The Board of Directors at Bestway Cement Limited announced financial results for first quarter from July to September, 2015. Bestway's turnover on a consolidated basis jumped by 38 percent from Rs 6.8 billion to Rs 9.4 billion. This was largely due to acquisition of Pakcem Limited, increase in domestic demand and stable retention prices during the quarter. Gross margin of Rs 3.7 billion grew by more than 50 percent over the same period last year.
Profit before tax for the quarter amounted to Rs 3.2 billion, showing an increase of 28 percent as compared to Rs 2.5 billion during the quarter ended 30 September, 2014. The company's consolidated profit after tax also registered a growth of 34 percent to reach Rs 2.3b in this quarter against Rs 1.7 billion from the corresponding period of FY0214-15.
On a consolidated basis, domestic sales volume increased by 48 percent from 814,610 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes, while exports saw a decline of 4 percent from 197,824 tonnes to 189,208 tonnes in this quarter. Overall, cement dispatches increased by 38 percent during the reporting period to 1.4 million tonnes from 1.0 million tonnes.
Despite fierce competition, Bestway was able to maintain its market share in the north zone and retained its position as the largest exporter of cement to Afghanistan and India.
On a consolidated basis earnings per share for Bestway Cement stood at Rs 3.88 against Rs 2.94 from the corresponding period. The company announced an interim dividend of Rs 2.5 per share keeping in view its excellent performance. During the quarter, Bestway Cement further reduced its reliance on the national grid by taking energy-saving initiatives and launched a 12MW waste heat recovery power plants at its Pakcem Kallar Kahar operations. The implementation of this project, which is expected to cost $15 million, will support in alleviating the country's power crisis to a certain extent, but also reduce cost of production whilst generating clean, affordable energy.
Bestway brands are synonymous with quality in international markets and the company continues to explore all opportunities for expanding its presence in regional and international markets. The company brought innovation to new heights by introducing Sulphate Resistant Cement (SRC) to its product portfolio, which is gradually being launched in domestic markets. With a total cement capacity of over 8 million tonnes per annum, Bestway continues to be the leader and a pioneer in the cement industry focused on reducing environmental impact and contributing to the country's power generation.-PR