The company's purpose is to finance, acquire, sell and manage participations in industrial, commercial and financial companies in Switzerland and abroad, particularly in the building materials industry and other related industries. The company may conduct all business that is directly or indirectly related to its purpose or is suitable for promoting it; establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad; acquire, encumber, sell and manage real estate in Switzerland and abroad; finance itself through the issuance of bonds, commercial papers and financial instruments of any kind, as well as through the taking up of loans or credits of any kind; conduct financial transactions (including derivatives) for its own account or for the account of third parties; provide collateral of any kind for its own liabilities (including through pledges on or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, guarantees, sureties) or otherwise secure or guarantee the company's obligations; provide services in the field of financing, sale and management of participations in industrial, commercial and financial companies in Switzerland and abroad, particularly in the building materials industry and other related industries, to its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as well as to third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, and grant direct or indirect financing; provide collateral of any kind for the liabilities of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as well as third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries (including through pledges on or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets), guarantees, sureties or otherwise secure or guarantee the obligations of the aforementioned companies, whether for consideration or not. To operate a liquidity adjustment/concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) with its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as well as third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, or to join such a system, including periodic account balancing.