We could not find any results for:
Make sure your spelling is correct or try broadening your search.
Share Name | Share Symbol | Market | Type | Share ISIN | Share Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aerobox | LSE:ARX | London | Ordinary Share | GB0032654427 | ORD 1P |
Price Change | % Change | Share Price | Bid Price | Offer Price | High Price | Low Price | Open Price | Shares Traded | Last Trade | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.00 | 0.00% | 0.47 | 0.00 | 00:00:00 |
Industry Sector | Turnover | Profit | EPS - Basic | PE Ratio | Market Cap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | N/A | 0 |
RNS Number:1641D AeroBox plc 18 May 2006 18 May 2006 AEROBOX PLC Audited results for year ended 31 December 2005 Highlights * Equity placing of #2m coupled with key strategic acquisition of UniversalCore and OvoCorp * $3m working capital debt funding secured for US subsidiaries * $4.5m order book for delivery in 2006 * Currently $4.8m order book for 2007 and beyond * #500,000 of sales in second half of 2005 Commenting on prospects, David Sebire, Chairman, said: "Your Company has reached a number of key milestones this year. The AeroBox ULD concept is proven and has been adopted by a number of the world's major users. We have also acquired two key strategic partners as a means of broadening our technology base to open new markets, and as a result two major automotive component suppliers are currently evaluating our thermoplastic honeycomb Core. In addition we have secured working capital funding to finance the growth in our US businesses and made appropriate management changes to achieve sustainable profitable growth." Enquiries: Ray Gibbs Managing Director Aerobox plc +44 207 929 5599 Jeremy Porter Seymour Pierce +44 20 7107 8000 Trevor Phillips Holborn +44 207 929 5599 Chairman's Statement Results The financial statements cover the year ending 31 December 2005. Sales in the year were #524,000 (2004: #172,000) of which #467,000 was in the second half of the year. An operating loss excluding goodwill amortisation amounted to #4,046,000 (2004: #3,094,000). Goodwill amortisation of #882,000 has been charged in the year (2004: #882,000). Net interest receivable of #27,000 compares to a net nil sum in 2004. Loss on ordinary activities before taxation for the year was #4,901,000 (2004: #3,976,000), representing a loss per share of 3.63p (2004: 4.0p). Finance During the period under review the Company announced an equity fund raise of #2,000,000 before costs through the issue of a total of 33,333,334 shares details of which were set out in the circular dated 14 December 2005. This was in the form of a placing of 16,699,999 new ordinary shares and a second fund raising of 16,633,335 which was approved at an EGM held on 6 January 2006. Of the net funds raised, #650,000 was received in December 2005 and #1.6m in January 2006. In addition, the Company announced the acquisition of UniversalCore LLC (" UniversalCore") and OvoCorp LLC ("OvoCorp") for a consideration of #4,295,431, to be satisfied by the issue of shares in the Company. Of this sum, 60% is contingent upon the acquired businesses achieving sales of $17.5m over the period to 30 June 2009. The EGM approval of the second equity placing and acquisition means that additional shares were issued of 45,269,541, which together with the first placing increased the current shares in issue to 196,478,849. I am pleased that we have been able to secure a three year secured revolving debt facility with Laurus Master Fund Limited ("Laurus") which provides the US operations with up to $3m of working capital. The debt is based on levels of the AeroBox Composite Structures LLC ("ACS") debtors and inventory, together with an advance of $500,000 to fund specific capital expenditure in the year. As part of the transaction, options of up to 26,143,791 for the issue of new ordinary shares have been granted at an exercise price of 6.375p. Part of this option is subject to passing of appropriate resolutions at the forthcoming AGM to be held on 20 June. Under the terms of the funding, Laurus can exercise the options up to the amount of debt outstanding under the facility and then seek repayment of the debt to fund payment of the exercise under the option. The cash effect on the Group is therefore neutral. Laurus have taken a first lien over the assets of ACS and the accounts receivable of UniversalCore and OvoCorp. Under the agreement Laurus are entitled to subscribe for 8,510,638 new ordinary shares through an option at an exercise price of 6.75p per share. The options are exercisable at any time until 28 April 2013. A further option, subject to shareholder approval was granted as part of the facility to Able Global Partners for 522,876 new ordinary shares at an exercise price of 6.75p. These options can be exercised at any time until 28 April 2011. Review of operations In the interim statement I reported that the three base Unit Load Device ("ULD") models had been finalised to an initial design specification. We subsequently experienced additional design changes specified by existing customers that have added to costs and delays in delivery. The second half of the year has been dominated by developing our production methods and techniques to cope with the large scale manufacture anticipated in 2006. In that process the three ULD variants were built and shipped on a piece meal basis and our direct costs in this pre-production phase have exceeded the sales value. Prudently, we have not sought to capitalise these costs and amortise them over subsequent periods. ULD sales and orders The aim at the half year was to ship the order book of $1.5m. We successfully completed the American Airlines order for 500 units within their accepted timeframe. In addition we manufactured 115 standard units for Virgin, while the remaining 135 have now been made awaiting despatch. These ULDs were a lighter weight box that required sourcing, testing and regulatory approval of new skin material. In respect of the Saudi Arabian Airlines order, production commenced in December 2005 and 60 boxes were dispatched in that month. The remaining 440 were delivered in the first quarter of 2006. The delay in completing this delivery was due to attempts to gain regulatory approval for the boxes to be shipped flat and assembled in country. To meet the immediate needs of this key customer a decision was taken to fully assemble the ULDs at the ACS plant and then ship to specific US airports for integration in the Saudi fleet. ACS also suffered delays in production as a result of hurricane Katrina which impacted on a key supplier of the thermoplastic skin used in the panel production when product supply was badly interrupted in December and January. The quality of the delivered components did not meet our stringent technical specifications which significantly affected production and impacted on sales. The team at ACS has sourced and agreed terms with an alternative supplier whilst retaining the previous vendor as back up. We currently have orders worth over $4.5m for delivery in 2006 and an unexecuted order book of $4.8m for delivery in subsequent years. The agency agreement concluded in October 2005 with Watermark Limited has produced $8.8m of orders to date. Watermark is focusing on customers in the Middle, Far East and Indian sub continent where the solid door variant is especially suited and is the lightest ULD on the market. This focus is producing new sales leads with expected orders for delivery in this year and beyond. The second Unitpool order announced on 6 April has been particularly important. Their first order represented a significant trial of the AeroBox and at the time Unitpool indicated that satisfactory results would lead to further requirements. The subsequent contract was placed before delivery and operational use of their primary order and as such represented a display of significant confidence in our ULD product. The lower repair rate and health and safety aspects are key unique selling points for this new customer and we anticipate more orders from them in future. In late 2005 we experienced a small number of reported damages to our product, which on closer inspection were all minor in nature or related to damage on the aluminium extrusions used in the box construction. Our thermoplastic composite panels have remained virtually intact and the rate of repair is still less than half that of our competition. Currently there are over 1,600 AeroBox ULDs in use and they have now flown in excess of 125,000 flights with reported damage running at an average of under 1.2 damage events per annum. We initially chose to support our trial and pre production prototype ULDs through Airbase Services in Heathrow and Dallas. Airbase Systems in the UK was placed into administration in May 2006, which has caused us and our customers some disruption. We are currently setting up a full service and maintenance network for the AeroBox product to meet the needs of our customers both now and in the future. This will ensure minimum disruption to their operations. We are working with our customers to appoint and train regulatory approved maintenance and assembly centres in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. Core and Panel Our sales of thermoplastic honeycomb Core to UniversalCore amounted to $190,000 in 2005. Ongoing deliveries with these existing customers have continued at 2005 levels and are expected to amount to approximately $300,000 in 2006. A comprehensive product evaluation and testing programme was initiated by three potential customers introduced by UniversalCore and the preliminary results look very encouraging. If successful these opportunities are expected to form the basis of the sales target for 2006 as set out in the purchase agreement of $2.5m. The expectation is for the UniversalCore and OvoCorp operations, to cover their overheads in the second half of 2006. Production We have previously indicated that capacity to produce the thermoplastic Core could be exceeded with anticipated sales demand. Currently this expectation is likely to happen in the second half of the year, although it is dependent upon the speed of orders for "Core" from UniversalCore. To address this, low cost production facilities are under further evaluation in the Far East and we expect to agree terms for further production capacity within the current financial period. As we announced on 6 April 2006 in response to demand for the ULD products the US facility in New Mexico has moved to a two shift system which will double capacity to approximately 800 units per month commencing in May. Operational efficiency and appropriate margins are anticipated as a consequence of order visibility and long run production planning now being implemented. In the shareholder circular issued on 15 December 2005 reference was made to upgrading our laminator machine at ACS in preparation for anticipated future panel sales from OvoCorp to improve the yield and throughput on the current ULD panels. We have been working with a specialist engineering firm in Leicestershire, Euro-Projects (LTTC) Limited ("EPL") to accomplish this in the first half of 2006. Initial trials are very encouraging from the test rig being used by EPL. This work has identified the critical process parameters which enable us to more accurately control our thermofusing technology, thereby producing consistent quality panels which will greatly reduce scrap rates on the ULD production line. Overheads A reduction in overheads in the second half of 2005 of #83,000 was achieved although the expectation is, on a like for like basis, for this to be significantly lower in the following year when the benefits of indirect and sales staff changes flow through. In February 2006 agreement was reached with HM Revenue & Customs to recognise the parent company as registerable for VAT and a subsequent refund was received in March. This will also reduce the annual head office costs by #30,000. Management and Business Reorganisation There has been significant change in personnel in 2005 with further reorganisations in the current period. To create focus on our business sectors we have now created three dedicated lines of business in Core, Panel and ULD. In that respect Charles Edwards has agreed to relinquish operational responsibility for the Rio Rancho site and head up a newly formed ULD division with immediate effect. Charles has agreed to step down as a main board director to concentrate on the ULD development while UniversalCore and OvoCorp will remain focussed on Core and Panel respectively. The current facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico will now be focussed solely on production, aimed at fulfilling the sales demands of our three business units. This critical role is now filled by the recruitment of an experienced interim operations manager Rob Collins to run the New Mexico operations. Rob brings a wealth of operational and change management experience gained in both the oil and gas industry, as well as with BAe in the Middle East. His impact has been immediate and very beneficial. I previously reported that we would look for a Group Finance Director when the business demands on Ray Gibbs meant that this was necessary. The Board has agreed that now is the right time to do so and we are actively looking to recruit for that role. It is with regret that I have to announce the death of Dan Goodwin, the much respected Vice President of production engineering at ACS. Dan's responsibilities have been redistributed internally. The Board is grateful to all management and staff for their hard work and contribution in a difficult year. Cost and Risk Management As ACS moves from development of the ULD product line to full-scale production of ULDs, Core and Panel, the management is undertaking a number of focussed initiatives to reduce costs and manage the risks across all lines of business. These initiatives include strategic sourcing of key materials (aluminium, polypropylene and composite skins), greater production efficiencies and near-term capacity planning. These initiatives have started to deliver benefits in this current financial period principally in the form of lower materials costs, diversified supply for lower operating risks and greater productivity of resources employed. UniversalCore and OvoCorp are assisting in this effort through their extensive supply chain management and thermoplastic industry capabilities and relationships. Prospects In the 2004 financial statements I set out 4 objectives for the year. We have successfully completed three of these. A decision was made in July 2005 to terminate the temperature sensitive ULD project. The cost incurred in 2005 was $162,000. 2005 has been a transitional year in moving the ULD concept from small, short run volumes to a major manufacturing process requiring a number of management changes. The highly regulated ULD industry has created challenges for us, particularly in managing the requirements of our regulators, finalising our designs and getting our Rio Rancho site ready for significant production. Preparing the business for the supply and ongoing support of ULD "systems" has taken considerable time and effort which has impacted on our profitability and cash position. Our priority remains to find a lower cost ULD manufacturing facility to augment the supply from Rio Rancho. The acquisition of UniversalCore and OvoCorp was a key strategic move as it has enabled us to better utilise our thermoplastic composite technology. We believe that these key acquisitions will play a fundamental role in driving the growth of the business. I am pleased with the new opportunities the UniversalCore and OvoCorp team are bringing to the Group. The focus on thermoplastic composite technology as a platform, and of which the ULD is one "system", introduces significant sales avenues for development offering good profit potential. We have received substantial interest from a number of target customers where our thermoplastic platform technology will create substantial benefits for them. For example, two major US automotive component suppliers are currently evaluating our thermoplastic honeycomb core technology and if adopted could lead to significant repeat sales. For the first time we started a new fiscal year with a significant order book. The ULD product is established and accepted in the air cargo container market. Sales are encouraging and prospects are good. We believe that Core and Panel sales will grow substantially through 2006 and 2007. Your company has a clear strategy to utilise the enhanced thermoplastic technology to deliver cost effective solutions for customers needs. The Laurus funding has secured the working capital requirements of the Company. I look forward to reporting continued progress in this year as the executive team now in place delivers on the strategy. D J Sebire Chairman CONSOLIDATED PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT For the year ended 31 December 2005 2004 #'000 #'000 #'000 #'000 TURNOVER 524 172 Cost of sales 1,297 320 GROSS LOSS (773) (148) Administrative expenses - goodwill amortisation (882) (882) - other (3,273) (2,946) (4,155) (3,828) OPERATING LOSS (4,928) (3,976) Net interest receivable and similar charges 27 - LOSS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES BEFORE TAXATION (4,901) (3,976) TAX ON LOSS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES - - LOSS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES AFTER TAXATION (4,901) (3,976) Loss per share - basic and diluted (3.63)p (4.0)p All results relate to continuing activities. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET As at 31 December 2005 2004 #'000 #'000 #'000 #'000 FIXED ASSETS Intangible fixed assets 6,373 7,255 Tangible fixed assets 1,481 1,606 7,854 8,861 CURRENT ASSETS Stock and work in progress 624 - Debtors 522 141 Cash at bank and in hand 417 3,886 1,563 4,027 CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year (1,226) (694) NET CURRENT ASSETS 337 3,333 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 8,191 12,194 CREDITORS: amounts falling due after more than one year (217) (172) NET ASSETS 7,974 12,022 CAPITAL AND RESERVES Called up share capital 1,512 1,345 Share premium account 10,097 9,319 Other reserve 5,526 6,408 Profit and loss account (9,161) (5,050) SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS - All Equity 7,974 12,022 CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT 2005 2004 #'000 #'000 Net cash flow from operating activities (3,980) (2,462) Returns on investments and servicing of finance 27 - Capital expenditure and financial investment (8) (1,381) CASH OUTFLOW BEFORE FINANCING (3,961) (3,843) Financing 492 7,213 DECREASE/(INCREASE) IN CASH IN THE PERIOD (3,469) 3,370 RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH FLOW TO MOVEMENT IN NET FUNDS 2005 2004 #'000 #'000 (Decrease)/Increase in cash in the period (3,469) 3,370 Cash decrease from decrease in debt and lease financing (127) (78) MOVEMENT IN NET FUNDS IN THE PERIOD (3,596) 3,292 Net funds at 31 December 2004 3,654 362 NET FUNDS AT 31 DECEMBER 2005 58 3,654 NOTES 1. LOSS PER SHARE The calculation of loss per share is based on the loss for the financial year of #4,901,000 (2004: #3,976,000) and a weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year of 135,151,617 (2004: 98,719,000). There are 3,266,667 share options in issue at the period end. Separate diluted loss per share figures are not disclosed due to the group's loss making position. 2. STATUS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION The financial information set out in this report does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2005, but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2005 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies shortly. The auditors have reported on the statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2005 and their opinion was unqualified for these financial statements. 3. GOODWILL Goodwill arising on the acquisition of AeroBox Composite Structures LLC amounting to #8,827,000 has been capitalised and amortised through the profit and loss account on a straight line basis over a period of 10 years. 4. TAXATION The group has no liability to current taxation due to the existence of tax losses. The group has no potential liability to deferred taxation. 5. DIVIDEND The Directors are not recommending the payment of a dividend. 6. COPIES OF THE REPORT AND ACCOUNTS The report and accounts for the period ended 31 December 2005 will be posted to shareholders in due course and further copies will be available from 26 May 2006 at the registered office. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END FR ILFFDERIDLIR
1 Year Aerobox Chart |
1 Month Aerobox Chart |
It looks like you are not logged in. Click the button below to log in and keep track of your recent history.
Support: +44 (0) 203 8794 460 | support@advfn.com
By accessing the services available at ADVFN you are agreeing to be bound by ADVFN's Terms & Conditions