as well as the diversification into its civil engineering activities.

[3] The Bouygues company became the main shareholder in the 1980s, with Colas under Shell/Bouygues jointly holding the Société d'Investissement de Travaux Publics (SITP).

[10] In 1920, the road-rolling entities were spun off into a separate company, Société Anonyme pour la Construction et l'Entretien des Routes (SACER).

[14] During the 1930s, the company started road construction, and became the Société Chimique & Routière de la Gironde (SCRG) in 1936.

In the next three decades, the company diversified into related business areas, including civil engineering and construction, and in 1964 was renamed Société Chimique Routière & d’Entreprise Générale (Screg).