20 November 2015
Australia: James Hardie's adjusted net operating profit for the second quarter of its 2016 fiscal year, which ended on 30 September 2015, was flat at US$65.3m and up by 12% for the first half of the year to US$129m. The quarterly result was affected by a higher adjusted income tax expense and higher gross interest expense offsetting the favourable operating performance. Half year sales were up by 2% to US$879m.
CEO Louis Gries said that all business units had performed well, driven in particular by its USA plants and lower input and freight costs. He said that primary demand growth in its USA business had again tracked below its targeted level. The company will focus on lifting its USA primary demand growth rate back up over the next several quarters.
The company expects its USA and Europe fibre cement segment earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin to be towards the higher end of its stated targeted range of 20 - 25% for its full 2016 fiscal year.
In other news, James Hardie has re-opened its Queensland, Australia fibre cement manufacturing facility following a US$64m expansion. It said that the expansion of Carole Park, near Brisbane, will boost Australian capacity by 40% to meet strong domestic demand. "At a time of decreasing investment in manufacturing in Australia, James Hardie's US$64m investment in this new facility reflects our confidence in our Australian business, the future of manufacturing in this country and the underlying economy of Australia," said Gries.
PPC commissions 600,000t/yr cement plant in Rwanda 20 November 2015
Rwanda: PPC has commissioned its 600,000t/yr cement plant in Rwanda to offset declining sales in South Africa as its expansion into African cement markets gathers pace. The company plans to derive 40% of its revenues from the rest of Africa by 2017.
"We see the population doubling and becoming wealthier, a lot of infrastructure spend taking place and new cities being built that aren't there today," said Darryll Castle, PPC's Chief Executive. "If we can maintain our market share and exposure in Africa, we have to double the size of the business in well under 10 years. We see Africa as a very positive environment and PPC becoming a major player in a big growth area."
Castle said that the company ultimately saw PPC as a global player, but were focusing on Africa first, although it would be open to global opportunities when they arose. The new vision is for PPC to become a world-class supplier of materials and solutions to the basic services sector and establish a vertically-integrated materials business. This business unit will house PPC's ready-mix, aggregates and related building materials businesses to offer clients end-to-end solutions. A bolt-on acquisition has been earmarked for early 2016. Castle stressed that 70 – 80% of PPC's focus would remain on its core product of cement, but over time it would gain earnings and revenue that was not currently core to its business.
According to Castle, construction of the US$280m, 1Mt/yr cement plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the US$85m, 700,000t/yr mill in Harare were progressing well, with both on track for commissioning at the end of 2016. He said that the 1.4Mt/yr cement plant in Ethiopia would cost around US$170m, with commissioning scheduled for the second quarter of 2017.