Holcim plans to invest 47.7 million kuna in production facility

By improving distribution coordination within the Lafarge Holcim Group, last year Holcim Croatia achieved an eight percent increase in sales revenue, while total investments in production facilities amounted to 38.5 million kuna, and this year an additional 47.7 million kuna is planned, the leaders of Holcim reported to journalists in Pula on Tuesday, presenting the business results for 2017.

Holcim’s Chief Financial Officer Denis Zupičić stated that in 2017, sales revenue increased by eight percent and that the company achieved a net profit of 17 million kuna last year.

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– The average gross salary in our company is 9,862 kuna, and we have signed a new collective agreement with the Union of Istria, Kvarner, and Dalmatia and the Construction Union, under which we are increasing the wage mass by six percent this year. We plan to continue wage growth for the next two years, Zupičić stated.

Last week, the Lafarge Holcim Group set a new strategy, which, in addition to cement, aggregate, and concrete production, introduces a new segment of construction solutions and products, and the CEO of Holcim Croatia, Virna Višković Agušaj, emphasized that activities of Holcim’s Innovation and Projects Center are also included in this segment.

– Last year, the most significant activities of this Center were related to special types of concrete, primarily for tourist facilities. We started selling Majstor+ cement, the only cement that goes into the mixer together with the bag, thereby incorporating paper into concrete and preventing it from becoming waste, emphasized Višković Agušaj, adding that last year they also presented an innovation, namely foam concrete for insulation called Airium, to customers and students of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka.

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Citing data from the State Bureau of Statistics that 9,418 building permits were issued last year, which is 17.5 percent more than in 2016, Sales Director Nenad Juretić stated that Holcim increased sales to regional countries due to rising demand.

– When we compare this data with the average growth of construction activities in all EU countries, we in Croatia are following the same trend. Therefore, we expect that the level of construction activities in the area where we operate will remain at least at the level of last year, concluded Juretić.