Saint-Gobain has reported a 5.4% decline in first-half net profits for the current year, from FFr2.17bn to FFr2.05bn, due to a strong US performance which helped offset a downturn in European markets. Profits fell despite a 15.5% increase in sales, from FFr35bn to FFr40bn, which the group attributed to its acquisitions in the ceramics, abrasives and glass packaging sectors. The group has also announced that, through its Spanish subsidiary Cristaleria Espanola, it is to invest Pta9bn in a glass bottle and container plant in Mountblank, Tarragona, Spain. The new plant will be operational by the beginning of 1998 and will initially employ 100 people directly and 50 people indirectly. The group currently has 7 production plants in Spain & Portugal.
