HAYNES INTERNATIONAL INC - Annual Report: 2008 (Form 10-K)

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

FORM 10-K

Commission file number 001-33288

HAYNES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         Registrant's telephone number, including area code (765) 456-6000

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

         Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None.

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

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

         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 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. ý Yes        o No

         Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) 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. ý

         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 definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

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

         As of March 31, 2008, the aggregate market value of the registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $653,588,421 based on the closing sale price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market. Shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by each person who owns 5% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.  ý Yes        o No

         11,984,623 shares of Haynes International, Inc. common stock were outstanding as of November 21, 2008.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

         Portions of the registrant's Proxy Statement to be delivered to stockholders in connection with the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held February 23, 2009 have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Those statements appear in a number of places in this Report and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its management with respect to, but are not limited to, strategic plans; trends in the industries that consume the Company's products; global economic and political uncertainties; production levels at the Company's Kokomo, Indiana facility; commercialization of the Company's production capacity; and the Company's ability to develop new products. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements as a result of various factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control.

        The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations and projections about future events. Although the Company believes that the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. As a result, the forward-looking statements based upon those assumptions also could be incorrect. Risks and uncertainties, some of which are discussed in Item 1.A to this Report, may affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements.

        The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Part I

Item 1.    Business

Overview

        Haynes International, Inc. ("Haynes" or "the Company") is one of the world's largest producers of high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloys in sheet, coil and plate forms. The Company is focused on developing, manufacturing, marketing and distributing technologically advanced, high-performance alloys, which are used primarily in the aerospace, chemical processing and land-based gas turbine industries. The Company's products consist of high temperature resistant alloys, or HTA products, and corrosion resistant alloys, or CRA products. HTA products are used by manufacturers of equipment that is subjected to extremely high temperatures, such as jet engines for the aerospace market, gas turbine engines used for power generation and waste incineration, and industrial heating equipment. CRA products are used in applications that require resistance to very corrosive media found in chemical processing, power plant emissions control and hazardous waste treatment. Management believes Haynes is one of four principal producers of high-performance alloy products in sheet, coil and plate forms, and sales of these forms, in the aggregate, represented approximately 63% of net revenues in fiscal 2008. The Company also produces its products as seamless and welded tubulars, and in slab, bar, billet and wire forms.

        The Company has manufacturing facilities in Kokomo, Indiana; Arcadia, Louisiana; and Mountain Home, North Carolina. The Kokomo facility specializes in flat products, the Arcadia facility specializes in tubular products, and the Mountain Home facility specializes in wire products. The Company's products are sold primarily through its direct sales organization, which includes 12 service and/or sales centers in the United States, Europe, Asia and India. All of these centers are company-operated. In fiscal 2008, approximately 84% of the Company's net revenues was generated by its direct sales organization, and the remaining 16% was generated by a network of independent distributors and sales agents who supplement its direct sales efforts primarily in the United States, Europe and Asia, some of whom have been associated with the Company for over 30 years.

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Available Information

        The address of Company's website is www.haynesintl.com. The Company posts its reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since May 7, 2007 on its website. For all filings made prior to that date, the Company's website includes a link to the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where such filings are available. Information contained or referenced on the Company's website is not incorporated by reference and does not form a part of this Form 10-K.

Significant Events of Fiscal 2008

        The information under the caption "Significant Events of Fiscal 2008" in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.

Business Strategy

        The Company's goal is to grow its business and increase revenues and profitability while continuing to be its customers' provider of choice for high-performance alloys. The Company intends to penetrate and capitalize on growth in its end markets by taking advantage of its diverse product offerings and service capabilities and to continue to increase capacity and lower costs through strategic investment in manufacturing facilities. In order to accomplish these goals, the Company intends to pursue the following:

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Capitalize on strategic equipment investment.  The Company expects to continue to improve operating efficiencies through ongoing capital investment in manufacturing facilities and equipment. Recent investment in equipment has significantly improved the Company's operating efficiency by increasing capacity, reducing unplanned downtime and manufacturing costs, and improving product quality, and is expected to improve working capital management. Because the Company is one of the few manufacturers with the expertise and facilities to produce high-performance alloys, management believes that the Company's investments will enable it to continue to satisfy long-term increased customer demand for value-added products that meet precise specifications.



•

Increase sales by providing value-added processing services.  The Company believes that its network of service and sales centers throughout North America, Europe and Asia distinguishes it from its competitors. The Company's service and sales centers enable it to develop close customer relationships through direct interaction and to respond to customer orders quickly while providing value-added services such as laser and water jet processing. These services allow the Company's customers to minimize their processing costs and outsource non-core activities. In addition, the Company's rapid response time and enhanced processing services for products shipped from its service and sales centers have allowed it to maintain a selling price advantage.



•

Increase worldwide sales through international service and sales centers.  The Company intends to continue its efforts to increase its sales to non-U.S. customers. In recent years, the Company opened a service and sales center in China, the first service and sales center operated by any manufacturer of nickel- or cobalt-based alloys in China, and opened sales centers in Singapore, India and Italy. The Company continues to evaluate its world wide distribution and sales network in order to provide improved services.



•

Continue to expand its maintenance, repair and overhaul business.  The Company believes that its maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, business serves a growing market and represents both an expanding and recurring revenue stream. Products used in the Company's end markets require periodic replacement due to the extreme environments in which they are used, which drives demand for recurring MRO work. The Company intends to continue to leverage the capabilities of its

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service and sales centers to respond quickly to its customers' time-sensitive MRO needs to develop new and retain existing business opportunities.

•

Increase revenue by developing new products and new applications for existing alloys.  The Company believes that it is the industry leader in developing new alloys designed to meet its customers' specialized and demanding requirements. The Company continues to work closely with customers and end users of its products to identify, develop, manufacture and test new high-performance alloys. Since fiscal 2000, the Company's technical programs have yielded six new proprietary alloys, an accomplishment that the Company believes distinguishes it from its competitors. The Company expects continued emphasis on product innovation to yield similar future results, and expects to focus its development efforts on specialized automotive products, the biopharmaceutical industry, the energy market for fuel cells and the market for turbine components for higher temperature operations.



•

Expand product capability through strategic acquisitions and alliances.  The Company will continue to examine opportunities that enable it to offer customers an enhanced and more competitive product line to complement its core flat products. These opportunities may include product line enhancement, such as that provided by the acquisition of certain assets of the Branford Wire Company in November 2004 and market expansion opportunities such as that provided per the acquisition of HW Limited in fiscal 2008. The Company will continue to look for opportunities that will enhance the portfolio of products provided to customers such as wire, tubing, fittings and bar. The Company will also continue to evaluate strategic relationships with third parties in the industry in order to enhance its competitive position and relationships with customers, including distribution agreements and agreements similar to the 20-year conversion agreement the Company entered into with Titanium Metals Corporation, or TIMET, in November 2006.

Company History

        The Company began operations in 1912 as the Haynes Stellite Works, which was purchased by Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation in 1920. In 1972, the operations were sold to Cabot Corporation. In 1987, Haynes was incorporated as a stand-alone corporation in Delaware, and in 1989 Haynes was sold by Cabot Corporation to Morgan Lewis Githens & Ahn Inc., a private investment firm. The Blackstone Group, a private investment firm, purchased Haynes from Morgan Lewis Githens & Ahn Inc. in 1997. Haynes encountered liquidity difficulties throughout fiscal 2003 and the first half of fiscal 2004. Due to concurrent downcycles in its largest markets, and rising raw material and energy costs, the Company could not generate sufficient cash to both satisfy its debt service obligations and fund operations. On March 29, 2004, Haynes and its U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates as of that date filed voluntary petitions for reorganization relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. From March 29, 2004 through August 31, 2004, Haynes continued to operate as debtor-in-possession subject to the supervision of the bankruptcy court. On August 31, 2004, Haynes emerged from bankruptcy pursuant to a court-approved plan of reorganization. Prior to the reorganization, all of the outstanding shares of its common stock were owned by Haynes Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation. In connection with the reorganization, Haynes Holdings, Inc. and Haynes International, Inc. were merged, and Haynes was the surviving corporation of the merger. Pursuant to the plan of reorganization, all of the shares of the Company's common stock were cancelled, and 10.0 million new shares of the Company's common stock, were issued in connection with its emergence from bankruptcy. Under the terms of the plan of reorganization, each former holder of the Company's 11⁵/8% senior notes due September 1, 2004 received its pro rata share of 9.6 million shares of the Company's new common stock in full satisfaction of all of the Company's obligations under the senior notes. Additionally, each former holder of the shares of common stock of Haynes Holdings, Inc. received its pro rata share of the remaining 400,000 shares of the Company's new common stock in exchange for its outstanding shares of Haynes Holdings, Inc. common stock. The plan of reorganization also provided for the payment or satisfaction of all secured and unsecured claims against Haynes, except as reinstated under

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the plan of reorganization and except with respect to the 11⁵/8% senior notes due September 1, 2004, which were exchanged for equity as described above.

        In the first quarter of fiscal 2005, Haynes acquired certain assets of the Branford Wire Company (the "Branford Wire Company Acquisition"), including a facility that manufactured both stainless steel wire and high-performance alloy wire. The Company continues to produce stainless steel wire at the Haynes Wire Company, in Mountain Home, North Carolina.

        On March 23, 2007, the Company completed an equity offering, which resulted in the issuance of 1,200,000 shares of its common stock. Simultaneously the Company listed its common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market.

Products

        The global specialty alloy market consists of three primary sectors: stainless steel, general purpose nickel alloys and high-performance nickel-and cobalt-based alloys. The Company believes that the high-performance alloy sector represents less than 10% of the total alloy market. Except for its stainless steel wire products, the Company competes exclusively in the high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloy sectors, which includes HTA products and CRA products. In fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008, HTA products accounted for approximately 68%, 69% and 73% of the Company's net revenues (excluding stainless steel wire), respectively; and sales of the Company's CRA products accounted for approximately 32%, 31% and 27% of the Company's net revenues (excluding stainless steel wire), respectively. These percentages are based on data which include revenue associated with sales by the Company to its foreign subsidiaries, but exclude revenue associated with sales by foreign subsidiaries to their customers. Management believes, however, that the effect of including revenue data associated with sales by its foreign subsidiaries would not materially change the percentages presented in this section.

         High Temperature Resistant Alloys.    HTA products are used primarily in manufacturing components for the hot sections of gas turbine engines. Stringent safety and performance standards in the aerospace industry result in development lead times typically as long as eight to ten years in the introduction of new aerospace-related market applications for HTA products. However, once a particular new alloy is shown to possess the properties required for a specific application in the aerospace market, it tends to remain in use for extended periods. HTA products are also used in gas turbine engines produced for use in applications such as naval and commercial vessels, electric power generators, power sources for offshore drilling platforms, gas pipeline booster stations and emergency standby power stations. The following table sets

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forth information with respect to the Company's significant high temperature resistant alloys, applications and features (new HTA development is discussed below under "Patents and Trademarks"):

⁽¹⁾

"Aero" refers to the aerospace industry; "LBGT" refers to the land-based gas turbines industry; "CPI" refers to the chemical processing industry.

⁽²⁾

Represents a patented product or a product which the Company believes has limited or no significant competition.

         Corrosion Resistant Alloys.    CRA products are used in a variety of applications, such as chemical processing, power plant emissions control, hazardous waste treatment, sour gas production and pharmaceutical vessels. Historically, the chemical processing market has represented the largest end-user sector for CRA products. Due to maintenance, safety and environmental considerations, the Company believes this market continues to represent an area of potential long-term growth. Unlike aerospace applications within the HTA product market, the development of new market applications for CRA products generally does not require long lead times. The following table sets forth information with respect

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to certain of the Company's significant corrosion resistant alloys, applications and features (new CRA development is discussed below under "Patents and Trademarks"):

(1)

"CPI" refers to the chemical processing industry; "FGD" refers to the flue gas desulphurization industry.

(2)

Represents a patented product or a product to which the Company believes has limited or no significant competition.

Patents and Trademarks

        The Company currently maintains a total of approximately 17 U.S. patents and approximately 150 foreign counterpart patents and applications targeted at countries with significant or potential markets for the patented products and continues to develop, manufacture and test high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloys. Since fiscal 2000, the Company's technical programs have yielded six new proprietary alloys, four of which are currently commercially available and two of which are being scaled-up to be brought to market. Of the alloys which are being commercialized, two alloys saw advancement in the process during fiscal 2008. First, HAYNES® 282® alloy, which management believes will have significant commercial potential for the Company in the long-term, is the subject of a patent application filed in fiscal 2004. HAYNES 282 alloy has excellent formability, fabricability and forgeability. The commercial launch of HAYNES 282 alloy occurred in October 2005 and, since that time, there have been approximately 60 customer tests and evaluations of this product for the hot sections of gas turbines in the aerospace and land-based gas turbine markets, as well as for automotive and other high-temperature applications. The Company will continue to actively promote HAYNES 282 alloy through customer engineering visits and technical presentations and papers. In addition, commercialization of HASTELLOY® C-22HS® alloy also continued in fiscal 2008. The Company has been providing customers with samples of this alloy and making technical presentations since 2004. Testing and evaluation of the alloy is ongoing with special emphasis on applications for the oil and gas market. It is important to note, however, that both of these alloys are in the early stages of commercialization and pounds sold to date are very low compared to the Company's other proprietary alloys; furthermore, pounds in the next three to five years are expected to remain at low levels. The Company believes that the alloys (particularly HAYNES 282 alloy) are significantly further along the commercialization curve when compared to historical trends for other proprietary alloys introduced by the

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Company. In addition to HAYNES 282 alloy and HASTELLOY C-22HS alloy, commercialization is also ongoing for both HASTELLOY® G-35® and HASTELLOY® HYBRID-BC1® alloy. HASTELLOY G-35 alloy, a CRA with potential applications in the chemical processing and oil and gas industries, has significant strength after age hardening. HASTELLOY HYBRID-BC1 alloy, a CRA with potential applications in the chemical processing and oil and gas industries, has resistance to hydrochloric and sulfuric acid.

        In addition to the commercialization of the above alloys, the Company continues to scale-up new alloys not yet ready to begin the commercialization process. U.S. patent applications were filed in fiscal 2006 for the HAYNES® NS-163™ alloy and HAYNES® HR-224™ alloy. Both of these new materials are believed to have significant, medium to long-term commercial potential. HAYNES NS-163 alloy is a new alloy with extraordinary high-temperature strength in sheet form, which has applications in the aerospace, land-based gas turbine and automotive markets. Data generation and fabrication trials continued through 2008, with test marketing expected to commence in early 2009. HAYNES HR-224 alloy is an HTA with superior resistance to oxidation.

        Patents or other proprietary rights are an important element of the Company's business. The Company's strategy is to file patent applications in the U.S. and any other country that represents an important potential commercial market to the Company. In addition, the Company seeks to protect its technology which is important to the development of the Company's business. The Company also relies upon trade secret rights to protect its technologies and its development of new applications and alloys. The Company protects its trade secrets in part through confidentiality and proprietary information agreements with its customers. Trademarks on the names of many of the Company's alloys have also been applied for or granted in the U.S. and certain foreign countries.

        While the Company believes its patents are important to its competitive position, significant barriers to entry continue to exist beyond the expiration of any patent period. These barriers to entry and production include the unique equipment required to produce this material and the exacting process required to achieve the desired metallurgical properties. These processing requirements include such items as specific annealing temperature, processing speeds and reduction per rolling pass. Management believes that the current alloy development program and these noted barriers to entry, reduce the impact of patent expirations on the Company.

End Markets

        The Company estimates that the global specialty alloy market, including stainless steels, general purpose nickel alloys and high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloys, represents total production volume of approximately 38.5 billion pounds per annum. Of this total market, the Company competes in the high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloy sector, which is estimated to represent approximately 200 million pounds of production per annum. The high-performance alloy market demands diverse, specialty alloys suitable for use in precision manufacturing. Given the technologically advanced nature of the products, strict requirements of the end users and higher-growth end markets, the Company believes the high-performance alloy sector provides greater growth potential, higher profit margins and greater means for service, product and price differentiation than stainless steels and general purpose nickel alloys. While stainless steel and general purpose nickel alloy is generally sold in bulk through third-party distributors, the Company's products are sold in smaller-sized orders which are customized and typically handled on a direct-to-customer basis.

         Aerospace.    The Company has manufactured HTA products for the aerospace market since the late 1930s, and has developed numerous proprietary alloys for this market. Customers in the aerospace market tend to be the most demanding with respect to meeting specifications within very low tolerances and achieving new product performance standards. Stringent safety standards and continuous efforts to reduce equipment weight require close coordination between the Company and its customers in the selection and

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development of HTA products. As a result, sales to aerospace customers tend to be made through the Company's direct sales force. Demand for the Company's products in the aerospace market is based on the new and replacement market for jet engines and the maintenance needs of operators of commercial and military aircraft. The hot sections of jet engines are subjected to substantial wear and tear and accordingly require periodic maintenance, replacement and overhaul. The Company views the maintenance, replacement and overhaul business as an area of continuing growth.

         Chemical Processing.    The chemical processing market represents a large base of customers with diverse CRA applications driven by demand for key end use markets such as automobiles, housing, health care, agriculture, and metals production. CRA products supplied by the Company have been used in the chemical processing market since the early 1930s. Demand for the Company's products in this market is driven by the level of maintenance, repair and expansion requirements of existing chemical processing facilities, as well as the construction of new facilities. The Company believes the extensive worldwide network of Company-owned service and sales centers, as well as its network of independent distributors and sales agents who supplement the Company's direct sales efforts in Europe and Asia, provide a competitive advantage in marketing its CRA products in the chemical processing market.

         Land-based Gas Turbines.    Demand for the Company's products in this market is driven by the construction of cogeneration facilities such as base load for electric utilities or as backup sources to fossil fuel-fired utilities during times of peak demand. Demand for the Company's alloys in the land-based gas turbine markets has also been driven by concerns regarding lowering emissions from generating facilities powered by fossil fuels. Land-based gas turbine generating facilities have gained acceptance as clean, low-cost alternatives to fossil fuel-fired electric generating facilities. Land-based gas turbines are also used in power barges with mobility and as temporary base-load-generating units for countries that have numerous islands and a large coastline. Further demand is generated in mechanical drive units used for oil and gas production and pipeline transportation, as well as microturbines that are used as back up sources of power generation for hospitals and shopping malls. In addition, with a service center in China and sales centers in India and Singapore, the Company is well positioned to take advantage of the long-term growth potential in those areas in demand for power generation.

         Other Markets.    Other markets to which the Company sells its HTA products and CRA products include flue gas desulphurization (or FGD), oil and gas, waste incineration, industrial heat treating, automotive and instrumentation. The FGD market has been driven by both legislated and self-imposed standards for lowering emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric generating facilities. With the completion of the Company's recent capital projects, the Company anticipates increasing its participation in the FGD market due to the increased production capacity and the improved cost structure which resulted from the completion of the capital projects. The Company also sells its products for use in the oil and gas market, primarily in connection with sour gas production. In addition, incineration of municipal, biological, industrial and hazardous waste products typically produces very corrosive conditions that demand high-performance alloys. Markets capable of providing growth are being driven by increasing performance, reliability and service life requirements for products used in these markets which could provide further applications for the Company's products. As part of the Branford Wire Company Acquisition, the Company also began selling stainless steel wire, but the Company's strategy has been to reduce production of stainless steel wire and increase production of high-performance alloy wire due to higher average selling price available on high-performance alloy wire. The Company will continue to produce some amount of stainless steel wire, sold to higher-value markets, such as the medical wire market.

Sales and Marketing and Distribution

        The Company sells its products primarily through its direct sales organization, which operates from 15 total locations in the U.S., Europe, Asia and India, 12 of which are service and sales centers. All of the Company's service and sales centers are operated either directly by the Company or though its wholly-

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owned subsidiaries. Approximately 84% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2008 were generated by the Company's direct sales organization. The remaining 16% of the Company's fiscal 2008 net revenues was generated by a network of independent distributors and sales agents who supplement the Company's direct sales in the U.S., Europe and Asia, some of whom have been associated with the Company for over 30 years. Going forward, the Company expects its direct sales force to continue to generate approximately 85% of its total sales, although this number may increase as new service and/or sales centers are opened.

        Providing technical assistance to customers is an important part of the Company's marketing strategy. The Company provides performance analyses of its products and those of its competitors for its customers. These analyses enable the Company to evaluate the performance of its products and to make recommendations as to the use of those products in appropriate applications, enabling the products to be included as part of the technical specifications used in the production of customers' products. The Company's market development professionals are assisted by its engineering and technology staff in directing the sales force to new opportunities. Management believes the Company's combination of direct sales, technical marketing, engineering and customer support provides an advantage over other manufacturers in the high-performance alloy industry. This activity allows the Company to obtain direct insight into customers' alloy needs and to develop proprietary alloys that provide solutions to customers' problems.

        The Company continues to focus on growth in foreign markets. In recent years, the Company opened a service and sales center in China, the first service and sales center operated by any manufacturer of nickel- and cobalt-based alloys in China, and sales centers in Singapore, India and Italy. For the long-term, management continues to view China as an expanding market opportunity for the Company, particularly in the event of continued strong gross domestic product growth. Sales from the Company's U.S. operations into China in fiscal 2000 were $0.3 million, growing to approximately $35.9 million in fiscal 2007 and $64.0 million in fiscal 2008. Part of this growth is attributable to the China service center which opened in fiscal 2005, as well as the acquisition and consulting agreements in fiscal 2008 with HW Limited (as described in "Significant Events of Fiscal 2008—HW Limited Acquisition" in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K). In addition, the Company continues to evaluate the possibility of opening a second service center in China, due in part to the continued long-term growth in the Chinese markets, although global economic conditions may delay this decision.

        While the Company is making concentrated efforts to expand foreign sales, the process of growing domestic business also continues. The majority of revenue and profits continue to be provided by sales to U.S. customers and the Company continues to pursue opportunities to expand this market. The Company's domestic expansion effort includes, but is not limited to, continued expansion of ancillary product forms (such as wire through the Branford Wire Company Acquisition), the continued development of new high-performance alloys, the utilization of external conversion resources to expand and improve the quality of mill-produced product, the addition of equipment in U.S. service and sales centers to improve the Company's ability to provide a product closer to the form required by the customer and the continued effort through the technical expertise of the Company to find solutions to customer challenges.

        The following table sets forth the approximate percentage of the Company's fiscal 2008 net revenues generated through each of the Company's distribution channels.

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        The Company's top twenty customers accounted for approximately 38%, 33% and 36% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. No customer or group of affiliated customers of the Company accounted for more than 10% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2006, 2007 or 2008.

        Net revenues and net income in fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008 were generated primarily by the Company's U.S. operations. Sales to domestic customers comprised approximately 61%, 61% and 54% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. In addition, the majority of the Company's operating costs are incurred in the U.S., as all of its manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S. It is expected that net revenues and net income will continue to be highly dependent on the Company's domestic sales and manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

        The Company's foreign and export sales were approximately $169.3 million, $215.9 million, and $292.9 million for fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. Additional information concerning foreign operations and export sales is set forth in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Manufacturing Process

        High-performance alloys require a lengthier, more complex production process and are more difficult to manufacture than lower-performance alloys, such as stainless steel alloys. The alloying elements in high-performance alloys must be highly refined during melting, and the manufacturing process must be tightly controlled to produce precise chemical properties. The resulting alloyed material is more difficult to process because, by design, it is more resistant to deformation. Consequently, high-performance alloys require that a greater force be applied when hot or cold working and are less susceptible to reduction or thinning when rolling or forging. This results in more cycles of rolling, annealing and pickling compared to a lower-performance alloy to achieve proper dimensions. Certain alloys may undergo as many as 40 distinct stages of melting, remelting, annealing, forging, rolling and pickling before they achieve the specifications required by a customer. The Company manufactures its high-performance alloys in various forms, including sheet, plate, billet/ingot, tubular, wire and other forms.

        The manufacturing process begins with raw materials being combined, melted and refined in a precise manner to produce the chemical composition specified for each high-performance alloy. For most high-performance alloys, this molten material is cast into electrodes and additionally refined through electroslag remelting. The resulting ingots are then forged or rolled to an intermediate shape and size depending upon the intended final product form. Intermediate shapes destined for flat products are then sent through a series of hot and cold rolling, annealing and pickling operations before being cut to final size.

        The argon oxygen decarburization gas controls in the Company's primary melt facility remove carbon and other undesirable elements, thereby allowing more tightly-controlled chemistries, which in turn produce more consistent properties in the high-performance alloys. The argon oxygen decarburization gas control system also allows for statistical process control monitoring in real time to improve product quality.

        The Company has a four-high Steckel rolling mill for use in hot rolling material. The four-high Steckel mill was installed in 1982 and is one of only two such mills in the high-performance alloy industry. The mill is capable of generating approximately 12.0 million pounds of separating force and rolling a plate up to 72 inches wide. The mill includes integrated computer controls (with automatic gauge control and programmed rolling schedules), two coiling Steckel furnaces and five heating furnaces. Computer-controlled rolling schedules for each of the hundreds of combinations of product shapes and sizes the Company produces allow the mill to roll numerous widths and gauges to exact specifications without stoppages or changeovers.

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        The Company also operates a three-high rolling mill and a two-high rolling mill, each of which is capable of custom processing much smaller quantities of material than the four-high Steckel mill. These mills provide the Company with significant flexibility in running smaller batches of varied products in response to customer requirements. The Company believes the flexibility provided by the three-high and two-high mills provides the Company an advantage over its major competitors in obtaining smaller specialty orders.

        Investments in plant and equipment will allow the Company to increase capacity, reduce unplanned equipment outages, produce higher quality products at reduced costs and improve working capital management. The Company spent $16.2 million in fiscal 2007 and $18.7 million in fiscal 2008 on plant and equipment upgrades. The significant investments over the last several years are a result of under-investment in prior years, as well as increases in customer demand. The principal benefits of these investments are increased capacity, improved machine reliability, improved product quality, increased processing efficiency and reduced maintenance costs. The improved reliability will help reduce the risk of unplanned outages similar to those that occurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005. Depending upon economic conditions, the Company may make further equipment upgrades in fiscal 2009; however, capital projects in fiscal 2009 will be focused on improving and maintaining the equipment reliability and will not likely equal the amount spent in either fiscal 2007 or fiscal 2008. At this time, management does not anticipate prolonged planned equipment outages as a result of upgrades in fiscal 2009.

Backlog

        The Company defines backlog to include firm commitments from customers for delivery of product at established prices. Approximately 30% of the orders in the backlog at any given time include prices that are subject to adjustment based on changes in raw material costs. Historically, approximately 75% of the Company's backlog orders have shipped within six months and approximately 90% have shipped within 12 months. The backlog figures do not reflect that portion of the Company's business conducted at its service and sales centers on a spot or "just-in-time" basis.

Consolidated Backlog at Fiscal Quarter End

Raw Materials

        In fiscal 2008, nickel, a major component of many of the Company's products, accounted for approximately 51% of raw material costs, or approximately 33% of total cost of sales. Each pound of high-performance alloy contain, on average, 45% nickel. Other raw materials include cobalt, chromium, molybdenum and tungsten. Melt materials consist of virgin raw material, purchased scrap and internally produced scrap.

        The average nickel price per pound for cash buyers for the 30 day period ended on the last day of the period presented, as reported by the London Metals Exchange for September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, was $13.67, $13.40 and $8.07, respectively. While the price of nickel was lower for fiscal 2008 than fiscal 2007, the lower price of nickel was offset by increased prices for other raw materials that are significant in the manufacture of the Company's products such as molybdenum, cobalt and chromium.

        Since most of the Company's products are produced pursuant to specific orders, the Company purchases materials against known production schedules. The materials are purchased from several

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different suppliers through various arrangements including annual contracts and spot purchases, and involve a variety of pricing mechanisms. Because the Company maintains a policy of pricing its products at the time of order placement, the Company attempts to establish selling prices with reference to known costs of materials, thereby reducing the risk associated with changes in the cost of raw materials. However, to the extent that the price of nickel fluctuates rapidly, there may be an unfavorable effect on the Company's gross profit margins. The Company periodically purchases material forward with certain suppliers.

Research and Technical Support

        The Company's technology facilities are located at the Kokomo headquarters and consist of 19,000 square feet of offices and laboratories, as well as an additional 90,000 square feet of paved storage area. The Company has seven fully equipped technology testing laboratories, including a mechanical test lab, a metallographic lab, an electron microscopy lab, a corrosion lab, a high temperature lab and a welding lab. These facilities also contain a reduced scale, fully equipped melt shop and process lab. As of September 30, 2008, the technology, engineering and technological testing staff consisted of 28 persons, 10 of whom have engineering or science degrees, including 5 with doctoral degrees, with the majority of degrees in the field of metallurgical engineering.

        Research and technical support costs primarily relate to efforts to develop new proprietary alloys and in the development of new applications for already existing alloys. The Company spent approximately $2.7 million, $3.1 million and $3.4 million for research and technical support activities for fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively.

        During fiscal 2008, research and development projects were focused on new alloy development, new product form development and new alloy concept validation, all relating to products for the aerospace, land-based gas turbine, chemical processing and oil and gas industries. In addition, significant projects were conducted to generate technical data in support of major market application opportunities in areas such as solid oxide fuel cells, biotechnology (including waste incineration of toxic properties and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals), chemical processing and power generation.

Competition

        The high-performance alloy market is a highly competitive market in which eight to ten producers participate in various product forms. The Company's primary competitors include Special Metals Corporation, which is now a part of Precision Cast Parts, Allegheny Technologies, Inc. and Krupp VDM GmbH, a subsidiary of Thyssen Krupp Stainless. The Company faces strong competition from domestic and foreign manufacturers of both high-performance alloys (similar to those the Company produces) and other competing metals. The Company may face additional competition in the future to the extent new materials are developed, such as plastics or ceramics that may be substituted for the Company's products. The Company also believes that it will face increased competition from non-U.S. entities in the next five to ten years, especially from competitors located in Eastern Europe and Asia. Additionally, in recent years the Company has benefited from a weak U.S. dollar, which makes the goods of foreign competitors more expensive to import into the U.S. In the event that the U.S. dollar strengthens, the Company may face increased competition in the U.S. from foreign competitors.

        Starting in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company experienced increased competition from competitors who produce both stainless steel and high-performance alloys. Due to a continued slowness in the stainless steel market, management believes these competitors increased their production levels and sales activity in high-performance alloys to keep capacity in their mills as full as possible, while offering very competitive prices and delivery times. As a result of this competition, the Company's ability to raise prices on certain products has been limited, and in some cases prices were lowered, in the six most recent

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fiscal quarters. Historically, the Company experienced similar price competition in the 1990's and in the early 2000's, when demand in the stainless market weakened.

Employees

        As of September 30, 2008, the Company employed approximately 1,138 full-time employees worldwide. All eligible hourly employees at the Kokomo plant and the Lebanon, Indiana service and sales center (approximately 537 in the aggregate) are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In July 2007, the Company entered into a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Steelworkers of America, which will expire in June 2010. Management believes that current relations with the union are satisfactory. None of the employees of the Company's Arcadia, Louisiana, Mountain Home, North Carolina, European or Asian operations are represented by a labor union.

Environmental Matters

        The Company's facilities and operations are subject to various foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the environment and the storage, handling, use, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Violations of these laws and regulations can result in the imposition of substantial penalties and can require facilities improvements. In addition, the Company may be required in the future to comply with additional regulations pertaining to the emission of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. However, since these regulations have not been proposed or promulgated, the Company cannot predict the cost, if any, associated with compliance with such regulations. Expenses related to environmental compliance were approximately $2.0 million for fiscal 2008 and are expected to be approximately $2.0 million for fiscal 2009. Although there can be no assurance, based upon current information available to the Company, the Company does not expect that costs of environmental contingencies, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The Company's facilities are subject to periodic inspection by various regulatory authorities, who from time to time have issued findings of violations of governing laws, regulations and permits. In the past five years, the Company has paid administrative fines, none of which has had a material effect on the Company's financial condition, for alleged violations relating to environmental matters, including the handling and storage of hazardous wastes, requirements relating to its Title V Air Permit, requirements relating to the handling of polychlorinated biphenyls and violations of record keeping and notification requirements relating to industrial waste water discharge. Capital expenditures of approximately $0.59 million were made for pollution control improvements during fiscal 2008, with additional expenditures of approximately $2.7 million for similar improvements planned for fiscal 2009.

        The Company has received permits from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, or IDEM, to close and to provide post-closure monitoring and care for certain areas at the Kokomo facility previously used for the storage and disposal of wastes, some of which are classified as hazardous under applicable regulations. Closure certification was received in fiscal 1988 for the South Landfill at the Kokomo facility and post-closure monitoring and care is ongoing there. Closure certification was received in fiscal 1999 for the North Landfill at the Kokomo facility and post-closure monitoring and care are permitted and ongoing there. In fiscal 2007, IDEM issued a single post-closure permit applicable to both the North and South Landfills, which contains monitoring and post-closure care requirements. In addition, IDEM required that a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, Facility Investigation, or RFI, be conducted in order to further evaluate one area of concern and one solid waste management unit. The RFI commenced in fiscal 2008 and is ongoing.

        The Company has also received permits from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, or NCDENR, to close and provide post-closure monitoring and care for the hazardous waste lagoon at its Mountain Home, North Carolina facility. The lagoon area has been closed and is

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currently undergoing post-closure monitoring and care. The Company is required to monitor groundwater and to continue post-closure maintenance of the former disposal areas at each site. As a result, the Company is aware of elevated levels of certain contaminants in the groundwater and additional corrective action by the Company could be required. In addition, in August, 2008, employees discovered an abnormal pH in the sump pumps located in containment pits in the wastewater treatment facility. After testing, it was determined that there was a leak in the pipeline from the cleaning house to the wastewater treatment facility. NCDENR was notified within 24 hours of the verification of the leak. To date, the state has not responded to this disclosure.

        Historical nitric acid spills were discovered at the Arcadia, Louisiana location in fiscal 2008. Analytical results were received in March, 2008 and the site assessment was provided to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality ("LDEQ") in May. Remediation of the spill, including the purchase of new equipment, was substantially complete in fiscal 2008. A preliminary assessment of the LDEQ authorized the Company's proposed remedial actions. In August, 2008, LDEQ submitted a second round of inquiries after an existing sump pump was removed. The Company is in the process or responding to LDEQ's inquiries.

        The Company is unable to estimate the costs of any further corrective action at these sites, if required. Accordingly, the Company can not assure you that the costs of any future corrective action at these or any other current former sites would not have a material effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Additionally, it is possible that the Company could be required to undertake other corrective action commitments for any other solid waste management unit existing or determined to exist at its facilities. As a condition of the post-closure permits, the Company must provide and maintain assurances to IDEM and NCDENR of the Company's capability to satisfy closure and post-closure groundwater monitoring requirements, including possible future corrective action as necessary. The Company provides these required assurances through a statutory financial assurance test as provided by Indiana and North Carolina law.

        The Company may also incur liability for alleged environmental damages associated with the off-site transportation and disposal of hazardous substances. The Company's operations generate hazardous substances, and, while a large percentage of these substances are reclaimed or recycled, the Company also accumulates hazardous substances at each of its facilities for subsequent transportation and disposal off-site by third parties. Generators of hazardous substances which are transported to disposal sites where environmental problems are alleged to exist are subject to claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA, and state counterparts. CERCLA imposes strict, joint and several liabilities for investigatory and cleanup costs upon hazardous substance generators, site owners and operators and other potentially responsible parties. The Company may have generated hazardous substances disposed of at other sites potentially subject to CERCLA or equivalent state law remedial action. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Company will not be named as a potentially responsible party at sites in the future or that the costs associated with those sites would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations of liquidity.

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Executive Officers

        The following table sets forth certain information concerning the persons who served as executive officers as of September 30, 2008. Please see "Significant Events of Fiscal 2008—CEO Transition" in Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Except as indicated in the following paragraphs, the principal occupations of these persons have not changed during the past five years.

        Mr. Petro was elected President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company in January 1999. From 1995 to the time he joined the Company, Mr. Petro was President and Chief Executive Officer of Inco Alloys International, a company owned by The International Nickel Company of Canada. Mr. Petro retired from his executive positions with the Company, effective September 30, 2008, although he remained as a director.

        Mr. Cijan has served as Vice President—Facilities Planning of the Company since March 2008. Prior to this, Mr. Cijan served as Vice President of Operations since April 1996 and prior to that also served as Manufacturing Manager since joining the Company in 1993.

        Mr. Douglas has served as Vice President—Tubular Products, operating of the Arcadia Tubular Products Facility since joining the Company in May 2005. From 1994 to 2005, Mr. Douglas was Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Interactive Resource Management. Mr. Douglas has over twenty years of prior executive management experience in the metals industry.

        Ms. Kilian has served as Vice President—General Counsel & Corporate Secretary since July 2006. Prior to joining the Company, beginning in 2000, Ms. Kilian was a lawyer in private practice with the law firm Ice Miller LLP in Indianapolis, Indiana.

        Mr. Laird has served as Vice President—Marketing, Research & Development of the Company since September 2007. Prior to this Mr. Laird served as Vice President—International Sales & Marketing since July 2000, after having served in various sales and marketing positions with the Company since 1983.

        Mr. Losch has served as Vice President—North American Sales since February 2006. Mr. Losch was Midwest Regional Manager prior to this and has served in various marketing, quality, engineering and production positions since joining the Company in February 1988.

        Mr. Martin was elected Vice President—Finance, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer on July 1, 2004, after having served as Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of the Company since October 2000. From 1996 to 2000 Mr. Martin was Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Duferco Farrell Corporation.

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        Mr. Maudlin has served as Controller and Chief Accounting Officer effective as of September 20, 2004. Prior to his employment with the Company, Mr. Maudlin was corporate controller at Jordan Specialty Plastics, Inc. from April, 2001. Prior to that he served as Group Controller for Heritage Environmental Services, Inc. from May 1991 through April 2001. Mr. Maudlin is a licensed CPA in the state of Indiana.

        Ms. Neel has served as Vice President—Corporate Affairs of the Company since April 2000, after having served as Director, Corporate Affairs since joining the Company in July 1999.

        Mr. Pinkham has served as Vice President—Manufacturing since March 2008. Prior to that he served as Vice President—Manufacturing Planning, after having served in various manufacturing and production capacities since joining the Company in August 1999.

        Mr. Ostrand has served as Vice President—International Sales since September 1, 2007, after serving as Regional Manager, Midwest Region, since joining the Company in March 2006. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ostrand was Vice President of Sales for Triumph Components, a division of Triumph Group, Inc. from 1996 to 2004, and as the Program Manager for Timken Alcor Aerospace Technologies from 2004 to 2006.

        Mr. Spalding has served as Vice President—Haynes Wire & Chief Operating Officer since February 2006. Prior to this he served as Vice President, North American Sales since he joined the Company in July 1999.

        Mr. Young has served as Vice President & Chief Information Officer since November 2005, after having served in various Information Technology positions since joining the Company in November 1984.

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Item 1A.    Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business

Our revenues may fluctuate widely based upon changes in demand for our customers' products.

        Demand for our products is dependent upon and derived from the level of demand for the machinery, parts and equipment produced by our customers, which are principally manufacturers and fabricators of machinery, parts and equipment for highly specialized applications. Historically, certain of the markets in which we compete have experienced unpredictable, wide demand fluctuations. Because of the comparatively high level of fixed costs associated with our manufacturing processes, significant declines in those markets have had a disproportionately adverse impact on our operating results.

        Since we became an independent company in 1987, we have, in several instances, experienced substantial year-to-year declines in net revenues, primarily as a result of decreases in demand in the industries to which our products are sold. In 1992, 1999, 2002 and 2003, our net revenues, when compared to the immediately preceding year, declined by approximately 24.9%, 15.4%, 10.3% and 21.2%, respectively. We may experience similar fluctuations in our net revenues in the future. Additionally, demand is likely to continue to be subject to substantial year-to-year fluctuations as a consequence of industry cyclicality, as well as other factors, and such fluctuations may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operation.

        Worldwide economic conditions have recently deteriorated significantly and may remain depressed, or could worsen, in the foreseeable future. These conditions may have a material adverse effect on demand for our customers' products and, in turn, on demand for our products. If these conditions persist or worsen, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Profitability in the high-performance alloy industry is highly sensitive to changes in sales volumes.

        The high-performance alloy industry is characterized by high capital investment and high fixed costs. The cost of raw materials is the primary variable cost in the manufacture of our high-performance alloys and, in fiscal 2008, represented approximately 64% of our total cost of sales. Other manufacturing costs, such as labor, energy, maintenance and supplies, often thought of as variable, have a significant fixed element. Profitability is, therefore, very sensitive to changes in volume, and relatively small changes in volume can result in significant variations in earnings.

We are subject to risks associated with global economic and political uncertainties

        Like other companies, we are susceptible to macroeconomic downturns in the United States or abroad that may affect the general economic climate and our performance and the performance of our customers. The global financial crisis may have an impact on our business and financial condition in ways that we currently cannot predict. The continuing credit crisis and related turmoil in the global financial system has had and may continue to have an impact on our business and our financial condition. In addition to the impact that the global financial crisis has already had, we may face significant challenges if conditions in the financial markets do not improve or continue to worsen. For example, an extension of the credit crisis to other industries could adversely impact overall demand for our products, which could have a negative effect on our revenues.

        In addition, we are subject to various domestic and international risks and uncertainties, including changing social conditions and uncertainties relating to the current and future political climate. Changes in governmental policies (particularly those that would limit or reduce defense spending) could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and may reduce our customers' demand for our products and/or depress pricing of those products used in the defense industry or which have other military applications, resulting in a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, revenues and cash flows. Furthermore, any actual armed hostilities, and any future terrorist attacks in the U.S. or abroad,

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could also have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy, global financial markets and our business. The effects may include, among other things, a decrease in demand in the aerospace industry due to reduced air travel, as well as reduced demand in the other industries we serve. Depending upon the severity, scope and duration of these effects, the impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows could be material.

Risks Associated with the Commercial Aerospace Industry

        A significant portion of the sales of our high-performance alloys represent products sold to customers in the commercial aerospace industry. The aerospace industry has historically been cyclical due to factors both external and internal to the airline industry. These factors include general economic conditions, airline profitability, consumer demand for air travel, varying fuel and labor costs, price competition, and international and domestic political conditions such as military conflict and the threat of terrorism. The length and degree of cyclical fluctuation are influenced by these factors and therefore are difficult to predict with certainty. Demand for our products in this segment is subject to these cyclical trends. A downturn in the commercial aerospace industry would adversely affect the prices at which we are able to sell these and other products, and our results of operations, business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

        Changes in the economic environment and the financial condition of airlines can also result in rescheduling or cancellation of orders. Accordingly, aircraft manufacturer backlogs are not necessarily a reliable indication of near-term business activity, but may be indicative of potential business levels over a longer-term horizon. For example, the Boeing Company experienced a labor strike (which was resolved in October 2008) that has prevented it from building new aircraft, and has experienced delays in the introduction of its new 787 aircraft. These events have created uncertainty in the aerospace supply chain generally and, if they persist for a significant length of time, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our operations are dependent on production levels at our Kokomo facility.

        Our principal assets are located at our primary integrated production facility in Kokomo, Indiana and at our production facilities in Arcadia, Louisiana and in Mountain Home, North Carolina. The Arcadia and Mountain Home plants rely to a significant extent upon feedstock produced at the Kokomo facility. Any production failures, shutdowns or other significant problems at the Kokomo facility could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We believe that we maintain adequate property damage insurance to provide for reconstruction of damaged equipment, as well as business interruption insurance to mitigate losses resulting from any production shutdown caused by an insured loss; however, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be adequate to cover such losses which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Although capital upgrades will allow us to produce more than 23.5 million pounds of high-performance alloys annually, our ability to increase net revenues and profitability depends upon our success in effectively utilizing this new capacity.

        We have announced that our capital upgrade program will allow us to increase sheet production capacity from 9 million pounds annually to 14 million pounds annually, increasing total high-performance alloy production capacity to more than 23.5 million pounds. Our ability to utilize this capacity depends greatly upon continuing demand in our end-markets, successfully increasing our market share and continued acceptance of our new products into the marketplace. Any failure to effectively utilize the increased capacity may negatively impact our ability to increase net revenues, profitability and net income.

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During periods of lower demand in other alloy markets, some of our competitors may use their available capacity to produce higher volumes of high-performance alloys, which leads to increased competition in the high-performance alloy market.

        In addition to high-performance alloys, our primary competitors also produce and sell a broad range of other alloys, including stainless steel and titanium, while we produce primarily high-performance alloys. There are significant elements of fixed costs in the operating structure of these competitors, which can only be absorbed by keeping production levels high. For that reason, if our competitors are unable to fill their production capacity with their core alloys such as stainless steel and titanium, they are likely to increase their production of high-performance alloys. These higher production levels will lead to increased competition, such as we are experiencing now, in the high-performance alloy market, creating downward pricing pressures as a result of increased product in the market and more aggressive lead times and could have a material adverse effect on our net revenues and results of operations.

Rapid increases in the price of nickel may materially adversely affect our operating results.

        To the extent that the price of nickel or other raw materials rises rapidly, there may be a negative effect on our gross profit margins. In fiscal 2008, nickel, a major component of many of our products, accounted for approximately 51% of our raw material costs, or approximately 33% of our total costs of sales. We enter into several different types of sales contracts with our customers, some of which allow us to pass on increases in nickel prices to our customers. In other cases, we price our products at the time of order, which allows us to establish prices with reference to known costs of materials, but which does not allow us to offset an unexpected rise in the price of nickel. We may not be able to successfully offset rapid increases in the price of nickel or other raw materials in the future. In the event that raw material price increases occur that we are unable to pass on to our customers, our cash flows or results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Increases in energy costs and raw material costs may have a negative impact on our performance and financial condition.

        Since fiscal 2003 and through fiscal 2008, our aggregate raw material and energy costs have consistently risen. Nickel, cobalt and molybdenum, the primary raw materials used to manufacture our products, all have experienced significant fluctuations in price. Continued growth in China has contributed to increased demand for many of the raw materials used in our manufacturing processes, which has led to increased prices for these raw materials. The Company uses natural gas in the manufacturing process to reheat material for purposes of annealing and forming. Continuing increases in raw material and energy costs could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows or results of operation.

Failure to successfully develop, commercialize, market and sell new applications and new products could adversely affect our business.

        We believe that our proprietary alloys and metallurgical manufacturing expertise provide us with a competitive advantage over other high-performance alloy producers. Our ability to maintain this competitive advantage depends on our ability to continue to offer products that have equal or better performance characteristics than competing products at competitive prices. Our future growth will depend, in part, on our ability to address the increasingly demanding needs of our customers by enhancing the properties of our existing alloys, by timely developing new applications for our existing products, and by timely developing, commercializing, marketing and selling new products. If we are not successful in these efforts, we may experience difficulties that delay or prevent the successful development, commercialization, marketing and selling of these products, or if our new products and product enhancements do not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace and achieve market acceptance, our revenues, cash flows and results of operations could be negatively affected.

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We may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations, costs and other liabilities.

        We are subject to various foreign, federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the environment, the storage, handling, use, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the health and safety of our employees. Under these laws and regulations, we may be held liable for all costs arising out of any release of hazardous substances on, under or from any of our current or former properties or any off-site location to which we sent or arranged to be sent wastes for disposal or treatment, and such costs may be material. We could also be held liable for any and all consequences arising out of human exposure to such substances or other hazardous substances that may be attributable to our products or other environmental damage. In addition, some of these laws and regulations require our facilities to operate under permits that are subject to renewal or modification. These laws, regulations and permits can require expensive pollution control equipment or operational changes to limit actual or potential impacts to the environment. Violations of these laws, regulations or permits can also result in the imposition of substantial penalties, permit revocations and/or facility shutdowns.

        We have received permits from the environmental regulatory authorities in Indiana and North Carolina to close and to provide post-closure monitoring and care for certain areas of our Kokomo and Mountain Home facilities that were used for the storage and disposal of wastes, some of which are classified as hazardous under applicable regulations. We are required to monitor groundwater and to continue post-closure maintenance of the former disposal areas at each site. As a result, we are aware of elevated levels of certain contaminants in the groundwater and additional corrective action could be required. Additionally, it is possible that we could be required to undertake other corrective action commitments for any other solid waste management unit existing or determined to exist at our facilities. We are unable to estimate the costs of any further corrective action at either site, if required. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that the costs of future corrective action at these or any other current or former sites will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

        We may also incur liability for alleged environmental damages associated with the off-site transportation and disposal of hazardous substances. Our operations generate hazardous substances, many of which we accumulate at our facilities for subsequent transportation and disposal off-site or recycling by third parties. Generators of hazardous substances which are transported to disposal sites where environmental problems are alleged to exist are subject to liability under CERCLA and state counterparts. In addition, we may have generated hazardous substances disposed of at sites which are subject to CERCLA or equivalent state law remedial action. CERCLA imposes strict, joint and several liabilities for investigatory and cleanup costs upon hazardous substance generators, site owners and operators and other potentially responsible parties regardless of fault. We cannot assure you that we will not be named as a potentially responsible party at sites in the future or that the costs associated with current or future additional sites would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

        Environmental laws are complex, change frequently and have tended to become increasingly stringent over time. While we have budgeted for future capital and operating expenditures to comply with environmental laws, we cannot assure you that environmental laws will not change or become more stringent in the future. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our costs of complying with current and future environmental, health and safety laws, and our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances will not materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. See "Business—Environmental Matters."

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We could be required to make additional contributions to our defined benefit pension plans as a result of adverse changes in interest rates and the capital markets.

        Our estimates of liabilities and expenses for pension benefits incorporates significant assumptions including the rate used to discount the future estimated liability, the long-term rate of return on plan assets and several assumptions relating to the employee workforce (salary increases, retirement age and mortality). Our results of operations, liquidity, or stockholders' equity in a particular period could be affected by a decline in the rate of return on plan assets, the rate used to discount the future estimated liability, or a reduction in the market value of plan assets.

If we are unable to recruit, hire and retain skilled and experienced personnel, our ability to effectively manage and expand our business will be harmed.

        Our success largely depends on the skills, experience and efforts of our officers and other key employees who may terminate their employment at any time. The loss of any of our senior management team could harm our business. The announcement of the loss of one of our key employees could negatively affect our stock price. Our ability to retain our skilled workforce and our success in attracting and hiring new skilled employees will be a critical factor in determining whether we will be successful in the future. We face challenges in hiring, training, managing and retaining employees in certain areas including metallurgical researchers, equipment technicians, and sales and marketing staff. If we are unable to recruit, hire and retain skilled employees, our new product and alloy development and commercialization could be delayed, and our marketing and sales efforts could be hindered, which would adversely impact our competitiveness and financial results.

The risks inherent in our international operations may adversely impact our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

        We anticipate we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from operations in international markets. As we continue to expand internationally, we will need to hire, train and retain qualified personnel for our direct sales efforts and retain distributors and train their personnel in countries where language, cultural or regulatory impediments may exist. We cannot ensure that distributors, regulators or other government agencies will continue to accept our products, services and business practices. In addition, we purchase raw materials on the international market. The sale and shipment of our products and services across international borders, as well as the purchase of raw materials from international sources, subject us to the different trade regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other laws. Compliance with such regulations is costly. Any failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations could impact us in a variety of ways that include, but are not limited to, significant criminal, civil and administrative penalties, including imprisonment of individuals, fines and penalties, denial of export privileges, seizure of shipments and restrictions on certain business activities. Failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations could result in the disruption of our shipping, sales and service activities. Our international sales operations expose us and our representatives, agents and distributors to risks inherent in operating in foreign jurisdictions, including:

•

our ability to obtain, and the costs associated with obtaining, U.S. export licenses and other required export or import licenses or approvals;



•

changes in duties and tariffs, taxes, trade restrictions, license obligations and other non-tariff barriers to trade;



•

burdens of complying with the FCPA and a wide variety of foreign laws and regulations;



•

business practices or laws favoring local companies;



•

fluctuations in foreign currencies;

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•

restrictive trade policies of foreign governments;



•

longer payment cycles and difficulties collecting receivables through foreign legal systems;



•

difficulties in enforcing or defending agreements and intellectual property rights; and



•

foreign political or economic conditions.

        We cannot ensure you that one or more of these factors will not harm our business. Any material decrease in our international revenues or inability to expand our international operations would adversely impact our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

Although a collective bargaining agreement is in place for certain employees, union or labor disputes could still disrupt the manufacturing process.

        All eligible hourly employees at the Kokomo plant and the Lebanon, Indiana service and sales center (approximately 537 in the aggregate as of September 30, 2008) are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In fiscal 2007, the collective bargaining agreement was extended until June 2010. Even though a collective bargaining agreement is in place, it is still possible that union or labor disputes could disrupt our manufacturing process. We intend to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement in fiscal 2010 prior to the expiration of the agreement currently in place. Management believes that current relations with the union are satisfactory. We cannot assure you, however, that the renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement in 2010 will not lead to a labor stoppage and negative effect on earnings.

Risks Related to Shares of Our Common Stock

Our stock price is subject to fluctuations as a result of being traded on a public exchange which may not be related to our performance.

        The stock market in general has been highly volatile. As a result, the market price of our common stock is likely to be similarly volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease in the value of their stock, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors, including those listed elsewhere in this "Risk Factors" section and others such as:

•

our operating performance and the performance of other similar companies and companies deemed to be similar;



•

fluctuations in the market price of nickel, raw materials or energy;



•

market conditions in the end markets into which our customers sell their products, principally aerospace, power generation and chemical processing;



•

announcements of technological innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors;



•

the operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors may deem comparable to us;



•

announcements by us of acquisitions, alliances, joint development efforts or corporate partnerships in the high temperature resistant alloy and corrosion resistant alloy markets;



•

market conditions in the technology, manufacturing or other growth sectors; and



•

rumors relating to us or our competitors.

24

You may not receive a return on investment through dividend payments nor upon the sale of your shares of our common stock.

        We do not anticipate paying any dividends to our stockholders in the near term. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our results of operations, financial conditions, projected liquidity, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. You also may not realize a return on your investment upon selling your shares of our common stock.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could deter or prevent a change in control.

        Some provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, as well as Delaware statutes, may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control. These provisions, including those regulating the nomination of directors, may make it more difficult for other persons, without the approval of our Board of Directors, to launch takeover attempts that a stockholder might consider to be in his or her best interest. These provisions could limit the price that some investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.

Item 1B.    Unresolved Staff Comments

        None.

Item 2.    Properties

         Manufacturing Facilities.    The Company owns manufacturing facilities in the following locations:

•

Kokomo, Indiana—manufactures and sells all product forms, other than tubular and wire goods;



•

Arcadia, Louisiana—manufactures and sells welded and seamless tubular goods; and



•

Mountain Home, North Carolina—manufactures and sells high-performance nickel alloy wire and stainless steel wire.

        The Kokomo plant, the Company's primary production facility, is located on approximately 180 acres of industrial property and includes over 1.0 million square feet of building space. There are three sites consisting of (1) a headquarters and research laboratory; (2) primary and secondary melting, annealing furnaces, forge press and several smaller hot mills; and (3) the Company's four-high Steckel mill and sheet product cold working equipment, including two cold strip mills. All alloys and product forms other than tubular and wire goods and drawn wire, are produced in Kokomo.

        The Arcadia plant is located on approximately 42 acres of land, and includes 135,000 square feet of buildings on a single site. Arcadia uses feedstock produced in Kokomo to fabricate welded and seamless alloy pipe and tubing and purchases extruded tube hollows to produce seamless titanium tubing. Manufacturing processes at Arcadia require cold pilger mills, weld mills, draw benches, annealing furnaces and pickling facilities.

        The Mountain Home plant is located on approximately 29 acres of land, and includes approximately 100,000 square feet of building space. The Mountain Home facility is primarily used to manufacture finished high-performance alloy wire and specialty stainless steel wire. A limited amount of warehousing is also done at this facility.

        The owned facilities located in the United States are subject to a mortgage which secures the Company's obligations under its U.S. revolving credit facility with a group of lenders led by Wachovia Capital Finance Corporation. For more information see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of

25

Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

         Service and Sales Centers.    The service and sales centers contain equipment capable of precision laser and water jet processing services to cut and shape products to customers' precise specifications. The Company owns service and sales centers in the following locations:

•

Openshaw, England—stocks and sells all product forms; and



•

Lenzburg, Switzerland—stocks and sells all product forms.

        The Openshaw plant, located near Manchester, England, consists of approximately 7 acres of land and over 200,000 square feet of buildings on a single site. The Company closed the manufacturing portion of the Openshaw plant in fiscal 2004 and is sourcing the required bar product for customers from external vendors. This closure did not have a material effect on the overall revenue of the U.K. operation or overall operations or financial position. In April 2005, the Company sold 8 acres of the Openshaw site for a profit of $2.1 million, but retained ownership of the buildings. It is anticipated that Haynes will continue to own and operate the balance of the land, totaling 7 acres, and the buildings.

        In addition, the Company leases service and sales centers in the following locations:

•

La Mirada, California—stocks and sells all product forms;



•

Houston, Texas—stocks and sells all product forms;



•

Lebanon, Indiana—stocks and sells all product forms;



•

Paris, France—stocks and sells all product forms;



•

Shanghai, China—stocks and sells all product forms; and



•

Windsor, Connecticut—stocks and sells all product forms.

         Sales Centers.    The Company leases sales centers in the following locations:

•

Singapore—sells all product forms;



•

Milan, Italy—sells all product forms;



•

Chennai, India—sells all product forms; and



•

Shanghai, China—sells all product forms.

        All owned and leased service and sales centers not described in detail above are single site locations and are less than 100,000 square feet. The Company believes that its existing facilities are suitable for its current business needs.

Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

        The Company is subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations. Future developments and increasingly stringent regulations could require us to make additional unforeseen expenditures for these matters. The Company is regularly involved in litigation, both as a plaintiff and as a defendant, relating to its business and operations. Such litigation includes federal and state EEOC administrative actions and litigation and administrative actions relating to environmental matters. For more information see "Item 1. Business—Environmental Matters." Litigation may result in substantial costs and may divert management's attention and resources, and the level of future expenditures for legal matters cannot be determined with any degree of certainty. Nonetheless, based on the facts presently known, management does not believe that expenditures for legal proceedings will have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

26

        The Company is currently, and has in the past, been subject to claims involving personal injuries allegedly relating to its products. For example, the Company is presently involved in two actions involving welding rod-related injuries, both of which were filed in California state court against numerous manufacturers, including the Company, in May 2006 and February 2007, respectively, alleging that the welding-related products of the defendant manufacturers harmed the users of such products through the inhalation of welding fumes containing manganese. The Company believes that it has defenses to these allegations and, that if the Company were found liable, the cases would not have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity. In addition to these cases, the Company has in the past been named a defendant in several other lawsuits, including 52 filed in the state of California, alleging that its welding-related products harmed the users of such products through the inhalation of welding fumes containing manganese. The Company has since been voluntarily dismissed from all of these lawsuits on the basis of the release and discharge of claims contained in the confirmation order issued in connection with the Company's emergence from Chapter 11 reorganization. While the Company contests such lawsuits vigorously, and may have applicable insurance, there are several risks and uncertainties that may affect its liability for claims relating to exposure to welding fumes and manganese. For instance, in recent cases, at least two courts (in cases not involving Haynes) have refused to dismiss claims relating to inhalation of welding fumes containing manganese based upon a bankruptcy discharge order. Although the Company believes the facts of these cases are distinguishable from the facts of its cases, it cannot assure you that any or all claims against the Company will be dismissed based upon the Confirmation Order, particularly claims premised, in part or in full, upon actual or alleged exposure on or after the date of the Confirmation Order. It is also possible that the Company will be named in additional suits alleging welding-rod injuries. Should such litigation occur, it is possible that the aggregate claims for damages, if the Company is found liable, could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

        No matters were submitted to a vote of the Company's stockholders during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.

27

Part II

Item 5.    Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

        The Company's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market ("NASDAQ") and traded under the symbol "HAYN". The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low closing prices for the Company's common stock as reported by NASDAQ since the Company's listing on March 23, 2007.

        Prior to the Company's listing on NASDAQ and following the Company's emergence from bankruptcy in August 2004, trading in the Company's common stock occurred from time to time on an unsolicited basis on the pink sheets. The following table sets forth the range of high and low closing bid prices by fiscal quarter for the common stock as reported through Pink Sheets LLC. Over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

        The range of the Company's common stock price on NASDAQ from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008 was $43.00 to $88.87. The closing price of the common stock was $46.83 on September 30, 2008.

        As of October 31, 2008, there were approximately 11 record holders of the Company's common stock.

        Since fiscal 2004, the Company has not declared cash dividends on shares of its common stock. The Company does not have any current plans to pay cash dividends or make any other distributions on shares of the Company's common stock in the near term. Instead, the Company intends to retain any earnings for use in the operation and expansion of its business.

        The Company did not sell any unregistered securities or repurchase any of its equity securities during fiscal 2008.

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Equity Compensation Plan Information

        The following table provides information as of September 30, 2008 regarding shares of the Company's common stock issuable pursuant to its stock option plans:

⁽¹⁾

For a description of the Company's equity compensation plans, see Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

⁽²⁾

Each stock option is exercisable for one share of common stock.

Cumulative Total Stockholder Return

        The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on the Company's common stock to the cumulative total return of the Russell 2000 Index, S&P MidCap Index, and Peer Group for each of the last four fiscal years ended September 30, 2008. The cumulative total return assumes an investment of $100 on September 30, 2004 and the reinvestment of any dividends during the period. The Russell 2000 is a broad-based index that includes smaller market capitalization stocks. The S&P MidCap 400 Index is the most widely used index for mid-sized companies. Management believes that the S&P MidCap 400 is representative of companies with similar market and economic characteristics to Haynes. Furthermore, we also believe the Russell 2000 Index is representative of the Company's current market capitalization status and this index is also provided on a comparable basis. The companies included in the Peer Group Index are: Allegheny Technologies, Inc., Titanium Metals Corporation, RTI International Metals, Inc., Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. and Carpenter Technologies Corp. Management believes that the companies included in the Peer Group, taken as a whole, provide a meaningful comparison in terms of competition, product offerings and other relevant factors. The total stockholder return for the peer group is weighted according to the respective issuer's stock market capitalization at the beginning of each period.

29

*

For fiscal 2004, 2005, 2006 and up to March 23, 2007, the Company's stock was traded on the "Pink Sheets." As of March 27, 2007, the Company listed its common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market.

Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

        On March 29, 2004, the Company and its U.S. subsidiaries and U.S. affiliates on that date filed for reorganization relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. A plan of reorganization was filed on May 25, 2004, amended on June 29, 2004, confirmed by order of the bankruptcy court on August 16, 2004, and became effective on August 31, 2004. The historical consolidated financial statements of predecessor Haynes International, Inc. have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes continuity of operations and realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business, and, for periods subsequent to March 29, 2004, in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Statement of Position 90-7, Financial Reporting by Entities in Reorganization Under the Bankruptcy Code. As of August 31, 2004, the effective date of the plan of reorganization, successor Haynes International, Inc. began operating its business under a new capital structure and adopted fresh start reporting for its consolidated financial statements. Because of the emergence from bankruptcy and adoption of fresh start reporting, the historical consolidated financial information for predecessor Haynes International, Inc. is not comparable to financial information of successor Haynes International, Inc. for periods after August 31, 2004.

        Set forth below are selected financial data of predecessor Haynes International, Inc. and successor Haynes International, Inc. This information should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of and for the years ended September 30, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and for the period September 1, 2004 through September 30, 2004 are derived from the consolidated financial statements of successor Haynes International, Inc. The selected historical consolidated financial data for the period October 1, 2003 through August 31, 2004, are derived from the consolidated financial statements of predecessor Haynes International, Inc.

30

        Amounts below are in thousands, except backlog, which is in millions, share and per share information and average nickel price.

⁽¹⁾

As of August 31, 2004, the effective date of the plan of reorganization, the Company adopted fresh start reporting for its consolidated financial statements. Because of the emergence from bankruptcy and adoption of fresh start reporting, the historical financial information for periods after August 31, 2004 is not comparable to periods before September 1, 2004.

31

⁽²⁾

As part of fresh start reporting, inventory was increased by approximately $30,497 to reflect its fair value at August 31, 2004. The fair value adjustment was recognized ratably in cost of sales as inventory was sold and was fully recognized by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2005. Cost of sales for the one month ended September 30, 2004 and the years ended September 30, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 include non-cash charges of $5,083, $25,414, $0, $0 and $0, respectively, for this fair value adjustment. Also, as part of fresh start reporting, machinery and equipment, buildings, and patents were increased by $49,436 to reflect fair value at August 31, 2004. Commencing in 2004 these costs are being recognized in cost of sales over periods ranging from 2 to 14 years. Cost of sales for the one month ended September 30, 2004 and the years ended September 30, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 include $403, $4,788, $4,802, $3,815 and $3,780, respectively, for this fair value adjustment.

⁽³⁾

During March 2006, the Company communicated to employees and plan participants a negative plan amendment that caps the Company's liability related to total retiree health care costs at $5,000 annually effective January 1, 2007. An updated actuarial valuation was performed at March 31, 2006, which reduces the accumulated postretirement benefit liability due to this plan amendment by $46,300, that will be amortized as a reduction to expense over an eight year period. This amortization period began in April 2006 thus reducing the amount of expense recognized for the second half of fiscal 2006 and the respective future periods. As a result of freezing the benefit accruals for all non-union employees in the U.S. in the first quarter of fiscal 2008, the Company recognized a reduction of the projected benefit obligation of $8,191, an increase to other comprehensive income (before tax) of $4,532 and a curtailment gain (before tax) of $3,659. The impact of the multiplier increase will be charged to pension expense over the estimated remaining lives of the participants.

⁽⁴⁾

Consists primarily of professional fees and credit facility fees related to the restructuring and refinancing activities.

⁽⁵⁾

During fiscal 2004, the Company recognized approximately $177,653 in reorganization items of which approximately $7,298 were expenses relating to professional fees, amendment fees, travel expenses, directors' fees, write offs of bond discount and debt issuance costs, and other expenses, and approximately $184,951 was income relating to the gain on cancellation of 11⁵/8% senior notes due September 1, 2004 and fresh start reporting adjustments as a result of the reorganization.

⁽⁶⁾

On March 23, 2007, the Company completed an equity offering which resulted in the issuance of 1,200,000 shares of its common stock. In addition, 450,000 stock options were exercised as a part of the offering. The net proceeds of the equity offering were $72,753 and the payment of the exercise price for the stock options resulted in an additional $6,083 in proceeds to the Company.

⁽⁷⁾

Represents the average price for a cash buyer as reported by the London Metals Exchange for the 30 days ending on the last day of the period presented.

⁽⁸⁾

The Company defines backlog to include firm commitments from customers for delivery of product at established prices. Approximately 30% of the orders in the Company's backlog at any given time include prices that are subject to adjustment based on changes in raw material costs. Historically, approximately 75% of backlog orders have shipped within six months and approximately 90% have shipped within 12 months. The backlog figures do not reflect that portion of the Company's business conducted at our service and sales centers on a spot of "just-in-time" basis.

32

Quarterly Market Information

        Set forth below is selected data relating to the Company's backlog, the 30 day average nickel price per pound as reported by the London Metals Exchange, as well as breakdown of net revenues, shipments and average selling prices to the markets served by Haynes for the periods shown. These data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto and the remainder of the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included in this Form 10-K.

⁽¹⁾

The Company defines backlog to include firm commitments from customers for delivery of product at established prices. Approximately 30% of the orders in the backlog at any given time include prices that are subject to adjustment based on changes in raw material costs. Historically, approximately 75% of the backlog orders have shipped within six months and approximately 90% have shipped within 12 months. The backlog figures do not reflect that portion of the business conducted at service and sales centers on a spot or "just-in-time" basis.

⁽²⁾

Represents the average price for a cash buyer as reported by the London Metals Exchange for the 30 days ending on the last day of the period presented.

⁽¹⁾

The decrease in pounds in Other Markets relates primarily to the reduction in stainless steel wire pounds which decreased by 615 pounds in the quarter ended September 30, 2007 versus the quarter ended June 30, 2007.

33

Item 7.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        Please refer to page 1 of this Form 10-K for a cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information.

Overview of Business

        The global alloy market consists of three primary sectors: stainless steel, general purpose nickel alloys and high-performance nickel- and cobalt-based alloys. Except for its stainless-steel wire products, the Company competes exclusively in the high-performance alloy sector, which includes high-temperature resistant alloys, or HTA, and corrosion resistant alloys, or CRA. HTA and CRA products accounted for 69% and 31%, respectively, of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2007, and 73% and 27%, respectively, of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2008 (in each case excluding stainless steel wire). Based on available industry data, the Company believes that it is one of four principal producers of high-performance alloys in flat product form, which includes sheet, coil and plate forms. Flat products accounted for 71% of shipment pounds and 68% of net revenues in fiscal 2007, and 63% of shipment pounds and 63% of net revenues in fiscal 2008. The Company also produces its alloys as seamless and welded tubulars, and in bar, billet and wire forms. On a historical basis, flat products have accounted for a majority of the Company's net revenues, and are anticipated to continue to do so on a prospective basis.

        The Company's direct sales organization, which consists of 12 Company-operated service and/or sales centers in the U.S., Europe, Asia and India, generated approximately 82%, 85% and 84% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2006, fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008, respectively. The remaining 18%, 15% and 16% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2006, fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008, respectively, were generated by a network of independent distributors and sales agents who supplement the Company's direct sales efforts in all markets. Going forward, the Company expects its direct sales force to continue to generate approximately 85% of it's of total sales, although this number may increase as new service and sales centers are opened.

        Net revenues and net income in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008 were generated primarily by the Company's U.S. operations. Sales to domestic customers comprised approximately 61% of net revenues in fiscal 2007 and 54% in fiscal 2008. In addition, the majority of the Company's operating costs are incurred in the U.S., as all of its manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S. Although the Company expects international sales to increase as it pursues its business strategy, for the foreseeable future, net revenues and net income will continue to be highly dependent on domestic sales and manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

        Sales to customers outside the U.S. represented approximately 39% of the Company's net revenues in fiscal 2007 and 46% in fiscal 2008. It is anticipated that sales to customers outside of the U.S. will continue to grow with the addition of foreign service and sales centers. Although no data is available, management believes a portion of the material that is sold to U.S. distributors and fabricators is resold and shipped overseas.

        The high-performance alloy industry is characterized by high capital investment and high fixed costs. Profitability is, therefore, very sensitive to changes in volume, and relatively small changes in volume can result in significant variations in earnings. The cost of raw materials is the primary variable cost in the manufacture of high-performance alloys and represents approximately 64% in fiscal 2008 of the Company's total cost of sales. Other manufacturing costs, such as labor, energy, maintenance and supplies, often thought of as variable, have a significant fixed element within a certain relevant range of production.

        Lead times from order to shipment can be a competitive factor, as well as an indication of the strength of the demand for high-performance alloys. The Company's current average lead times from order to shipment for mill-produced products, depending on product form, can be as short as 4 weeks and as long as 30 weeks. An order from a service and sales center can be filled in less than one week, depending upon the availability of materials in stock.

34

Significant Events of Fiscal 2008

CEO Transition

        The Company announced on April 4, 2008 that Francis Petro had informed the Board of his intention to retire as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer at the end of his existing employment agreement on September 30, 2008 and to continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

        On September 9, 2008, the Company announced that Mark Comerford was appointed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company reporting directly to the Board of Directors. Mr. Comerford assumed his new position effective upon Mr. Petro's retirement from the Company.

        Before joining the Company, Mr. Comerford was President of Alloy Products, the largest business unit within Brush Wellman Inc. Since 1998, Mr. Comerford served in various positions for Brush Wellman Inc. both in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. In addition to his considerable experience at Brush Wellman Inc., Mr. Comerford also held positions at Carpenter Technology and American Brass in various metallurgical engineering, international and commercial management positions.

Gross Profit Margin

        Beginning at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2007 and continuing through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company experienced a trend of increasing revenues and average selling price per pound, while gross profit as a percentage of net revenues declined. During the first quarter of fiscal 2008, net revenue and average selling price per pound began to decline along with further erosion in gross profit as a percentage of net revenues. Compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2008, net revenue increased in the second quarter, but average selling price per pound and gross profit as a percentage of net revenue continued to decline. The decline in gross profit as a percentage of net revenue from the first quarter to the second quarter of fiscal 2008 should be analyzed in light of the fact that the first quarter of fiscal 2008 included a one-time benefit of $3.7 million related to a pension curtailment gain. Adjusting for this gain, the gross profit as a percentage of net revenue improved in the second quarter when compared to the first quarter. Although gross profit as a percentage of revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 was lower than the same period in fiscal 2007, it showed improvement over the first and second quarter of fiscal 2008.

        Gross profit as a percentage of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 was 21.4%, which is lower than in same period of fiscal 2007 and also lower than the previous quarter of fiscal 2008. It was anticipated that gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 would be approximately 24.4%, which would have been a slight improvement over the third quarter of fiscal 2008 and slightly below 25.0% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007. One cause of the shortfall from forecast was reduced production volume of sheet product through the finishing operation as a result of issues associated with new annealing lines, including mechanical commissioning and the preparation of new standard operating procedures. It is anticipated that this process will be completed in the first quarter of fiscal 2009.

        In addition to these operational challenges, pricing competition continued to increase in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Starting in the third quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company experienced increasing competition from competitors who produce both stainless steel and high-performance alloys. Due to continued slowness in the stainless steel market, management believes these competitors increased their production levels and sales activity in high-performance alloys to keep capacity in their mills as full as possible, while offering very competitive prices and delivery times. As a result of this competition, the Company's ability to raise prices on certain products has been limited, and in some cases prices were lowered, in the six most recent fiscal quarters. Historically, the Company experienced similar price competition in the 1990's and in the early 2000's, when demand in the stainless market weakened.

        This competition should soften as the stainless market improves. However, based on the current economic environment there is significant uncertainty as to when that may occur and the possibility exists that the stainless market may continue to deteriorate. Management believes, however, that the Company

35

continues to improve its ability to respond to the competition as a result of an increased emphasis on service centers, value-added services and an improving cost structure which has resulted from the capital expenditure program. It is anticipated that, with the completion of the upgrade to the second annealing line and improved processing capabilities, the Company's delivery-times and reliability will continue to improve.

HW Limited Acquisition

        On June 2, 2008 the Company announced the expansion of its relationship with HW Limited and its affiliated companies in Hong Kong and China for sales of Haynes' products throughout Asia. Under the acquisition agreement (and the related consulting agreement), which became effective on June 1, Haynes' sales and marketing presence in Asia has been greatly expanded. The sales force of HW Limited's Chinese affiliate was integrated into the Haynes operations in China expanding Haynes' direct sales organization by eight people, which Haynes believes will lead to a more effective organization. In addition to overseeing this expanded organization, HW Limited's principal, Helen Wang, will promote Haynes' products and services to customers in select markets in Asia, including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. This consulting arrangement is one component of the Company's continued campaign to grow its market presence in China and the rest of Asia. The asset acquisition and related agreements increased fixed assets $0.015 million, increased non-compete agreement by $0.5 million and increased goodwill by $2.5 million.

Capital Spending

        Beginning in fiscal 2006, the Company began making significant investments in order to improve reliability and increase capacity in its sheet finishing operations. Upgrades to its cold rolling mill and one of two annealing lines were completed in fiscal 2007. Equipment upgrades to the second annealing line were completed in the third quarter of fiscal 2008, with commissioning starting in the fourth quarter. Due to the complexity of the commissioning process and development of new standard operating procedures, the commission process progressed at a slower pace than expected, and is anticipated to be complete in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. These upgrades to the sheet finishing operations have increased the production capacity for high-performance alloys in sheet form from 9.0 million pounds per year to 14.0 million pounds per year. The Company's objective is to produce and sell at least 23.5 million pounds of high-performance alloys by no later than fiscal 2010. However, based on the current economic environment achieving that goal is uncertain. Management is in the process of evaluating the positive impact of the upgrades to sheet finishing capacity and other capital upgrades since fiscal 2005 on total high-performance alloy capacity across all product forms. Management believes that the upgrades will allow the Company to produce high-performance alloy volumes in excess of the original estimate of 23.5 million pounds which fits well with the long-term growth potential of the Company's markets. In addition, management believes that the completion of these upgrades has had a positive impact on gross profit as a percentage of net revenue due to improved operating efficiency, reduced operating cost, improved quality and expanded product capability.

U.S. Pension Plan Change

        During the last two fiscal years, the Company has taken action to reduce the funding requirements of its Defined Benefit Pension Plans. New salaried employees hired after December 31, 2005 and new hourly employees hired after June 30, 2007 are not eligible to participate in the Defined Benefit Pension Plans. Also, on October 2, 2007, the U.S. pension plan was amended effective December 31, 2007 to freeze benefit accruals for all non-union employees in the U.S. and effective January 1, 2008, the pension multiplier used to calculate the employee's monthly benefit was increased from 1.4% to 1.6%. In addition, the Company will make enhanced matching contributions to its 401K plan equal to 60% of the non-union and union plan participant's salary deferrals, up to 6% of compensation. The Company estimates the

36

redesign of the pension plan, including previous actions to close the plan to new non-union and union employees and the adjustment of the multiplier for non-union and union plan participants will reduce funding requirements by $23.0 million over the next six years. The offsetting estimated incremental cost of the enhanced 401K match is $2.3 million over the same six year period. As a result of freezing the benefit accruals for all non-union employees in the U.S. in the first quarter of fiscal 2008, the Company recognized a reduction of the projected benefit obligation of $8.2 million, an increase to other comprehensive income (before tax) of $4.5 million and a curtailment gain (before tax) of $3.7 million. The impact of the multiplier increase will be charged to pension expense over the estimated remaining lives of the participants.

Overview of Markets

        The following table includes a breakdown of net revenues, shipments and average selling prices to the markets served by the Company for the periods shown.