news
Deceuninck moves
ahead in Q1
Deceuninck of Belgium has seen a growth in first-quar- ter sales for 2016 – and appointed a new CEO. The company posted a
6% increase in Q1 sales to more than €144m. The only region that saw a dip in the period was Central and Eastern Europe. In the UK, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, Deceuninck recorded double digit sales growth, while sales in France declined slightly despite improving indicators. Sales in Central Europe
fell by nearly 7% due mainly to tough conditions in Russia, and the company’s decision to phase out some low margin product lines in the region. Sales in Germany were stable. Interim CEO Francis Van Eeckhout has now taken up the job permanently. ❙
www.deceuninck.com
Simona expands sales but sees challenge ahead
German extrusion specialist Simona raised both revenue and profits last year – but the company is expecting a “more challenging business climate in 2016”. Sales grew 7% to reach €360 million, thanks mainly to strong performances in Germany and the USA. At the same time, profitability (EBIT) grew to nearly €27m. “Expansion of our interna- tional business in the US, a solid economic performance in Germany and the re-engineer- ing programme in Europe were the key factors driving us forward this year,” said Wolfgang Moyses, chairman and CEO of Simona. He said that it restructured
its industrial products division in the US and raised efficiency levels in Europe – while adding a new technology centre. Sales in Europe grew just
over 1% to exceed €261m, but a strong performance in
increased to nearly €82m, a rise of more than one-third on the previous year. However, the Asia-Pacific
Moyses: “Success in the US and Germany was key to driving our business forward in 2015”
Germany – where sales were up more than 8% – pushed overall sales up. Elsewhere, there was an upturn in the Spanish econo- my, but lower revenue from Russia – which was partially offset by higher sales in Poland and the Czech Republic. As a region, the Americas made the largest contribution to growth: sales
Westlake continues quest for Axiall
Westlake is pressing ahead in its attempts to acquire US-based Axiall Corporation – whose products include PVC pipes, fittings and window profiles.
Axiall has rejected West-
lake’s offer of around $3.1 billion as “opportunistic and inadequate”. It has urged its shareholders to vote for its nominees to the board. Westlake, as part of its bid, has nominated a set of nine
6
directors for Axiall’s board. Despite Axiall’s stance, it
has agreed to Westlake submitting a revised takeover proposal by 3 June. Axiall has a board meeting scheduled for 17 June.
Earlier this month, Axiall
announced first quarter sales of just under $700m, a loss of more than 10%. This equated to a net loss of around $54m. ❙
www.westlake.com ❙
www.axiall.com
PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | June 2016
region saw stagnant revenues of around €17m, due in part to the slowdown in the Chinese economy. After a slow start, the pipes and fittings division improved as the year progressed. Growth was driven mainly by project- related business and large- scale contracts, while exports within the industrial products division were weaker. In total, the division
generated sales revenue above €83m, corresponding to growth of more than 8%. In 2016, Simona expects
revenues of €355-365 and an EBIT of €18-22m. It hopes to emulate last year’s strong performance in the US. The company also plans to open a subsidiary in India later this year. ❙
www.simona.de
Westlake is still determined to acquire PVC extruder Axiall
www.pipeandprofile.com
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