Carr’s Milling trading well

CUMBRIAN group Carr’s Milling Industries has reported a “positive financial performance” for the 18 weeks to January 5, reflecting favourable trading conditions in agriculture and engineering.

The Carlisle-based company said its agriculture division had been boosted by a strong performance in its animal feed block businesses in the UK and US and its expanded agricultural branch network.

In the US, the drought that persisted through most of 2012 resulted in poor forage and led to high demand for Carr’s low moisture feed block as a feeding supplement, with sales up 30% on the corresponding period in the previous year.  
Poor forage has also stimulated demand in the UK for both low and high moisture blocks and sales were also up on last year, benefiting from increased marketing and the recognised integrity of the products. Sales of Horslyx to the equine market had a particularly strong trading period.

Carr’s said fuel sales volumes and profits were up on the corresponding period last year, reflecting the expanded distribution network following a depot opening in Hexham in the North East in August 2011, and the opening of a Cockermouth depot in February last year.

The company said against a tough backdrop in its food business – the UK wheat harvest was its poorest ever in the period –  performance has been resilient as a result of the group’s ability to process imported wheat.

Carr’s said the three units in its engineering division all continue to perform strongly.

Its Bendalls business, which is a specialist fabricator, is heavily engaged in a £4m project to supply pressure vessels for a floating production, storage and offloading platform being built by Hyundai for BP.

In December 2012, Bendalls was one of 25 UK-based companies invited by Areva to sign a memorandum of understanding for the supply of components and services for new EPR nuclear reactors planned for the UK.