LafargeHolcim profit soars 64pc

Profits of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh rose 64 per cent to Tk 388 crore in 2021 due to higher incomes from its new products.

The multinational cement maker registered 27 per cent higher net sales of Tk 2,053 crore in the last year from Tk 1,622 crore that was in the previous year.

In its sales, aggregates generated a huge amount of turnover which is the first of its kind in the local manufacturing of high grade aggregates in Bangladesh.

"We continued to introduce new channel and new products in the market to fulfil the customer need and to reach our products to consumers' doorstep," said the company in a press release.

"SHOJON, a new distribution channel was introduced with a digital app to cater to white space retailers where our brand was not available," it said.

Holcim Shokti -- the first rapid early strength cement in the Bangladesh market was launched in the later part of the year, it said.

Holcim Shokti is a game changer for its market as it improves construction turnaround times, lowers the construction costs and enables high-rise construction.

The board of directors of the company has recommended payment of 25 per cent cash dividend. Rajesh K Surana, CEO of the company, said 2021 has been an unprecedented year for everyone with many external challenges.

"During the year we successfully launched two new green and specialised cement products -- Water Protect and Shokti -- which have received very good customer response," he said.

The company's digital programme reached new milestones with the successful launch of the business channel "Shojon" and the "E-commerce" platform.

"We accelerated our focus on the usage of alternative fuels with our Geocycle business and launched aggregates business," he added.