Vicat’s cement shipments well ahead
Vicat’s first quarter turnover rose by 28.8% in absolute terms, and by 18.2% on a comparative basis, to €513m. In cement, turnover was up by 26.0% to €316m, as cement shipments advanced by 25.3% to 4.02Mt. Turnover in concrete and aggregates was 30.4% higher at €186m, with aggregates shipments rising by 36.6% to 5.06Mt and ready-mixed concrete deliveries increased by 22.1% to 1.77Mm³.
The French turnover rose by 28.7% to 222m, helped by more favourable weather conditions. The cement turnover advanced by 24.4% to €102m as volumes rose by 20.5%. The average price was up by about 4% in spite a small decline in domestic prices. This was more than offset by a notable increase in export prices. Elsewhere in Europe, turnover improved by 53.3% to €79m, which represents a 30.3% rise on a comparable basis.
In the United States, turnover recovered by a modest 1.6% to €36m after the previous year’s 31.4% drop. The cement turnover fell by 9.6%, as prices weakened both in California and in Alabama. Volumes were marginally ahead, but by less than 1%, with Californian volumes being slightly higher, but a slight fall was registered in the south-east.
The turnover in Turkey, India and Kazakhstan more than doubled to €65m (+102.3%) thanks to the increased sphere of consolidation. The Turkish turnover rose by 8.8%, though cement volumes were off by 3.4%. The cement turnover was only 1% lower and domestic deliveries improved, but exports were down. Turnover in aggregates and concrete rose by 22.3%, with a modest increase in volumes, but a marked improvement in prices. The initial first quarter contribution from India amounted to €30m and cement deliveries exceeded 0.5Mt in the period and prices recovered, having fallen during the monsoon. The new cement works in Kazakhstan, which went on stream in December, produced 26,000t in the period, as production was gradually being built up.
In Africa and the Middle East turnover improved by 3.9% to €111m, with all of the improvement coming out of Africa. In Egypt, the social unrest and the uncertain political situation led to a 9.7% reduction in turnover during the quarter to €42m as volumes declined by 3.7%. In West Africa, on the other hand, turnover improved by 19.2% and cement deliveries rose by some 22%. The reduction in the average selling price was a reflection of the different mix, with a greater portion of the volume being sold in export markets. Published under Cement News
