SNR25 Oct 2011 08:15
Trading and Financial Position
Trading during the period was healthy, continuing the performance seen in the first half of the year, with the Group's adjusted profit before tax in line with the Board's expectations.
Cash generation remained strong, with net debt at the end of September being below the £62.9m reported at the end of June. During the period, a new £60m revolving credit facility was put in place. The facility matures in 2016 and is currently undrawn.
Markets and Operations
Senior operates through two Divisions: Aerospace (60% of H1 2011 Group sales) and Flexonics (40% of H1 2011 Group sales). Overall, market conditions in the period were broadly as anticipated at the time of the Half Year Results announcement in early August.
Within the Aerospace Division's principal market, production of large commercial aircraft continued at healthy levels with Boeing and Airbus delivering a combined 723 aircraft in the first nine months of 2011 (nine months 2010: 726 aircraft). Their combined YTD net order intake of 1,464 aircraft (nine months 2010: 720 aircraft) was very strong, partially as a result of the recent decisions taken by Airbus and Boeing to put new, more fuel efficient, engines on their narrow bodied platforms in four or five years' time. Their resultant seven to eight year order books, at current build rates, bode well for the future. Importantly, the initial customer delivery of the Boeing 787 aircraft, a key future programme for Senior, took place in September and the initial delivery of the new Boeing 747-8 was made in October. Elsewhere in the Aerospace Division, build rates for the Group's main defence programmes, such as the Black Hawk helicopter and C130J military transport aircraft, remained strong despite increasing Governmental budgetary constraints. However, as anticipated, the regional and business jet markets, which are less important to Senior, remained weak, with Bombardier announcing build-rate reductions for its regional jets starting in early 2012.
The Flexonics Division performed well, and broadly as anticipated, in the period. In the land vehicle markets, increased production of heavy trucks, particularly in North America, helped offset a softening in demand for non-premium passenger vehicles in Europe and latterly Brazil. In the industrial markets, the strength of the Group's German operation and healthy emergency repair work for the Group's expansion joint business in Texas mitigated the effects of the slower than anticipated implementation of emission legislation in North America for coal-fired power stations. Looking forward, a solid order in-take in the period for the Group's industrial businesses helps underpin the anticipated performance for 2012.