Displaying items by tag: Ireland
UK/Ireland: Breedon Group’s sales fell by a quarter in the first half of 2020 due to coronavirus-related lockdown measures. Its revenue fell by 25% to Euro371m in the first half of 2020 from Euro495m in the same period in 2019. Its underlying earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) dropped to Euro0.7m from Euro54.8m. Cement sales volumes deceased by 20% to 0.8Mt, aggregates by 20% to 8Mt and ready-mixed concrete (RMX) by 33% to 1Mm3. Its net debt fell by 26% to Euro281m.
“Following the encouraging performance of our businesses in the first 12 weeks of the year, the move into lockdown and immediate fall in demand in the latter part of March led us into a swift and managed shutdown of the majority of our operations, leaving open only those which were servicing critical needs,” said group chief executive officer (CEO) Pat Ward. He added, “The recovery in our markets now appears to be well underway, and we have seen continued improvement into July. The great majority of our sites are now open, including both our cement plants. While near-term uncertainty remains, there is significant pent-up demand to be satisfied in both housing and infrastructure.”
Quinn Building Products reports on Covid-19 response
15 July 2020Ireland/UK: Quinn Building Products has said that rigid social distancing and sanitation practices introduced in response to the coronavirus in March 2020 have become the ‘new normal’ for its 800 employees across nine sites. The measures include: 22-person-capacity socially distanced team meeting areas, overflow break and lunch marquees; 24/7 cleaning services from AAA Pristine Clean; and socially distanced floor marking and directional signage.
The company said, “Our dedicated teams have done an outstanding job on designing and implementing these changes and their work has allowed us to reopen all of our production facilities in past weeks. We are also working with all our customers, contractors and suppliers to ensure we can safely service customer needs.”
Australia/New Zealand/US: Ireland-based James Hardie has announced the planned closure of three of its fibre cement board plants. The Cooroy, Queensland plant in Australia, Summerville, South Carolina plant in the US and Penrose, Auckland plant in New Zealand will close permanently in mid-2020, resulting in a total of 375 job cuts. The NZ Herald newspaper has reported that the decision to shut the plants came about due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economic situation. James Hardie will now supply the New Zealand market from its Carole Park, Queensland and Rosehill, New South Wales plants. James Hardie also closed its Siglingen, Baden-Württemberg plant in Germany on a temporary basis, ‘in order to better match supply and demand in the European market.’
James Hardie revised its 2020 profit forecast to US$355m, down by 4.1% from US$370m.
CRH publishes 2020 first quarter trading statement
23 April 2020Ireland: CRH has said that it had a ‘positive start to the year’ in the first three months of 2020. Total sales over the period rose by 3% year-on-year. In the Americas region, cement volumes rose by 4% and prices by 6%. European cement sales were ‘broadly in line with the same period of 2019’ due to general volume and price increases offset by a fall in volumes in Western Europe.
Government-implemented covid-19 restrictions on construction towards the end of the period impacted sales in Canada, the UK and France. The likely effects on 2020 profit ‘cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.’ CRH chief executive officer (CEO) Albert Manifold said, “With the financial strength of CRH and the experience of our leadership teams, we will endure through these unprecedented and uncertain times.”
Environmental Protection Agency postpones Limerick alternative fuels hearing due to coronavirus
14 April 2020Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has postponed a four-day hearing over Irish Cement’s alternative fuel (AF) licence application, scheduled for May 2020, to an as yet unspecified date due to the coronavirus. Under the terms of the proposed licence, Irish Cement will be able co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), including tyres, in the single dry line of its 1.0Mt/yr Mungret plant in County Limerick. The EPA said that emissions from operations under the terms of the licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’
Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The move attracted local resistance, with 4500 people participating in a protest on 5 October 2019.
The EPA has said that it will give all relevant parties notice ‘well in advance’ of the date of the rescheduled hearing, which will take place after the government lifts the country’s coronavirus lockdown. On 14 April 2020 County Limerick had 234 coronavirus cases out of an Irish total of 10,647.
Ireland: The Irish Times newspaper has reported examples of shareholder advisory companies expressing concern about the scale of CRH chief executive officer (CEO) Alfred Manifold’s pay package in the face of mounting financial pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Glass Lewis has said in a report that it remains ‘particularly concerned’ about the size of Manifold’s pension benefits, while Institutional Shareholder Services has expressed similar reservations about his remuneration. Manifold had a total reported pay, performance and long term incentive package totalling Euro9.3m in 2019.
Institutional Shareholder Services previously recommended that investors vote against an executive pay rise at CRH in 2018. The multinational building materials company plans to hold its annual general meeting on 23 April 2020.
Building materials companies around the world are expected to face financial pressure as construction markets suffer due to national and regional lockdown measures in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
Breedon Group announces closure of Irish plants
02 April 2020Ireland: UK-based Breedon Group has announced the suspension of operations at its 0.7Mt/yr integrated Kinnegad plant in County Westmeath and all other sites in Ireland. Breedon Group guaranteed 100% to pay to all Irish and UK staff to 30 April 2020.
Two non-executive directors of Breedon Group, Susie Farnon and Peter Cornell, have taken retirement.
Hope stays open through Breedon coronavirus lockdown
31 March 2020UK: Breedon Group has suspended production at all UK sites except operations that ‘serve critical supply needs,’ such as those of the Hope, Derbyshire, cement plant. The group’s Ireland operations also continue, ‘pending further guidance from the Irish government.’
Breedon Group says that it has taken the temporary measures ‘to ensure the safety and wellbeing of colleagues, subcontractors, customers and communities.’
Ireland: Ecocem Ireland has appointed Susan McGarry as its managing director. Previously she held a variety of roles with the company including the positions of European Sustainability Manager, Environmental Manager and Technical Development Manager. Prior to this she was a lecturer at the Technological University Dublin. McGarry trained as a civil engineer and holds a master’s degree in engineering management.
Ireland/UK: Quinn Building Products has launched ‘Self Build with Quinn,’ an initiative aimed at promoting thermal efficiency and sustainability in self-builders’ product choices with a range of bundles and discounts on Quinn building products and technical support with dedicated account management. Quinn Building Products Product and Specification Manager Jason Martin said, “Self Build with Quinn can help self builders achieve the balance between their hopes for a high-performance home which is better for the environment and provides comfortable, economical living with their budget.”