Haydale Graphene Industries PLC Trading update (4343L)

TIDMHAYD

RNS Number : 4343L

Haydale Graphene Industries PLC

19 July 2017

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Group to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  19 July 2017 
 

Haydale Graphene Industries plc

('Haydale' or the 'Group')

Trading update

Haydale (AIM: HAYD), the global advanced materials group, announces the following update on trading for the full year ended 30 June 2017 and on the prospects for the Group.

Trading update

The Board is pleased to announce that total income for the financial year ended 30 June 2017 is expected to be in line with current market expectations, which represents a doubling when compared with the prior financial year. The Board's decision to increase investment in a number of key areas during the year will result in the Group reporting a marginally higher loss before tax for the full year ('LBT') than originally expected, although the final reported LBT is expected to reduce due to the inclusion of negative goodwill associated with Haydale's acquisition of Advanced Composite Materials Inc. ('ACM') in November 2016.

The areas to have benefited from higher investment during the year include the set-up, fit out and recruitment of quality technical and sales staff at Haydale Technologies (Thailand) ('HTT') in Thailand plus the recruitment of executive management at the Group's USA operation. Haydale continues to invest in mixing, dispersion and processing methods for thermoset and thermoplastic resins and polymers.

Cash as at 30 June 2017 stood at approximately GBP2.0 million (31 December 2016: GBP1.1 million). At the year end, the Group's order book, being product sales orders and consulting contracts to be fulfilled over the next 3.5 years, stood at approximately GBP5.4 million, which is at record levels for Haydale and provides good visibility on the Group's future income.

Strategic Business Units

To streamline the business and to ensure that the Group is best positioned to realise its potential as a commercial entity having evolved from being R&D focused, the Group's operations have been restructured into two Strategic Business Units ('SBU'). The first unit focuses on Resins, Polymers, and Composites which will concentrate on marketing and selling the newly developed graphene infused carbon fibre pre-impregnated materials ('pre-preg'). The second unit, Advanced Materials, principally hosts the Group's silicon carbide ('SiC') products and the newly developed graphene inks and pastes for the self-monitoring blood glucose device market. Each SBU has its own managing director with full profit and loss responsibility and a principal focus on driving product delivery and sales. Supporting each managing director will be dedicated sales teams with technical support.

Silicon Carbide

Since Haydale Technologies Inc. ('HTI') acquired ACM in November last year, the Board has been delighted with the progress the Group has made in growing the SiC opportunity. As announced in March 2017, HTI signed an agreement to supply SiC micro-fibre to a new global tooling manufacturer with a potential sales value of over US$2.6 million over its initial four-year term. In addition, other new sales opportunities for SiC micro-fibre include the cook and homeware markets in the Far East, where we are in final trials with a major cookware supplier for improved scratch resistant coatings incorporating Haydale's functionalised graphene and SiC which are showing encouraging results. Due to the increased demand for HTI's SiC micro-fibre, HTI commenced a production run at its facility in Greer, South Carolina, in late May 2017 to replenish its inventory.

Huntsman Corporation Agreement update

As previously reported in December 2016 and February 2017, the customer sampling process with Huntsman Corporation ('Huntsman') for graphene infused Araldite(R) epoxy resin has taken longer than either party originally anticipated. Haydale's investment into research for this exclusive collaboration continues and the Board is encouraged by its progress which, in addition to improving the Group's industry and product know-how, enables Haydale to target new customers already using Huntsman's epoxy resins while Huntsman continues its evaluations.

Everpower

Following the investment in Haydale by Everpower earlier this year, both parties have met and agreed that Haydale's products will be supplied to China for testing and sale. These include the full range of the Group's SiC products and functional inks and pastes from Thailand and Taiwan. Data sheets, training and promotional literature has been supplied to Everpower. Additionally, a number of large projects for strategically focused products in the automotive and wind energy sectors are now under evaluation with Everpower for next stage contractual discussions.

Post Period End

As announced on 13 July 2017, the Board is delighted to welcome David Banks as our Non-Executive Chairman. In addition to David's appointment, the Group is also pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Broadbent as Managing Director of the Resins, Polymers and Composites SBU. Keith joined Haydale on 17 July 2017 with a track record of implementing increased efficiency and significant bottom line improvement in manufacturing and field installation environments. Keith's experience includes having worked as operations director at Princess Yachts International and at Sunseeker where he was part of the senior management team.

To further strengthen our management team Roger Smith, a current Haydale non-executive director, has agreed to take on a part-time executive role assisting with the implementation of Haydale's strategy and supporting business development within each of the Group's SBUs.

- Ends -

For further information:

 
Haydale Graphene Industries 
 plc 
Ray Gibbs, Chief Executive   Tel: [phone] 
 Officer                                       946 
Matt Wood, Finance Director     www.haydale-ir.com 
Trevor Phillips, Head 
 of Communications 
 
 
Cairn Financial Advisers 
 LLP (Nominated Adviser) 
Tony Rawlinson / Emma         Tel: [phone] 
 Earl                                         0880 
 
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe 
 (Broker) 
David Foreman / Will Goode    Tel: [phone] 
 (Corporate Finance)                          7000 
 
 

Media enquiries:

 
Buchanan 
Henry Harrison-Topham / Jamie      Tel: +44 (0) 20 
 Hooper / Gemma Mostyn-Owen              7466 5000 
[e-mail]        www.buchanan.uk.com 
 

Notes to Editors

Haydale is a global technologies and materials group that facilitates the integration of nanomaterials into the next generation of commercial technologies and industrial materials. With expertise in graphene, silicon carbide and other nanomaterials, Haydale is able to deliver improvements in electrical, thermal and mechanical properties, as well as toughness. Haydale has granted patents for its technologies in Europe, USA and China and operates from six facilities in the UK, USA and the Far East.

For more information please visit:

www.haydale.com

Twitter: @haydalegraphene

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identi ed by their use of terms and phrases such as "believe", "could", "should" "envisage", "estimate", "intend", "may", "plan", "potentially", "will" or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements re ect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward looking statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general economic and business conditions, competition, environmental and other regulatory changes, actions by governmental authorities, the availability of capital markets, reliance on key personnel, uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward looking statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward looking statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant AIM Rule requirements, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

TSTLLFSRDVITLID

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 19, 2017 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)