The Group sold 28 million tonnes of cement (+58% on Q1 2016); 61 million tonnes of aggregates (+23); and 10 million m³ of ready-mixed concrete (+31%) in the first three months of the year.
HeidelbergCement’s revenue was up by 34% in Q1 2017 to €3.8 billion (previous year: €2.8 billion).
For the full 2017 year, HeidelbergCement retains a positive outlook for the global economy, but notes higher geopolitical and macroeconomic risks. The Group expects growth in its sales volumes of cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete, along with a moderate increase in revenue.
HeidelbergCement believes it is well positioned to benefit from good and stable development in industrial countries, particularly in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the countries of Northern Europe, and Australia.
“We continued our strong operational development in the first quarter and realised further synergies,” says Dr. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the HeidelbergCement managing board. “We were able to almost offset the effect of higher energy costs, bad weather conditions, and increased competition in some emerging countries in the most seasonally weak quarter of the year. Thanks to the ongoing refinancing of our maturities at more favourable terms, we have successfully continued to improve the financial result and made an important contribution to the further rise in our cash flow. All in all, we have slightly increased the Group share of profit for the financial year despite the challenging environment.”
