* Orient Bell Limited released the transcript of its post-earnings call for the second quarter (Q2) and half year (H1) ended September 30, 2025. * The earnings call was held on November 11, 2025, following the announcement of the company's unaudited financial results. * The company reported a revenue growth of 3% over the last year despite a soft market. * Gross margin improved by 250 basis points over Q2 last year, reaching 39%. * On a consolidated basis, Q2 EBITDA stood at ₹9.8 crore, a 22.5% increase year-on-year. * Q2 Profit Before Tax (PBT) was ₹3.9 crore, up from ₹80 lakh last year. * For H1 FY26, EBITDA was ₹15.4 crore, a 19% gain over last year, and PBT was ₹3.3 crore, a significant turnaround from a loss of ₹1.2 crore last year. * The company maintained a healthy working capital cycle of 26 days and a comfortable net debt position of ₹3.6 crore. * Management noted positive signs in the building materials sector, a 6% year-on-year increase in tiles exports, and a reduction in domestic market oversupply due to permanent closures of some Morbi units and no new significant capacity additions. * Orient Bell's strategic initiatives include an AI-based visualization tool, brand campaigns with TV ads in regional languages, and focus on customer experience, which has increased vitrified tiles to 58% of H1 FY26 sales. * The company also started an adhesive business in July 2025, leveraging existing manpower without immediate capex, and plans to expand the product range. * Capacity utilization for manufacturing was approximately 68% in Q2 FY26. * The company expects H2 FY26 to perform better than H1 and anticipates FY27 to be a much better year, driven by volume growth and continued cost management.
