Colombia: Cementos Argos’ full-year consolidated net sales in 2020 were US$2.52bn, down by 4% year-on-year from US$2.62bn in 2019. The group’s cement volumes declined by 9% to 14.7Mt from 16.1Mt. Net profit for the year was US$21.8m, down by 36% from US$34.1m. Volumes, sales and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined in all three of the group’s regions.
The company said that in the fourth quarter of 2020 the construction sector maintained a ‘positive trend,’ supported by the strong performance of the residential segment. It also recorded a slight improvement in the infrastructure segment. The producer said that warehouses and data centre projects had partially offset the weak performance of the segment, as offices and retail had been the most impacted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief executive officer Juan Esteban Calle, “I would like thank each one of our employees for their full commitment and resilience during 2020. I believe the experience we all lived over the last year will lead us to be even stronger and more prepared to face the opportunities and challenges of the future.”