Colas Ltd

Colas Ltd is a UK-based service provider to the highways and airfield sectors. Services include civil engineering, maintenance and construction and all operations are carried out nationally. Colas Ltd is a subsidiary of the international Colas Group.

History

Colas, the name

In the 1920s, patents were filed by two British chemists, Hugh Alan Mackay and George Samuel Hay, for improved methods of preparing a bitumen emulsion. In 1924, exclusive rights to patents in France were obtained by Alexandre Giros for use by the Société Générale d'Enterprises (SGE). The product was given the name Colas in 1924, deriving from the terms 'cold' and 'asphalt'.

Colas Ltd, the company

In 1925 two English companies, Cold Mix Manufacturing Limited and Asphalt Cold Mix Limited formed a new company, Colas Products Limited to supply the bitumen emulsions for use on roads. Between the years of 1934 and 1980 the company went through many changes and by 1980 consisted of two main divisions, the roads division and the building products division. In 1986 the organisation Prismo was acquired and in 1987 changed its name to Colas Holdings.

Private company limited by shares

A private company limited by shares, usually called a private limited company (Ltd.) (though this can theoretically also refer to a private company limited by guarantee), is the private limited type of company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, Scotland, that of certain Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland. It has shareholders with limited liability and its shares may not be offered to the general public, unlike those of a public limited company (plc).

"Limited by shares" means that the company has shareholders, and that the liability of the shareholders to creditors of the company is limited to the capital originally invested, i.e. the nominal value of the shares and any premium paid in return for the issue of the shares by the company. A shareholder's personal assets are thereby protected in the event of the company's insolvency, but money invested in the company will be lost.

A limited company may be "private" or "public". A private limited company's disclosure requirements are lighter, but for this reason its shares may not be offered to the general public (and therefore cannot be traded on a public stock exchange). This is the major distinguishing feature between a private limited company and a public limited company. Most companies, particularly small companies, are private.

LTD

LTD, Ltd, or Ltd. may refer to:

Business and finance

Music

Science and technology

Transportation

Other uses

Leukotriene D4

Leukotriene D4 (LTD4) is one of the leukotrienes. Its function main in the body is to induce the contraction of smooth muscle, resulting in bronchoconstriction and vasoconstriction. It also increases vascular permeability. LTD-4 is released by basophils. Other leukotrienes that function in a similar manner are leukotrienes C4 and E4. Pharmacological agents that inhibit the function of these leukotrienes are leukotriene receptor antagonists (e.g. Zafirlukast, montelukast) and are useful for asthmatic individuals.

References