PPC says efficiency drive cements sustainable turnaround as earnings surge

PPC chief executive Matias Cardarelli has said that the cement producer's sharpened focus on operational efficiencies and cost containment has firmly set the group on a sustainable recovery path, after it delivered strong half-year earnings despite pressure from foreign exchange losses linked to its expansion programme.

- TAWANDA KAROMBO

Cardarelli told Business Report in an interview on Monday that PPC’s disciplined cost management strategy has allowed it to consistently keep expenses below inflation across all its operating regions. The group has operations in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

“We continue bringing savings in overhead, and we are running our operations much more efficiently. We are producing more, more cement from our integrated plants,” he said.