Robust trading at Hill & Smith

Specialist engineering group Hill & Smith says its trading since July has been 'robust', thanks to the international spread of its business, and it remains on track for the year.

The West Midlands-based company, with its core safety motorway barriers factory in Bilston, said demand for its highways products had been 'healthy' thanks to the Government's road investment strategy. After delays it will start work on three 'smart motorway' projects early next year.

It has has £12.1m of orders for its variable message signs for next year.

Across its galvanizing businesses, include Joseph Ash in Halesowen, cost cutting in the UK has offset the impact of lower volumes and kept profits at the same level as last year. In the USA galvanizing is 'particularly strong' driven by demand from the solar and infrastructure markets. Conditions remain difficult in France, however.

Chief executive Derek Muir said: "Overall, conditions in many of our end markets are generally encouraging and we continue to expect the group to report good progress for 2015. Accordingly, we remain on track to meet the board's expectations for the full year."

From its head office in Shirley, the group employs around 3,600 people at 51 sites, most of them in the UK, France, USA, Thailand, Sweden, China and India.