Saint-Gobain sales fall
Saint-Gobain reported that its sales fell by 1 percent in the first half of 2014 to €20.4 billion (US $27.2 billion), compared to €20.7 billion (US $27.6 billion) in the same period last year.
Net income jumped to €671 million (US $897 million), compared to €313 million (US $418 million) last year.
Sales were up 4.1% in first-half 2014 on a like-for-like basis.
Sales in North America showed 2.2% organic growth over the first half and 6.5% in the second quarter.
High-Performance Materials (HPM) sales, which includes abrasives products, were up by 4.0% on a like-for-like basis. Construction Products (CP) like-for-like sales advanced 5.5%. Building Distribution sales were up 3.6% on a like-for-like basis, while Packaging sales advanced 1.7%.
“After a first quarter boosted by favorable weather conditions in Europe, the second quarter confirmed the slight uptrend in our markets first seen in second-half 2013 across all of our regions; only France remains down," said Pierre-André de Chalendar, chairman and chief executive officer.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
