Germany’s Dyckerhoff AG said Monday it had a net loss of EUR26m in the first quarter of 2005 after a loss of EUR24m in the previous year period. The company said sales of EUR202m almost matched the previous year’s figure of EUR203m.  There was a positive stimulus from the US business as well from the activities in the Ukraine and in Russia. The other European cement markets recorded a weak development as a result of bad weather conditions and a reduced number of working days.  Therefore both earnings before interest and taxes, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were EUR5m below the prior year’s level. 
 
For 2005 as a whole an overall increase in revenues for the Dyckerhoff group of a solid five per cent to just under EUR1.3bn and a further improvement of the result from operating activities of the Dyckerhoff group is estimated.