* Q3 operating profit, excluding one-offs seen doubling
* Demand improving in Materials Sciences businesses
* Uncertain of continued recovery, gives no 2009 outlook
(Adds details, background)
AMSTERDAM, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Dutch chemicals group DSM said on Thursday customer demand continued to improve in the third-quarter and it expected operating profit from continuing operations to be double that of the previous quarter.
DSM, which reported operating profit from continuing operations excluding exceptional items in the second-quarter of 58 million euros, said the expected improved result is mainly due to improving demand in its Materials Sciences businesses.
The company added that a potential risk of temporarily lower demand during the summer did not materialise and it is seeing continued strong performance in its Nutrition business, but declined to give a group full-year outlook. "Customer demand in some markets improved in the third quarter compared with the second quarter, which is reflected in further improved results compared to the previous quarters," Chief Executive Feike Sijbesma said in a statement.
"The extent to which this improved demand will be sustained in the coming quarters remains uncertain."
DSM said it continues to expect full-year results at its nutrition unit to be somewhat above the 2008 level, while Pharma results are still expected to be substantially lower.
Demand has improved at both Performance Materials, which has been hard hit by a slowdown in the construction and auto sectors, and also at Polymer Intermediates.
DSM said Polymer Intermediates could now report an operating result around break-even for the cluster in 2009. (Reporting by Aaron Gray-Block; editing by Simon Jessop)