Weir Group PLC
11 May 2005
Embargoed until 12.10pm on 11 May 2005
The Weir Group PLC
111th Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 11 May 2005
The following is the text of the statement delivered by
the Chairman, Sir Robert Smith, at this year's AGM.
The Group's outlook for 2005 remains in line with market expectations as set out
in the annual report. The level of orders booked in the first quarter has
continued at a satisfactory rate albeit slightly below an exceptionally high
first quarter in 2004.
New orders in the Engineering Products businesses continue to support our
confidence in an improving profit performance in the second half of the year.
First half results will be affected by the previously announced restructuring
plans in Valves and Clear Liquid's UK operations, which I can report are
currently proceeding to approved budgets and schedules. The March fire in the UK
test shop at Weir Pumps will delay £5.0m of sales and £2.0m of contribution,
which we expect to recover in the second half of the year.
Despite the effects of work in Iraq being delayed by security and government
transition issues in the first half, the Services Division has continued to
experience good rates of enquiries and is still expected to make progress in
2005.
Our Techna Division continued to secure new business in the first quarter,
including further sulphate removal work in Brazil and five new ship sets of gas
storage at Weir LGE, our liquid gas storage business.
In line with normal trading patterns and taking account of the effects of
restructuring in 2005, most of the progress is expected to be delivered in the
second half of the year, with the first half marginally behind the same period
in 2004.
In March, we announced a £50m on-market share buyback programme and this
commenced on 4 April. As at 10 May 2005, the company has bought back 1.3 million
shares.
I can also confirm that the operational activities, new product developments and
geographic expansion continue to add to the quality of our business, and
together with the stronger backlog than at the same time last year, support the
outlook provided at the preliminary results.
The Weir Group PLC
149 Newlands Road,
Glasgow G44 4EX
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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