DB Cargo UK and Cemex have opened a ‘pop up’ rail depot in Warrington to serve the northwest construction market and reduce the number of lorries on the roads. Above: The Warrington depot The ‘pop-up’ depot was installed in weeks alongside the West Coast Mainline using a ready-made weighbridge and
Building products firm Polypipe has enjoyed a continuation of its record growth figures after reporting a strong first half performance, following on from its strong results in the first quarter of this year. The company said that “after an excellent start, demand from all segments of our core UK market
Breedon Aggregates has reported a rise of 19% in interim profits as part of a solid performance in the first half of the year, while sales have remained the same as last year and debts have been eliminated. For the first six months to June 30 2016, the company’s revenue
The London Thamesport site will see the construction of a new aggregate facility later in the year. The Armitt Group, a shipping agent and break bulk specialist, will construct the new multimodal terminal for construction aggregates and has now signed a head of terms agreement with Hutchinson Port Holdings (HPH),
DB Cargo UK and Cemex have opened a ‘pop up’ rail depot in Warrington to serve the northwest construction market and reduce the number of lorries on the roads. Above: The Warrington depot The ‘pop-up’ depot was installed in weeks alongside the West Coast Mainline using a ready-made weighbridge and office. The temporary site is expected to handle around 125,000 tonnes of aggregates each year. It is used to receive aggregates transported from Dove Holes Quarry in the Derbyshire Peaks on two weekly rail services, with each train carrying approximately 1,540 tonnes of aggregates. Up to 150 HGVs would be needed to carry this by road. DB Cargo UK is also responsible for unloading the aggregates at Warrington, where they are later transported to local concrete plants and construction sites by road. Mark Grimshaw-Smith, head of Cemex Rail and Sea, said: “A pop-up rail depot can be installed in weeks rather than months and gives the flexibility to move aggregates from quarries to areas where they are needed, especially in the short term. So with the right piece of land close to the rail network you can create a depot. “Rail has considerable economic and environmental benefits compared to road transportation with significant CO2 savings and on busy roads, a major time saving. In 2015 we transported 2.3 million tonnes by rail equivalent to 80,000 truck movements.” This article was published on 21 Jun 2016 (last updated on 21 Jun 2016). Source link
Building products firm Polypipe has enjoyed a continuation of its record growth figures after reporting a strong first half performance, following on from its strong results in the first quarter of this year. The company said that “after an excellent start, demand from all segments of our core UK market has remained strong.” The group reported that order intake has stayed at a steady level with the normal season pattern and is yet to suggest and signs of weakening even after the result of the EU referendum. In the first half of the year, revenue was £223.3 million, a 31% increase from last year and, excluding acquisitions, the revenue was 8.1% ahead of the previous year. Underlying profit grew by 47% to £37.7 million, with pre-tax profit also increasing by 29% to £29.9 million, while the group’s operating margin was 16.9% for the half year, compared with 15.1% for the same time frame in the previous year. David Hall, Chief Executive, said that the company has delivered another record performance in the first half of 2016 which continues their strong momentum built up in the previous year. He put the growth acceleration down to their strategic focus on structural growth opportunities, along with the acquisition of their Nuaire ventilation business. Hall added: “Despite the uncertain economic backdrop, the long-term structural drivers of our business remain strong, our balanced business model means that we are not overly exposed to any particular sector and the nature of the Group’s production processes enables us to adapt and flex quickly to changes in demand.” The company’s board remains confident that the business’ cash generative characteristics and a commitment to stay ‘agile’ will allow the group to carry on its development and outperform, regardless of the market conditions. The group reported that the Nuaire acquisition has been performing well, with some early success in specification of Nuaire systems with Polypipe duct.
Breedon Aggregates has reported a rise of 19% in interim profits as part of a solid performance in the first half of the year, while sales have remained the same as last year and debts have been eliminated. For the first six months to June 30 2016, the company’s revenue rose by 2% up to £163.0 million (2015: H1: £160.5 million). In the first half of the year, the firm sold 0.5 million m3 of ready-mixed concrete (2015: 0.4 million m3), 0.9 million tonnes of asphalt sold (2015: 0.9 million tonnes) and 4.6 million tonnes of aggregates (2015: 4.5 million tonnes), while profit before tax for the period went up by almost 20% to £20.9 million (2015 H1: £17.5m). At the same point last year, the company had a net debt of £58.3 million, but a year later it had a net crash of £17.6 million. These results are likely to be revealed by the firm ahead of its £336 million acquisition of Hope Construction Materials, which is due to be complete on August 1 2016. Peter Tom, Executive Chairman of Breedon Aggregates, said that the company has delivered an excellent operating performance in the first half of the year, with both of their businesses improving revenues, making strong contributions and EBIT margins. Tom added: “Whatever the prognosis for the UK economy, we remain confident that we can continue to generate value for our shareholders. “We have some major contracts which will help to underpin our performance during a period of uncertainty, along with a strong balance sheet and a record of strong cash generation in challenging markets.” He also said that the company has shown its ability to deliver a strong performance through determined self-help and that they will maintain this discipline regardless of market conditions, while he also commented that the company remains confident of meeting its market expectations for the rest of the year.
The London Thamesport site will see the construction of a new aggregate facility later in the year. The Armitt Group, a shipping agent and break bulk specialist, will construct the new multimodal terminal for construction aggregates and has now signed a head of terms agreement with Hutchinson Port Holdings (HPH), the owner of the port. It is expected that construction will being in the autumn and freight could start moving through the new construction in early 2017. The facility will be known as Armitt Multimodal Terminal South and is the first in a planned three stage investment by The Armitt Group to develop similar sites in the north of the UK and the midlands over the course of the next three years. Armitt Group Commercial Director, Nicholas Marshall, said that this is an excellent chance to open a new supply chain corridor service to Far Eastern and European markets and the facility will also be a key link in the company’s plans to develop a fully integrated supply chain throughout the UK. He added: “As we are break bulk handling professionals, it will benefit our aggregate clients as we will be able to manage the whole supply chain on their behalf and Thamesport, with its excellent deep water, rail-connected and un-congested facility is an important link in that chain.” The group also has plans to handle further breakbulk cargo from the port and is currently in discussions with the Hutchinson Port Holdings Group to secure a further area of up to eight acres to handle shipments of aggregates for consumption across the M25. Armitt said that Thamesport was chosen because of the site’s excellent rail and road communication links along with its deep water berths. In May, Armitt announced the construction of a 120,000 sq m multimodal terminal at the London Thamesport site, which is expected to begin handling cargo by the end of this year.
