There can’t be many people who can see what the future holds vis-à-vis covid-19 and the impact on the world’s economy – least of all in the uncertain world of construction.
But there is one man.
Jan Jenisch, CEO of LafargeHolcim – parent company of Aggregate Industries – claims:
This is a tsunami crisis and in our case it is already over.
We expect a solid second half of the year based on June’s full recovery, the trend of our order book and upcoming government stimulus packages.
#Cement giant LafargeHolcim says it has weathered coronavirus 'tsunami' https://t.co/6vx2xipa3Z— UK Business Times (@ukbt3) July 30, 2020
Jenisch doesn’t think a second wave of the virus would derail recovery:
You will see waves and hotspots, but I don’t think construction sites will necessarily be affected by this.
For those following world events, his views might seem surprising. They were to the CEO of competitor HeidelbergCement, who said the future was still shrouded in uncertainty. When asked why his view differed to the boss of LafargeHolcim:
I’m not a fan of phrases, I’m sticking to the facts.
I cannot predict today how the fourth quarter will look like.
We’ve always said that Aggregate Industries has a problem sticking to facts. It looks like the problem goes all the way to the top.
'Sticking to facts': HeidelbergCement cautious after rival says it has weathered storm https://t.co/7SpOsdYm8J— UK Business Times (@ukbt3) August 1, 2020
