Versarien Share Discussion Threads

[superg1] 19/1/2017 19:02

Just picking out some bits.



That's the trouble with clouded thoughts it's hard to ignore bits like

"This is the first time we have replaced a product family and the new Super Series will be absolutely true to McLaren’s pioneering spirit in being a revolutionary leap forward,"

McLaren Cars, the UK based supercar maker, has released a sneak preview of its carbon fiber Monocage II body structure which will be fully revealed to the world at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 7, 2017.
‘Super Series personifies the blend of extreme performance, crafted luxury and unparalleled driver involvement that is the McLaren heartland,’ said McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt. ‘This is the first time we have replaced a product family and the new Super Series will be absolutely true to McLaren’s pioneering spirit in being a revolutionary leap forward, both for our brand and the supercar segment.’

[serratia] 19/1/2017 17:04

Cambridge graphene stuff -

hxxp://www.graphene.cam.ac.uk/in-the-press

[serratia] 19/1/2017 16:24

Ultimaker = 3D printer.

[the prophet] 19/1/2017 16:09

sg, yes, I agree with Nomads, license to print money and definitely one of the disadvantages to being on AIM.

[superg1] 19/1/2017 16:04

I thought it would be an easy view but a lot to look through before talking about the acquisition.

EG the CEO there used to run 2D tech.

One day it's Mclaren the next day Ferrari.

NO......... not that one, this one.

[the prophet] 19/1/2017 15:56

£170K aint a lot of money, sounds like it could be a good deal.

[spike_1] 19/1/2017 15:50

Additionally, by taking a controlling interest they prevent Cambridge going to potential competition.

All building blocks at this stage, but Neil mustn't spread himself too thin.

Best wishes - Mike

[superg1] 19/1/2017 15:46

Hmmm

Did It seem like I was bored and needed some work folks



Ultimaker ???

[superg1] 19/1/2017 15:38

A quick glance brings this hit up re Cambridge and graphene inks. I've absolutely no idea if it's linked and will dig further

[superg1] 19/1/2017 15:37

hmmm more darn digging too. Late arrival here as I have been busy today.

I didn't expect fireworks re the Carbide side and thermal so soon. Re ditching I don't quite get the thermal acquisition (other than the customers) but wouldn't want to ditch the copper foam at all, that has considerable legs BUT it will be slow as it's disruptive tech. That alone doesn't have heavy costs.

Re Cambridge Graphene.

That looks like an addition for whatever IP they have so I see no real ongoing cost there just opportunity for whatever they have in mind or already lined up.

VRS have said they would only go after compelling add ons, so clearly they either have something in play and needed the tech or they consider the tech so good they decided to nail it. They have talked about graphene inks for some time.

[the prophet] 19/1/2017 15:03

agree with those sentiments, lucky orange.
One wonders what sort of market cap VRS might have if they didn't have the (imo) dead-weight of the carbide division, and to a lesser extent, the thermal division dragging it down. I can see the reason for the Carbide division originally, a boring cash cow to help pay for the other more exciting bits. Now it's just boring and the 'cash cow' element is fullfilled by AAC Cryoma, which has the added advantage of being able to offer graphene enhanced plastics.It could be in the current climate VRS might find it hard to divest Carbide, so they could well be stuck with it.

I think investors like clear and clean opportunities, rather than the mixed bag VRS has.
Having said that, there looks good value here at these levels and certainly it would seem NR and the team have an eye for an opportunity and don't over-pay for it.

[luckyorange] 19/1/2017 14:48

'bridges the gap between the two centres of excellence for graphene and between them really puts us at the centre of the graphene universe.'

'this enormous global opportunity and look forward to the future with confidence.'

A wonder that one got through the nomad, but that is the reason why I am invested!

Nearly forgot the most important bit

'On 29 November 2016 the Group announced a significant graphene order for a carbon fibre composite related application, which the Company believes is one of the first significant orders placed in the UK for the supply of high quality graphene. The Board is pleased to report that the order was successfully completed and delivered ahead of schedule, despite the requirement for the tripling of manufacturing capacity to fulfill the order, demonstrating the ability to scale up at short notice.'

Well done the team!

[the prophet] 19/1/2017 14:01

Carbide and thermal products sides both had a lot to do second half to meet forecasts, so no real surprises there.Acquisition could be useful, only cost a few bob. My concerns are VRS end up with yet another site.I tend to think they would be better ditching the carbide and thermal operations and just go with the graphene operations.

[spike_1] 19/1/2017 13:43

19/01/2017 1:21pm
UK Regulatory (RNS & others)

Versarien (LSE:VRS)
Intraday Stock Chart

Today : Thursday 19 January 2017
Click Here for more Versarien Charts.

TIDMVRS

RNS Number : 6373U

Versarien PLC

19 January 2017

19 January 2017

Versarien plc

Acquisition of Cambridge Graphene Limited

and Trading Update

Versarien plc (AIM:VRS) ("Versarien" or the "Company" or the "Group"), the advanced materials group, is pleased to announce that it that it has acquired 85 per cent. of the issued share capital of Cambridge Graphene Limited ("Cambridge Graphene") (the "Acquisition") and to provide an update on current trading.

Acquisition of Cambridge Graphene

Cambridge Graphene, currently owned by its management and Cambridge Enterprise Ltd. (the commercialization arm of the University of Cambridge), supplies novel inks based on graphene and related materials, using patented processes and develops graphene materials technology for licensing to manufacturers.

The Directors believe the Acquisition presents an exciting opportunity for Versarien to acquire a business with complementary skills and operations to the Company's current graphene activities, particularly with Cambridge Graphene's existing expertise and opportunities in the graphene ink area.

Like the Company's existing subsidiary, 2-DTech, born out of the University of Manchester, Cambridge Graphene was born out of the University of Cambridge to commercialise the university's graphene expertise. The Universities of Manchester and Cambridge are the two centres of excellence for graphene in the UK. Following the acquisition of Cambridge Graphene, both universities will be shareholders in the Company, positioning Versarien at the epicenter of the commercial development of graphene both in the UK and globally.

Versarien believes that the addition of Cambridge Graphene to its portfolio significantly increases the Company's ability to advance its experience and expertise to commercialise the considerable market opportunities for graphene both in the UK and internationally. Material produced at both Manchester and Cambridge will be able to be used at either site in product development and for supply to customers.

The total consideration for the Acquisition is GBP170,000 to be settled by GBP25,000 in cash, from the Company's existing resources, and the issue of 1,450,000 new ordinary shares in the Company at an agreed price of 10p per share ("New Ordinary Shares"). For the year ended 31 May 2016 Cambridge Graphene had negative net assets of GBP9,047 and made a profit before tax of GBP2,809. The vendors will retain the 15% shareholding in Cambridge Graphene not being acquired by Versarien.

Trading Update

The current financial year to 31 March 2017 has been one of significant investment and development for the Company with a number of notable events.

AAC Cyroma, acquired on 3 October 2016, has been successfully integrated into the Group and its performance has been slightly ahead of expectations. With the acquisition of Cambridge Graphene announced today and the significant number of commercial collaborations announced by the Company during the current financial year to develop graphene related products in areas including healthcare, 3D printing, batteries, PAEK plastics and carbon fibre composite structures, the Board believes that the Group is very well positioned at the forefront of the development and commercialisation of graphene.

On 29 November 2016 the Group announced a significant graphene order for a carbon fibre composite related application, which the Company believes is one of the first significant orders placed in the UK for the supply of high quality graphene. The Board is pleased to report that the order was successfully completed and delivered ahead of schedule, despite the requirement for the tripling of manufacturing capacity to fulfill the order, demonstrating the ability to scale up at short notice.

The Group continues to make investments in its graphene related activities, including the ordering of additional capital equipment, to take advantage of the global opportunities it is seeing and expects further orders in the coming months.

As outlined in the Company's interim results announced on 29 November 2016, the Company's Hard Wear products business, Total Carbide, has been relocated to a new facility on the Westcott Venture Park in Oxfordshire. This necessary move, whilst being disruptive, has provided the Group with ample modern manufacturing capacity for both its Hard Wear and Thermal products which require similar engineering equipment. Trading conditions remain challenging in the Company's Hard Wear products business serving the oil and gas sector, where order levels have continued to be depressed. However, there are signs of a gradual pick up with incoming orders showing improvement.

The Company's Thermal Products business, Versarien Technologies, has been restructured over recent months including the appointment of a new sales team. The translation of expressions of interest from potential customers into firm sales orders has been slower than previously anticipated, although Thermal Products continues to enjoy a substantial pipeline of enquiries.

The backdrop of difficult trading conditions in the Company's most significant revenue contributing business, Total Carbide, coupled with the continued investment in the Group's graphene related activities means the financial outcome for the Company's financial year ending 31 March 2017 is likely to see revenues slightly below current market forecasts with a larger than previously anticipated loss.

Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien, commented: "We are delighted with the acquisition of Cambridge Graphene and the opportunities it brings us. This addition to our existing graphene operations and in particular, 2-DTech, which we acquired from Manchester University in April 2014, bridges the gap between the two centres of excellence for graphene and between them really puts us at the centre of the graphene universe.

"We are also very pleased to welcome a new team and shareholders, new IP and an existing partnership agreement with the Cambridge Graphene Centre and The University of Cambridge.

Whilst trading conditions remain challenging in our mature Hard Wear products business, we continue to invest in developing our graphene capabilities to take advantage of this enormous global opportunity and look forward to the future with confidence."

Issue of New Ordinary Shares Pursuant to the Acquisition

Application for admission to trading on AIM of the 1,450,000 New Ordinary Shares being issued pursuant to the Acquisition will be made and admission is expected to take place on or around 26 January 2017. The New Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with the existing Ordinary Shares in issue.

In accordance with the provisions of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the FCA, the Company confirms that, following the Acquisition, its issued share capital will comprise 121,294,003 Ordinary Shares of 1 pence each. All Ordinary Shares shall have equal voting rights and none of the Ordinary Shares are held in treasury. The total number of voting rights in the Company immediately following Admission will therefore be 121,294,003.

[serratia] 19/1/2017 10:49

I thought I'd look at the FI regs to see where Graphene could be used. I was surprised how tightly controlled the designs are it makes you wonder how the cars can be anything other than identical.

hxxps://www.formula1.com/en/championship/inside-f1/rules-regs.html

The latest version of the regulations is here -



Within that is an interesting point Article 15.1 -

The following is the list of permitted materials. These are the only materials permitted to be used in the construction of the Formula One Car provided only that in all cases the material is available on a non-exclusive basis and under normal commercial terms to all competitors.

ANY NEW MATERIAL MUST BE AVAILABLE TO ALL.

That implies that once Graphene is used all the other teams will be knocking on VRS's door.

[superg1] 19/1/2017 10:04

The company involved with the watch and Mclaren is interesting.

They deal with what looks like a new method and world lead of thin ply technology within the carbon fibre and composites sector.

Interestingly the list they have and apparent new products on the way fit very much with what I thought graphene would appear in, cycles, golf shafts, auto and various others.

[superg1] 19/1/2017 09:52

City Financial the December notified seller.

Since it has hit 10p the selling stopped, so I had a dig around.

City were part of the 10p fund raise back in August 16. Now I have my opinion on that fund raise as without the volume to justify it the market took the share price down 15-20%, there was no trade action to justify that so basically it was just a bent market screw over for the fund raise with VRS being the victim.

City picked up 4 mill shares in that raise at 10p. So it seems fairly clear with the rise to 12/13p they decided to cash in above 10p. 1.2 mill went up to notification and there was a bit of action until we hit 10p again post that holdings news.

So my guess is City have sold around 1.5 mill to 2 mill of the 10p shares.

Being year end it could have been just want they need to get a bonus on a fund and did it with a few shares for all I know.

As it's profit taking I think it's unlikely the original holding will be sold as that would be at a loss.

We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.

If right then next time City want some it should be a F off imo and perhaps stick an open offer to holders as part of any raise should that be needed at any point.

[superg1] 19/1/2017 09:13

From the Mclaren Honda website in the watch launch comment

Jonathan Neale, Chief Operating Officer, McLaren Technology Group, added:

“While Formula 1’s technical regulations prohibit the exploitation of some nano-materials for legitimate cost reasons, the development of materials, such as the graphene family of structures, provide an exciting and increasingly cost-effective solution to some of the sport’s most demanding challenges.

He was the guy that also said

“We think the properties of graphene are pretty mind-blowing: some of the mechanical properties of graphene-enhanced composites can be improved by double-digit percentages compared to regular carbon-fibre composites. In engineering, we often talk about improvements in terms of fractions of a per cent; to suddenly introduce improvements of this order is incredible,

Then you have Eric Boullier the Mclaren racing director who clearly suggested in that video they are going to be using graphene enhanced carbon fibre.

[superg1] 19/1/2017 09:06

1MM

They have put graphene into a watch and made plenty of comment on how excited they are about how graphene transforms carbon fibre. As they said double digit enhancement where they normally move in a world of fractions of a percent.

It's a "Multi-tool" when you add graphene. Strength, elasticity, thermal and electrical conductivity. I'm not sure if it adds to carbon fibre but there was some hint that it reduces friction too.

The thought is F1 is a difficult world to get anything into due to all the regs but there has been some clear comment on that in recent days post Mclaren talking carbon fibre and graphene.

With the regs no doubt if it's in their kit then they needed to give the details to the regulating body and establish if they could use it.

In theory if they are using it they would be alone most of the season as it would take time for others to catch up on that aspect.

[1madmarky] 19/1/2017 08:19

F1 is usually smoke and mirrors. Perhaps a little miss direction.... very strange to say what there are up to

[superg1] 19/1/2017 08:18

They are doing a lot more Bazz. They are linked with GSL on sensors and Apple were looking at their sensor tech too.

Talking of sensors someone (I forget who) possibly Nokia are to introduce graphene enhanced lens sensors in phone cameras.

An obvious gain for phones and computers for the addition of graphene is the casings as that would help dissipate heat and improve battery and processor performance as well as add strength. I imagine such casing could in theory remove the need for a charging port too due to the electrical conductivity available.

[bazzerp] 19/1/2017 05:36

If you think McLaren is just racing cars, as I did until yesterday, have a look at this -