Expansion from day one7 Apr 2019 11:06
I agree they expanded too wide and too little therefore in all quarries rather than knowing the market and being specific.
If they had focused and quarried specific, high demand quarries they could have filled them with lots of equipment, specific with plant kit also and really wound up the volumes from these quarries to get the business going and then slowly opened the rest.
They didn't get the right mix to start, took time to realise this and by then we are 4 to 5 years behind predicted schedule. What keeps the investment going is the known potential in marble long term, margins that can be seen and evidence from other businesses when you have quality marble available.
So now they have a selection of quarries, including the popular ones, plus ability to polish, cut etc to exactly what the customer wants, exactly where we should have been in year 3 bar with a smaller, high demand selection available.
This year demand is there, margins don't change or get worse, we have the equipment and an early break in the winter so results need to show this, if not demand really is false,
I would like to think also now as extras are invested in, I.e. showroom, buying quarry licences, etc. things that could have waited around the core work that the bod feel this investment can be completed and overall we will be breaking even? I.e no point owning a new licence to a quarry for 1.3 million but gone bust?
Alternatively you could look at it the other way they are using the business to fund out cash to some shareholders before it goes under which wouldn't be unusual on AIM but in this case I think not.
Chris promised more demand, more orders, more updates. Chris promised kit in quarries to meet this demand and 2019 has to be far better. Like many businesses if it does breakeven the magic number there is the potential for a very long lasting, high profit business for decades to come without mentioned the 40 other licences the Kosovo government are keen to get off the ground.