HeidelbergCement
The preliminary figures from HeidelbergCement show a 9.7% advance in turnover last year to €12,902m, but the EBITDA was improving at a more modest 3.6% to €2321m. The trading profit was up by 3% to €1474m, or by 3.2% adjusting for currency movements and changes in the scope of consolidation. Margins declined as the rise in energy costs could not be passed on in their entirety and the contribution from the sale of emission rights dropped from an adjusted €130m (it was originally €147m) to less than €10m. Volumes benefited from a late start of the winter in the northern hemisphere. Group sales of cementitious materials increased by 12% to 87.2Mt, while the aggregates volume advanced by 6% to 254.1Mt. Ready-mixed concrete deliveries rose by 11.9% to 39.1Mm³ and sales of asphalt improved by 4.9% to 9.5Mt.