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TRUCK

Scania profits soar as new order growth lags

Swedish truckmaker Scania said Wednesday its net profit rose 77 percent in the first quarter of 2011, but that orders grew more modestly.

Scania profits soar as new order growth lags

In the January-March period the company earned a net profit of 2.5 billion kronor ($412 million) on sales that rose by 25 percent from the same quarter last year to 20.7 billion.

The company also reported a pre-tax income of 3.48 billion kronor, somewhat higher than the 3.18 billion kronor projected by analysts in a Reuters survey.

“Higher vehicle and service volume and higher capacity utilisation explain the improvements compared to the first quarter of last year,” Scania CEO Leif Östling said in a statement.

But in contrast to its Swedish competitor Volvo Group, which saw its truck orders jump by 40 percent, Scania saw a more modest growth of 19 percent to 17,354 vehicles.

“Scania is prioritising short and reliable delivery times, thereby limiting its order book,” said Östling, adding that ehe company’s operations were also negatively affected by subcontractor disruptions.

“These disruptions have not been related to the tragedy in Japan, however, the full impact of that series of events remains to be assessed,” he said.

While the net earnings slightly beat market expectations, the sales disappointed, and Scania’s shares were down 1.8 percent at 4pm in a flat market.

The report made no mention of ongoing merger talks with rival truckmaker MAN.

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TRUCK

Sticky situation on Danish island after sugar truck topples

A transport carrying a sweet load caused traffic problems on Danish island Møn after falling onto its side.

Sticky situation on Danish island after sugar truck topples
Photo: Depositphotos

The truck swerved sharply to avoid an animal and subsequently overturned, spilling its sugary cargo across the road.

Monday morning commuters in and out of Stege, the rural island’s largest town, were forced to find alternative routes.

It is not known whether the truck was carrying Christmas treats.

But the spillage block the entire roadway between between Stege and Queen Alexandrine Bridge, which connects Møn to Zealand.

The clean-up was expected to be completed during the morning, South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police tweeted.

Police were alerted to the accident at 1:31am on Monday.

“The driver told me he was trying to avoid an animal. Probably a deer or something else wild. The truck then skidded, causing the trailer to overturn. The truck itself did not overturn, but ended up on the verge of the road,” police duty officer Ole Hald said.

The driver was unhurt in the incident.

“But he is naturally a bit shaken up,” Hald said

The overturned trailer was packed with sugar, complicating the clean-up.

“We need special vehicles down there to suck the sugar out of the tanker and take it away. After that, we can begin to pull the trailer upright,” Hald said.

“It is both time and resource-consuming, so we don’t expect to be ale to open the road until (later) this morning,” he added.

Stege is the largest town on Møn and has a population of around 4,000.

READ ALSO: Ten of Denmark's most 'Instagram-able' places

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