Ferrexpo Regulatory News (FXPO)

RNS Number : 9891I

Ferrexpo PLC

23 March 2010

 

23 March 2010 

FERREXPO plc

 

 

 

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

 

Ferrexpo, the FTSE 250 iron ore producer, today announces its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2009.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

 

Financial

·; Remained profitable throughout 2009 despite sharp fall in iron ore price

o Average DAF/FOB price decreased to US$66.3/t owing to lower settlement price and temporary exposure to high freight rates (2008: US$124.6/t)

o Revenue decreased to US$648.7 million (2008: US$1,116.9 million)

o EBITDA decreased to US$138.1 million (2008: US$503.9 million)

o Net cash flow from operating activities of US$76.9 million (2008: US$370.9 million)

o Secured new US$230 million pre-export finance facility; the first successful refinancing completed by a mining group with assets in the CIS since September 2008

o Interim and final dividend maintained at 3.3 US cents per share

 

Operational

·; Strong operational performance in a challenging economic environment

o Production maintained at full capacity, remained profitable throughout the downturn

o 7.2% increase in production of 65% Fe pellets in line with long term strategy

o  3.5% increase in sales volumes and 18.6% reduction in production costs

·; Utilised marketing flexibility to open new growth markets

o Lower European demand offset by Chinese demand in H1 as well as new markets in India and Turkey

·; Sales mix normalised in Q4

 

Current trading in January and February 2010

·; 90% of sales made under long-term contract

·; 63% of sales to customers in Traditional Markets

·; Average prices to date slightly ahead of Q4 2009

·; Production at similar levels to last year

·; Cash costs in line with expectations

 

Market outlook

·; Demand and iron ore pricing strengthening

o Positioned to benefit from market recovery and increase in margins

o Continuing to expand market share

o Growth projects to resume once recovery firmly takes root

 

Kostyantin Zhevago, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"Ferrexpo's strong operational performance in 2009 is a testament to the Company's fundamental strength and our successful marketing strategy that has allowed us to maintain profitability at a time of a worldwide drop in iron ore demand.

 

In the second half of 2009, there were signs of recovery in our key Traditional Markets and we returned to long-term contract deliveries which increased margins and rebalanced our sales mix. In 2010, the outlook for iron ore is positive and we are well placed to capitalise on any growth opportunities.

 

In the coming year, the Board will focus on resuming development of our growth projects once a recovery has firmly taken hold, while continuing to add capability to project execution and consolidating our strengths in best practice mining and marketing."

 

 

 

Enquiries:

 

Ferrexpo:	+44 207 389 8304
Chris Mawe Ingrid Boon
Pelham Bell Pottinger
Charles Vivian	+44 207 337 1538
Evgeniy Chuikov	+44 207 337 1513
James MacFarlane	+44 207 337 1527

 

 

Ferrexpo will be hosting an analyst presentation on its Preliminary Results today at 9.30am. The presentation will be available live on the company's website at www.ferrexpo.com

 

Chairman's and Chief Executive Officer's review

 

We are pleased to report that Ferrexpo performed extremely well in 2009 in a challenging economic environment. Demand visibility for iron ore remained poor until the final quarter of the year. This was exacerbated by demand from China and other developing regions remaining strong, while demand from developed regions only began a slow recovery in the latter half of the year. Consequently, no formal settlement of the international benchmark price was concluded, exposing us to spot and provisional market prices for much of the year. Nonetheless, our flexible and responsive marketing strategy, strong customer relationships and access to the seaborne market enabled us to continue to produce and sell at full capacity and remain profitable throughout the year.

 

 

In 2009, Ferrexpo demonstrated its fundamental strength and the resilience of its business model. Following the collapse in demand for iron ore in Europe in late 2008, a decision was taken to continue to produce at full capacity throughout 2009 to minimise the effect of our fixed cost base on unit costs and to offset this demand weakness in our Traditional Markets with increased sales to China. This strategy proved highly successful given our access to the seaborne market through our TIS-Ruda joint venture port terminal at Yuzhny Port on the Black Sea and our established marketing presence and good customer relationships in China. Our mining operations also responded well to our strategy for continued high levels of iron ore pellet output, delivering a strong production performance both in terms of absolute output and, in particular, the proportion of higher grade 65% Fe pellets produced. Costs were rigorously controlled by management and our Business Improvement Programme once again achieved notable success in helping to reduce unit costs and increase operating efficiency.

 

Re-stocking by European steel mills in the third quarter of 2009 and a slow recovery in steel demand in the fourth quarter allowed Ferrexpo to rebalance its geographic sales mix and to resume supply to its established portfolio of long-term contract customers. This marketing flexibility and strong operating performance during the year delivered a solid financial performance enabling the Group to become the only mining company with assets primarily in the CIS to refinance its principal debt facility.

 

2009 Results

 

Revenues for 2009 declined to US$648.7 million compared with the prior year (2008: US$1,116.9 million). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the period decreased to US$138.1 million (2008: US$503.9 million), and pre-tax profit was lower at US$80.9 million (2008: US$375.6 million).

 

The price settlement for iron ore pellets agreed during the summer of 2009 between Vale, the world's largest pellet producer, and its major customers outside China, reflected a 48.3% decrease in the price of pellets compared with the 2008/2009 contract settlement. This Vale settlement eventually gained worldwide acceptance, although it was not formally recognised by the China Iron and Steel Association as a 'benchmark' price. As a result of this and our strong customer relationships, 'value-in-use' marketing and our ability to provide small-lot 'just-in-time' deliveries to our Traditional Market customers, the Group was able to settle the majority of its contracts at around this level from the start of the fourth quarter. The lower settlement price and the temporary exposure to seaborne markets and high freight rates in the earlier part of the year resulted in Ferrexpo achieving an average Delivered at Frontier/Free on Board ("DAF/FOB") price for its pellets of US$66.3/t (2008: US$124.6/t). Importantly, Ferrexpo remained profitable throughout the 2009 downturn and minimised the reduction in revenues by continuing to increase production of its 65% Fe grade pellets.

 

Lower production in January and February, resulting from poor weather conditions impacting our logistics chain, was followed by a ten-month period of record output. Production of pellets from own ore was in line with the record levels achieved in 2007 and 2008 and, in line with our strategy, included a higher ratio of high grade 65% Fe pellets (an increase of 7.2% compared with 2008). Our mining operations gave another strong performance, increasing production efficiency and operating at full capacity despite a cash-constrained environment.

 

The Group's C1 costs fell by 18.6% to US$34.4 per tonne in 2009 compared with US$42.3 per tonne in the previous year. The significant cost pressures we faced for much of 2007 and 2008 were largely absent in 2009. We experienced more stable prices for state-controlled inputs and lower domestic inflation. A step change occurred in the Group's C1 costs at the end of 2008, primarily as a result of the depreciation of the Ukrainian hryvnia and falling oil prices, following which the December 2008 C1 cost was reduced to US$34.7 per tonne. We were able to maintain the Group's C1 costs at or below this level for the whole of 2009 as a result of efficiency improvements which offset cost increases. Overall our 2009 production and distribution costs ended the year slightly below their 2008 level. This strict control of our unit costs enabled us to maintain positive margins throughout 2009 and has provided a good base for 2010. 

 

Cash flow was robust over the year despite the challenging industry conditions. Net cash flow from operating activities was US$76.9 million. This was after an increase in working capital of which US$24 million related to an increase in overdue VAT. This is being closely managed by the Group and it is expected that VAT refunds will be resumed in 2010, following the expected stabilisation of the Ukrainian economy.

 

As previously announced, the Group successfully secured a new pre-export finance facility of US$230 million. The new facility was drawn down to repay in full the amount outstanding on the existing loan.

 

Marketing and logistics

 

As we reported at the time of our interim results, in the first half of 2009, 54% of our sales were made to China, the majority of these being on a spot market basis. This high level of spot market activity was necessary to counteract the weakness in demand in our Traditional Markets, but we remain committed to our strategy of selling the majority of our production on long-term contracts to our well established customer base. In line with our strategy, the Group reverted to selling typical contract volumes to its portfolio of long-term contract customers when economic conditions permitted, which occurred in the third quarter. We will retain the flexibility to compensate at short notice any further reduced demand in our Traditional and Natural Markets with sales in seaborne markets, where demand has remained more resilient and Ferrexpo has a well established presence and reputation.

 

The Group's strong customer relationships have stood it in good stead in the past twelve months and we remain committed to maintaining our relationships with our long-standing customers and supporting them during the forthcoming period of tentative economic recovery. At the same time, we have continued to develop new global market opportunities and in particular we were able to begin supplying the north-west Indian region on a spot basis in 2009. We believe that this could become an important new Growth Market for Ferrexpo in the future. The Group has good access to seaborne markets through the TIS-Ruda Terminal-Yuzhny, our joint venture Panamax port terminal on the Black Sea. Going forward we are exploring the possibility of expanding the TIS-Ruda Terminal to allow for the loading of larger vessels up to cape size 150,000 tonnes.

 

Ferrexpo enjoys several unique logistical advantages, the most notable of which is our proximity to our key customers. Our operations in central Ukraine are several times closer to our principal European markets than most of our global competitors and, as a result, we are in many cases the lowest cost supplier to our customers. The advantage of proximity is enhanced by our location next to a navigable river and established rail links to our customers. By capitalising on this proximity to Traditional and Natural Market customers and our ability to provide them with continuous small-lot iron ore deliveries, we believe we have increased our share of those markets in 2009 and are well placed to further consolidate those gains in 2010. The Group remains Ukraine's largest exporter of iron ore pellets. 

 

Management and people

 

The Board is deeply grateful for the efforts of our management and staff over the past year. 2009 has proved to be a particularly difficult period in the industry and globally and our staff have risen to the challenge admirably. Ferrexpo has come together as a single entity of great strength and resilience and our excellent results in the face of adversity would not have been possible if it were not for the tireless efforts of our people.

 

As we have previously announced, Mike Salamon and Marek Jelinek of New World Resources ("NWR") joined the Board as non-executive directors in March and have been making an invaluable contribution.

 

Ferrexpo has once again been able to avoid any forced redundancies in 2009 despite the challenging economic climate. We shall continue actively to manage the size of our workforce over time to maximise productivity, but as one of the major employers in Ukraine, maintaining the employment of our people is a priority.

 

Corporate governance and social responsibility

 

The Group continues to meet the high standards of corporate governance set by the Board and we remain committed to continuing compliance with the UK Combined Code.

 

The Board's Corporate Safety and Social Responsibility ('CSR') Committee continues to monitor the management of the Group's health, safety, environmental and community programmes in line with best practice for mining companies. Safety-conscious behaviour has become more entrenched in 2009 and we are pleased to be able to report that there were no production-related fatalities at our operations this year. While this represents good progress, CSR remains a priority and we are pursuing further initiatives to ensure a culture of continuing improvement in this regard.

 

Growth projects and strategy

 

While the Board placed all significant capital expenditure on hold in October 2008 in response to the global financial crisis, we are pleased to have progressed with critical path items which have enabled the Group to maintain a significant level of control over the schedule of core growth projects. No material capital commitments were made in 2009 as the Group focused its efforts on cash conservation and the maximisation of production from its existing facilities. The Group nonetheless considers its major growth projects to be a priority and is working to continue their development in the short term in order to leverage off strengthening iron ore prices going forward. These core development projects are focused primarily on the increase of output, enhancing product quality from our existing operations and accessing more of the Group's substantial ore reserves at the Yeristovskoye deposit with the aim of doubling production.

 

In 2009, we took the opportunity to review the scope and capital expenditure requirements of all these projects and we believe that we are in a position to reduce substantially the capital required for their development. We also spent US$4.6 million on overburden removal at the new Yeristovskoye mine, using both local contractors and equipment already purchased by the Group. Pre-stripping is a critical path item and this capital was expended in order to preserve the value of the project and maintain its schedule to the extent possible. It is notable that this stripping was achieved at a cost less than budgeted for in the Yersitovskoye feasibility study.

 

Uniquely among companies in the region, the Group was able to refinance its principal debt facility at the end of 2009. The new US$230 million pre-export finance facility was provided by a syndicate of leading global financial institutions and provides Ferrexpo with a facility which will enable the Group to invest a higher proportion of its cash flow from operations in its growth projects. We plan further stripping works at Yeristovskoye and at the expansion of the existing open pit in 2010 and will accelerate the development of all projects as soon as market conditions permit.

 

The outlook for 2010 is considerably more positive than it was for 2009, marked by increased visibility and strengthening iron ore prices. In 2010 we aim to increase our cost competitiveness through continuing efficiency improvements, while leveraging our strategic location and strong customer relationships to maintain sales and production tonnages and to increase market share in our Traditional and Natural Markets. Throughout 2010 the Board and management will continually assess opportunities to accelerate investment into key development projects, in line with the economic climate. Our operating, financial and risk management capabilities have been proven during the past twelve months and we are confident that this strategy will optimise value for the Group while effectively protecting it from any further market downturn.

 

Dividend

 

The Board is of the view that Ferrexpo should pay modest consistent dividends based on continuing profitability through the economic cycle. The Group has operations which are cash generative and can both support returns to shareholders and form a platform to finance the development of its significant world class undeveloped reserves.

 

The Board believes that the business has sufficient operational flexibility to respond to the demands it will face in 2010 and as a result, it is appropriate to continue with a dividend in line with prior years. The Directors therefore recommend a final dividend in respect of profits generated for the Group in 2009 of 3.3 US cents per Ordinary Share for payment on 4th June 2010 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 30th April 2010. The dividend will be paid in UK pounds sterling with an election to receive US dollars.

 

Outlook

 

In 2009, Ferrexpo produced at full capacity and remained cash flow positive and profitable even in the face of dramatically weaker demand for iron ore and steel worldwide. As the iron ore market began to show signs of stabilising in the second half, visibility increased and Ferrexpo was able to return to long-term contract pricing. We believe that market conditions will continue to improve during 2010 with a slow but definite recovery in steel demand now evident in Europe. Encouragingly, Chinese spot prices for iron ore have stabilised above the current contract level and the cycle of de-stocking and re-stocking by steel mills is largely behind us.

 

The Group has resumed contract sales to its higher-margin Traditional Market customers, but retains the ability to access the seaborne market to compensate for any recurring weakness in these markets. The Group is exposed to the positive outlook for iron ore pricing. In view of higher pricing, we expect Ferrexpo to continue to trade profitably and to increase margins in the year ahead.

 

In 2010 the Board will be focused on increasing margins and resuming development of our growth projects at a modest level while continuing to add capability to project execution and consolidating our strengths in best practice mining and marketing. We believe that growth from developing and industrialising nations will continue to underpin the strong fundamentals of global steel requirements as demand in developed nations continues slowly to recover. Ferrexpo is well placed to take advantage of improvements in the iron ore markets in both the developed and developing world.

 

Current trading

 

Demand is currently very strong in all our markets, In January and February 2010 over 90% of our sales were made under long-term contracts and 63% of sales were to customers in our Traditional Markets while our average DAF/FOB price to date has increased. Additionally, we have begun strategic trials with key customers. The Group produced 1.5 million tonnes of pellets in January and February which was at similar levels to the prior year. The average C1 cash cost for the first two months of the year was US$38.7 per tonne inline with our expectations. Finally, the Group's cash generation has continued to remain robust and it is expected that the Group will benefit from higher prices and increased volumes in the remainder of the 2010 financial year.

 

 

 

Michael Abrahams CBE DL Kostyantin Zhevago Chairman Chief Executive Officer

BUSINESS REVIEW

 

Summary

 

Ferrexpo demonstrated a solid and reliable performance in 2009 in spite of the unprecedented weakness affecting all markets and industries particularly during the first months of the year. The Group outperformed operationally and was able to produce and sell at full capacity throughout the global economic crisis from March 2009. This enabled the Group to manage costs effectively and to remain profitable throughout the year. Our flexible marketing strategy, strong operations and fiscal discipline all contributed to a financial performance which, although down on the prior year, was nonetheless exceptional under the circumstances.

 

With the onset of the economic downturn in late 2008, we re-examined the operational goals of the Group for 2009 with a view to adapting the Company to an environment of lower iron ore demand and prices and the attendant constraints on the Company's cash position. The Group exceeded these new ambitious goals, maintaining production volume while increasing both cost efficiency and product quality. Despite lower production in January and February as a result of adverse weather conditions, Ferrexpo produced broadly the same volume of iron ore pellets in 2009 as in 2008, but at significantly lower cost.

 

The Group's favourable location, together with its good seaborne access through the TIS-Ruda Terminal-Yuzhny, our joint venture Panamax port terminal on the Black Sea, gave us the flexibility in our 2009 marketing activities to out-sell our competitors in the markets in which we operate. We cemented our status as the iron ore supplier of choice for our key Traditional and Growth Markets. We achieved this by managing to increase spot sales to our long-term contract customers in our Growth Markets during times of weak demand in our Traditional Markets and ultimately increased our market share in our Traditional Markets when demand there began to recover. As a result, our brand was successfully protected during a volatile and difficult market period.

 

General market uncertainty resulted, for the first time, in the absence of a formal global international iron ore benchmark price settlement in 2009, although the pellet price settled between Vale and its larger non-Chinese customers gained general acceptance by the start of the fourth quarter. At this point we were able to settle prices with our contract customers at approximately this implied benchmark level with prices applicable until the end of the first quarter of 2010. This settlement brought to a close a nine-month period of higher spot market sales and the associated exposure to seaborne freight rates and enabled Ferrexpo to resume supplying close to normal volumes to its portfolio of long-term contract customers.

 

In 2009, 93% (by volume) of the Group's iron ore products were exported. As a result of demand weakness in Europe in the first half of the year, approximately 70% of our 2009 sales by volume were made under long-term supply agreements with iron and steel producers, compared with 88% in 2008. The Group resumed normal long-term contract-based supply arrangements during the third quarter of 2009 and it remains our strategy to increase the number and duration of such contracts and continually improve our customer portfolio and build strong customer relationships. Development of the customer profile continued through 2009, during which the Group began supplying the north-west coast of India, an important new potential Growth Market. The Group's principal export markets are Central and Eastern Europe and China. At the end of 2009, approximately 91% of iron ore pellets were committed under long-term framework contracts with major customers.

 

The Group remains focused on the development of its substantial iron ore resource. Significant capital commitments were placed on hold by the Board in late 2008 and during 2009 we continued to advance our growth projects at a low level, spending small amounts of capital to preserve their value while maintaining prudent cash management. Good progress was made on pre-stripping works at the new Yeristovskoye mine during the year and the Group has taken the opportunity afforded by the moratorium on significant capital expenditure to re-examine the scope and capital costs of all of its major projects. We are of the view that the capital estimates for the Yeristovskoye project and the plan to upgrade our product quality at Ferrexpo Poltava Mining ('FPM'), can be reduced significantly. Meanwhile work has continued on product quality improvement and market development.

 

The outlook for 2010 is clearer and more positive than it was for 2009 and the Group was able to renew the majority of its banking facilities at the end of 2009 during a difficult period for the debt capital markets. The Company has ambitious development plans, but 2010 will also be a cash-constrained year. As a result, our primary focus next year will be on maintaining the strong performance of the Group's existing mining operations, while continuing to invest in our growth projects at a modest level. The key performance drivers in 2010 will be safety, operating efficiency, product quality and output volume. FPM, the Group's operating subsidiary, once again demonstrated continuous improvement in these areas in 2009. The Group will continue with its structured Business Improvement Program ("BIP") designed to continue these positive trends by targeting operating costs and optimising capital expenditure and these, together with the likelihood of a lower local currency, should help to maintain 2010 cash costs of production at approximately 2009 levels.

 

Strategy

 

The Group holds the exclusive licences to a world class iron ore resource which is uniquely positioned close to existing infrastructure and core steel-producing markets. FPM operations have been producing continuously for several decades and the Group has established a resilient and flexible marketing model over several years. Ferrexpo's strategy is to remain flexible, utilising our strategic location, low cost base and strong customer relationships to maximise the return on our existing operations whilst accelerating the exploitation of our extensive undeveloped iron ore reserves.

 

Our plans in the medium term are to strengthen our existing business through product quality upgrades and incremental production growth, while continuing to practise financial prudence and strict cost control. Our priorities are the development of our resource base while maintaining flexibility throughout the economic cycle through continuous improvement of our operational, financial and risk management capabilities.

 

Operations

 

The mining operation at Ferrexpo Poltava Mining ("FPM") is well developed and has produced iron ore on an uninterrupted basis for over 30 years. The mining and processing operation is situated on a large iron ore deposit located in Ukraine which is substantially under-exploited. 

 

Our principal business is the mining, processing and sale of iron ore in the form of pellets, used in the production of steel. The Group owns and operates an integrated mining and processing facility, comprising an open-cut iron ore mine, concentrating facility and pelletising plant in the city of Komsomolsk. Our operations are fully integrated from the mining of ore through to the production of pellets. All production is converted into pellets in our own facilities. Third party iron ore concentrate is also converted into pellets to utilise surplus plant capacity where this provides adequate margins.

 

The FPM operations are located on the Dnieper River in Ukraine in close proximity by rail and waterways to our major customers in Central and Eastern Europe. FPM has access to both the Black Sea for seaborne shipments throughout the world and to extensive rail networks throughout Europe.

 

To access further the large and growing market outside Ukraine, Ferrexpo is actively working to reduce ocean vessel shipping costs and volatility to Growth Markets via longer-term ocean vessel chartering, and loading of larger vessels up to cape size 150,000 tonnes. In addition, the marketing of iron ore pellets for export is managed by the Group's specialist sales and marketing arm, based in Switzerland with branches in Kiev, Shanghai and (as of December 2009) Hong Kong. 

 

Operating environment - Ukraine

 

The Ukrainian economy has been severely affected by the global economic recession, partly as a result of its reliance on industries such as the steel sector. The Ukrainian steel industry is relatively high-cost and the majority of its production is commodity-grade construction steel for export. Ukraine has thus been more severely affected by the economic downturn than many other steel-producing nations. The economy of Ukraine shrank by 15% in 2009. Ukraine was granted a US$16.4 billion International Monetary Fund loan in late 2008 in response to the significant effects of the global financial crisis on its economy, of which US$10.4 billion has already been advanced. This loan prescribes several conditions relating largely to economic policy-setting, some of which have not been met. As a result there has been a delay in advancing the final tranche of the loan. We expect this to be resolved in the first quarter of 2010. Following this, there has been some delay in the Company recovering its VAT payments on a timely basis and this has affected the cash flow of the business in December 2009 and in the early part of 2010. This is covered further in the Financial Review.

 

Ukraine is a socially stable parliamentary presidential republic which was formerly part of the Soviet Union. The recent elections passed off peacefully and democratically and it is hoped this will restore some stability to the country's political structure which in any event tends not to interfere in Ukrainian business.

 

The Group benefits from the location of its operations in Ukraine because of a well-educated and cost-competitive workforce, a depreciating local currency and the efforts of government to take measures to ensure the survival of its large mining and metallurgical industry. Being primarily an exporter, Ferrexpo has minimal exposure to the Ukrainian steel industry. Ukraine is conveniently situated close to our principal customers in Europe.

 

The average exchange rate of the Ukrainian local currency (the hryvnia) was UAH7.7912 to the US Dollar in 2009. Any weakening of the local currency is likely to have a positive effect on our US dollar cost base.

 

Ukrainian official domestic Producer Price Index ('PPI') inflation fell to 14.3% and the Consumer Price Index ('CPI') fell to 12.3% in 2009. Both indices are likely to increase in 2010.

 

Market environment

 

The market environment for iron ore in 2009 was affected by substantially different demand dynamics between developed and developing regions of the world. The demand for iron ore pellets is directly linked to steel demand which fell sharply at the end of 2008 following the onset of the economic crisis. Steel demand is closely correlated to the global economic cycle as a result of its dependence on the automotive and construction industries, both of which are economic bellwethers. In early 2009, however, demand for iron ore and steel rapidly recovered in certain developing economies, most notably China, as a period of restocking commenced. The restocking effect in regions such as Europe and North America occurred later and was more muted commencing only late in the second quarter.

 

This decoupling has continued with consumption of iron ore in Asia back at record levels, while only a fragile recovery is evident in the steel industries of the developed world. As a result, the market environment in 2009 has varied for different iron ore producers, largely as a function of market access. Ferrexpo was able to sell to customers in both developed and developing countries, with the result that demand was sufficient for us to produce at 100% of capacity and place all our production volumes into the market. Many of our competitors were forced to reduce production owing to a lack of market access. The low levels of demand in much of the world outside China nonetheless resulted in low prices for iron ore relative to 2008 as well as a lack of price and demand visibility for much of the year. This visibility improved towards the end of 2009 and pricing is expected to improve in 2010 as the global economic recovery continues.

OPERATING REVIEW

 

Highlights

 

FPM

·; Iron ore pellet production from the Group's own ore in line with last year at 8.6mt

·; 7.2% increase in production of high quality 65% Fe pellets

·; Business Improvement Programme - further reductions in the use of raw materials and energy per unit of output

 

Yeristovskoye

·; Five draglines delivered, assembled and in operation

·; 4.0 million cubic metres stripped from the new Yeristovskoye mine - second bench visible

 

Marketing

·; Sales successfully re-balanced from Europe to China and back - full sales volumes maintained throughout the year

 

 

Production - Operating Statistics

					Change
('000t unless otherwise stated)			2009	2008	+/-	%
Iron ore mined			28,547	27,763	784	2.8
	Fe content	%	30.3	30.2
Iron ore processed			27,720	27,582	138	0.5
Concentrate produced ('WMS')			10,565	10,459	106	1.0
	Fe content	%	63.3	63.4
Floated concentrate			6,671	6,167	504	8.2
	Higher grade		4,675	4,375	300	6.9
	Fe content	%	67.05	67.1
Purchased concentrate			180	386	(206)	(53.4)
	Fe content	%	65.4	65.2
Purchased iron ore			0	276	(276)	(100)
Pellets produced from own ore			8,609	8,608	1	0.0
	Higher grade		4,304	4,014	290	7.2
	Fe content	%	64.9	65.0
	Lower grade		4,305	4,594	(289)	(6.3)
	Fe content	%	62.2	62.2
Pellets produced from purchased concentrate and ore			157	427	(270)	(63.2)
	Lower grade		157	427	(270)	(63.2)
	Fe content	%	62.2	62.2
Total pellet production			8,767	9,035	(268)	(3.0)
Pellet sales volume			9,015	8,711	304	3.5
Gravel output			2,846	2,751	95	3.5
Stripping volume		000'm3	23,559	20,573	2,986	14.5

 

The Group's operations focused primarily on maximising production volumes in 2009, following a strategic decision early in the year to produce at maximum capacity to minimise unit fixed costs in the low iron ore price environment. At the same time FPM management continued to drive the improvement of product quality and operating efficiency which continued throughout the year. As a result of this decision and focused management effort, FPM produced at full capacity from March with overall output for the year declining only very slightly as a result of lower production volumes in January and February 2009 caused by unseasonably adverse weather conditions that affected the logistics chain.

 

Most months from March onward yielded record production levels, and pellet production from own ore was higher than in 2008 by 1,000 tonnes. Total pellet production fell by 3.0% as a result of a lack of available third party concentrate at acceptable prices. This incremental pellet production from purchased raw materials fills our surplus pelletising capacity, but has historically yielded low margins. 157kt of pellets were produced from purchased ore and concentrate in 2009 (2008: 427kt).

 

The Gorishne-Plavninskoye Lavrikovskoye ("GPL") mine produced 28,547mt of iron ore in 2009, 2.8% more than in the previous year. Our focus on quality improvement prompted the use of selective mining techniques which increased the proportion of rich (K22) ore mined by 10.2%. This increased the overall quality of the ore available to the GPL concentrating plant, thereby increasing its operational efficiency and ultimately improving pellet quality as measured by the proportion of higher grade 65% Fe pellets produced.

 

For the sixth consecutive year FPM was able to increase substantially its production of higher quality 65% Fe pellets. The production of 65% Fe pellets from our own ore increased by 7.2% to 4,304kt, and now constitutes 49% of FPM's total production (44% in 2008). This is consistent with our commitment to quality enhancement and our 'value in use' marketing strategy and we intend to continue to increase the proportion of higher quality pellets produced in future years.

 

Business Improvement Programme ('BIP')

2009 was another successful year for the ongoing BIP projects. The managers and employees of FPM have firmly taken leadership of the BIP and continue to build a culture of continuous improvement at our operations. In addition, in 2009 FPM engaged Partners in Performance International ("PiP") to assist in the identification of areas for broader improvement in FPM's operational performance.

 

We conducted a wide range of BIP workshops in 2009 designed to entrench the BIP culture. BIP initiatives contributed to 2-3% of the reductions to operating costs during the year, resulting in total savings of US$8.7 million. BIP continues to be a priority for management in respect of both short and long-term objectives and KPIs, driving FPM continuously towards global best practice across its operations. For further information see the Financial Review.

 

Operating costs

Operating costs declined modestly but steadily throughout the year, benefiting from further depreciation in the local currency and lower local inflation than in past years. Producing at full capacity allowed the Group to recover its fixed costs efficiently.

 

Efficiency gains, driven largely by the various BIP projects, enabled us to reduce the rates of consumption of energy and raw materials in 2009. The average number of employees at FPM fell by 5.2% in 2009 through normal turnover driven by efficiency programmes. Management was able to avoid any forced redundancies during the year. As of 31 December 2009, 8,204 people were employed by FPM (31 December 2008: 8,243). This number includes 65 temporary workers employed for the development of Yeristovskoye until the transfer of mining licences from FPM to Ferrexpo Yeristovskoye Mining ("FYM") is completed.

 

Growth Projects

 

Ferrexpo is committed to increasing production from its existing mine, improving its product quality and commercialising the substantial undeveloped resources located adjacent to its existing operations. Consequently, the Group's major growth projects remain a priority and modest progress was made in 2009 even though large capital commitments were on hold. The focus has been on re-examining the scope and capital expenditure estimates of all the projects, and on the pre-stripping works at the new Yeristovskoye mine where progress has been made this year.

 

The capital expenditure for these projects was estimated at the peak of the commodity cycle in 2008 and consequently we expect that capital costs will be reduced when final commitments to these projects are made. The process of restating these costs is progressing and planned to be completed in the first half of 2010.

 

GPL Projects

 

Open pit mine expansion

Work on this project was suspended at the end of 2008, and has remained on hold in 2009 as the Group has focused on maintaining current production from the mine at minimal C1 costs and progressing stripping at Yeristovskoye. This project remains a priority for the Group as it enables us to take advantage of currently under-utilised processing capacity and will increase production of 65% Fe pellets by approximately 15%. We anticipate a decision on the schedule and the phasing of this project in conjunction with the Yeristovskoye expansion to be made in the second quarter of 2010.

 

GPL Concentrator plant upgrade

A Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") for the GPL concentrator plant upgrade was completed in September 2008. The project was not presented to the Board for approval owing to the onset of the economic crisis. Significant additional work has been done this year on optimising the scope and cost of this project and the Group is currently considering an initial Stage 1 investment that would enable the production of all 65% Fe pellets. The market will be informed of the revised scope and cost of this project once the assessment is completed.

 

This Stage 1 upgrade remains a priority as it will enable all of the Group's mined ore to be processed into 65% Fe pellets in line with market preference. The project design will provide for a Stage 2 project for the production of Direct Reduction ('DR') grade 68% Fe pellets. 65% Fe pellets enjoy more robust demand, but DR pellets would constitute a new premium product for Ferrexpo which we could sell into world markets and in particular the Middle East, a nearby attractive Growth Market.

 

Yeristovskoye

 

The Yeristovskoye project remains the Group's primary and most advanced major growth project. The scope of the project includes the construction of the new Yeristovskoye mine, a dedicated concentrator plant and potentially also a dedicated pelletising facility. Following completion of the Yeristovskoye DFS in September 2008, formal commitment to the project was not sought from the Board because of the economic climate. However, Board clearance was given to continue some operational expenditure and small future commitments at a limited level to enable the value of the project to be maintained and to minimise delays to the original development schedule. In addition to investing in the DFS, the Group had already purchased five dragline excavators and the initial mining fleet for the purposes of pre-stripping at the site of the new mine.

 

In 2009, the Group took delivery of and commissioned five draglines and four CAT 789 haul trucks, and commenced work on the pre-stripping of the Yeristovskoye mine. Construction of the Yeristovskoye mine requires a three-year pre-strip before first ore is reached. It was decided that scaled down stripping works should proceed at Yeristovskoye in 2009, as stripping is time-consuming and a major delay would impact the schedule of the entire project significantly. As a result, the Group spent US$23 million on stripping works, mining fleet and site facilities construction at Yeristovskoye in 2009 and removed 4.0 million cubic metres of overburden from the site. The Group also engaged the services of local small trucking contractors to supplement the CAT fleet for the first phase of overburden removal and this enabled us to remove overburden at minimal cost.

 

Significant progress was achieved with the Ukrainian Central Land Authority (DerzhComZem) approval process for the west and east Yeristovo area land acquisition programme which is required for ongoing development of the mine.

 

Stripping will continue at the Yeristovskoye mine in 2010 and first ore can be achieved in early 2013, subject to full project approval during 2010. Subject to further reviews in 2010, it is envisaged that a portion of Yeristovskoye ore will be processed using excess processing capacity at GPL for the first two years. This will enable the Group to delay commitment to the capital expenditure for the Yeristovskoye concentrator plant by up to 24 months.

 

In 2008, the Group established a separate company, Ferrexpo Yeristovskoye Mining to provide for a separate legal and management structure for the development of the Yeristovskoye project. FYM is 51% owned by FPM and 49% by Ferrexpo AG. In December 2009, the Yeristovskoye mining licence formally held by FPM was re-issued to FYM.

 

Belanovskoye and Galeschinskoye

 

Developments are planned at the Belanovskoye and Galeshinskoye deposits which are less advanced. The Group continues to perform the work at these deposits required for licence maintenance as well as undertaking further drilling for the detailed testing of geotechnical conditions and ore quality. All of the Group's developments will take place on the same ore body that we are currently exploiting and are situated adjacent to our existing logistics infrastructure. As a result, these investments represent low risk additions to new iron ore capacity compared with many other iron ore projects globally.

 

Strategic Investor Programme

During 2008, we identified several potential strategic investors, but this programme remains on hold pending completion of the review of our capital expenditure requirements and improvements to market conditions and asset prices.

 

Marketing

 

Marketing performance in 2009

The visible weakness in demand for iron ore in Europe in the final quarter of 2008 continued into the first half of 2009. As a result, while the Group was able to sell volumes comparable with other years in 2009, our sales mix by geography reflects a greater proportion of sales to seaborne markets such as China than has historically been the case. In addition, the Ukrainian steel industry was more severely affected than those in Western Europe, with the result that 95% of our output by volume was exported in 2009 (2008: 88%). The share of pellet sales to Ukrainian customers therefore decreased from 12.0% in 2008 to 8% in 2009. We increased seaborne export sales in response to this weakness in Europe and Ukraine by actively and carefully selling into the spot market in Asia to known customers in order to protect the Ferrexpo brand, whilst increasing shipments to long-term export customers. Domestic Ukrainian sales are made on an ex-works basis while export sales are usually made on a Delivered at Frontier ('DAF') or Free on Board ('FOB') basis. The Group reports average achieved prices on a DAF/FOB basis. It is noteworthy that spot sales are generally made on a Cost and Freight ("CFR") basis. The higher proportion of spot sales in the first eight months of 2009 therefore exposed the Group to freight volatility. Freight rates from the Black Sea to Asia were high relative to other routes in the second and third quarters of 2009 and this put pressure on the Group's average achieved DAF/FOB price during that period.

 

Of the total iron ore exported by the Group in 2009 by value, 39% was sold into China (2008: 18%). Most of the remainder was sold into the Group's established markets in Central and Western Europe and Turkey. The Group actively continues to seek to open new markets and in 2009 we began supplying new customers on the north-west coast of India on a spot basis. We believe that India will prove to be an important new Growth Market for the Group. An analysis of sales by market is contained in note 6 to the accounts.

 

The following table shows our principal export markets for iron ore pellets for the years ended 31 December 2009 and 2008 (by volume):

 

('000t)	2009	2008	Change +/-	%
Traditional Markets	4,083.0	5780.8	(1,697.8)	(29.4)
Natural Markets	713.3	323.2	390.1	120.7
Growth Markets	3,544.5	1,558.4	1,986.1	127.4
Total exports	8,340.8	7,662.4	678.4	8.9

 

 

Approximately 70.0% of our 2009 sales by volume were made pursuant to long-term supply contracts, a lower level of contract sales to the 87.7% seen in 2008. This was again the result of increased spot selling in the first seven months of the year in response to continuing demand weakness from European and Ukrainian contract customers. During the third quarter of 2009, restocking began in Europe and we began actively shifting back to supplying our portfolio of long-term contract customers there during this period. Throughout the year our solid customer relationships have demonstrated their value, first in assisting us to place additional spot volumes through our long-term contract customers in China and then later in returning to full contract volumes with our European customers ahead of competing suppliers. Despite demand weakness in Ukraine and our Traditional Markets (see market definitions below), our seaborne access, marketing flexibility and customer relationships resulted in higher overall full year 2009 sales by volume. We continue to build on our strong track record of close relationships with all our customers. 

 

The global iron ore market environment in 2009 was affected by low visibility of both demand and price (see 'Pricing' below). This resulted in a higher proportion of sales on the spot market, and these sales were made at lower prices than those under contract. We expect that the proportion of sales that will be made under long term contracts in 2010 will be higher than in 2009, as markets have normalised and the Group is already selling at close to normal levels to its portfolio of long-term contract customers. We remain committed to the strategy of maintaining a high level of the Group's sales under long-term contract and to this end we have despatched trial cargoes to prospective new contract customers in the second half of 2009.

 

We believe that we have increased our market share in 2009 with our contract customers in our Traditional Markets as a result of our proximity to these customers and our long-standing relationships with them. This has been critical in enabling us to maintain output during the year. Our ability to provide small-parcel 'just-in-time' deliveries to these customers is an attractive service to those companies that are engaged in careful inventory management. We are well positioned to continue this trend of substituting our supply for that of our competitors in Europe in 2010, and Ferrexpo will continue to sell aggressively into these markets.

 

We shall also continue to focus on achieving higher prices through enhanced pellet quality and a better understanding of our customers' requirements of our products. This is necessary in order to capture the maximum price relative to our competitors' delivered cost to the customer on a 'value to the customer' basis.

 

Traditional Markets

Our 'Traditional Markets' are those markets that we have supplied historically and in which we enjoy a competitive advantage based on our location. These include Austria, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia. The former CIS countries within the Traditional Markets have been particularly affected by the adverse conditions in global commodities markets, with Ukraine the worst affected given its steel export focus and relatively high steel production costs. We believe that continued growth in per capita steel consumption in many of these markets is likely to resume slowly now that some stability is returning to the global economy, as most of them are effectively re-industrialising. Total sales to Traditional Markets in 2009 were 4.1mt, a decrease of 29% compared with 2008.

 

Natural Markets

'Natural Markets' are relatively new markets for us in regions where we believe we have a competitive advantage which is yet to be exploited. This segment includes Western Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Turkey has plans to increase its steel-making capacity significantly and FPM's proximity across the Black Sea affords an important mutual advantage to both the Group and iron ore buyers in Turkey. Our long-term supply contract in Turkey is only a year old, but it was one of the best-performing contracts in 2009. This segment represents a major target for future sales growth. We are building commercial and technical relationships in the Middle East as a base for our future planned sales as we continue to improve product quality. 

 

Growth Markets

'Growth Markets' are those which offer to add new and significant tonnage expansion potential to our customer portfolio. Currently China is the major target, although as stated above we have now made progress in opening India as a new Growth Market. The Group has six long-term contracts in place with Chinese steel mills. These customers provide a solid base for future sales growth and were instrumental in the Group's success in placing excess volumes from Europe in the Chinese spot market in 2009. We have a shorter ocean shipping distance to these markets than competitor iron ores from Brazil, although ocean freight rates from the Black Sea have been unusually high in 2009 relative to other routes as a result of the severe and prolonged economic downturn in Europe. This resulted in a significant reduction in dry bulk ocean vessels open for trade in the Atlantic but we expect this situation to normalise. The Ferrexpo Growth Market region also provides the primary source of demand for spot market business which has been highly active throughout 2009.

 

Logistics

Our logistics strategy is to manage as much of the delivery chain to our customers as possible in order to ensure punctual supply of the contracted quality of product at a competitive cost. The total scope of our delivery logistics chain includes rail, trans-shipment (loading and unloading), barge and ocean vessels.

 

In 2009, our focus was on maintaining production and ensuring the integrity of the logistics chain in order to maximise sales volumes in a capital-constrained environment. Our 49.9%-owned dry bulk minerals Panamax terminal on the Black Sea (the 'TIS-Ruda Terminal-Yuzhny') has proven an asset critical to our efforts to increase seaborne sales in the face of Traditional Market demand weakness. Our access to the TIS-Ruda Terminal-Yuzhny has been a vital differentiator between Ferrexpo and its competitors in the region which have had to rely on congested State ports for seaborne access.

 

During the downturn the Group has followed a strategy of conservative cash management. In 2009, little expenditure was made on the development of our logistics capability. The expansion of our delivery chain logistics capability in order to meet current and future growing customer demands nevertheless remains a critical contributor to our long-term market shares and margins. We expect to resume some capital expenditure in this area in 2010. Specifically, Ferrexpo is actively working to reduce ocean vessel shipping costs and volatility to Growth Markets via longer-term ocean vessel chartering, and loading of larger vessels up to cape size 150,000 tonnes.

 

Pricing

We achieved an average DAF/FOB price for the pellets we sold in 2009 of US$66.3 per tonne, a decrease of 47% over the average achieved price for 2008 (US$124.6 per tonne). The calculation of the average DAF/FOB price includes sales made on a CFR basis, adjusted for freight. As stated above, high freight rates caused pressure on the average DAF/FOB price in the third and fourth quarters. Variations in our achieved price stem from price variations of pellets sold into different geographical segments, as well as the mix between our 62% Fe pellets and our 65% Fe pellets (which attract a premium). In a typical year, most of our export sales are based on annually negotiated prices contained in supplements to our long-term supply contracts. A proportion of this sales tonnage is linked to the international seaborne traded iron ore benchmark price ('Benchmark Price') movement agreed between the major iron ore producers and specific Western European or Asian steel producers for a given year. However, owing to low demand visibility in 2009, a Benchmark Price settlement was not globally agreed as usual in April. As a result, in order to maintain volumes and margins, Ferrexpo was exposed to an unusually high proportion of spot or provisional prices, as were almost all iron ore producers during the year. This affected the 2009 average achieved price.

 

No formal global Benchmark Price was established at all in 2009 as a result of CISA's (the China Iron and Steel Association) failure to recognise price settlements made between the major iron ore producers and their non-Chinese customers during the summer. Price settlements were nonetheless reached outside China and by early in the second half of the year, these had eventually gained universal acceptance even with Chinese steel mills. This was partly as a result of continuing iron ore spot price strength. Vale, the largest iron ore pellet producer in the world, settled its price for pellets with its customers ex-China at a level 48.3% below the 2008/2009 contract price. The improving economic outlook in the third quarter enabled Ferrexpo to agree prices with the majority of its long-term contract customers at substantially this Vale Benchmark Price after adjustments for the impact of freight, quality, proximity and logistics. This coincided with the return to supplying pellets largely in terms of our normal geographic market mix. These new contract prices apply from the start of the fourth quarter to the end of the first quarter of 2010, when we expect a new Benchmark Price to be agreed as is the case in any typical year.

 

Pellet premium

The iron ore pellet premium is the price paid by purchasers to producers of iron ore pellets (such as Ferrexpo) in excess of the price of iron ore sinter fines, to reflect the fact that pellets have undergone further processing which may create improved 'value in use' for the end users. The Group's pellets are therefore an intermediate product between raw ore and metallic iron, providing productivity gains in blast furnaces. Usage of our pellets can lead to reduced coke consumption in the steelmaking production process, beneficial when this is in tight supply or relatively highly priced. The pellet premium also reflects other benefits of using pellets, most notably their advantages in transportation and increased environmental concerns with sinter production, particularly for blast furnace operators in the European Union.

 

Following the Vale price settlements in mid 2009, the iron ore pellet premium in Europe was 25 US cents per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu), after reaching a record high of 86 US cents per dmtu in April 2008. Pellets tend to trade at a very significant premium to iron ore fines only when the industry is in a state of undersupply as was the case in the first part of 2008. The efficiency gained through the use of pellets becomes less of a factor when blast furnaces are not running at full capacity, as was the case in many markets through much of 2009. Nonetheless, the current level is below the long-term average of approximately 30 US cents per dmtu, and we believe this to be below the marginal cost of pelletising for some producers. As a result we expect the premium for our pellets to increase in 2010. This is supported by the fact that good supply discipline practised by the larger pellet producers in 2009 has, in late 2009, resulted in a shortage of pellets in some key markets. An increase in the pellet premium is also likely to be underpinned by the transport and environmental benefits of using our pellets.

 

2010 Marketing strategy

Demand in 2010 will depend on the continued growth of steel output in China, a sustainable recovery by the steel industry in Ukraine and the continuation of the slow recovery in developed nations. We believe that the re-stocking by steel mills following the worst months of the crisis is now complete and a fragile recovery is under way, driving a slow return of global steel output to sustainable levels. We remain well placed to continue to produce at full capacity and to supply our key customers because of our proximity to them. We have made significant progress already in increasing our market share to these customers, and our return to supplying our portfolio of long-term customers late in 2009 bodes well for sales in 2010.

 

Government stimulus packages and 'quantitative easing' are likely to result in some inflation in 2010, but for Ferrexpo this is likely to be offset to a large degree by further operational currency weakness. Economic conditions have reduced costs of production across the industry in 2009 as demand has fallen. This is a partial reversal of the changes to the cost structure of the iron ore industry witnessed over the past five years as a result of declining availability of direct-charge lump ore and the fact that incremental iron ore can only be supplied by increasingly distant and relatively lower-quality ore bodies. The cost of the marginal tonne is therefore expected to increase slightly in 2010.

 

Industry inventory control has been good given the pressures of the economic downturn and the recovery in demand in China which was unexpectedly rapid. As a result, the build-up of inventories which have historically prevented the recovery of commodity prices once growth conditions resume has been avoided. In 2010, continuing strong demand from China and the slow recovery elsewhere should give support to stronger iron ore prices.

 

Our sales strategy in 2010 will be an extension of the highly successful flexible strategy we practised in 2009. We believe the worst of the downturn in the global economy is behind us, but we remain prepared to switch sales volumes between our various markets at short notice to counteract any recurring demand weakness in any given region. We shall continue to cultivate relationships in our Growth Markets and to hold available our seaborne market access, seeking to maximise sales volumes where possible by taking advantage of potential opportunities for seaborne spot sales while maintaining our strong customer relationships in our Traditional and Natural Markets. Where possible, we will use these relationships to increase our market share position in the Traditional and Natural Markets to capitalise on smaller-lot deliveries to customers. We believe that, for customers throughout Central Europe, our products represent an attractive alternative to those of major seaborne suppliers owing to the lower costs of transporting pellets over a shorter distance from Ukraine, together with an ability to provide many customers with a continuous small-parcel delivery chain and in many instances a bespoke logistics solution.

 

Corporate social responsibility

 

We are pleased that in 2009, we made good progress in our efforts to transform the culture at FPM into one of behavioural safety. There were no fatalities at our operations during the year. We continue to work with Du Pont Safety Resources as we strive for further improvements across all areas of CSR and especially safety.

 

 

FINANCIAL REVIEW

 

 

As disclosed in note 12 to the accounts, Ferrexpo has experienced delays in recovering VAT which it has paid on purchases in Ukraine. As an exporter, the Group's goods are not subject to VAT and the Group relies on the timely repayment of VAT to ensure sufficient cash flows.

 

During the year, the amount of VAT to be recovered from state authorities increased by US$24.0 million to US$81.3 million. This, offset by lower accounts receivable, accounted for the increase in working capital at the end of 2009 compared with 2008. No VAT amounts are in dispute.

 

The amount of VAT to be repaid to the Group not only relates to purchases made by Ferrexpo Poltava Mining (FPM), but additionally to purchases made by Ferrexpo Yeristovskoye Mining (FYM). Under Ukrainian law, newly established companies are unable to reclaim VAT during their first 12 months of operation. FYM was established in July 2008 and paid approximately US$2 million of VAT in the period to July 2009 (principally relating to imported CAT equipment). This will apply to any new subsidiary company that may be established by the Group as its growth projects are realised.

Statement of Directors' Responsibility

 

We confirm on behalf of the board that to the best of our knowledge;

 

·; The consolidated financial statements, prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, IFRS as adopted by the European Union and in accordance with the provision of the Companies Act 2006, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the group; and

 

·; The management report, which is incorporated in the directors' report, includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the group, together with a description of the principal risk and uncertainties.

 

For and on behalf of the Board

 

 

Michael Abrahams CBE DL

Chairman

 

 

 

 

Chris Mawe

Chief Financial Officer

ACCOUNTS

Consolidated income statement

 

US$ 000	Notes	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Revenue	4	648,667	1,116,854
Cost of sales	5	(341,067)	(434,238)
Gross profit		307,600	682,616
Selling and distribution expenses		(162,266)	(152,528)
General and administrative expenses	6	(43,161)	(67,185)
Other income		4,102	6,387
Other expenses	7	(3,418)	(38,040)
Operating foreign exchange gains		2,534	29,309
Operating profit from continuing operations before adjusted items		105,391	460,559
Write-offs and impairment losses		(2,757)	(27,326)
Share of profit of associates		1,304	1,003
Negative goodwill		503	35,049
Initial public offering costs		(427)	(4,120)
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment		213	-
Gain on disposal of available-for-sale investment		-	1,571
Profit before tax and finance from continuing operations		104,227	466,736
Finance income	8	2,893	2,467
Finance expense	8	(23,718)	(20,834)
Non-operating foreign exchange loss		(2,552)	(72,788)
Profit before tax		80,850	375,581
Income tax expense	9	(9,852)	(62,533)
Profit for the year from continuing operations		70,998	313,048
Attributable to:
Equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc		70,627	292,436
Minority interests		371	20,612
		70,998	313,048
Earnings per share:
Basic (US cents)	10	12.08	48.60
Diluted (US cents)	10	12.05	48.46

 

 

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

 

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit for the period	70,998	313,048
Exchange differences on translating foreign operations
Exchange differences arising during the year	(20,842)	(210,616)
Exchange differences arising on hedging of foreign operations	(3,697)	(122,068)
Available-for-sale investments
Gain arising on revaluation during the year	400
Net loss on disposal of available-for-sale financial assets		(1,789)
Change in deferred taxes on transaction costs	-	(3,454)
Tax impact on employee benefits	-	(317)
Income tax effect	2,895	40,805
Other comprehensive income for the period, net of tax	(21,244)	(297,439)
Total comprehensive income for the period, net of tax	49,754	15,609
Total comprehensive income attributable to:
Equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc	49,633	16,304
Minority interests	121	(695)
	49,754	15,609

Consolidated statement of financial position

US$ 000	Notes	Audited As at 31.12.09	As at 31.12.08
Assets
Property, plant and equipment		452,100	412,440
Goodwill and other intangible assets		100,354	103,755
Investments in associates		19,915	18,640
Available-for-sale financial assets		2,917	4,435
Other non-current assets		9,824	10,116
Deferred tax asset		13,673	14,043
Total non-current assets		598,783	563,429
Inventories		59,636	61,270
Trade and other receivables		38,117	59,636
Prepayments and other current assets		19,394	18,108
Income taxes recoverable and prepaid		9,741	5,835
Other taxes recoverable and prepaid	12	81,284	57,285
Available-for-sale financial assets		626	650
Cash and cash equivalents	13	11,991	87,822
Total current assets		220,789	290,606
Total assets		819,572	854,035
Equity and liabilities
Issued capital		121,628	121,628
Share premium		185,112	185,112
Other reserves		(347,858)	(330,714)
Retained earnings		501,175	470,098
Equity attributable to equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc		460,057	446,124
Minority interests		11,387	11,769
Total equity		471,444	457,893
Interest bearing loans and borrowings	13	18,143	231,373
Trade and other payables		-	570
Defined benefit pension liability		14,529	12,940
Provision for site restoration		1,268	1,071
Deferred tax liability		3,739	5,298
Total non-current liabilities		37,679	251,252
Interest bearing loans and borrowings	13	251,379	74,523
Trade and other payables		27,926	35,033
Accrued liabilities and deferred income		12,146	14,470
Income taxes payable		11,105	14,439
Other taxes payable		7,893	6,425
Total current liabilities		310,449	144,890
Total liabilities		348,128	396,142
Total equity and liabilities		819,572	854,035

 

The financial statements were approved by the Board of directors on 22 March 2010.

Kostyantin Zhevago Christopher Mawe

Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer

Consolidated statement of cash flows

US$ 000	Notes	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Net cash flows from operating activities	14	76,869	370,943
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment		(85,823)	(276,264)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment		213	2,016
Purchase of intangible assets		(598)	(1,597)
Purchases of available-for-sale financial assets		-	(266)
Interest received		2,104	2,472
Proceeds from loans to associates/(provided)		6,450	(4,000)
Net cash flows used in investing activities		(77,654)	(277,639)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from borrowings and finance		35,637	172,143
Repayment of borrowings and finance		(73,168)	(69,412)
Dividends paid to equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc		(36,325)	(38,954)
Dividends paid to non-controlling shareholders		(234)	(1,186)
Proceeds from issue of share capital to minority interests		-	2,123
Acquisition of non-controlling interest in subsidiaries		-	(11,048)
Share buy back		-	(77,260)
Net cash flows used in financing activities		(74,090)	(23,594)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(74,875)	69,710
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year		87,822	86,966
Currency translation differences		(956)	(68,854)
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		11,991	87,822

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

	Attributable to equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc
US$ 000	Issued capital	Share premium	Uniting of interest reserve	Treasury share reserve	Employee benefit trust reserve	Net unrealised gains reserve	Translation reserve	Retained earnings	Total capital and reserves	Minority interests	Total equity
At 1 January 2008	121,628	188,566	31,780	-	(20,092)	2,384	186	216,616	541,068	45,854	586,922
Profit for the period	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	292,436	292,436	20,612	313,048
Other comprehensive income	-	(3,454)	-	-	(317)	(1,571)	(270,790)	-	(276,132)	(21,307)	(297,439)
Total comprehensive income for the period	-	(3,454)	-	-	(317)	(1,571)	(270,790)	292,436	16,304	(695)	15,609
Equity dividends paid to shareholders of Ferrexpo plc	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	(38,954)	(38,954)	-	(38,954)
Equity dividends paid by subsidiary undertakings to non-controlling shareholders	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	(301)	(301)
Share based payments	-	-	-	-	4,966	-	-	-	4,966	-	4,966
Participation of non-controlling shareholders in subsidiary share issue	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1,960	1,960
Adjustments relating to the decrease in minority interests	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	(35,049)	(35,049)
Share buy back	-	-	-	(77,260)	-	-	-	-	(77,260)	-	(77,260)
At 31 December 2008	121,628	185,112	31,780	(77,260)	(15,443)	813	(270,604)	470,098	446,124	11,769	457,893
Profit for the period	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	70,627	70,627	371	70,998
Other comprehensive income	-	-	-	-	-	301	(21,295)	-	(20,994)	(250)	(21,244)
Total comprehensive income for the period	-	-	-	-	-	301	(21,295)	70,627	49,633	121	49,754
Equity dividends paid to shareholders of Ferrexpo plc	-	-	-	-		-	-	(39,550)	(39,550)	-	(39,550)
Share based payments	-	-	-	-	3,850	-	-	-	3,850	-	3,850
Adjustments relating to the decrease in minority interests	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	(503)	(503)
At 31 December 2009	121,628	185,112	31,780	(77,260)	(11,593)	1,114	(291,899)	501,175	460,057	11,387	471,444

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Information

Note 1: General information

The financial information for the year ended 31 December 2009 does not constitute statutory accounts as defined in section 435 of the Companies Act 2006. The audited statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and those for 2009 will be delivered following the Company's annual general meeting convened for Thursday, 27 May 2010.

 

The auditor has reported on the statutory accounts for year ended 31 December 2009. The auditor's report was unqualified.

 

Note 2: Summary of significant accounting policies

International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC)

Whilst the preliminary announcement has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRS') and International Financial Reporting Interpretation Committee ("IFRIC") interpretations adopted for use by the European Union and with those parts of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS, this announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with IFRS. The Board approved the full financial statements that comply with IFRS on Tuesday, 23 March 2010. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the recording of pension assets and liabilities and the revaluation of certain financial instruments.

The accounting policies applied are consistent with those adopted and disclosed in the Group's annual financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2008 except for the following.

The Group has adopted the following new and amended IFRS and IFRIC interpretations as of 1 January 2009.

 

International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) Effective date 

·; IFRS 8 Operating Segments (new) 1 January 2009

·; IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements (revised) 1 January 2009

·; IAS 23 Borrowing Costs (revised) 1 January 2009

 

Adoption of these standards did not have any effect on the financial performance or position of the Group.

 

Changes occurring as a result of improvements to IFRSs

In May 2008 and April 2008, the IASB issued an omnibus of amendments to its standards, primarily with a view to removing inconsistencies and clarifying wording. There are separate transitional provisions for each standard. The Group has adopted the following amendments to standards that were applicable to the Group:

 

§ IFRS 7 Financial instruments: Disclosures

§ IFRS 2 Share-based Payment - Vesting Conditions and Cancellations

§ IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and IAS 1 Puttable Financial Instruments and Obligations Arising on Liquidation

§ IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement - Eligible Hedged Items

§ IFRIC 16 Hedges of a Net Investment in a Foreign Operation

 

The Group amended its accounting policies where applicable; however, the adoption of the above standards did not have an impact upon the financial position or performance of the Group.

The Group has elected not to adopt early the following revised and amended standards:

§ IFRS 3 Business combinations (revised)

§ IAS 27 Consolidated and separate financial statements (revised)

§ IAS 7 Statement of cash flows (amendments)

§ IAS 28 Investments in associates (revised)

 

Seasonality

The Group's operations are not affected by seasonality. 

Note 3: Segment information

The Group is managed as a single entity which produces, develops and markets its principal product - iron ore pellets - for sale to the metallurgical industry. Per the requirements of IFRS 8 Operating Segments, the Group presents its results in a single segment which are disclosed in the income statement for the Group.

 

In the prior period, under the requirements of IAS 14 Segment Reporting, the Group disclosed geographical segments split between Ukraine and Switzerland. This is no longer required. 

Note 4: Revenue

Revenue for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Revenue from sales of ore pellets:
Export	612,829	973,420
Ukraine	34,483	134,413
	647,312	1,107,833
Revenue from services provided	790	1,229
Revenue from other sales	565	7,792
Total	648,667	1,116,854

Export sales by geographical destination were as follows:

US$'000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
China	241,882	173,761
Austria	105,690	298,209
Serbia	84,193	170,972
Slovakia	77,537	117,093
Turkey	39,272	30,649
Czech Republic	21,293	80,746
India	21,225	-
Hungary	6,539	-
Germany	5,573	-
Japan	5,027	34
Russia	-	42,606
Poland	-	31,708
Bulgaria	-	12,189
Italy	-	10,340
Other	4,598	5,113
Total	612,829	973,420

 

During the year ended 31 December 2009 sales made to three customers accounted for 51.9% of the sales revenue (2008: 52.5%).

Sales made to two customers individually amounted to more than 10% of the total sales. These are disclosed below:

US$'000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Customer A	161,730	288,065
Customer B	105,690	298,209

 

Note 5: Cost of sales

Cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Materials	60,607	79,321
Purchased ore and concentrate	8,914	47,491
Electricity	81,438	92,021
Personnel costs	41,670	68,781
Spare parts and consumables	13,007	17,613
Depreciation and amortisation	23,370	28,860
Fuel	23,969	41,517
Gas	28,744	34,106
Repairs and maintenance	38,503	33,120
Royalties and levies	6,484	6,764
Stock movement	10,543	(19,596)
Other	3,818	4,240
Total	341,067	434,238

Cost of sales is reconciled to "C1" costs in the following manner:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Cost of sales	341,067	434,238
Depreciation and amortisation	(23,370)	(28,860)
Purchased ore and concentrate	(8,914)	(47,491)
Processing costs for purchased ore and concentrate	(1,206)	(5,418)
Production cost of gravel	(357)	(375)
Stock movement in the period	(10,543)	19,596
Pension service costs	(1,857)	(5,058)
Other	1,662	(2,214)
C1 cost	296,482	364,418
Own ore produced (tonnes)	8,609,200	8,607,500
C1 cash cost per tonne $	34.44	42.34

 

"C1" costs represent the cash costs of production of iron pellets from own ore divided by production volume of own ore, and excludes non-cash costs such as depreciation, pension costs and stock movements, costs of purchased ore, concentrate and production cost of gravel and excludes one-off items which are outside the definition of EBITDA.

Note 6: General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Personnel costs	23,933	38,900
Buildings and maintenance	2,391	3,092
Taxes other than income tax and other charges	3,930	4,185
Consulting and other professional fees	2,731	7,000
Depreciation and amortisation	2,534	3,137
Communication	529	826
Vehicles maintenance and fuel	854	1,096
Repairs	1,041	1,120
Audit fees	1,112	1,348
Non audit	184	1,153
Security	1,659	1,641
Research	1	352
Other	2,262	3,335
Total	43,161	67,185

  Note 7: Other expenses

Other expenses for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Charitable donations	4,043	6,081
Doubtful debts expense	(5,199)	18,755
Loss on disposal of plant, property and equipment	1,121	1,280
Other personnel costs	830	1,056
Foreign exchange difference arising on consolidation	-	5,992
Other	2,623	4,876
Total	3,418	38,040

The allowance for doubtful debts relates to receivables from certain customers in Russia and other former CIS countries. Following a stabilisation in the markets during the latter part of the financial year the recorded allowance has been partially released. Note 8: Finance income and expense

Finance income and expenses for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Finance income
Interest income	1,894	1,448
Other finance revenue	999	1,019
Total	2,893	2,467
Finance expense
Interest expense on financial liabilities measured at amortised cost	(16,805)	(15,002)
Interest on defined benefit plans	(2,967)	(1,776)
Bank charges	(535)	(336)
Other finance costs	(3,411)	(3,720)
Total	(23,718)	(20,834)
Net finance expense	(20,825)	(18,367)

Other finance costs include the unwinding of the discount on the site restoration provision, discounting of the share redemption liability and other costs.   Note 9: Income tax expense

The income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2009 consisted of the following:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Current income tax	10,162	79,016
Deferred income tax	(310)	(16,483)
Income tax expense	9,852	62,533

 

The effective income tax rate differs from the corporate income tax rates. The weighted average statutory rate was 13.0% for 2009 (2008: 18.2%). This is calculated as the average of the statutory tax rates applicable in the countries in which the Group operates, weighted by the profit/(loss) before tax of the subsidiaries in the respective countries, as included in the consolidated financial information. The effective tax rate is 12.2% (2008: 16.6%).

The changes in the weighted average income tax rate are largely due to a change in the profit/(loss) before tax in the various jurisdictions in which the Group operates.

A reconciliation between the income tax charged in the accompanying financial information and income before taxes multiplied by the weighted average statutory tax rate for the year ended 31 December 2009 is as follows:

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit before tax	80,850	375,581
Notional tax computed at the weighted average statutory tax rate of 13.0% (2008: 18.2%)	10,526	68,496
De-recognition of deferred tax asset	135	4,359
Inflation related indexation of fixed assets for tax	(1,792)	(12,456)
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes	3,359	9,669
Tax exempted income	(942)	-
Tax effect on asset impairment and negative goodwill	-	(7,849)
Non recognition of deferred taxes on current year losses	780	-
Tax related to prior years	(2,497)	(286)
Other	283	600
Income tax expense	9,852	62,533

 

Note 10: Earnings per share and dividends paid and proposed

Basic earnings per share (EPS) is calculated by dividing the net profit for the year attributable to ordinary equity shareholders of Ferrexpo plc by the weighted average number of ordinary shares.

 

	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit for the year attributable to equity shareholders:
Basic earnings per share (US cents)	12.08	48.60
Diluted earnings per share (US cents)	12.05	48.46
Underlying earnings for the year:
Basic earnings per share (US cents)	12.80	57.74
Diluted earnings per share (US cents)	12.77	57.58

The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share is based on the following data:

Thousands	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Weighted average number of shares
Basic number of ordinary shares outstanding	584,652	601,697
Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares	1,361	1,717
Diluted number of ordinary shares outstanding	586,013	603,414

The basic number of ordinary shares is calculated by reducing the total number or ordinary shares in issue by the shares held in treasury.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue on the assumption of conversion of all potentially dilutive ordinary shares. All share awards are potentially dilutive and have been included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share.

'Underlying earnings' is an alternative earnings measure, which the directors believe provides a clearer picture of the underlying financial performance of the Group's operations. Underlying earnings is presented after minority interests and excludes adjusted items. The calculation of underlying earnings per share is based on the following earnings data:

US$ 000		Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit attributable to equity holders		70,627	292,436
Write offs/impairments		2,757	27,326
IPO costs		427	4,120
Negative goodwill generated on rights issue		(503)	(35,049)
Gain on disposal of available-for-sale investment		-	(1,571)
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment		(213)	-
Non-operating foreign exchange losses		2,551	72,788
Tax on adjusted items		(823)	(12,619)
Underlying earnings		74,823	347,431

 

Adjusted items are those items of financial performance that the Group believes should be separately disclosed on the face of the income statement to assist in the understanding of the underlying financial performance achieved by the Group. Adjusted items that relate to the operating performance of the Group include impairment charges and reversals and other exceptional items. Non-operating adjusted items include gains and losses on disposal of investments and businesses and non-operating foreign exchange gains and losses.

Dividends paid and proposed

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09
Dividends proposed
Final dividend for 2009: 3.3 US cents per ordinary share	19,289
Total	19,289
Dividends paid during the period
Interim dividend for 2009: 3.3 US cents per ordinary share	19,289
Final dividend for 2008: 3.3 US cents per ordinary share	20,261
Total	39,550

 

US$ 000	Year ended 31.12.08
Dividends proposed
Final dividend for 2008: 3.3 US cents per ordinary share	20,000
Total
Dividends paid during the period
Interim dividend for 2008: 3.2 US cents per ordinary share	19,505
Final dividend for 2007: 3.2 US cents per ordinary share	19,449
Total	38,954

Note 11: EBITDA

The Group calculates EBITDA as profit from continuing operations before tax and finance plus depreciation and amortisation (included in cost of sales, administrative expenses and selling and distribution costs) and non-recurring cash items included in other income and other expenses plus the net of gains and losses from disposal of investments and property, plant and equipment. The Group presents EBITDA because it believes that EBITDA is a useful measure for evaluating its ability to generate cash and its operating performance.

US$'000		Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit before tax and finance		104,227	466,736
Write-offs and impairment losses		2,757	27,326
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment		(213)	-
Gain on disposal of available-for-sale investment		-	(1,571)
Initial public offering costs		427	4,120
Share based payments		3,423	1,495
Negative goodwill generated on rights issue		(503)	(35,049)
Severance payments		-	6,764
Depreciation and amortisation		28,018	34,125
EBITDA		138,137	503,946

 

The severance payments disclosed above relate to the amounts paid to the former CEO and the Director of Business Development upon their resignation in the prior year.

 

Note 12: Taxes recoverable and prepaid

As at 31 December 2009 taxes recoverable and prepaid comprised:

US$ 000	Audited As at 31.12.09	As at 31.12.08
VAT receivable	81,269	57,244
Other taxes prepaid	15	41
Other taxes recoverable and prepaid	81,284	57,285

 

The VAT receivable is as a result of zero rated VAT exports made from Ukraine which is recoverable under Ukrainian tax legislation.

 

During the year the VAT receivable increased from US$57,243,752 to US$81,268,909 mainly related to Ferrexpo Poltava Mining. As an exporter, Ferrexpo Poltava Mining, the group's principal subsidiary, does not have substantial amounts of VAT received on sales which can be offset against VAT paid for purchases of goods and services. It therefore relies heavily on the government for refunds. VAT on trading items is due to be repaid three months after it is incurred. However, owing to slow repayments, VAT amounting to nine months of trading was outstanding at the end of the year with none of the amounts being in dispute. It is expected that VAT refunds will resume in 2010.

Note 13: Net financial indebtedness

US$ 000		Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Cash and cash equivalents		11,991	87,822
Current borrowings		(251,379)	(74,523)
Non-current borrowings		(18,143)	(231,373)
Current commodity loans		(124)	(1,446)
Non-current commodity loans		-	(570)
Net financial indebtedness		(257,655)	(220,090)

Net financial indebtedness as defined by the Group comprises cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, interest bearing loans and borrowings and amounts payable for equipment.

On 8 January 2010, the remaining outstanding balance of US$207,727,272 of the pre-export finance facility was repaid in full. Further information in respect of the refinancing of the pre-export finance facility in 2010 is disclosed in note 16.

Note 14: Reconciliation of profit before tax to net cash flow from operating activities

US$ 000	Audited Year ended 31.12.09	Year ended 31.12.08
Profit before tax	80,850	375,581
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortisation of intangible assets	28,018	34,125
Interest expense	20,622	18,496
Interest income	(2,893)	(2,467)
Share of income of associates	(1,304)	(1,003)
Movement in allowance for doubtful receivables	(5,199)	19,095
Write-off/reversal of payables	-	(1,043)
(Profit)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment	(213)	1,280
Assets received free of charge	-	(325)
Write-offs and impairment losses	2,757	27,325
Site restoration provision	159	269
Gains on disposal of available-for-sale financial assets	-	(1,571)
Employee benefits	5,474	7,715
IPO costs	427	4,120
Share based payments	3,423	1,495
Negative goodwill generated on rights issue	(503)	(35,049)
Operating foreign exchange gains	(2,534)	(29,309)
Non-operating foreign exchange losses	2,552	72,788
Operating cash flow before working capital changes	131,636	491,522
Changes in working capital:
Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables	14,961	(36,167)
Decrease/(increase) in inventories	1,777	(5,070)
(Decrease)/Increase in trade and other accounts payable	(6,474)	8,094
(Increase)/decrease in other taxes recoverable and prepaid	(24,038)	(673)
Cash generated from operating activities	117,862	457,706
Interest paid	(19,197)	(15,443)
Income tax paid	(18,899)	(67,217)
Post-employment benefits paid	(2,897)	(4,103)
Net cash flows from operating activities	76,869	370,943

Note 15: Related party disclosures

There have been no significant changes in the Group's material related party transactions that would require specific disclosure in the 2009 preliminary results announcement.

Note 16: Subsequent events

No material adjusting or non-adjusting events have occurred subsequent to the year-end other than the proposed dividend disclosed in note 10 and the refinancing of the Group described below.

The Company entered into a new 3 year bank debt term facility on 27 November 2009 for US$230 million. This pre-export finance facility was drawn in full on 8 January 2010 and was used for refinancing the existing pre-export finance facility. The facility matures 36 months from 1 January 2010 and is to be repaid in 24 equal monthly instalments with the first instalment falling due in January 2011.

GLOSSARY

 

AGM

The annual general meeting of the Company to be held on Thursday 27 May 2010

 

Benchmark Price

International seaborne traded iron ore benchmark price agreed between the major iron ore producers and specific West European or British steel producers for a given year

 

BIP

Business improvement programme

 

Board

The board of directors of the Company

 

Cape size

Cape size vessels are typically above 150,000 long tons deadweight. Ships in this class include oil tankers, supertankers and bulk carriers transporting coal, ore, and other commodity raw materials

 

Capital Employed

The aggregate of equity attributable to shareholders, minority interests and borrowings

 

CFR

Delivery including cost and freight

 

C1 Costs

Cash costs per ton of pellets, ex-works, excluding administrative and distribution costs

 

CIF

Delivery including cost, insurance and freight

 

CIS

The Commonwealth of Independent States

 

Company

Ferrexpo plc, a public company incorporated in England and Wales with limited liability

 

CPI

Consumer Price Index

 

CSR

Corporate safety and social responsibility

 

CSR Committee

The corporate safety and social responsibility committee of the Board of the Company.

 

DAF

Delivery at frontier

 

DFS

Detailed feasibility study

 

Directors

The directors of the Company

 

Dragline excavators

Heavy excavators used to excavate material. A dragline consists of a large bucket which is suspended from a boom.

 

EBITDA

The Group calculates EBITDA as profit from continuing operations before tax and finance plus depreciation and amortisation (included in cost of sales, administrative expenses and selling and distribution costs) and non-recurring cash items included in other income and other expenses plus the net of gains and losses from disposal of investments and property, plant and equipment.

 

EPS

Earnings per share

 

Executive Committee

The executive committee of management appointed by the Company's Board

 

Executive Directors

The executive directors of the Company

 

Fe

Iron

 

Ferrexpo

Ferrexpo plc

 

Ferrexpo AG Group

Ferrexpo AG and its subsidiaries including FPM

 

Fevamotinico S.a.r.l. 

A company incorporated with limited liability in Luxembourg

 

FOB

Delivered free on board

 

FPM

Ferrexpo Poltava Mining, also known as Ferrexpo Poltava GOK Corporation or PGOK, a company incorporated under the laws of Ukraine

 

FTSE 250

Financial Times Stock Exchange top 250 companies

 

FYM

Ferrexpo Yeristovskoye Mining, also known as YGOK, a company incorporated under the laws of Ukraine to administer the three major growth projects.

 

GPL

Gorishne, Plavninskoye and Lavrikovskoye Mine, the mine operated by FPM

 

Group

The Company and its subsidiaries

 

Growth Markets

Those markets that offer to add new and significant tonnage expansion potential

 

HSE

Health, safety and environment

 

IAS

International accounting standards

 

IASB

International accounting standards board

 

IFRS

International financial reporting standards, as adopted by the EU

 

IPO

Initial public offering

 

Iron ore concentrate

Product of the flotation process with enriched iron content

 

Iron ore sinter fines

Fine ground iron ore

 

Iron ore pellets

Dried and hardened agglomerate of iron ore concentrate, whose physical properties are well suited for transportation and downstream processing in a blast furnace

 

JORC

Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee - the internationally accepted code for ore classification

 

K22

GPL ore has been classified as either K22 or K23 quality, of which K22 ore is of higher quality (richer)

 

KPI

Key performance indicator

 

LIBOR

The London inter-bank offered rate

 

LLC

Limited liability company

 

LTIFR

Lost-time injury frequency rate 

 

Majority Shareholder

Fevamotinico S.a.r.l., The Minco Trust and Kostyantin Zhevago (together)

 

mt

Million tonnes

 

mtpa

Million tonnes per annum

 

Natural Markets

Relative new markets in regions where the Group believes it has competitive advantage which is yet to be exploited

 

Non-executive Directors

Non- executive directors of the Company

 

NOPAT

Net operating profit after tax

 

Ordinary shares

Ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the Company

 

Ore

A mineral or mineral aggregate containing precious or useful minerals in such quantities, grade and chemical combination as to make extraction economic

 

PPI

Ukrainian producer price index

 

Probable reserves

Those measured and/or indicated mineral resources which are not yet "proved", but of which detailed technical and economic studies have demonstrated that extraction can be justified at the time of the determination and under specific economic conditions.

 

Proven reserves

Measured mineral resources of which detailed technical and economic studies have demonstrated that extraction can be justified at the time of determination and under specific economic conditions.

 

Relationship Agreement

The relationship agreement entered into among Fevamotinico S.a.r.l., Kostyantin Zhevago, The Minco Trust and the Company

 

Reserves

Those parts of mineral resources for which sufficient information is available to enable detailed or conceptual mine planning and for which such planning has been undertaken. Reserves are classified as either proven or probable

 

$/t

US dollars per tonne

 

Sinter

A porous aggregate charged directly to the blast furnace which is normally produced by firing relatively courser fine iron ore, other materials, and coke breeze as the heat source.

 

Spot price

The current price of a metal for immediate delivery

 

Sterling/£

Pound sterling, the currency of the United Kingdom

 

Tailings

The waste material produced from ore after economically recoverable metals or minerals have been extracted. Changes in metal prices and improvements in technology can sometimes make the tailings economic to process at a later date

 

TIS-Ruda

Ukrainian port facility on the Black Sea

 

Tolling

The process by which a customer supplies concentrate to a smelter and the smelter invoices the customer the smelting charge, and possibly a refining charge, and then returns the metal to the customer.

 

tonne or t

Metric tonne

 

Treasury Shares

A company's own issued shares that it has purchased but not cancelled.

 

TSF

Tailings storage facility

 

Traditional Markets

Markets that the Group has supplied historically and in which it enjoys a competitive advantage based on its location. These include Austria, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia. 

 

TSR

Total shareholder return. The total return earned on a share over a period of time, measured as the dividend per share plus capital gain, divided by initial share price.

 

Ukraine

The Republic of the Ukraine

 

Underlying earnings

An alternative measure which the directors believe provided a clearer picture of the underlying financial performance of the Group's operations. Underlying earnings is presented as profit attributable to equity shareholders before adjusted items. Adjusted items are those items of financial performance that the Group believes should be separately disclosed on the face of the income statement to assist in the understanding of the underlying financial performance achieved by the Group. Adjusted items that relate to the operating performance of the Group include impairment charges and reversals and other exceptional items. Non-operating adjusting items include profits and losses of investments and businesses as well as IPO costs and non-operating foreign exchange gains and losses.

 

UAH

Ukrainian hryvnia, the currency of the Republic of the Ukraine

 

US$ or Dollars

United States dollars, the currency of the United States of America

 

USS

United States Steel Corporation

 

VAT

Value Added Tax

 

Value in use

The implied value of a material to an end user to use one material relative to other options, e.g. comparing performance of several types of iron ore pellets into a blast furnace; taking into account the delivered cost of a material and rates relative to other competition materials on a quality and landed cost adjusted basis.

 

Yeristovo or Yeristovskoye

The mine being developed by FYM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange