HeidelbergCement report ‘excellent’ first half
Company reports significant increase in revenue and results, and raises outlook for whole of 2021
IN their half-year report for the six months ended 30 June 2021, HeidelbergCement have reported a significant increase in revenue and results. On a like-for-like basis, Group revenue was up 11% to €8,938 million, compared with the previous year (€8,254 million), the result from current operations before depreciation and amortization (ROCBD) was up 26% to €1,720 million (€1,404 million), and the result from current operations up 57% to €1,084 million (€710 million).
‘HeidelbergCement have closed the first half of 2021 with an excellent result,’ said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board. ‘We have achieved record values in relevant key figures.
In the first half of the year, total sales volumes increased significantly in all business lines compared with the previous year. Group-wide cement and clinker sales volumes increased by 9.7% to 61.8 million tonnes (56.3 million tonnes), whilst deliveries of aggregates rose by 7.5% to 145.0 million tonnes (134.8 million tonnes). Meanwhile, ready-mixed concrete sales volumes increased by 8.3% to 23.5 million cubic metres (21.7 million cubic metres) and asphalt deliveries increased by 11.5% to 4.8 million tonnes (4.3 million tonnes).
In view of the ‘very good operational development’ in the first six months, HeidelbergCement have raised their outlook for the whole of 2021. The company now expects a strong increase in RCOBD and the result from current operations, excluding exchange rate and consolidation effects, for the 2021 financial year.
‘The market environment in the construction sector is and remains good,’ said Dr von Achten. ‘We see continued good demand in private residential construction and infrastructure in all regions. At the same time, raw material, energy, and transportation costs have increased significantly in recent months. Nevertheless, in the short and medium term, we expect the various country-specific economic stimulus programmes to continue to have a positive impact on construction activity and thus on our sales volumes. We are optimistic about the future.’
