Glatfelter Corp - Annual Report: 2010 (Form 10-K)

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-K

 

 

Commission file number 1-03560

P. H. Glatfelter Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o     No þ.

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     No o.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act)  Yes o     No þ.

 

Based on the closing price as of June 30, 2010, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates was $490.7 million.

 

Common Stock outstanding on March 11, 2011 totaled 45,999,846 shares.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the following documents are incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

 

Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 30, 2011 (Part III).

 

 

P. H. GLATFELTER COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
For the Year Ended

DECEMBER 31, 2010

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

Overview  Glatfelter began operations in 1864 and we believe we are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials. Headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, we own and operate manufacturing facilities located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and the Philippines.

 

Acquisitions  Over the past several years we completed the following acquisitions:

 

 

 

These strategic acquisitions significantly increased our revenues and provided us with additional operating scale, increased production capacity, and an expansion of our geographic reach.

 

Products  Our three business units manufacture, both domestically and internationally, a wide array of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials including:

 

 

Our Business Units  Since completing the acquisition of Concert Industries Corp. (“Concert”) on February 12, 2010, we now manage our company as three distinct business units: (i) Specialty Papers; (ii) Composite Fibers; and (iii) Advanced Airlaid Materials. Consolidated net sales and the relative net sales contribution of each of our business units for the past three years are summarized below:

 

 

Net tons sold by each business unit for the past three years were as follows:

 

 

Specialty Papers  Our North America-based Specialty Papers business unit focuses on producing papers for the following markets:

 

 

The market segments in which Specialty Papers competes have undergone significant and rapid consolidation over the past several years resulting in fewer, more globally focused producers. This includes both commodity products (comprised of envelopes and certain forms) and higher-value-added specialty products.

 

Specialty Papers’ revenue composition by market consisted of the following for the years indicated:

 

 

Many of the markets served by Specialty Papers are more mature and, in certain instances, declining. However, we have been successful in increasing this unit’s

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shipments through new product and new business development initiatives and leveraging the flexibility of our operating assets to efficiently respond to changing customer demands. During 2010, we invested approximately $10.4 million in product development activities and, in each of 2009 and 2008, we invested approximately $8.0 million. In each of the past three years, in excess of 50% of net sales were generated from products developed, enhanced or improved within the past five years.

 

We believe we are one of the leading suppliers of book publishing and carbonless papers in the United States. Although the markets for book publishing and carbonless papers in North America are declining, we have been successful in executing our strategy to replace this lost volume with products such as envelope and converting papers, forms and other products. Specialty Papers also produces paper that is converted into specialized envelopes in a wide array of colors, finishes and capabilities. This market is generally more mature and declining. However, we compete on our customer service capabilities and have grown our market share in each of the last three years.

 

Specialty Papers’ highly technical engineered products include those designed for multiple end uses, such as papers for pressure-sensitive postage stamps, greeting and playing cards, conical cups, digital imaging applications and for release paper applications. Such products comprise an array of distinct business niches that are in a continuous state of evolution. Many of these products are utilized by demanding, specialized customer and end-user applications. Some of our products are new and higher growth while others are more mature and further along in the product life cycle. Because many of these products are technically complex and involve substantial customer-supplier development collaboration, they typically command higher per ton prices and generally exhibit greater pricing stability relative to commodity grade paper products.

 

In the carbonless paper and forms market, we compete with Appleton Papers and, to a lesser extent, Nekoosa Papers, Inc. We believe we are one of the leading producers of book publishing papers and compete in these markets with, among others, Domtar and North Pacific Paper (NORPAC). In the envelope sector we compete with International Paper, Domtar and Evergreen, among others. In our Specialty Papers’ engineered products markets, competition is product line specific as the necessity for technical expertise and specialized manufacturing equipment limits the number of companies offering multiple product lines. We compete with specialty divisions of large companies such as, among others, International Paper, Domtar, Boise, NewPage and Sappi. Service, product performance, technological advances and product pricing are important competitive factors with respect to all our products. We believe our reputation in these areas continues to be excellent.

 

The Specialty Papers business unit operates two integrated pulp and paper making facilities with the following combined attributes:

 

 

 

The Spring Grove, Pennsylvania facility includes five uncoated paper machines that have been rebuilt and modernized from time to time. It has an off-line combi-blade coater and a Specialty Coater (“S-Coater”), which together yield a potential annual production capacity for coated paper of approximately 68,000 tons. Since uncoated paper is used in producing coated paper, this is not additional capacity. We view the S-Coater as an important asset that allows us to expand our engineered paper products business. The Spring Grove facility also includes a pulpmill that has a production capacity of approximately 650 tons of bleached pulp per day.

 

The Chillicothe, Ohio facility operates four paper machines producing uncoated and carbonless paper. This facility also includes a pulpmill that has a production capacity of approximately 955 tons of bleached pulp per day.

 

The principal raw material used to produce each facility’s pulp is pulpwood, including both hardwoods and softwoods. Hardwoods are available within a relatively short distance of our mills. Softwoods are obtained from a variety of locations including the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina. To protect our sources of pulpwood, we actively promote conservation and forest management among suppliers and woodland owners. In addition to sourcing the pulpwood in the open market, we have long-term supply contracts that provide access to timber at market prices.

 

The Spring Grove facility produces more electricity than it requires. Excess electricity was sold to the local

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power company under a long-term co-generation contract that expired on March 31, 2010. During 2010, in anticipation of the contract’s expiration, we became a member of PJM Interconnection, a federally regulated regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement and ensures reliability of wholesale electricity in its region. As a member, we are committed to providing capacity to the high-voltage electricity grid and agree to sell excess power at market prices. Accordingly, our margin earned from energy sales will be subject to market volatility associated with the price at which energy is sold together with volatility in input costs, primarily related to coal.

 

Cellulosic Biofuel Production Credits and Alternative Fuel Mixture Credits  The U.S. Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”) provided tax credits for companies that produce cellulosic biofuel or use alternative fuel mixtures to produce energy to operate their businesses. The credits equal to $1.01 per gallon of cellulosic biofuel or $0.50 per gallon of alternative fuel contained in the mixture. In a memorandum issued in July 2010, the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance concluding that black liquor sold or used before January 1, 2010, qualifies for the cellulosic biofuel producer credit (“CBPC”) and no further certification of eligibility was needed.

 

In connection with filing our 2009 income tax return, we claimed $23.2 million, net of taxes, of CBPC for black liquor used during the period January 1, 2009 through February 19, 2009.

 

The alternative fuel mixture credit is refundable to the taxpayer. On May 11, 2009, we were notified by the Internal Revenue Service that our application to be registered as an alternative fuel mixer was approved. During 2009, we mixed and burned eligible alternative fuels for the period February 20, 2009 through December 31, 2009, and earned $107.8 million of alternative fuel mixture credits.

 

Composite Fibers  Our Composite Fibers business unit, based in Gernsbach, Germany, serves customers globally and focuses on higher-value-added products in the following markets:

 

 

We believe this business unit maintains a market leadership position in the growing tea bags and single-serve coffee products markets and the composite laminates market. Since the completion of the Caerphilly acquisition, we have the second largest market share for metallized products globally. Composite Fibers’ revenue composition by market consisted of the following for the years indicated:

 

 

We believe many of the market segments served by Composite Fibers, particularly Food & Beverage and Metallized papers, present attractive growth opportunities by expanding into new geographic markets and by gaining market share through quality product and service offerings. Growth in these markets is driven by growing population and disposable income and changes in consumer preferences. Many of this unit’s papers are technically sophisticated. Most of the papers produced in the Composite Fibers business unit, except for metallized papers, are extremely lightweight and require very specialized fibers. Our engineering capabilities, specifically designed papermaking equipment and customer orientation position us well to compete in these global markets.

 

The Composite Fibers Business Unit is comprised of the three paper making facilities (Germany, France and the United Kingdom), metallizing operations (Wales and Germany) and a pulp mill (the Philippines) with the indicated combined attributes:

 

 

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Our mill in the Philippines processes abaca fiber to produce a specialized pulp. This abaca pulp production process provides a unique advantage by supplying a key raw material in pulped form used by our Composite Fibers business unit. In the event the supply of abaca fiber becomes constrained or should production demands exceed capacity from the Philippines mill, alternative sources and/or substitute fibers are used to meet customer demands. In addition, events may arise from the relatively unstable political and economic environment in which the Philippine facility operates that could interrupt the production of abaca pulp. Management periodically evaluates the availability of abaca pulp for our Composite Fibers business unit. Any extended interruption of the Philippine operation could have a material impact on our consolidated financial position and/or results of operations. We target to have approximately one month of fiber supply in stock and one month of fiber supply at sea available to us. In addition, we have established contingency plans for alternative sources of abaca pulp. However, the cost of obtaining abaca pulp from such alternative sources, if available, would likely be much higher.

 

In Composite Fibers’ markets, competition is product line specific as the necessity for technical expertise and specialized manufacturing equipment limits the number of companies offering multiple product lines. We believe we have leading market positions for paper used in tea bags and single serve coffee products and compete with companies such as Ahlstrom and Purico. In composite laminates we compete with PdM, a division of Schweitzer-Maudit, Purico and MB Papeles and for metallized products, competitors include Vacumet, AR Metallizing, Amsterdam Metallized Products, and Protec.

 

Advanced Airlaid Materials  On February 12, 2010, we acquired Concert, which we now operate as the Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit. Founded in 1993, Concert is a leading global supplier of highly absorbent cellulose-based airlaid non-woven materials used to manufacture a diverse range of consumer and industrial products for growing global end-use markets. These products include:

 

 

This acquisition affords us the opportunity to grow with our customers who are industry leading consumer product companies for feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products. Advanced Airlaid Materials holds leading market share positions in the markets it serves, excels in building long-term customer relationships through superior quality and customer service programs, and has a well-earned reputation for innovation and its ability to quickly bring new products to market. Its customers are within close proximity to its facilities, and include multinational blue-chip consumer product companies.

 

Sales of feminine hygiene product material accounted for 81% of Advanced Airlaid Material’s revenue in 2010. These markets are considered to be more growth oriented in certain geographic regions driven by population growth, consumer preferences and suppliers’ ability to provide innovative products. In developing markets, demand is also influenced by increases in disposable income and cultural preferences.

 

The Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit operates two facilities with the following combined attributes:

 

 

Advanced Airlaid Materials operates state-of-the-art facilities in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and Falkenhagen, Germany. The Gatineau location consists of two airlaid production lines employing multi-bonded and thermal airlaid techniques and a single-lane festooner. The Falkenhagen location operates three multi-bonded production lines and three single-lane festooners.

 

Prior to our acquisition of Concert, approximately $80 million was invested by its previous owners to install a new line at the Falkenhagen facility. The new line, which successfully commenced commercial production during the fourth quarter of 2009, increased annual rated capacity by 19,400 tons, a 27% increase in the business unit’s capacity. A significant portion of this unit’s capacity is under contract through 2013.

 

Advanced Airlaid Materials is a technology and product innovation leader in technically demanding segments of the airlaid market, most notably feminine hygiene. We believe that its facilities are among the most modern and flexible airlaid facilities in the world, which allow it to produce at industry leading operating rates. Its proprietary single-lane rotary festooning technology, which was developed in 2002, provides customers with product packaged for efficient use. Advanced Airlaid Materials has leading market positions in feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products, food pads and specialty wipes. This business unit’s in-house technical product and process expertise, festooning capabilities and

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rigorous customer requirements create large barriers to entry for new entrants.

 

The airlaid industry is made up of a few large producers, including Buckeye Technologies Inc., Georgia-Pacific LLC, Duni AB, Fiberweb Plc., and us.

 

Additional financial information for each of our business units is included in Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and in Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 21.

 

Our Business Strategy  Our vision is to become the global supplier of choice in specialty papers and engineered products. We are continuously developing and refining our strategies to strengthen our business and position it for the future. Execution of our strategies is dependent on our customer relationships, technology, operational flexibility and our new product development efforts.

 

Our strategy includes maintaining and expanding market leading positions in global growth markets, focusing on specialization and innovation, in part, through new product development, driving efficiencies and cost reduction through ongoing continuous improvement initiatives and maintaining our focus on maximizing cash flow. With respect to each business unit, our strategy includes:

 

Specialty Papers  The North American uncoated free sheet market has been challenged by a supply and demand imbalance, particularly for commodity-like products. While the industry has narrowed the supply-demand gap by eliminating capacity, the imbalance continues. To be successful in the current market environment, our strategy is focused on:

 

 

Composite Fibers  The markets served by this business unit are characterized by long-term growth opportunities. To take advantage of this, our strategy is focused on:

 

 

Advanced Airlaid Material  The markets served by this business unit are characterized by attractive growth opportunities. To take advantage of this, our strategy is focused on:

 

 

Balance Sheet  We are focused on prudent financial management and the maintenance of a conservative capital structure. By aggressively managing working capital to maximize cash flow from operations, making disciplined capital expenditure decisions and, as opportunities warrant, monetizing the value of our timberland assets, we are able to maintain a strong balance sheet, thereby preserving the flexibility to pursue strategic opportunities that will benefit our shareholders.

 

Acquisitions – We have a demonstrated ability to establish leading market positions through the successful acquisition and integration of complementary businesses. Since 2006, we have successfully completed and integrated four acquisitions. In February 2010, we further diversified our global footprint with the Concert acquisition, a technology and product innovation leader in technically demanding segments of the airlaid market, most notably feminine hygiene. We expect this acquisition will enable us to grow with our customers who are industry leading consumer products companies for feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products and complements our long-term strategy of driving growth in our markets in part through acquisitions.

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Concentration of Customers  For each of the past three years, no single customer represented more than 10% of our consolidated net sales. However, as discussed in Item 1A Risk Factors, one customer accounted for the majority of Advanced Airlaid Materials net sales in 2010.

 

Capital Expenditures  Our business is capital intensive and requires extensive expenditures for new and enhanced equipment. These capital investments are necessary for environmental compliance, normal upgrades or replacements, business strategy and research and development. For 2011, we expect capital expenditures to total approximately $60 million to $65 million.

 

Environmental Matters  We are subject to laws and regulations which operate to protect the environment as well as human health and safety. We have, at various times, incurred significant costs to comply with those regulations, as new regulations are developed or regulatory priorities change. Currently, we anticipate that we could incur material capital and operating costs to comply with several air quality regulations including the U.S. EPA Best Available Retrofit Technology rule (BART; otherwise known as the Regional Haze Rule) and the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule (Boiler MACT). Although we are in the process of analyzing the potential impact of these requirements, compliance could require significant capital expenditures. For a discussion of other environmental matters, see Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 20.

 

Employees  The following table summarizes our workforce as of December 31, 2010:

 

 

 

We consider the overall relationship with our employees to be satisfactory.

 

Available Information  On our investor relations page of our Corporate website at www.glatfelter.com we make available free of charge our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K and other related information as soon as reasonably practical after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, our website includes a Corporate Governance page consisting of, among others, our Governance Principles and Code of Business Conduct, and biographies of our Board of Directors and Executive Officers, Audit, Compensation, Finance and Nominating Committees of the Board of Directors and their respective Charters, Code of Business Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers of Glatfelter, our “whistle-blower” policy and other related material. We satisfy the disclosure requirement for any future amendments to, or waivers from, our Code of Business Conduct or Code of Business Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers by posting such information on our website. We will provide a copy of the Code of Business Conduct or Code of Business Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, without charge, to any person who requests one, by calling (717) 225-2724.

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Our business and financial performance may be adversely affected by the adverse global economic environment or downturns in the target markets that we serve.

 

Demand for our products in the markets we serve is primarily driven by demand for our customers’ products, which is often affected by general economic conditions. Downturns in our target markets could result in decreased demand for our products. In particular, our businesses may be adversely affected in the event of weak global economic conditions and by softness in targeted markets. Our results could be adversely affected if economic conditions weaken or fail to continue to improve. Also, there may be periods during which demand for our products is insufficient to enable us to operate our production facilities in an economical manner. The economic impact may cause customer insolvencies which may result in their inability to satisfy their financial obligations to us. These conditions are beyond our ability to control and may have a significant impact on our sales and results of operations.

 

In addition to fluctuations in demand for our products in the markets we serve, the markets for our products are also significantly affected by changes in industry capacity and output levels. There have been periods of supply/demand imbalance in our industry which have caused wood pulp, fluff pulp and selling prices to be volatile. The timing and magnitude of price increases or decreases in these markets have generally varied by region and by product type. A sustained period of weak demand or excess supply would likely adversely affect pulp, fluff pulp and selling prices. This could have a material adverse affect on our operating and financial results.

 

The cost of raw materials and energy used to manufacture our products could increase and the availability of certain raw materials could become constrained.

 

We require access to sufficient and reasonably priced quantities of pulpwood, purchased pulps, pulp substitutes, abaca fiber and certain other raw materials. Our Spring Grove and Chillicothe locations are vertically integrated manufacturing facilities that generate approximately 85% of their annual pulp requirements.

 

Our Philippine mill purchases abaca fiber to produce abaca pulp, which we use to manufacture our paper for tea bags and single serve coffee products at our Gernsbach, Scaër and Lydney facilities. However, at certain times in the past, the supply of abaca fiber has been constrained due to factors such as weather related damage to the source crop as well as selection by land owners of alternative uses of land in lieu of fiber producing activities.

 

Our Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit requires access to sufficient quantities of fluff pulp, the supply of which is subject to availability of certain softwoods. Softwood availability can be limited by many factors, including, weather in regions where softwoods are abundant.

 

The cost of many of our production materials, including petroleum based chemicals, and freight charges, are influenced by the cost of oil. In addition, coal is a principal source of fuel for both the Spring Grove and Chillicothe facilities and natural gas is used as a source of fuel for our Chillicothe facility, and the Composite Fibers and Advanced Airlaid Materials business units’ facilities. In addition, our vendors’ liquidity may be impacted by the economy creating supply shortages.

 

Although we have contractual cost pass-through arrangements with certain customers we may not be able to fully pass increased raw materials or energy costs on to all customers if the market will not bear the higher price or where existing agreements with our customers limit price increases. If price adjustments significantly trail increases in raw materials or energy prices our operating results could be adversely affected.

 

Our industry is highly competitive and increased competition could reduce our sales and profitability.

 

In recent years, the global industries in which we compete have been adversely affected by capacity exceeding the demand for products and by declining uncoated free sheet demand. As a result, steps have been taken to reduce underperforming capacity. However. slowing demand or increased competition could force us to lower our prices or to offer additional services at a higher cost to us, which could reduce our gross margins and net income. The greater financial resources of certain of our competitors may enable them to commit larger amounts of capital in response to changing market conditions. Certain competitors may also have the ability to develop product or service innovations that could put us at a competitive disadvantage.

 

Some of the factors that may adversely affect our ability to compete in the markets in which we participate include:

 

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If we cannot effectively compete in the markets in which we operate, our sales and operating results would be adversely affected.

 

We may not be able to develop new products acceptable to our customers.

 

Our business strategy is market focused and includes investments in developing new products to meet the changing needs of our customers and to maintain our market share. Our success will depend in large part on our ability to develop and introduce new and enhanced products that keep pace with introductions by our competitors and changing customer preferences. If we fail to anticipate or respond adequately to these factors, we may lose opportunities for business with both current and potential customers. The success of our new product offerings will depend on several factors, including our ability to:

 

 

Our inability to develop new products could adversely impact our business and ultimately harm our profitability.

 

We are subject to substantial costs and potential liability for environmental matters.

 

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that govern our operations, including discharges into the environment, and the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. We are also subject to laws and regulations that impose liability and clean-up responsibility for releases of hazardous substances into the environment. To comply with environmental laws and regulations, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, substantial capital and operating expenditures. We anticipate that environmental regulation of our operations will continue to become more burdensome and that capital and operating expenditures necessary to comply with environmental regulations will continue, and perhaps increase, in the future. Because environmental regulations are not consistent worldwide, our ability to compete globally may be adversely affected by capital and operating expenditures required for environmental compliance. In addition, we may incur obligations to remove or mitigate any adverse effects on the environment, such as air and water quality, resulting from mills we operate or have operated. Potential obligations include compensation for the restoration of natural resources, personal injury and property damages.

 

Despite the December 2009 and March 2011 favorable rulings in the pending Fox River litigation, we continue to have exposure to liability for remediation and other costs related to the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls in the lower Fox River on which our former Neenah, Wisconsin mill was located. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to ultimately pay material amounts to resolve our liability in the Fox River matter. We have financial reserves for environmental matters, including the Fox River site, but we cannot be certain that those reserves will be adequate to provide for future obligations related to these matters, that our share of costs and/or damages for these matters will not exceed our available resources, or that such obligations will not have a long-term, material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

 

Our environmental issues are complicated and should be reviewed in context; please see a more detailed discussion of these matters in Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 20.

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The Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit generates a substantial portion of its revenue from one customer serving the feminine hygiene products market, the loss of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Advanced Airlaid Materials generates the majority of its net sales of feminine hygiene products in 2010 from one customer. The loss of a significant customer could have a material adverse effect on their operating results. In addition, sales in the feminine hygiene market accounted for approximately 81% of Advanced Airlaid Materials’ net sales in 2010. A decline in sales of feminine hygiene products or in sales of feminine hygiene products generally could have a material adverse effect on this unit’s operating results. Customers in the airlaid non-woven fabric material market, including the feminine hygiene market, may also switch to less expensive products or otherwise reduce demand for Advanced Airlaid Material’s products, thus reducing the size of the markets in which it currently sells its products. Any of the foregoing could result in our failing to realize the benefits of the acquisition, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and business prospects.

 

Our operations may be impaired and we may be exposed to potential losses and liability as a result of natural disasters, acts of terrorism or sabotage or similar events.

 

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding or fire, and acts of terrorism or sabotage affecting our operating activities and major facilities could materially and adversely affect our operations, our operating results and financial condition. In particular, we own and operate four dams in York County, Pennsylvania that were built to ensure a steady supply of water for the operation of our paper mill in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, which is a primary manufacturing location for our envelope papers and engineered products. Each of these dams is classified as “high hazard” by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because they are located in close proximity to inhabited areas and sudden failure would endanger occupants or residential, commercial or industrial structures. Failure or breach of any of the dams, including as a result of natural disaster or act of terrorism or sabotage, could cause significant personal injuries and damage to residential and commercial property downstream for which we may be liable. The failure of a dam could also be extremely disruptive and result in damage to or the shutdown of our Spring Grove mill. Any losses or liabilities incurred due to the failure of one of our dams may not be fully covered by our insurance policies or may substantially exceed the limits of our policies, and could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

 

In addition, many of our paper making operations require a reliable and abundant supply of water. Such mills rely on a local water body or water source for their water needs and, therefore, are particularly impacted by drought conditions or other natural or manmade interruptions to its water supplies. At various times and for differing periods, each of our mills has had to modify operations due to water shortages or low flow conditions in its principal water supplies. Any interruption or curtailment of operations at any of our paper mills due to drought or low flow conditions at the principal water source or another cause could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

 

Our pulp mill in Lanao del Norte on the Island of Mindanao in the Republic of the Philippines is located along the Pacific Rim in the world’s hazard belt. By virtue of its geographic location, this mill is subject to, among other types of natural disasters, floods, droughts, cyclones, typhoons, earthquakes, windstorms and volcanic activity. Moreover, the area of Lanao del Norte has been a target of terrorist activities, including bombings, by suspected members of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups in the Philippines, such as the Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Group and other Islamic militant groups, most notably the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The most common bomb targets in Lanao del Norte to date have been power transmission towers. Our pulp mill in Mindanao is located in a rural portion of the island and is susceptible to attacks or power interruptions. The Mindanao mill supplies approximately 80% of the abaca pulp that is used by our Composite Fibers business unit to manufacture our paper for tea bags and single serve coffee products. Any interruption, loss or extended curtailment of operations at our Mindanao mill could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

 

We have operations in a potentially politically and economically unstable location.

 

Our pulp mill in the Philippines is located in a region that is unstable and subject to political unrest. As discussed above, our Philippine pulp mill produces abaca pulp, a significant raw material used by our Composite Fibers business unit, and is currently our main provider of abaca pulp. There are limited suitable alternative sources of readily available abaca pulp in the world. In the event of a disruption in supply from our Philippine mill, there is no guarantee that we could obtain adequate amounts of abaca pulp from alternative sources at a reasonable price or at all. As a consequence, any civil disturbance, unrest, political instability or other event that causes a disruption

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in supply could limit the availability of abaca pulp and would increase our cost of obtaining abaca pulp. Such occurrences could adversely impact our sales volumes, revenues and operating results.

 

Our international operations pose certain risks that may adversely impact sales and earnings.

 

We have significant operations and assets located in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. Our international sales and operations are subject to a number of special risks, in addition to the risks in our domestic sales and operations, including differing protections of intellectual property, trade barriers, labor unrest, exchange controls, regional economic uncertainty, differing (and possibly more stringent) labor regulation, risk of governmental expropriation, domestic and foreign customs and tariffs, differing regulatory environments, difficulty in managing widespread operations and political instability. These factors may adversely affect our future profits. Also, in some foreign jurisdictions, we may be subject to laws limiting the right and ability of entities organized or operating therein to pay dividends or remit earnings to affiliated companies unless specified conditions are met. Any such limitations would restrict our flexibility in using funds generated in those jurisdictions.

 

Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We own and operate manufacturing facilities in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Philippines. The majority of our business is transacted in U.S. dollars; however, a substantial portion of business is transacted in Euros, British Pound Sterling and Canadian dollars. With respect to the Euro, we generate substantially greater cash inflow in these currencies than we do outflow. However, with respect to the British Pound Sterling and the Philippine Peso, we have greater outflows than inflows of this currency. As a result of these positions, we are exposed to changes in currency exchange rates.

 

Our ability to maintain our products’ price competitiveness is reliant, in part, on the relative strength of the currency in which the product is denominated compared to the currency of the market into which it is sold and the functional currency of our competitors. Changes in the rate of exchange of foreign currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar, and other currencies, may adversely impact our results of operations and our ability to offer products in certain markets at acceptable prices.

 

Substantially lower and more volatile market-based prices for sales of excess electricity compared to the fixed-price we historically received may prevent us from achieving the historical margins on our sales of excess electricity in relation to our coal supply contract, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

 

Because our Spring Grove facility produces more electricity than it requires for its operations, we sell the excess energy produced. Historically, we sold the excess electricity to the local power company under a fixed-price long-term contract, which expired March 31, 2010. We now sell our excess electricity at wholesale market prices prevailing at the time of sale. Market prices for electricity have historically been volatile and may continue to be substantially lower than the price we historically received under the expired contract.

 

We generate electricity at our Spring Grove facility using a variety of fuels, including coal. We purchase coal for this facility under a long-term, fixed price supply contract, which expires at the end of 2012. Our cost of coal, as well as the costs incurred for natural gas and other fuels used to generate electricity, have a major impact on the net revenue and overall profitability of our Specialty Paper business unit. The combination of market-based pricing for energy sales and the fixed pricing of the coal contract may limit our ability to generate the level of net revenues from energy sales that we historically achieved and limit the overall profitability of our Specialty Papers business unit, which could have a material adverse affect on our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

 

An IRS audit of our 2009 tax return could result in a change in the tax treatment of the alternative fuel mixture credits we claimed in 2009, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

 

The U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or the Code, provided a tax credit for companies that used alternative fuel mixtures to produce energy to operate their businesses on or prior to December 31, 2009. During 2009, we registered two of our facilities with the IRS as alternative fuel mixers based on their use of black liquor as an alternative fuel source. For the year ended December 31, 2009, we had substantial alternative fuel mixture credits relating to these facilities. Our results of operations in 2009 included, on a pre-tax basis, $107.8 million of alternative fuel mixture credits all of which has been used or realized in cash. In the event that the IRS audits

10

our tax return for the year ended December 31, 2009, the IRS may conclude that some or all of the credits claimed are subject to federal income taxes, which would subject us to additional tax liabilities and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

 

In the event any of the above risk factors impact our business in a material way or in combination during the same period, we may be unable to generate sufficient cash flow to simultaneously fund our operations, finance capital expenditures, satisfy obligations and make dividend payments on our common stock.

 

In addition to debt service obligations, our business is capital intensive and requires significant expenditures for equipment maintenance, new or enhanced equipment, environmental compliance, and research and development to support our business strategies. We expect to meet all of our near and long-term cash needs from a combination of operating cash flow, cash and cash equivalents, our existing credit facility and other long-term debt. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from these sources, we could be unable to meet our near and long-term cash needs or make dividend payments.

 

 

None.

 

 

We own substantially all of the land and buildings comprising our manufacturing facilities located in Pennsylvania; Ohio; Canada; the United Kingdom; Germany; France; and the Philippines. Substantially all of the equipment used in our manufacturing and related operations is also owned. Our metallized paper production facility located in Caerphilly, Wales leases the building and land associated with its operations. We also lease office space for a sales and distribution office in Moscow, Russia, as well as our corporate offices located in York, Pennsylvania. All of our properties, other than those that are leased, are free from any material liens or encumbrances. We consider all of our buildings to be in good structural condition and well maintained and our properties to be suitable and adequate for present operations.

 

 

We are involved in various lawsuits that we consider to be ordinary and incidental to our business. The ultimate outcome of these lawsuits cannot be predicted with certainty; however, we do not expect such lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

 

For a discussion of commitments, legal proceedings and related contingencies, see Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 20.

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to our executive officers as of March 11, 2011.

 

 

Officers are elected to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. Except in the case of officers elected to fill a new position or a vacancy occurring at some other date, officers are generally elected at the organizational meeting of the Board of Directors held immediately after the annual meeting of shareholders.

 

Dante C. Parrini became President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2011. Prior to this appointment, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a position he held since February 2005. Mr. Parrini joined us in 1997 and has previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, a position he held beginning in January 2003 and prior to that as Vice President responsible for Sales and Marketing.

 

John P. Jacunski became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in July 2006. From October 2003 until July 2006, he was Vice President and Corporate Controller. Mr. Jacunski was previously Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at WCI Steel, Inc. from June 1999 to October 2003. Prior to joining WCI, Mr. Jacunski was with KPMG, an international accounting and consulting firm, where he served in various capacities.

 

Jonathan A. Bourget joined us in July 2010 as Vice President & General Manager, Advanced Airlaid Materials Business Unit. From 2008 until joining our Company, Mr. Bourget was Vice President & General Manager of European operations at Polymer Group Inc. Prior to this, he held various positions of increasing

Glatfelter 2010 Annual Report    11

responsibility, including General Manager Specialties Division in Europe, with Alcoa Inc.

 

David C. Elder was appointed Vice President in March 2009 and has served as Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer since July 2006. Prior to joining us in January 2006, Mr. Elder was Corporate Controller for YORK International Corporation, a position he held since December 2003. Prior thereto, he was the Director, Financial Planning and Analysis for YORK International Corporation from August 2000 to December 2003.

 

Thomas G. Jackson became Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in June 2008. Since joining us in November 2006, Mr. Jackson has held various positions in our legal department including Assistant General Counsel, Assistant Secretary and Director of Compliance. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Jackson was Director of Business Development at C&D Technologies, Inc. from August 2005 to September 2006 and prior to that was Deputy General Counsel at C&D Technologies from October 1999 to August 2005.

 

Debabrata Mukherjee was appointed Vice President & General Manager, Specialty Papers Business Unit in April 2008. Dr. Mukherjee joined our Company in 1998 and since then has held various operational, sales and technical leadership positions within the Specialty Papers Business Unit. From March 2006 through March 2008, Dr. Mukherjee served as Division Vice President, Engineered & Converting Products. From February 2004 through February 2006, Dr. Mukherjee served as Director, Engineered Products. Prior to joining Glatfelter, Dr. Mukherjee served in various capacities with Felix Schoeller, a German based global specialty paper manufacturer.

 

Martin Rapp joined Glatfelter in August 2006 and serves as Vice President and General Manager – Composite Fibers Business Unit. Prior to this, Mr. Rapp was Vice President and General Manager of Avery Dennison’s Roll Materials Business in Central and Eastern Europe since August 2002.

 

Mark A. Sullivan was appointed Vice President, Global Supply Chain in February 2005. Mr. Sullivan joined our company in December 2003 as Chief Procurement Officer. His experience includes a broad array of operations and supply chain management responsibilities during 20 years with the DuPont Company.

 

William T. Yanavitch II rejoined the Company in May 2005 as Vice President Human Resources and Administration. Mr. Yanavitch served as Vice President Human Resources from July 2000 until his resignation in January 2005 at which time he became Corporate Human Resources Manager of Constellation Energy.

 

 

 

 

Common Stock Prices and Dividends Declared Information

 

The following table shows the high and low prices of our common stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GLT” and the dividend declared per share for each quarter during the past two years.

 

 

As of March 11, 2011, we had 1,448 shareholders of record.

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STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH

 

The following graph compares the cumulative 5-year total return of our common stock with the cumulative total returns of both a peer group and a broad market index. For the year ended December 31, 2010, we compare our stock performance to the S&P Small Cap 600 Paper Products index. This index is comprised of Buckeye Technologies Inc., Clearwater Paper Corp., Kapstone Paper & Packaging Corp., Neenah Paper Inc., Schweitzer-Mauduit International and Wausau Paper Corp. In addition, the chart includes a comparison to the Russell 2000, which we believe is an appropriate benchmark index for stocks such as ours.

 

The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock, in each index, and the peer group (including reinvestment of dividends) was $100 on December 31, 2005 and charts it through December 31, 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

Glatfelter 2010 Annual Report    13

 

 

Forward-Looking Statements  This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding industry prospects and future consolidated financial position or results of operations, made in this Report on Form 10-K are forward looking. We use words such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “expects”, “future”, “intends” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Our actual results may differ significantly from such expectations. The following discussion includes forward-looking statements regarding expectations of, among others, non-cash pension expense, environmental costs, capital expenditures and liquidity, all of which are inherently difficult to predict. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. Accordingly, we identify the following important factors, among others, which could cause our results to differ from any results that might be projected, forecasted or estimated in any such forward-looking statements:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction  We manufacture, both domestically and internationally, a wide array of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials. We manage our company along three business units:

 

 

Overview  On February 12, 2010, we completed the acquisition of Concert Industries Corp. (“Concert”), a manufacturer of highly absorbent cellulose-based airlaid non-woven materials with annual revenue in 2009 of $203 million. Our results of operations for 2010 include the results of Concert (now operated as the Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit) prospectively since the acquisition was completed.

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Our reported results of operations for 2010 when compared to 2009 are lower primarily due to the higher amount of tax-related credits recorded in 2009 than in 2010 associated with cellulosic or alternative fuel mixtures. For 2010, net income included a $23.2 million tax benefit from cellulosic biofuel credits compared to $95.8 million, after-tax, alternative fuel mixture credits during 2009.

 

Our 2010 results include $9.1 million, after-tax, of acquisition and integration costs, together with a $1.7 million loss on forward foreign currency contracts that hedged the Canadian dollar purchase price, of the Concert acquisition. Interest expense increased $6.2 million in 2010 compared to 2009 due to financing part of the acquisition price.

 

Operationally, our results were favorably affected by higher volumes shipped associated with improving demand in many of the markets served by our businesses and the inclusion of Concert. Higher average selling prices offset the adverse affect of rising input costs, particularly purchased pulp.

 

Specialty Papers’ operating income totaled $58.4 million and $55.9 million for 2010 and 2009, respectively. The improvement in operating income was led by higher volumes shipped, higher average selling prices, productivity improvements and cost reduction initiatives partially offset by lower sales of excess energy and renewable energy credits. During 2009, the weak economic environment adversely affected demand in all markets served by Specialty Papers. As a result of weak demand in the first half of the year and our efforts to reduce inventory, this unit incurred market related downtime totaling 33,019 tons of paper.

 

Our Composite Fibers business unit’s operating income increased to $32.9 million from $21.9 million in 2009. Volumes shipped during 2010 increased 12.8% compared to 2009 as a result of the improving economic environment. Conversely, during 2009, as a result of weak demand and our inventory reduction efforts, we incurred unscheduled downtime totaling approximately 6,480 tons of paper, or 9.4% of the unit’s total capacity for the period.

 

Advanced Airlaid Materials earned $4.4 million of operating income on sales of $193.5 million for the ten and one half months of operations since the date of acquisition. The results were adversely impacted primarily by rapidly rising input costs, a lag in the timing of cost-pass throughs and currency fluctuations.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

2010 versus 2009

 

The following table sets forth summarized consolidated results of operations:

 

 

The consolidated results of operations for 2010 and 2009 include the following items not considered to be part of our core business operations:

 

 

These items increased earnings by $13.5 million, or $0.28 per diluted share in 2010. Comparatively, the items identified above increased earnings in 2009 by $94.0 million, or $2.05 per diluted share.

 

Business Units  Results of individual business units are presented based on our management accounting practices and management structure. There is no comprehensive, authoritative body of guidance for management accounting equivalent to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; therefore, the financial results of individual business units are not necessarily comparable with similar information for any other company. The management accounting process uses assumptions and allocations to measure performance of the business units. Methodologies are refined from time to time as management accounting practices are enhanced and businesses change. The costs incurred by support areas not directly aligned with the business unit are allocated primarily based on an estimated utilization of support area services or are included in “Other and Unallocated” in the Business Unit Performance table.

 

Management evaluates results of operations of the business units before pension income or expense, alternative fuel mixture credits, charges related to the Fox River environmental reserves, restructuring related charges, unusual items, certain corporate level costs, and the effects of asset dispositions. Management believes that

Glatfelter 2010 Annual Report    15

this is a more meaningful representation of the operating performance of its core papermaking businesses, the profitability of business units and the extent of cash flow generated from these core operations. Such amounts are presented under the caption “Other and Unallocated.” This presentation is aligned with the management and operating structure of our company. It is also on this basis that the Company’s performance is evaluated internally and by the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

The sum of individual amounts set forth above may not agree to the consolidated financial statements included herein due to rounding.

 

Sales and Costs of Products Sold

 

 

 

The following table sets forth the contribution to consolidated net sales by each business unit:

 

 

Net sales  Net sales for 2010 were $1,445.3 million, a 22.9% increase compared with $1,184.0 million for 2009, reflecting stronger business activity in the our Specialty Papers and Composite Fibers business units and the inclusion of Concert, now operated and reported as Advanced Airlaid Materials business unit, prospectively since the February 12, 2010 acquisition date.

 

In the Specialty Papers business unit, net sales for 2010 increased $50.7 million, or 6.4%, to $842.6 million. The increase was primarily due to higher volumes shipped and a $24.0 million benefit from higher selling prices.

 

Specialty Papers’ operating profit for 2010 improved by $2.5 million compared with 2009 primarily due to higher selling prices, a 3.5% increase in volumes shipped and the lack of market-related downtime. These favorable factors were partially offset by higher input costs, primarily pulp. In addition, higher maintenance costs largely associated with the annual mill outages and with unplanned production interruptions adversely impacted the year over year comparison.

 

We sell excess power generated by the Spring Grove, PA facility. In addition, two of our facilities are registered generators of renewable energy credits (“RECs”). The following table summarizes this activity for 2010 and 2009: