By Bethany Wales Chemicals group Synthomer has surged back into the black, defying sluggish demand by banking £13m through cost-cutting measures. The London-listed firm, which is headquartered in Essex, made an underlying profit of £2.5m in the first six months of 2024, up from an underlying loss of £6.7m in the same period of 2023. Its shares jumped 3.8 per cent to 244.50 in early trades after it posted the increase. Symthomer saw its revenue remain relatively unchanged year on year, hitting £1.05bn during the six months, up from £1.04bn in 2023. The group’s earnings before interest, taxes, d…