Posted on 19 Jun 2008
The company's revenue in the first quarter of this year rose
to 85.80 million baht from 77.84 million in the same same period of last year.
Sales for all of 2007 totalled 298.73 million baht.
Mr Prasit said the company expected a good performance for
the rest of the year with margins of 13-14%, similar to 2007, as long as there
were no unsettling political developments such as a coup.
Steel Intertech, which produces insulated metal sheet
roofing, wall cladding and pre-engineered building components, said metal sheet
prices had gone up by 35% since the beginning of the year, in line with surging
steel prices.
However, he said demand remained strong as new building
designs emphasised heat insulation with light weight to combat global warming,
and metal sheet roofing fit this specification.
In fact, politics is now the company's main worry.
''The political unrest could cause delays in investment [by
prospective customers]. We may have to revise down our forecast as we are
involved in made-to-order production,'' said Mr Prasit.
Metal sheet roofing accounts for 92% of the company's total
revenue. Steel Intertech holds a 5% share in the segment, which has about 10
competitors.
''We plan to increase production to 40% to 50% of full
capacity to accommodate this year's expected growth, or equivalent to 1.5
million square metres of metal sheet roofing,'' he said.
In 2007, the company's output totalled 874,400 square
metres, In the first quarter of this year, it produced 283,275 sq m, up 22%
from the previous quarter.
STEEL shares closed unchanged yesterday at 2.14 baht.
