Avon rubber posts modest half-year growth

Melksham, UK – Avon Rubber has posted a 6-percent rise in operating profit, up from £8.5 million (€10.7 million) in first half of 2015 to £9 million.

The earnings gains were made alongside a 5-percent revenue hike to £66.3 million, the UK-based company announced 4 May.

Avon, whose two core businesses are in dairy and defence masks, reported that the results reflected “cyclically low milk prices”, but said that its Milkrite brand was gaining market share.

Expecting “second-half weighted” trading in the protection & defence business, Avon reported small gains in revenue - up to £45.7 million from £45.3 million in 2015 – and operating profit  - up from £6.4 million to £6.6 million.

The division, however, has a strong forward order book for the US Department of Defence (DOD) M50s and a “growing pipeline of non-DOD opportunities”, Avon added.

M50 respirator sales to the DOD were 107,000 mask systems, up from last year’s 112,000.

During the period under study, Avon also received a further order for 167,000 mask systems which it said would take mask order coverage “well into 2017”.