OSAKA -- Daikin Industries' group operating profit for April-September probably grew 7% on the year to just shy of 150 billion yen ($1.31 billion), beating predictions thanks to strong sales of industrial air conditioners at home and abroad, as well as of chemicals used in making semiconductors.
The Osaka-based air conditioner maker had predicted the tally would grow 2% year-on-year to 143 billion yen, a figure that would itself have marked a fifth consecutive record for the first half. Sales for the six-month period probably grew 12% to 1.17 trillion yen, likewise surpassing a forecast 8% rise to 1.13 trillion yen.
