KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC - Annual Report: 2009 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
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SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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Washington,
D.C. 20549
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FORM
10-K
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X
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Annual
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act
of 1934:
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For the fiscal year ended
December 31,
2009
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Commission
file number 1-31763
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KRONOS WORLDWIDE, INC.
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(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
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DELAWARE
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76-0294959
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(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
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(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
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5430
LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700
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Dallas,
Texas 75240-2697
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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Registrant's
telephone number, including area
code: (972) 233-1700
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Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of each class
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Name
of each exchange on
which
registered
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Common
stock
($.01
par value)
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New
York Stock Exchange
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No
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
Indicate
by check mark:
If
the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the
Securities Act. Yes No
X
If
the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section
15(d) of the Act. Yes No
X
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 and
(2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes X No
Whether
the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website,
if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant
to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such
shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).*
Yes No
_
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The
registrant has not yet been phased into the interactive data
requirements.
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If
disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not
contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's
knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by
reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. Yes
No
X
Whether
the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company (as defined in Rule 12b-2
of the Act). Large accelerated filer Accelerated
filer Non-accelerated
filer X
Smaller reporting company
Whether
the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Act). Yes No
X
The
aggregate market value of the 2.0 million shares of voting stock held by
nonaffiliates of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. as of June 30, 2009 (the last business
day of the Registrant's most recently-completed second fiscal quarter)
approximated $13.5 million.
As
of February 26, 2010, 48,970,549 shares of the Registrant's common stock were
outstanding.
Documents incorporated by
reference
The
information required by Part III is incorporated by reference from the
Registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Commission pursuant
to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year
covered by this report.
Forward-Looking
Information
This Annual Report on Form 10-K
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Statements in this Annual
Report that are not historical facts are forward-looking in nature and represent
management’s beliefs and assumptions based on currently available
information. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking
statements by the use of words such as "believes," "intends," "may," "should,"
"could," "anticipates," "expects" or comparable terminology, or by discussions
of strategies or trends. Although we believe that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know if
these expectations will be correct. Such statements by their nature
involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could significantly impact
expected results. Actual future results could differ materially from those
predicted. The factors that could cause actual future results to
differ materially from those described herein are the risks and uncertainties
discussed in this Annual Report and those described from time to time in our
other filings with the SEC include, but are not limited to, the
following:
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Future
supply and demand for our products
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The
extent of the dependence of certain of our businesses on certain market
sectors
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The
cyclicality of our businesses
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Customer
inventory levels (such as the extent to which our customers may, from time
to time, accelerate purchases of titanium dioxide pigments (“TiO2“)in
advance of anticipated price increases or defer purchases of TiO2 in
advance of anticipated price
decreases)
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Changes
in raw material and other operating costs (such as energy
costs)
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General
global economic and political conditions (such as changes in the level of
gross domestic product in various regions of the world and the impact of
such changes on demand for TiO2)
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Competitive
products and substitute products
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Customer
and competitor strategies
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Potential
consolidation or solvency of our
competitors
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The
impact of pricing and production
decisions
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Competitive
technology positions
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Possible
disruption of our business or increases in the cost of doing business
resulting from terrorist activities or global
conflicts
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The
introduction of trade barriers
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Fluctuations
in currency exchange rates (such as changes in the exchange rate between
the U.S. dollar and each of the euro, the Norwegian krone and the Canadian
dollar)
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Operating
interruptions (including, but not limited to, labor disputes, leaks,
natural disasters, fires, explosions, unscheduled or unplanned downtime
and transportation interruptions)
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The
timing and amounts of insurance
recoveries
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Our
ability to renew or refinance credit
facilities
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Our
ability to maintain sufficient
liquidity
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The
ultimate outcome of income tax audits, tax settlement initiatives or other
tax matters
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Our
ability to utilize income tax attributes, the benefits of which have been
recognized under the more-likely-than-not recognition
criteria
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Environmental
matters (such as those requiring compliance with emission and discharge
standards for existing and new
facilities)
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Government
laws and regulations and possible changes
therein
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The
ultimate resolution of pending
litigation
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Possible
future litigation
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Should
one or more of these risks materialize (or the consequences of such a
development worsen), or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results could differ materially from those forecasted or
expected. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements whether as a result of changes in information,
future events or otherwise.
PART
I
ITEM
1. BUSINESS
General
Kronos
Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: KRO), a Delaware corporation, is a leading global
producer and marketer of value-added titanium dioxide pigments ("TiO2"). We,
along with our distributors and agents, sell and provide technical services for
our products to over 4,000 customers in approximately 100 countries with the
majority of sales in Europe and North America. We believe that we
have developed considerable expertise and efficiency in the manufacture, sale,
shipment and service of our products in domestic and international
markets.
TiO2 is an
inorganic pigment used to impart whiteness, brightness and opacity for products
such as coatings, plastics, paper, fibers, food, ceramics and
cosmetics. TiO2 is
considered a “quality-of-life” product with demand and growth affected by gross
domestic product and overall economic conditions in our markets in various parts
of the world. TiO2 derives
its value from its whitening properties and hiding power (opacity), which is the
ability to cover or mask other materials effectively and
efficiently. TiO2 is the
largest commercially used whitening pigment because it has a high refractive
rating giving it more hiding power than any other commercially produced white
pigment. In addition, TiO2 has
excellent resistance to interaction with other chemicals, good thermal stability
and resistance to ultraviolet degradation. We ship TiO2 to our
customers in either a powder or slurry form via rail, truck or ocean
carrier. We, including our predecessors, have produced and marketed
TiO2
in North America and Europe for over 80 years.
We
believe we are the second largest producer of TiO2 in Europe
with approximately one-half of our sales volumes attributable to markets in
Europe. The table below shows our market share for our significant markets,
Europe and North America, for the last three years.
2007
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2008
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2009
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Europe
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19%
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19%
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19%
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North
America
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15%
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16%
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16%
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Per
capita utilization of TiO2 in the
United States and Western Europe far exceeds that of other areas in the
world. We expect these markets to continue to be the largest
consumers of TiO2 for the
foreseeable future. It is probable that significant markets for
TiO2
could emerge in other areas of the world. China continues to develop
into a significant market and as its economy continues to mature it is probable
that quality-of-life products, including TiO2, will
experience greater demand in that country. In addition, growth in
recent years in Eastern Europe and the Far East has been significant as the
economies in these regions continue developing to the point that quality-of-life
products, including TiO2,
experience greater demand. Industry demand declined in Eastern Europe
significantly in 2009 due to the global economic crisis.
Sales of
TiO2
were about 90% of our net sales in 2009. The remaining 10% of net
sales is made up of other product lines that are complementary to TiO2. These
other products are described as follows:
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We
own and operate two ilmenite mines in Norway pursuant to a governmental
concession with an unlimited term. We commenced production from
our second mine in 2009. Ilmenite is a raw material used
directly as a feedstock by some sulfate-process TiO2
plants, including all of our European sulfate-process
plants. We also sell ilmenite ore to third-parties, some of
whom are our competitors. The mines have estimated aggregate
reserves which are expected to last for at least another 60
years.
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We
manufacture and sell iron-based chemicals, which are co-products and
processed co-products of sulfate and chloride process TiO2
pigment production. These co-product chemicals are marketed
through our Ecochem division and are primarily used as treatment and
conditioning agents for industrial effluents and municipal wastewater as
well as in the manufacture of iron pigments, cement and agricultural
products.
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We
manufacture and sell titanium oxychloride and titanyl sulfate, which are
side-stream specialty products from the production of TiO2. Titanium
oxychloride is used in specialty applications in the formulation of
pearlescent pigments, production of electroceramic capacitors for cell
phones and other electronic devices. Titanyl sulfate products
are used in pearlescent pigments, natural gas pipe and other specialty
applications.
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At
December 31, 2009, approximately 59% of our common stock was owned by Valhi,
Inc. (NYSE: VHI) and approximately 36% was owned by NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:
NL). Valhi also owns approximately 83% of NL Industries’ outstanding
common stock. Subsidiaries of Contran Corporation held approximately
93% of Valhi’s outstanding common stock. Substantially all of Contran
Corporation’s outstanding voting stock is held by trusts established for the
benefit of certain descendants of Harold C. Simmons (of which Mr. Simmons is
trustee), or is held by persons or other entities related to Mr.
Simmons. Consequently, Mr. Simmons may be deemed to control all of
these companies.
Manufacturing
and operation
We
currently produce over 40 different TiO2 grades
under the KronosTM
trademark which provide a variety of performance properties to meet customers’
specific requirements. Our major customers include domestic and
international paint, plastics and paper manufacturers.
Extenders,
such as kaolin clays, calcium carbonate and polymeric opacifiers, are used in a
number of the same end-use markets as white pigments. However, the opacity in
these products is not able to duplicate the performance characteristics of
TiO2,
therefore we believe these products are not effective substitutes for TiO2.
We
produce TiO2
in two crystalline forms: rutile and anatase. Rutile TiO2 is
manufactured using both a chloride production process and a sulfate production
process, whereas anatase TiO2 is only
produced using a sulfate production process. Chloride process rutile
is preferred for the majority of customer applications. From a
technical standpoint, chloride process rutile has a bluer undertone and higher
durability than sulfate process rutile. Although many end-use
applications can use either form, chloride process rutile is the preferred form
for use in coatings and plastics, the two largest end-use
markets. Sulfate process anatase represents a much smaller percentage
of annual global TiO2 production
and is preferred for use in selected paper products, ceramics, rubber tires,
man-made fibers, food and cosmetics.
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Chloride production
process. Approximately
three-fourths of our current production capacity is based on the chloride
process. The chloride process is a continuous process in which
chlorine is used to extract rutile TiO2. The
chloride process typically has lower manufacturing costs than the sulfate
process due to newer technology, higher yield, less waste, lower energy
requirements and lower labor costs. The chloride process
produces less waste than the sulfate process because much of the chlorine
is recycled and feedstock bearing a higher titanium content is
used.
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Sulfate production
process. The sulfate process is a batch chemical process
that uses sulfuric acid to extract both rutile and anatase TiO2. In
addition to the factors indicated above, the higher production costs
associated with the sulfate process result in part from the need to
process the spent sulfuric acid remaining at the end of the production
process.
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Once an
intermediate TiO2 pigment
has been produced by either the chloride or sulfate process, it is “finished”
into products with specific performance characteristics for particular end-use
applications through proprietary processes involving various chemical surface
treatments and intensive micronizing (milling). Due to environmental
factors and customer considerations, the proportion of TiO2 industry
sales represented by chloride process pigments has increased relative to sulfate
process pigments and, in 2009, chloride process production facilities
represented approximately 60% of industry capacity.
We
produced 402,000 metric tons of TiO2 in 2009,
down from the 514,000 metric tons we produced in 2008. Such
production amounts include our 50% interest in the TiO2
manufacturing joint-venture discussed below. Our average production
capacity utilization rates were near full capacity in 2007 and 2008 and
approximately 76% in 2009. In late 2008, and as a result of the sharp
decline in global demand, we experienced a build up in our inventory
levels. In order to decrease our inventory levels and improve our
liquidity, we implemented production curtailments during the first half of
2009. Consequently, our average production capacity utilization rates
were approximately 58% during the first half of 2009 as compared to 94% during
the second half of 2009.
Our
production capacity has increased by approximately 30% over the past ten years
due to debottlenecking programs, with only moderate capital
expenditures. We believe that our annual attainable production
capacity for 2010 is approximately 532,000 metric tons and we currently expect
we will operate at approximately 90% to 95% of our attainable capacity. See
Outlook in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Raw
Materials
The
primary raw materials used in chloride process TiO2 are
titanium-containing feedstock (natural rutile ore or purchased slag), chlorine
and coke. Chlorine and coke are available from a number of
suppliers. Titanium-containing feedstock suitable for use in the
chloride process is available from a limited but increasing number of suppliers
principally in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India and the United
States. We purchase chloride process grade slag from Rio Tinto Iron
and Titanium under a long-term supply contract that expires at the end of
2011. We purchase natural rutile ore primarily from Iluka Resources,
Limited under a long-term supply contract that expires at the end of
2014. We have in the past been, and expect in the future will
continue to be, successful in obtaining long-term extensions to these and other
existing supply contracts prior to their expiration. We expect the
raw materials purchased under these contracts to meet our chloride process
feedstock requirements over the next several years.
The
primary raw materials used in sulfate process TiO2 are
titanium-containing feedstock, primarily ilmenite or purchased sulfate grade
slag and sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is available from a number of
suppliers. Titanium-containing feedstock suitable for use in the
sulfate process is available from a limited number of suppliers principally in
Norway, Canada, Australia, India and South Africa. As one of the few
vertically- integrated producers of sulfate process TiO2 we own and
operate rock ilmenite mines in Norway, which provided all of the feedstock for
our European sulfate process TiO2 plants in
2009. We expect ilmenite production from our mines to meet our
European sulfate process feedstock requirements for the foreseeable
future. For our Canadian sulfate process plant, we also purchase
sulfate grade slag primarily from Q.I.T. Fer et Titane Inc. (a subsidiary of Rio
Tinto Iron and Titanium), under a long-term supply contract that expires at the
end of 2014 and Eramet Titanium & Iron ASA (formerly Tinfos Titan and Iron
KS) under a supply contract that expires in 2010. We expect the raw
materials purchased under these contracts to meet our sulfate process feedstock
requirements over the next few years.
Many of
our raw material contracts contain fixed quantities we are required to purchase,
although these contracts allow for an upward or downward adjustment in the
quantity purchased. The pricing under these agreements is generally
negotiated annually.
The
following table summarizes our raw materials purchased or mined in
2009.
Production Process/Raw
Material
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Raw
Materials Procured or Mined
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(In
thousands of metric tons)
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Chloride
process plants:
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Purchased
slag or natural rutile ore
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351
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Sulfate
process plants:
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Raw
ilmenite ore mined & used internally
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226
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Purchased
slag
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13
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TiO2
manufacturing joint venture
We hold a 50% interest in a
manufacturing joint venture with Huntsman Corporation (Huntsman). The
joint venture owns and operates a chloride process TiO2 facility
located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. We share production from the
plant equally with Huntsman pursuant to separate offtake
agreements.
A
supervisory committee directs the business and affairs of the joint venture,
including production and output decisions. This committee is composed
of four members, two of whom we appoint and two of whom Huntsman
appoints. Two general managers manage the operations of the joint
venture acting under the direction of the supervisory committee. We
appoint one general manager and Huntsman appoints the other.
We are
required to purchase one-half of the TiO2 produced
by the joint venture. The joint venture is not consolidated in our
financial statements, because we do not control it. We account for
our interest in the joint venture by the equity method. The joint
venture operates on a break-even basis and therefore we do not have any equity
in earnings of the joint venture. We share all costs and capital
expenditures of the joint venture equally with Huntsman with the exception of
raw material and packaging costs for the pigment grades produced. Our
share of the net costs is reported as cost of sales as the related TiO2 is
sold. See Notes 6 and 13 to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Competition
The
TiO2
industry is highly competitive. Our principal competitors are E.I. du
Pont de Nemours & Co.; Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Inc. (a subsidiary of
National Titanium Dioxide Company Ltd. (Cristal)); Huntsman; Tronox Incorporated
and Sachtleben Chemie. These competitors have estimated individual
shares of TiO2 production
capacity ranging from 4% (for Sachtleben) to 22% (for DuPont) and an estimated
aggregate share of worldwide TiO2 production
volume of approximately 60%. DuPont has over one-half of total North
American TiO2 production
capacity and is our principal North American competitor. Tronox filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2009, and has continued to
operate as a debtor-in-possession since that date. In December 2009,
Tronox announced its intention to restructure and emerge from Chapter
11. It remains unclear how and to what extent Tronox or a successor
will compete in the TiO2 industry
at the conclusion of Tronox’s bankruptcy proceedings.
We
compete primarily on the basis of price, product quality, technical service and
the availability of high-performance pigment grades. Although certain
TiO2
grades are considered specialty pigments, the majority of our grades and
substantially all of our production are considered commodity pigments with price
being one of the most significant competitive factors along with quality and
customer service. We believe we are the leading seller of TiO2 in several
countries, including Germany, with an estimated 13% share of worldwide TiO2 sales
volume in 2009. Overall, we are the world’s fourth-largest producer
of TiO2.
Over the
past ten years, we and our competitors have increased industry capacity through
debottlenecking projects. Although overall industry pigment demand is
expected to be higher in 2010 as compared to 2009 as a result of improving
worldwide economic conditions, we do not expect any significant efforts will be
undertaken by us or our competitors to further increase capacity through such
projects for the foreseeable future. If actual developments differ
from our expectations, ours and the TiO2 industry's
performance could be unfavorably affected.
Worldwide
capacity additions in the TiO2 market
resulting from construction of new plants require significant capital
expenditures and substantial lead time (typically three to five years in our
experience). We are not aware of any TiO2 plants
currently under construction and we believe it is not likely that any new plants
will be constructed in Europe or North America in the foreseeable
future.
Research
and development
Our
research and development activities are directed primarily at improving the
chloride and sulfate production processes, improving product quality and
strengthening our competitive position by developing new pigment
applications. Our research and development activities are conducted
at our Leverkusen, Germany facility. Our expenditures for research
and development and certain technical support programs were approximately $12
million in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009.
We
continually seek to improve the quality of our grades and have been successful
at developing new grades for existing and new applications to meet the needs of
customers and increase product life cycle. Since 2004, we have added
five new grades for plastics and coatings applications.
Patents
and trademarks
We
believe our patents held for products and production processes are important to
us and our continuing business activities. We seek patent protection
for our technical developments, principally in the United States, Canada and
Europe, and from time to time we enter into licensing arrangements with third
parties. Our existing patents generally have terms of 20 years from
the date of filing and have remaining terms ranging from less than 1 year to 19
years. We seek to protect our intellectual property rights, including
our patent rights, and from time to time are engaged in disputes relating to the
protection and use of intellectual property relating to our
products.
Our
trademarks, including Kronos, are protected by
registration in the United States and elsewhere with respect to those products
we manufacture and sell. We also rely on unpatented proprietary
knowledge and continuing technological innovation and other trade secrets to
develop and maintain our competitive position. Our proprietary
chloride production process is an important part of our technology and our
business could be harmed if we fail to maintain confidentiality of our trade
secrets used in this technology.
Major
customers
We sell
to a diverse customer base and no single customer made up more than 10% of our
sales for 2009. Our largest ten customers accounted for approximately
28% of sales in 2009.
Seasonality
Neither
our business as a whole nor that of any of our principal product groups is
seasonal to any significant extent. However, TiO2 sales are
generally higher in the second and third quarters of the year. This
is due in part to the increase in paint production in the spring to meet demand
during the spring and summer painting season.
Employees
As of
December 31, 2009, we employed the following number of people:
Europe
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2,000
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Canada
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400
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United
States(1)
|
40
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Total
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2,440
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(1)Excludes
employees of our Louisiana joint
venture.
|
Our
hourly employees in production facilities worldwide, including the TiO2 joint
venture, are represented by a variety of labor unions under labor agreements
with various expiration dates. Our European Union employees are
covered by master collective bargaining agreements in the chemicals industry
that are generally renewed annually. Our Canadian union employees are
covered by a collective bargaining agreement that expires in June
2010.
Regulatory
and environmental matters
Our
operations are governed by various environmental laws and
regulations. Certain of our operations are, or have been, engaged in
the handling, manufacture or use of substances or compounds that may be
considered toxic or hazardous within the meaning of applicable environmental
laws and regulations. As with other companies engaged in similar
businesses, certain of our past and current operations and products have the
potential to cause environmental or other damage. We have implemented
and continue to implement various policies and programs in an effort to minimize
these risks. Our policy is to maintain compliance with applicable
environmental laws and regulations at all of our facilities and to strive to
improve our environmental performance. It is possible that future
developments, such as stricter requirements in environmental laws and
enforcement policies, could adversely affect our production, handling, use,
storage, transportation, sale or disposal of such substances and could adversely
affect our consolidated financial position and results of operations or
liquidity.
Our U.S.
manufacturing operations are governed by federal environmental and worker health
and safety laws and regulations. These primarily consist of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Occupational Safety and
Health Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act,
the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (“CERCLA”), as well as the state counterparts of these
statutes. We believe the TiO2 plant
owned by the joint venture and a TiO2 slurry
facility owned by us in Lake Charles, Louisiana are in substantial compliance
with applicable requirements of these laws or compliance orders issued
thereunder. These are our only U.S. manufacturing
facilities.
While the
laws regulating operations of industrial facilities in Europe vary from country
to country, a common regulatory framework is provided by the European Union
(“EU”). Germany and Belgium are members of the EU and follow its
initiatives. Norway is not a member but generally patterns its
environmental regulatory actions after the EU. We believe we have
obtained all required permits and are in substantial compliance with applicable
environmental requirements for our European and Canadian
facilities.
At our
sulfate plant facilities in Germany, we recycle weak sulfuric acid either
through contracts with third parties or at our own facilities. In
addition, at our German locations we have a contract with a third-party to treat
certain sulfate-process effluents. At our Norwegian plant, we ship
spent acid to a third-party location where it is used as a neutralization
agent. These contracts may be terminated by either party after giving
three or four years advance notice, depending on the contract.
From time
to time, our facilities may be subject to environmental regulatory enforcement
under U.S. and non-U.S. statutes. Typically we establish compliance
programs to resolve these matters. Occasionally, we may pay
penalties. To date such penalties have not involved amounts having a
material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of
operations or liquidity. We believe that all of our facilities are in
substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws.
In
December 2006, the EU approved Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of
Chemicals (“REACH”), which took effect on June 1, 2007 and will be phased in
over 11 years. Under REACH, companies that manufacture or import more
than one ton of a chemical substance per year will be required to register such
chemical substances in a central data base. REACH affects our
European operations by imposing a testing, evaluation and registration program
for many of the chemicals we use or produce in Europe. We have
established a REACH team that is working to identify and list all substances
purchased, manufactured or imported by or for us in the EU. We spent
$.4 million in 2007, $.5 million in 2008 and $.7 million in 2009 on REACH
compliance and we do not anticipate that future compliance costs will be
material to us.
Capital
expenditures in 2009 related to ongoing environmental compliance, protection and
improvement programs were $3.1 million and are currently expected to be
approximately $12 million in 2010, including approximately $9.7 million for a
desulfurization unit at our Belgian facility.
Website
and other available information
Our
fiscal year ends December 31. Our annual reports on Form 10-K,
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments
to those reports are available on our website at www.kronosww.com. These
reports are available on the website, without charge, as soon as is reasonably
practicable after we file or furnish them electronically with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Additional information regarding us,
including our Audit Committee charter, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and
our Corporate Governance Guidelines, can also be found at this
website. Information contained on our website is not part of this
report. We will also provide free copies of such documents upon
written request. Such requests should be directed to the Corporate
Secretary at our address on the cover page of this Form 10-K.
The
public may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public
Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The
public may obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room
by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. We are an electronic filer and
the SEC maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy and
information statements and other information regarding issuers that file
electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Below are certain risk factors
associated with our business. In addition to the potential effect of
these risk factors discussed below, any risk factor which could result in
reduced earnings or operating losses, or reduced liquidity, could in turn
adversely affect our ability to service our liabilities or pay dividends on our
common stock or adversely affect the quoted market prices for our
securities.
Approximately
90% of our revenues are attributable to sales of TiO2. Pricing
within the global TiO2 industry
over the long term is cyclical and changes in economic conditions, especially in
Western industrialized nations, can significantly impact our earnings and
operating cash flows. The current world-wide economic downturn
depressed sales volumes in 2009, principally in the first half of the year, and
we are unable to predict with a high degree of certainty when demand will return
to the levels experienced prior to the commencement of the
downturn. This may result in reduced earnings or operating
losses.
Historically,
the markets for many of our products have experienced alternating periods of
increasing and decreasing demand. Relative changes in the selling
prices for our products are one of the main factors that affect the level of our
profitability. In periods of increasing demand, our selling prices
and profit margins generally will tend to increase, while in periods of
decreasing demand our selling prices and profit margins generally tend to
decrease. Huntsman closed one of its European facilities and Tronox
closed its Savannah, Georgia facility in 2009. We believe further
shutdowns or closures in the industry are possible. The closures may
not be sufficient to alleviate the current excess industry capacity and such
conditions may be further aggravated by anticipated or unanticipated capacity
additions or other events.
The
demand for TiO2 during a
given year is also subject to annual seasonal fluctuations. TiO2 sales are
generally higher in the second and third quarters of the year. This
is due in part to the increase in paint production in the spring to meet demand
during the spring and summer painting season. See Item 7.
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” for further discussion on production and price changes.
We sell several of our products in
mature and highly-competitive industries and face price pressures in the markets
in which we operate, which may result in reduced earnings or operating
losses.
The
global markets in which we operate our business are highly
competitive. Competition is based on a number of factors, such as
price, product quality and service. Some of our competitors may be
able to drive down prices for our products because their costs are lower than
our costs. In addition, some of our competitors' financial,
technological and other resources may be greater than our resources and such
competitors may be better able to withstand changes in market
conditions. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly than
we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer
requirements. Further, consolidation of our competitors or customers
may result in reduced demand for our products or make it more difficult for us
to compete with our competitors. New competitors could emerge by
modifying their existing production facilities so they could manufacture
products that compete with our products. The occurrence of any of
these events could result in reduced earnings or operating losses.
Higher
costs or limited availability of our raw materials may reduce our earnings and
decrease our liquidity.
The
number of sources for and availability of, certain raw materials is specific to
the particular geographical region in which a facility is
located. For example, titanium-containing feedstocks suitable for use
in our TiO2 facilities
are available from a limited number of suppliers around the
world. Political and economic instability in the countries from which
we purchase our raw material supplies could adversely affect their
availability. If our worldwide vendors were unable to meet their
contractual obligations and we were unable to obtain necessary raw materials, we
could incur higher costs for raw materials or may be required to reduce
production levels. We may not always be able to increase our selling
prices to offset the impact of any higher costs or reduced production levels,
which could reduce our earnings and decrease our liquidity.
Negative
global economic conditions increase the risk that we could suffer unrecoverable
losses on our customers’ accounts receivable which would adversely affect our
financial results.
We extend credit and payment terms to
our customers. Although we have an ongoing process of evaluating
customers’ financial condition, we could suffer significant losses if a customer
fails and/or is unable to pay. A significant loss of an accounts
receivable would have a negative impact on our results of operations, financial
condition and liquidity.
Our
leverage may impair our financial condition or limit our ability to operate our
businesses.
We
currently have a significant amount of debt. As of December 31, 2009,
our total consolidated debt was approximately $613.2 million, which relates to
Senior Secured Notes, a revolving credit facility of certain wholly-owned
subsidiaries of Kronos International, Inc. and a revolving credit facility of
our U.S. subsidiary. Our level of debt could have important
consequences to our stockholders and creditors, including:
·
|
making
it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our
liabilities;
|
·
|
increasing
our vulnerability to adverse general economic and industry
conditions;
|
·
|
requiring
that a portion of our cash flows from operations be used for the payment
of interest on our debt, which reduces our ability to use our cash flow to
fund working capital, capital expenditures, dividends on our common stock,
acquisitions or general corporate
requirements;
|
·
|
limiting
our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital,
capital expenditures, acquisitions or general corporate
requirements;
|
·
|
limiting
our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business
and the industry in which we operate;
and
|
·
|
placing
us at a competitive disadvantage relative to other less leveraged
competitors.
|
In addition to our indebtedness, we are
party to various lease and other agreements pursuant to which, along with our
indebtedness, we are committed to pay approximately $383.2 million in
2010. Our ability to make payments on and refinance our debt and to
fund planned capital expenditures, depends on our future ability to generate
cash flow. To some extent, this is subject to general economic,
financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are
beyond our control. In addition, our ability to borrow funds under
our subsidiaries’ credit facilities in the future will, in some instances,
depend in part on these subsidiaries’ ability to maintain specified financial
ratios and satisfy certain financial covenants contained in the applicable
credit agreement.
Our
business may not generate cash flows from operating activities sufficient to
enable us to pay our debts when they become due and to fund our other liquidity
needs. As a result, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our
debt before maturity. We may not be able to refinance any of our debt
in a timely manner on favorable terms, if at all, in the current credit
markets. Any inability to generate sufficient cash flows or to
refinance our debt on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on
our financial condition.
Global
climate change legislation could negatively impact our financial results or
limit our ability to operate our businesses.
We
operate production facilities in several countries. We believe all of
our worldwide production facilities are in substantial compliance with
applicable environmental laws. In many of the countries in which we
operate, legislation has been passed, or proposed legislation is being
considered, to limit greenhouse gases through various means, including emissions
permits and/or energy taxes. In several of our production facilities, we
consume large amounts of energy, including electricity and natural gas. To
date, the permit system in effect in the various countries in which we operate
has not had a material adverse effect on our financial results. However,
if greenhouse gas legislation were to be enacted in one or more countries, it
could negatively impact our future results from operations through increased
costs of production, particularly as it relates to our energy
requirements. If such increased costs of production were to
materialize, we may be unable to pass price increases onto our customers to
compensate for increased production costs, which may decrease our liquidity,
operating income and results of operations.
ITEM
1B.
|
UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS.
|
|
None.
|
ITEM
2.
|
PROPERTIES
|
|
We
currently operate six TiO2
facilities, two slurry facilities and two ilmenite mines at the following
locations. We own all such facilities, unless otherwise
indicated.
Location
|
Description
|
Leverkusen,
Germany (1)
|
TiO2
production, chloride and sulfate
process, co-products
|
Nordenham,
Germany
|
TiO2
production, sulfate process, co-products
|
Langerbrugge,
Belgium
|
TiO2
production, chloride process, co-products, titanium chemicals
products
|
Fredrikstad,
Norway (2)
|
TiO2
production, sulfate process, co-products
|
Varennes,
Quebec, Canada
|
TiO2
production, chloride and sulfate process, slurry facility, titanium
chemicals products
|
Lake
Charles, Louisiana (3)
|
TiO2
production, chloride process
|
Lake
Charles, Louisiana
|
Slurry
facility
|
Hauge
i Dalane, Norway
|
Ilmenite
mines
|
|
(1)
|
The
Leverkusen facility is located within an extensive manufacturing complex
owned by Bayer AG. We own the Leverkusen facility, which
represents about one-third of our current TiO2
production capacity, but we lease the land under the facility from Bayer
under a long term agreement which expires in 2050. Lease
payments are periodically negotiated with Bayer for periods of at least
two years at a time. Bayer provides some raw materials,
including chlorine, auxiliary and operating materials, utilities and
services necessary to operate the Leverkusen facility under separate
supplies and services agreements.
|
|
(2)
|
The
Fredrikstad plant is located on public land and is leased until 2013, with
an option to extend the lease for an additional 50
years.
|
|
(3)
|
We
operate this facility in a 50/50 joint venture with
Huntsman. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.
|
Our
corporate headquarters is located in Dallas, Texas. We have under
lease various corporate and administrative offices located in the U.S. and
various sales offices located in the U.S., France, the Netherlands and the
U.K. The roads leading to our facilities are generally maintained by
the applicable local government and are adequate for our purposes.
Information
on our properties is incorporated by reference to Item 1: Business,
Manufacturing and Operations above. See Note 14 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements for information on our leases.
ITEM 3. LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS
We are
involved in various environmental, contractual, intellectual property, product
liability and other claims and disputes incidental to our
business. Information called for by this Item is incorporated by
reference to Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
ITEM 4. RESERVED
PART
II
ITEM 5.
|
MARKET
FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
|
Our
common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:
KRO). As of February 26, 2010, there were approximately 3,100 holders
of record of common stock. The following table sets forth the high
and low closing per share sales price for common stock for the periods indicated
according to Bloomberg and dividends paid during such periods. On
February 26, 2010 the closing price of common stock was $15.74.
High
|
Low
|
Cash
dividends
paid
|
||||||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||
First
Quarter
|
$ | 24.57 | $ | 15.74 | $ | .25 | ||||||
Second
Quarter
|
31.42 | 15.39 | .25 | |||||||||
Third
Quarter
|
17.20 | 11.46 | .25 | |||||||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
14.08 | 8.05 | .25 | |||||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||
First
Quarter
|
$ | 17.00 | $ | 5.25 | $ | - | ||||||
Second
Quarter
|
8.90 | 6.50 | - | |||||||||
Third
Quarter
|
10.31 | 5.85 | - | |||||||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
17.34 | 9.59 | - | |||||||||
January
1, 2010 through February
26,
2010
|
17.20 | 14.57 | - |
We paid
four quarterly cash dividends of $.25 per share in 2007 and 2008. In
February 2009, our Board of Directors decided to suspend our quarterly dividend
after considering the challenges and opportunities that exist in the TiO2 pigment
industry. Due to the current economic and financial conditions, we
believe it is prudent to maintain our liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet
in order to take advantage of potential opportunities in the industry, including
possible acquisitions of TiO2 pigment
manufacturing facilities, if and when strategic opportunities
arise. The declaration and payment of future dividends will be
dependent upon the board's consideration of our results of operations, financial
condition, cash requirements, contractual requirements and restrictions,
strategic plans and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of
Directors.
Performance
graph
Set forth
below is a table and line graph comparing the yearly change in our cumulative
total stockholder return on our common stock against the cumulative total return
of the S&P Composite 500 Stock Index and the S&P 500 Diversified
Chemicals Index. The graph shows the value at December 31 of each
year, assuming an original investment of $100 at December 31, 2004 and
reinvestment of cash dividends and other distributions to
stockholders.
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Kronos
common stock
|
$100
|
$
74
|
$
86
|
$
48
|
$
34
|
$
48
|
S&P
500 Composite Stock Index
|
100
|
105
|
121
|
128
|
81
|
102
|
S&P
500 Diversified Chemicals Index
|
100
|
90
|
100
|
98
|
51
|
83
|
The
information contained in the performance graph shall not be deemed “soliciting
material” or “filed” with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18
of the Securities Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically request
that the material be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporate
this performance graph by reference into a document filed under the Securities
Act or the Securities Exchange Act.
Equity
compensation plan information
We have an equity compensation plan,
which was approved by our stockholders, which provides for the discretionary
grant to our employees and directors of, among other things, options to purchase
our common stock and stock awards. As of December 31, 2009, there
were no options outstanding to purchase shares of our common stock and
approximately 122,500 shares were available for future grant or
issuance. We do not have any equity compensation plans that were not
approved by our stockholders. See Note 12 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements.
ITEM
6.
|
SELECTED
FINANCIAL DATA
|
The
following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our
Consolidated Financial Statements and Item 7 - "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2005 | 2006 (2) | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
(In millions, except per share data and TiO2operating statistics) | ||||||||||||||||||||
STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS DATA:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 1,196.7 | $ | 1,279.4 | $ | 1,310.3 | $ | 1,316.9 | $ | 1,142.0 | ||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
327.5 | 310.5 | 251.4 | 220.6 | 130.3 | |||||||||||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
176.0 | 143.2 | 84.9 | 47.2 | (15.7 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
71.5 | 82.0 | (66.7 | ) | 9.0 | (34.7 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
1.46 | 1.67 | (1.36 | ) | .18 | (.71 | ) | |||||||||||||
Cash
dividends per share
|
1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | - | |||||||||||||||
BALANCE
SHEET DATA (at year end):
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 1,298.9 | $ | 1,421.5 | $ | 1,455.0 | $ | 1,358.7 | $ | 1,325.0 | ||||||||||
Notes
payable and long-term debt including current maturities
|
465.3 | 536.2 | 606.2 | 638.5 | 613.2 | |||||||||||||||
Common
stockholders’ equity
|
412.5 | 448.4 | 411.0 | 317.9 | 312.5 | |||||||||||||||
STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOW DATA:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in):
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Operating
activities
|
$ | 97.8 | $ | 71.9 | $ | 90.0 | $ | 2.7 | $ | 86.3 | ||||||||||
Investing
activities
|
(39.7 | ) | (50.9 | ) | (47.4 | ) | (68.1 | ) | (23.7 | ) | ||||||||||
Financing
activities
|
(44.8 | ) | (35.0 | ) | (39.8 | ) | 10.3 | (49.8 | ) | |||||||||||
TiO2 OPERATING
STATISTICS:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Sales
volume(1)
|
478 | 511 | 519 | 478 | 445 | |||||||||||||||
Production
volume(1)
|
492 | 516 | 512 | 514 | 402 | |||||||||||||||
Production
capacity at beginning of year(1)
|
495 | 516 | 525 | 532 | 532 | |||||||||||||||
Production
rate as a percentage of capacity
|
99 | % |
Full
|
98 | % | 97 | % | 76 | % | |||||||||||
(1)
|
Metric
tons in thousands
|
(2)
|
We adopted the asset and
liability recognition provisions of Accounting Standard Codification Topic
715, Compensation –
Retirement Benefits, effective December 31, 2006. See
Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial
Statements.
|
ITEM 7.
|
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
|
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Business
overview
We are a leading global producer and
marketer of value-added TiO2. TiO2 is used
for a variety of manufacturing applications, including plastics, paints, paper
and other industrial products. For 2009, approximately one-half of
our sales volumes were sold into European markets. We believe we are
the second largest producer of TiO2 in Europe
with an estimated 19% share of European TiO2 sales
volumes in 2009. In addition, we estimate that we have a 16% share of
North American TiO2 sales
volumes in 2009. Our production facilities are located throughout
Europe and North America.
We
consider TiO2 to be a
“quality of life” product, with demand affected by gross domestic product (or
“GDP”) and overall economic conditions in our markets located in various regions
of the world. Over the long-term, we expect that demand for TiO2 will grow
by 2% to 3% per year, consistent with our expectations for the long-term growth
in GDP. However, even if we and our competitors maintain consistent
shares of the worldwide market, demand for TiO2 in any
interim or annual period may not change in the same proportion as the change in
GDP, in part due to relative changes in the TiO2 inventory
levels of our customers. We believe our customers’ inventory levels
are partly influenced by their expectation for future changes in market TiO2 selling
prices. The majority of our TiO2 grades and
substantially all of our production are considered commodity pigment products;
we compete for sales primarily on the basis of price.
The
factors having the most impact on our reported operating results
are:
·
|
Our
TiO2
sales and production volumes,
|
·
|
TiO2
selling prices,
|
·
|
Currency
exchange rates (particularly the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar
relative to the euro, Norwegian krone and the Canadian dollar)
and
|
·
|
Manufacturing
costs, particularly raw materials, maintenance and energy-related
expenses.
|
Our key
performance indicators are our TiO2 average
selling prices and our level of TiO2 sales and
production volumes. TiO2 selling
prices generally follow industry trends and prices will increase or decrease
generally as a result of competitive market pressures.
In
addition, our effective income tax rate in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009 has been
impacted by certain favorable and unfavorable developments.
Executive
Summary
We reported a net loss of $34.7
million, or $.71 per diluted share for 2009, compared to net income of $9.0
million, or $.18 per diluted share for 2008. Our diluted earnings per
share decreased from 2008 to 2009 due primarily to the net effects of (i) lower
income (loss) from operations in 2009 resulting principally from lower sales and
production volumes and (ii) an income tax benefit we recognized in
2008. In late 2008, as a result of the sharp decline in global
demand, we experienced a build up in our inventory levels. In order
to decrease our inventory levels and improve our liquidity, we implemented
production curtailments during the first half of 2009. In addition,
throughout all of 2009 we implemented cost controls and reduced our capital
spending. Through these actions we successfully reduced our inventory
and increased our liquidity, although the resulting curtailments led to a net
loss in 2009 due to the large amount of unabsorbed fixed production costs we
charged to expense as incurred.
We reported net income of $9.0 million,
or $.18 per diluted share for 2008, compared to a net loss of $66.7 million, or
$1.36 per diluted share for 2007. Our diluted earnings per share
increased from 2007 to 2008 due primarily to the net effects of (i) an income
tax benefit we recognized in 2008, (ii) lower income from operations in 2008
resulting principally from lower sales volumes and higher raw material and
energy costs and (iii) the unfavorable effect of certain provisions for income
taxes recognized in 2007.
Net
income for 2009 includes a $4.7 million income tax benefit ($.10 per diluted
share) related to a net decrease in our reserve for uncertain tax
positions.
Net
income for 2008 includes a $7.2 million income tax benefit ($.15 per diluted
share) related to a European Court ruling that resulted in the favorable
resolution of certain income tax issues in Germany and an increase in the amount
of our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss
carryforwards.
Net
income for 2007 includes (i) a non-cash charge of $90.8 million ($1.85 per
diluted share) relating to a decrease in our net deferred income tax asset in
Germany resulting from the reduction of the German income tax rates, (ii) a
non-cash charge of $8.7 million ($.18 per diluted share) related to the
adjustment of certain German income tax attributes and (iii) a $2.0 million
income tax benefit ($.04 per diluted share) resulting from a net reduction in
our reserve for uncertain tax positions.
We
currently expect improved results from operations in 2010 compared to 2009
primarily as a result of higher sales volumes, higher average selling prices and
lower production costs as compared to 2009. We currently expect to
report net income in 2010 as compared to reporting a net loss in 2009 due to
higher expected income from operations in 2010. In addition, and as a
consequence of a European Court ruling that resulted in a favorable resolution
of certain income tax issues in Germany, during the first quarter of 2010 the
German tax authorities agreed to an increase in our German net operating loss
carryforwards. Accordingly, we expect to report a non-cash income tax
benefit of approximately $35.2 million ($.72 per diluted share) in the first
quarter of 2010.
Critical
accounting policies and estimates
The
accompanying "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations" is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements,
which we have prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The preparation of
these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reported
period. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including
those related to, the recoverability of long-lived assets, pension and other
postretirement benefit obligations and the underlying actuarial assumptions
related thereto, the realization of deferred income tax assets and accruals for
litigation, income tax and other contingencies. We base our estimates
on historical experience and on various other assumptions which we believe to be
reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for
making judgments about the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and
expenses. Actual results may differ significantly from
previously-estimated amounts under different assumptions or
conditions.
The
following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and
estimates used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial
Statements:
·
|
Long-lived
assets. We recognize an impairment charge associated
with our long-lived assets, including property and equipment, whenever we
determine that recovery of such long-lived asset is not
probable. Such determination is made in accordance with the
applicable GAAP requirements of Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”)
Topic 360-10-35 Property, Plant and
Equipment and is based upon, among other things, estimates of the
amount of future net cash flows to be generated by the long-lived asset
and estimates of the current fair value of the
asset. Significant judgment is required in estimating such cash
flows. Adverse changes in such estimates of future net cash
flows or estimates of fair value could result in an inability to recover
the carrying value of the long-lived asset, thereby possibly requiring an
impairment charge to be recognized in the future. We do not
assess our property and equipment for impairment unless certain impairment
indicators specified in ASC Topic 360-10-35 are present. We did
not evaluate any long-lived assets for impairment during 2009 because no
such impairment indicators were
present.
|
·
|
Benefit
Plans. We maintain various defined benefit pension plans
and postretirement benefits other than pensions (“OPEB”). The
amounts recognized as defined benefit pension and OPEB expenses and the
reported amounts of pension asset and accrued pension and OPEB costs are
actuarially determined based on several assumptions, including discount
rates, expected rates of returns on plan assets and expected health care
trend rates. Variances from these actuarially assumed rates
will result in increases or decreases, as applicable, in the recognized
pension and OPEB obligations, pension and OPEB expenses and funding
requirements. These assumptions are more fully described below
under “Defined Benefit Pension Plans” and “OPEB
Plans.”
|
·
|
Income
taxes. We recognize deferred taxes for future tax
effects of temporary differences between financial and income tax
reporting in accordance with the recognition criteria of ASC Topic 740
Income
Taxes. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our
deferred income tax assets to the amount that is believed to be realized
under the more-likely-than-not recognition criteria. While we
have considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax
planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance, it is
possible that in the future we may change our estimate of the amount of
the deferred income tax assets that would more-likely-than-not be realized
in the future, resulting in an adjustment to the deferred income tax asset
valuation allowance that would either increase or decrease, as applicable,
reported net income in the period such change in estimate was
made. For example, we have substantial net operating loss
carryforwards in Germany (the equivalent of $941 million for German
corporate purposes and $288 million for German trade tax purposes at
December 31, 2009). At December 31, 2009, we have concluded
that no deferred income tax asset valuation allowance is required to be
recognized with respect to such carryforwards, principally because (i)
such carryforwards have an indefinite carryforward period, (ii) we have
utilized a portion of such carryforwards during the most recent three-year
period and
(iii) we currently expect to utilize the remainder of such carryforwards
over the long term. However, prior to the complete utilization
of such carryforwards, particularly if the economic recovery were to be
short-lived or we were to generate losses in our German operations for an
extended period of time, it is possible that we might conclude the benefit
of such carryforwards would no longer meet the more-likely-than-not
recognition criteria, at which point we would be required to recognize a
valuation allowance against some or all of the then-remaining tax benefit
associated with the carryforwards.
|
We record
a reserve for uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, for tax
positions where we believe it is more-likely-than-not our position will not
prevail with the applicable tax authorities. It is possible that in
the future we may change our assessment regarding the probability that our tax
positions will prevail that would require an adjustment to the amount of our
reserve for uncertain tax positions that could either increase or decrease, as
applicable, reported net income in the period the change in assessment was
made.
In
addition, we evaluate at the end of each reporting period as to whether or not
some or all of the undistributed earnings of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are
permanently reinvested (as that term is defined in GAAP). While we
may have concluded in the past that some of such undistributed earnings are
permanently reinvested, facts and circumstances can change in the future and it
is possible that a change in facts and circumstances, such as a change in the
expectation regarding the capital needs of our non-U.S. subsidiaries, could
result in a conclusion that some or all of such undistributed earnings are no
longer permanently reinvested. In such an event, we would be required
to recognize a deferred income tax liability in an amount equal to the estimated
incremental U.S. income tax and withholding tax liability that would be
generated if all of such previously-considered permanently reinvested
undistributed earnings were distributed to the U.S.
·
|
Contingencies. We
record accruals for legal and other contingencies when estimated future
expenditures associated with such contingencies and commitments become
probable and the amounts can be reasonably estimated. However,
new information may become available or circumstances (such as applicable
laws and regulations) may change, thereby resulting in an increase or
decrease in the amount required to be accrued for such matters (and
therefore a decrease or increase in reported net income in the period of
such change).
|
Income
from operations is impacted by certain of these significant judgments and
estimates, such as allowance for doubtful accounts, reserves for obsolete or
unmarketable inventories, impairment of equity method investments and long-lived
assets, defined benefit pension plans and loss accruals. In addition,
net income (loss) is impacted by the significant judgments and estimates for
deferred income tax asset valuation allowances and loss
accruals.
Comparison
of 2009 to 2008 Results of Operations
Year
ended
December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 1,316.9 | 100 | % | $ | 1,142.0 | 100 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
1,096.3 | 83 | 1,011.7 | 89 | ||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
220.6 | 17 | 130.3 | 11 | ||||||||||||
Other
operating income and expenses, net
|
173.4 | 13 | 146.0 | 13 | ||||||||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
$ | 47.2 | 4 | % | $ | (15.7 | ) | (2 | )% | |||||||
%
|
||||||||||||||||
Change
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
operating statistics:
|
||||||||||||||||
Sales
volumes*
|
478 | 445 | (7 | )% | ||||||||||||
Production
volumes*
|
514 | 402 | (22 | )% | ||||||||||||
Percent
change in net sales:
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
product pricing
|
(1 | )% | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
sales volumes
|
(7 | ) | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
product mix
|
(2 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Changes
in currency exchange rates
|
(3 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Total
|
(13 | )% |
*
Thousands of metric tons
Net sales – Net sales
decreased 13% or $174.9 million for 2009 compared to 2008, primarily due to a 7%
decrease in sales volumes and a 1% decrease in average selling
prices. Variations in grades of products sold unfavorably impacted
net sales by 2%. In addition, we estimate the unfavorable effect of
changes in currency exchange rates decreased our net sales by approximately $35
million, or 3%, as compared to the same period in 2008. TiO2 selling
prices generally follow industry trends and prices will increase or decrease
generally as a result of competitive market pressures. As a result of
these market pressures our average TiO2 prices in
2009 were 1% lower than the prior year. During the first half of
2009, our average selling prices were generally declining, as we faced weak
demand and excessive inventory levels. Beginning in mid-2009, we and
our competitors announced various price increases. A portion of these
price increase announcements were implemented during the third and fourth
quarters of 2009, and as a result our average selling price at the end of the
second half of 2009 was 3% higher than at the end of the first half of
2009.
Our 7%
decrease in sales volumes in 2009 is primarily due to lower sales volumes in
Europe and North America as a result of a global weakening of demand due to poor
overall economic conditions, principally in the first half of 2009.
Cost of sales - Cost of sales
decreased 8% or $84.6 million for 2009, compared to 2008, primarily due to the
net impact of a 7% decrease in sales volumes, lower raw material costs of $11.6
million, a decrease in maintenance costs of $29.8 million as part of our efforts
to reduce operating costs where possible and currency fluctuations (primarily
the euro). The cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased
to 89% in the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to 83% in the same period of
2008 primarily due to the unfavorable effects of the significant amount of
unabsorbed fixed production costs resulting from reduced production volumes
during the first six months of 2009. TiO2 production
volumes decreased due to temporary plant curtailments during the first six
months of 2009 that resulted in approximately $80 million of unabsorbed fixed
production costs which were charged directly to cost of sales in the first six
months of 2009.
Income (loss) from operations –
Income (loss) from operations declined by $62.9 million from income from
operations of $47.2 million in 2008 to a loss from operations of $15.7 million
in 2009. Income (loss) from operations as a percentage of net sales
declined to (2%) in 2009 from 4% in 2008. This decrease is driven by
the decline in gross margin, which fell to 11% for 2009 compared to 17% for
2008. Our gross margin has decreased primarily because of the
significant amount of unabsorbed fixed production costs resulting from the
production curtailments we implemented during the first six months of 2009 as
well as the effect of lower sales volumes. However, changes in
currency rates have positively affected our gross margin and income (loss) from
operations. We estimate that changes in currency exchange rates
increased income (loss) from operations by approximately $40 million in 2009 as
compared to 2008.
As a
percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were
relatively consistent at approximately 13% for both 2008 and 2009.
Other non-operating income and
expense, net – Interest expense decreased $.8 million from $42.2 million
in 2008 to $41.4 million in 2009 due to changes in currency exchange rates which
offset the effect of increased average borrowings under our revolving credit
facilities and higher interest rates on our European credit
facility. The interest expense we recognize will vary with
fluctuations in the euro exchange rate.
Income tax benefit – Our income tax
benefit was $22.2 million in 2009 compared to $3.0 million in 2008.
See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a tabular reconciliation
of our statutory income tax benefit to our actual tax benefit. Some
of the more significant items impacting this reconciliation are summarized
below.
·
|
Our
income tax benefit for 2009 includes a non-cash benefit of $4.7 million
related to a net decrease in our reserve for uncertain tax positions,
primarily as a result of the resolution of tax audits in Belgium and
Germany in the third and fourth
quarters.
|
·
|
Our
income tax benefit for 2008 includes a non-cash benefit of $7.2 million
relating to a European Court ruling that resulted in the favorable
resolution of certain income tax issues in Germany and an increase in the
amount of our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss
carryforwards.
|
Comparison
of 2008 to 2007 Results of Operations
Year
ended
December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 1,310.3 | 100 | % | $ | 1,316.9 | 100 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
1,058.9 | 81 | 1,096.3 | 83 | ||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
251.4 | 19 | 220.6 | 17 | ||||||||||||
Other
operating income and expenses, net
|
166.5 | 13 | 173.4 | 13 | ||||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
$ | 84.9 | 6 | % | $ | 47.2 | 4 | % | ||||||||
Percent
|
||||||||||||||||
Change
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
operating statistics:
|
||||||||||||||||
Sales
volumes*
|
519 | 478 | (8 | )% | ||||||||||||
Production
volumes*
|
512 | 514 | - | |||||||||||||
Percent
change in net sales:
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
product pricing
|
2 | % | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
sales volumes
|
(8 | ) | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
product mix
|
2 | |||||||||||||||
Changes
in currency exchange rates
|
5 | |||||||||||||||
Total
|
1 | % |
*
Thousands of metric tons
Net sales – Net sales
increased 1% or $6.6 million for 2008 compared to 2007, primarily due to
favorable currency exchange rates, which we estimate increased our net sales for
2008 by approximately $61 million, or 5%, compared to the same period in
2007. Variations in grades of products sold favorably impacted net
sales by 2%, along with a 2% increase in average TiO2 selling
prices. TiO2 selling
prices generally follow industry trends and prices will increase or decrease
generally as a result of competitive market pressures. During the
early part of 2008, our average selling prices were generally
flat. During the second and third quarters of 2008, we and our
competitors announced various price increases and surcharges in response to
higher operating costs. A portion of these increase announcements
were implemented during the second, third and fourth quarters of 2008. The
positive impact of currency, product mix and pricing in 2008 were substantially
offset by an 8% decrease in sales volumes.
Our 8%
decrease in sales volumes in 2008 is primarily due to lower sales volumes in all
markets as a result of a global weakening of demand due to poor overall economic
conditions.
Cost of sales - Cost of sales
increased 4% or $37.4 million for 2008, compared to 2007, due to the impact of a
22% or approximately $27 million increase in utility costs (primarily energy
costs), a 10% or approximately $35 million increase in raw material costs and
currency fluctuations (primarily the euro). The cost of sales as a
percentage of net sales increased to 83% in the year ended December 31, 2008
compared to 81% in the same period of 2007 primarily due to the net effects of
higher operating costs and slightly higher average selling
prices.
Income from operations –
Income from operations in 2008 declined by 44% to $47.2 million compared
to 2007; income from operations as a percentage of net sales decreased to 4% in
2008 from 6% for 2007. The decline in income from operations is
driven by the decline in gross margin, which decreased to 17% in 2008 compared
to 19% in 2007. While our average TiO2 selling
prices were higher in 2008, our gross margin decreased primarily because of
lower sales volumes and higher manufacturing costs, which more than offset the
impact of higher sales prices. Changes in currency rates have also
negatively affected our gross margin. We estimate the negative effect
of changes in currency exchange rates decreased income from operations by
approximately $4 million when comparing 2008 to 2007.
As a
percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were
relatively consistent at approximately 12% for 2007 and approximately 13% for
2008.
Other non-operating income and
expense, net – Interest expense increased $2.8 million from $39.4 million
for 2007 to $42.2 million for 2008 due to unfavorable changes in currency
exchange rates in 2008 compared to 2007 and increased borrowings in 2008
(primarily under our European credit facility).
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
– Our benefit for income taxes was $3.0 million in 2008 compared to an
income tax provision of $114.7 million for 2007. See Note 9 to our
Consolidated Financial Statements for a tabular reconciliation of our statutory
income tax expense to our actual tax expense. Some of the more
significant items impacting this reconciliation are summarized
below.
·
|
Our
income tax benefit for 2008 includes a non-cash benefit of $7.2 million
relating to a European Court ruling that resulted in the favorable
resolution of certain income tax issues in Germany and an increase in the
amount of our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss
carryforwards.
|
·
|
Our
income tax expense in 2007 includes a non-cash charge of $90.8 million
relating to a decrease in our net deferred income tax asset in Germany
resulting from the reduction in its income tax
rates;
|
·
|
a
non-cash charge of $8.7 million relating to the adjustment of certain
German income tax attributes; and
|
·
|
a
non-cash income tax benefit of $2.0 million resulting from a net reduction
in our reserve for uncertain tax
positions.
|
Effects
of Currency Exchange Rates
We
have substantial
operations and assets located outside the United States (primarily in Germany,
Belgium, Norway and Canada). The majority of our sales from non-U.S.
operations are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, principally
the euro, other major European currencies and the Canadian dollar. A
portion of our sales generated from our non-U.S. operations is denominated in
the U.S. dollar. Certain raw materials used worldwide, primarily
titanium-containing feedstocks, are purchased in U.S. dollars, while labor and
other production costs are purchased primarily in local
currencies. Consequently, the translated U.S. dollar value of our
non-U.S. sales and operating results are subject to currency exchange rate
fluctuations which may favorably or unfavorably impact reported earnings and may
affect the comparability of period-to-period operating results. In
addition to the impact of the translation of sales and expenses over time, our
non-U.S. operations also generate currency transaction gains and losses which
primarily relate to the difference between the currency exchange rates in effect
when non-local currency sales or operating costs are initially accrued and when
such amounts are settled with the non-local currency.
Overall,
we estimate that fluctuations in currency exchange rates had the following
effects on our sales and income (loss) from operations for the periods
indicated.
Impact
of changes in foreign currency - 2008 vs 2009
|
|||||
Transaction
gains/(losses) recognized
|
Translation
gain/loss-
impact
of rate changes
|
Total
currency impact
2008 vs 2009
|
|||
2008
|
2009
|
Change
|
|||
(in
millions)
|
|||||
Impact
on:
|
|||||
Net
sales
|
$ -
|
$ -
|
$ -
|
$ (35)
|
$ (35)
|
Income
(loss)
from
operations
|
1
|
10
|
9
|
31
|
40
|
Impact
of Changes in foreign currency - 2007 vs 2008
|
|||||
Transaction
gains/(losses) recognized
|
Translation
gain/loss-
impact
of rate changes
|
Total
currency impact
2007 vs 2008
|
|||
2007
|
2008
|
Change
|
|||
(in
millions)
|
|||||
Impact
on:
|
|||||
Net
sales
|
$ -
|
$ -
|
$ -
|
$ 61
|
$ 61
|
Income
(loss) from operations
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
(5)
|
(4)
|
The
positive impact on income (loss) from operations for the 2008 versus 2009
comparison is due to increased currency transaction gains in 2009 as compared to
2008 which were a function of the timing of currency exchange rate changes and
the settlement of non-local currency receivables and payables. The
net impact on operations of changes in currency rates from 2007 to 2008 was not
significant.
Outlook
In
response to the worldwide economic slowdown and weak consumer confidence, we
reduced our production volumes during 2009 in order to reduce our finished goods
inventory, improve our liquidity and match production to market
demand. Overall industry pigment demand is expected to be higher in
2010 as compared to 2009 as a result of improving worldwide economic
conditions. During 2009, we and our competitors announced price
increases, a portion of which were implemented during the second half of 2009,
with portions of the remainder expected to be implemented in 2010. As
a result, the decline in our average selling prices we experienced during the
first half of 2009 ceased, and our average selling prices increased during the
second half of 2009. As a result of expected continued implementation
of these and possible future price increases, we anticipate our average selling
prices will continue to increase during 2010.
We
currently expect income from operations will be higher in 2010 as compared to
2009, due to the favorable effects of higher TiO2 sales
volumes, average selling prices and production volumes. Higher
production costs in 2009 resulted in part from the production curtailments we
implemented in the first half of the year and the resulting unabsorbed fixed
production costs. While we operated our facilities at approximately
58% of capacity during the first half of 2009, we increased our capacity
utilization to approximately 94% during the second half of 2009. We
believe our annual attainable production capacity for 2010 is approximately
532,000 metric tons, and we currently expect to operate our facilities at
approximately 90% to 95% of such capacity during 2010. Our expected
capacity utilization levels could be adjusted upwards or downwards to match
changes in demand for our product.
Overall,
we expect to report net income in 2010 as compared to reporting a net loss in
2009 due to higher expected income from operations in 2010 as well as the impact
of the $35.2 million non-cash income tax benefit we expect to recognize in the
first quarter of 2010, as discussed above.
Our
expectations as to the future of the TiO2 industry
are based upon a number of factors beyond our control, including worldwide
growth of gross domestic product, competition in the marketplace, solvency and
continued operation of competitors, unexpected or earlier than expected capacity
additions or reductions and technological advances. If actual
developments differ from our expectations, our results of operations could be
unfavorably affected.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Consolidated
cash flows
Operating
activities
Trends in
cash flows as a result of our operating activities (excluding the impact of
significant asset dispositions and relative changes in assets and liabilities)
are generally similar to trends in our earnings.
Cash flows from operating activities
provided $86.3 million in 2009 compared to $2.7 million in 2008. This
$83.6 million increase was primarily due to the net effects of the following
items:
·
|
lower
income (loss) from operations in 2009 of $62.9
million;
|
·
|
higher
net cash provided by relative changes in our inventories, receivables,
payables and accruals of $148.3 million in 2009 as compared to 2008,
primarily due to relative changes in our inventory levels, as discussed
below; and
|
·
|
lower
net distributions from our TiO2
joint venture in 2009 of $2.3 million due to related changes in their cash
requirements.
|
Cash flows from operating activities
decreased to $2.7 million in 2008 from $90.0 million in 2007. This
$87.3 million decrease was due primarily to the net effect of the following
items:
·
|
lower
income from operations in 2008 of $37.7
million;
|
·
|
higher
net cash used by relative changes in our inventories, receivables,
payables and accruals of $74.7 million in 2008 as compared to 2007, due
primarily to relative changes in our inventory levels, as discussed
below;
|
·
|
lower
cash paid for income taxes in 2008 of $19.7 million, in part due to lower
taxable income and the receipt of tax refunds at our European operating
units;
|
·
|
higher
net distributions from our TiO2
joint venture in 2008 of $14.9 million due to related changes in their
cash flow;
|
·
|
higher
cash paid for interest in 2008 of $3.2 million, as a result
of increased borrowing and the effects of currency exchange
rates on the semiannual interest payments on our 6.5% Senior Secured
Notes; and
|
·
|
higher
depreciation expense of $2.4 million in 2008, primarily as a result of the
effects of currency exchange rates.
|
Changes
in working capital are affected by accounts receivable and inventory
changes. As shown below:
·
|
Our
average days sales outstanding (“DSO”) decreased at December 31, 2009
compared to December 31, 2008 due to the timing of collections on
receivable balances; and
|
·
|
Our
average days sales in inventory (“DSI”) decreased at December 31, 2009
compared to December 31, 2008, as our TiO2
sales volumes in 2009 exceeded our production
volumes.
|
For
comparative purposes, we have provided prior year numbers below.
December
31,
|
December
31,
|
December
31,
|
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Days
sales outstanding
|
63
days
|
64
days
|
56
days
|
Days
sales in inventory
|
59
days
|
113
days
|
58
days
|
Investing
activities
Our
capital expenditures were $47.3 million in 2007, $68.1 million in 2008 and $23.7
million in 2009. Capital expenditures are primarily for maintenance
to existing facilities. Our capital expenditures during the past
three years include an aggregate of approximately $21 million ($3.1 million in
2009) for our ongoing environmental protection and compliance
programs. We significantly lowered our capital expenditures in 2009
in response to the economic conditions and as part of our efforts to improve our
liquidity.
Financing
activities
During
2009, we:
·
|
made
net borrowings of $3.0 million under our U.S. credit
facility;
|
·
|
borrowed
and repaid $31.5 million under our European credit facility;
and
|
·
|
made
net payments of $19.2 million on our credit facility with our affiliate
NL.
|
During
2008, we:
·
|
made
net payments of $1.7 million on our U.S. credit
facility;
|
·
|
made
net borrowings of $44.4 million on our European credit facility;
and
|
·
|
made
net borrowings of $19.2 million on our credit facility with our affiliate
NL.
|
During
2007, we made net borrowings of $9.0 million under our U.S. credit
facility.
During
each of 2007 and 2008, we paid a quarterly dividend to our stockholders of $.25
per share for an aggregate dividend $49.0 million in each year. In
February 2009, our Board of Directors suspended the quarterly dividend after
considering the challenges and opportunities that exist in the TiO2 pigment
industry. See Item 5. Market For Common Equity and Related
Stockholder Matters.
Outstanding
debt obligations and borrowing availability
At
December 31, 2009, our consolidated debt was comprised of:
·
|
euro
400 million principal amount of our 6.5% Senior Secured Notes ($574.6
million) due in 2013;
|
·
|
euro
9 million ($13.0 million) under our European revolving credit facility
which matures in May 2011;
|
·
|
$16.7
million under our U.S. revolving credit facility which matures in
September 2011; and
|
·
|
approximately
$8.9 million of other indebtedness.
|
Certain
of the revolving credit facilities described above require the respective
borrowers to maintain minimum levels of equity, require the maintenance of
certain financial ratios, limit dividends and additional indebtedness and
contain other provisions and restrictive covenants customary in lending
transactions of this type. In this regard, in the first half of 2009
we reduced our production levels in response to the current economic
environment, which favorably impacted our liquidity and cash flows by reducing
inventory levels. The reduced capacity utilization levels negatively
impacted our 2009 results of operations due to the resulting unabsorbed fixed
production costs that are charged to expense as
incurred. Furthermore, lower sales negatively impacted our results of
operations in the first half of 2009. As a result, we did not expect
to maintain compliance under our European revolving credit facility with the
required financial ratio of the borrowers’ net secured debt to earnings before
income taxes, interest and depreciation, as defined in the credit facility, for
the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009. Beginning on March 20,
2009, the lenders associated with our European revolving credit facility agreed
to a series of waivers for compliance with such required financial
ratio. On September 15, 2009 we and the lenders entered into the
Fourth Amendment to the credit facility. Among other things, the
Fourth Amendment added two additional financial covenants and increased the rate
on outstanding borrowings to LIBOR plus a margin ranging from 3% to 4% depending
on the amount of outstanding borrowings. Upon achieving a specified
financial covenant, these two additional financial covenants will no longer be
in effect, and the interest rate on outstanding borrowings would be reduced to
LIBOR plus 1.75%. Additionally the borrowing availability under the line
is limited to euro 51 million ($73.5 million at December 31, 2009) until we are
in compliance with certain specified financial covenants, and in any event no
earlier than March 31, 2010. We believe we will be able to comply
with the new financial covenants through the maturity of the facility; however
if future operating results differ materially from our expectations we may be
unable to maintain compliance. See Note 8 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements.
During
the fourth quarter of 2009, we amended the terms of our Canadian revolving
credit facility to reduce the size of the facility from Cdn. $30 million to Cdn.
$20 million and extend the maturity date to January 2012. See Note 8
to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
We are in
compliance with all of our debt covenants at December 31, 2009.
Our
assets consist primarily of investments in operating subsidiaries and our
ability to service parent level obligations, including the Senior Secured Notes,
depends in large part upon the distribution of earnings of our subsidiaries,
whether in the form of dividends, advances or payments on account of
intercompany obligations or otherwise. None of our subsidiaries have
guaranteed the Senior Secured Notes, although Kronos International, Inc. (“KII”)
has pledged 65% of the common stock or other ownership interests of certain of
KII’s first-tier operating subsidiaries as collateral for the Senior Secured
Notes. The terms of the indenture governing the Senior Secured Notes
limits KII’s ability to pay dividends and make other restricted
payments. At December 31, 2009, the maximum amount of dividends and
other restricted payments that KII could make (the “Restricted Payment Basket”)
was nil. The indenture currently prohibits KII from utilizing the
Restricted Payment Basket because we have not met a specified financial ratio
contained in this indenture; such prohibition will continue until such time as
we meet the specified financial ratio.
Liquidity
Our
primary source of liquidity on an ongoing basis is cash flows from operating
activities which is generally used to (i) fund working capital expenditures,
(ii) repay any short-term indebtedness incurred for working capital purposes and
(iii) provide for the payment of dividends. From time-to-time we will
incur indebtedness, generally to (i) fund short-term working capital needs, (ii)
refinance existing indebtedness or (iii) fund major capital expenditures or the
acquisition of other assets outside the ordinary course of
business. We will also from time-to-time sell assets outside the
ordinary course of business and use the proceeds to (i) repay existing
indebtedness, (ii) make investments in marketable and other securities, (iii)
fund major capital expenditures or the acquisition of other assets outside the
ordinary course of business or (iv) pay dividends.
Pricing
within the TiO2 industry
is cyclical and changes in industry economic conditions significantly impact
earnings and operating cash flows. Changes in TiO2 pricing,
production volumes and customer demand, among other things, could significantly
affect our liquidity.
We
routinely evaluate our liquidity requirements, alternative uses of capital,
capital needs and availability of resources in view of, among other things, our
dividend policy, our debt service and capital expenditure requirements and
estimated future operating cash flows. As a result of this process,
we have in the past and may in the future seek to reduce, refinance, repurchase
or restructure indebtedness, raise additional capital, repurchase shares of our
common stock, modify our dividend policy, restructure ownership interests, sell
interests in our subsidiaries or other assets, or take a combination of these
steps or other steps to manage our liquidity and capital
resources. Such activities have in the past and may in the future
involve related companies. In the normal course of our business, we
may investigate, evaluate, discuss and engage in acquisition, joint venture,
strategic relationship and other business combination opportunities in the
TiO2
industry. In the event of any future acquisition or joint
venture opportunity, we may consider using then-available liquidity, issuing our
equity securities or incurring additional indebtedness.
At
December 31, 2009, we had credit available under all of our existing credit
facilities of approximately $90.6 million, consisting principally of $60.5
million under our European credit facility, $8.1 million under our Canadian
credit facility and $22.0 million under our U.S. credit facility. At
December 31, 2009, we could borrow all such amounts without violating any
covenants in such facilities. Based upon our expectation for the
TiO2
industry and anticipated demands on cash resources, we expect to have
sufficient liquidity to meet our future obligations including operations,
capital expenditures and debt service for the next 12 months. In this
regard, see the discussion above in “Outstanding debt obligations and
borrowing availability.” The borrowing availability under our
European revolving credit facility is currently limited to euro 51 million
($73.5 million) until we are in compliance with certain specified financial
covenants, and in any event no earlier than March 31, 2010, and the $60.5
million amount of our unused borrowing availability at December 31, 2009 is
based on this euro 51 million maximum borrowing availability. If
actual developments differ from our expectations, our liquidity could be
adversely affected.
Capital
expenditures
We intend
to spend approximately $43 million to maintain and improve our existing
facilities during 2010, including approximately $12 million in the area of
environmental protection and compliance. The majority of our
expenditures in 2010 will be to maintain our facilities. Capital
spending for 2010 is expected to be funded through cash on hand or borrowing
under existing credit facilities.
Off-balance
sheet financing
Other
than operating lease commitments disclosed in Note 14 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements, we are not party to any material off-balance sheet
financing arrangements.
Cash,
cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted marketable debt securities
At
December 31, 2009, we had current cash and cash equivalents aggregating $31.1
million ($30.6 million held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries). At
December 31, 2009, our U.S. and non-U.S. subsidiaries had current restricted
cash equivalents of $1.7 million.
Related
party transactions
We are
party to certain transactions with related parties. See Note 13 to
our Consolidated Financial Statements. It is our policy to engage in
transactions with related parties on terms, in our opinion, no less favorable to
us than could be obtained from unrelated parties.
Commitments
and contingencies
See
Notes 9 and 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of
certain income tax examinations currently underway and certain legal
proceedings.
Recent
accounting pronouncements
See
Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Debt
and Other Contractual Commitments
As more
fully described in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, we are a
party to various debt, lease and other agreements which contractually and
unconditionally commit us to pay certain amounts in the future. See
Notes 8, 13, 14 and 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. The
timing and amount shown for our commitments in the table below are based upon
the contractual payment amount and the contractual payment date for such
commitments. The following table summarizes such contractual
commitments of ours and our consolidated subsidiaries as of December 31, 2009 by
the type and date of payment.
|
Payment due date
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Contractual commitment
|
2010
|
2011/2012 | 2013/2014 |
2015
and
after
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Indebtedness(1)
|
$ | 2.1 | $ | 34.1 | $ | 576.3 | $ | .7 | $ | 613.2 | ||||||||||
Interest
payments onindebtedness
(2)
|
38.7 | 75.8 | 12.6 | - | 127.1 | |||||||||||||||
Operating
leases
|
5.4 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 20.0 | 34.9 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term
supply contracts for the purchase of TiO2 feedstock
(3)
|
227.0 | 208.0 | 114.0 | - | 549.0 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term
service andother supply
contracts (4)
|
87.7 | 51.4 | 30.1 | 7.2 | 176.4 | |||||||||||||||
Fixed
asset acquisitions
|
18.7 | - | - | - | 18.7 | |||||||||||||||
Estimated
tax obligations (5)
|
3.6 | - | - | - | 3.6 | |||||||||||||||
$ | 383.2 | $ | 375.7 | $ | 736.1 | $ | 27.9 | $ | 1,522.9 | |||||||||||
(1)
|
A
significant portion of the amount shown for indebtedness relates to our
6.5% Senior Secured Notes ($574.6 million at December 31,
2009). Such indebtedness is denominated in euro. See
Item 7A – “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” and
Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. With respect
to the revolving credit facilities the amounts shown for indebtedness are
based upon the actual amounts outstanding at December 31,
2009.
|
(2)
|
The
amounts shown for interest for any outstanding variable-rate indebtedness
is based upon the December 31, 2009 interest rates and assumes that such
variable-rate indebtedness remains outstanding until
maturity.
|
(3)
|
Our
contracts for the purchase of TiO2
feedstock contain fixed quantities that we are required to purchase,
although certain of these contracts allow for an upward or downward
adjustment in the quantity purchased, generally no more than 10%, based on
our feedstock requirements. The pricing under these agreements
is generally based on a fixed price with price escalation clauses
primarily based on consumer price indices, as defined in the respective
contracts. The timing and amount shown for our commitments
related to the long-term supply contracts for TiO2
feedstock are based upon our current estimate of the quantity of material
that will be purchased in each time period shown, the payment that would
be due based upon such estimated purchased quantity and an estimate of the
effect of the price escalation clause. The actual amount of
material purchased and the actual amount that would be payable by us, may
vary from such estimated amounts. Our obligation for the
purchase of TiO2
feedstock is more fully described in Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial
Statements and above in “Business – raw
materials.”
|
(4)
|
The
amounts shown for the long-term service and other supply contracts
primarily pertain to agreements we have entered into with various
providers of products or services which help to run our plant facilities
(electricity, natural gas, etc.), utilizing December 31, 2009 exchange
rates.
|
(5)
|
The
amount shown for estimated tax obligations is the consolidated amount of
income taxes payable at December 31, 2009, which is assumed to be paid
during 2010.
|
The above
table does not reflect:
·
|
Any
amounts we might pay to fund our defined benefit pension plans and OPEB
plans, as the timing and amount of any such future fundings are unknown
and dependent on, among other things, the future performance of defined
benefit pension plan assets, interest rate assumptions and actual future
retiree medical costs. We expect to be required to contribute
approximately $24.7 million to our defined benefit pension plans and OPEB
plans during 2010. Such defined benefit pension plans and OPEB
plans are discussed below in greater detail. See Note 10 to our
Consolidated Financial Statements.
|
·
|
Any
amounts we might pay related to our asset retirement obligations as the
terms and amounts of such future fundings are
unknown;
|
·
|
Any
amounts we might pay to settle any of our uncertain tax positions, as the
timing and amount of any such future settlements are unknown and dependent
on, among other things, the timing of tax audits. See Notes 9
and 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements;
and
|
·
|
Any
amounts we might pay to acquire TiO2 from
our TiO2
manufacturing joint venture, as the timing and amount of such purchases
are unknown and dependent on, among other things, the amount of TiO2
produced by the joint venture in the future and the joint venture’s future
cost of producing such TiO2. However,
the table does include amounts related to our share of the joint venture’s
ore requirements necessary to produce TiO2 for
us. See Item 1, “Business” and Note 6 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements.
|
We
occasionally enter into raw material supply arrangements to mitigate the
short-term impact of future increases in raw material costs. While
these arrangements do not necessarily commit us to a minimum volume of purchase,
they generally provide for stated unit prices based upon achievement of
specified volume purchase levels. This allows us to stabilize raw
material purchase prices to a certain extent, provided the specified minimum
monthly purchase quantities are met.
Defined
benefit pension plans
We
maintain various defined benefit pension plans in the U.S., Europe and
Canada. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Under
defined benefit pension plan accounting, defined benefit pension plan expense
and prepaid and accrued pension costs are each recognized based on certain
actuarial assumptions, principally the assumed discount rate, the assumed
long-term rate of return on plan assets and the assumed increase in future
compensation levels. We recognize the full funded status of our
defined benefit pension plans as either an asset (for overfunded plans) or a
liability (for underfunded plans) in our Consolidated Balance
Sheet.
We
recognized consolidated defined benefit pension plan expense of $22.4 million in
2007, $8.8 million in 2008 and $22.3 million in 2009. In the
fourth quarter of 2008 we recognized a $6.9 million pension adjustment in
connection with the correction of our pension expense previously recognized for
2006 and 2007. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial
Statements. The amount of funding requirements for these defined
benefit pension plans is generally based upon applicable regulations (such as
ERISA in the U.S.) and will generally differ from pension expense for financial
reporting purposes. We made contributions to all of our plans which
aggregated $27.1 million in 2007, $20.8 million in 2008 and $23.1 million in
2009.
The
discount rates we use for determining defined benefit pension expense and the
related pension obligations are based on current interest rates earned on
long-term bonds that receive one of the two highest ratings given by recognized
rating agencies in the applicable country where the defined benefit pension
benefits are being paid. In addition, we receive third-party advice
about appropriate discount rates, and these advisors may in some cases use their
own market indices. We adjust these discount rates as of each
December 31 valuation date to reflect then-current interest rates on such
long-term bonds. We use these discount rates to determine the
actuarial present value of the pension obligations as of December 31 of that
year. We also use these discount rates to determine the interest
component of defined benefit pension expense for the following
year.
At
December 31, 2009, approximately 63%, 17%, 13% and 3% of the projected benefit
obligations related to our plans in Germany, Canada, Norway and the U.S.,
respectively. We use several different discount rate assumptions in
determining our consolidated defined benefit pension plan obligation and
expense. This is because we maintain defined benefit pension plans in
several different countries in Europe and North America and the interest rate
environment differs from country to country.
We used
the following discount rates for our defined benefit pension plans:
Discount
rates used for:
|
|||||
Obligations
at
December
31, 2007 and expense in 2008
|
Obligations
at
December
31, 2008 and expense in 2009
|
Obligations
at December 31, 2009 and expense in 2010
|
|||
Germany
|
5.5%
|
5.8%
|
5.5%
|
||
Canada
|
5.3%
|
6.5%
|
6.0%
|
||
Norway
|
5.5%
|
5.8%
|
5.3%
|
||
U.S.
|
6.1%
|
6.1%
|
5.7%
|
The
assumed long-term rate of return on plan assets represents the estimated average
rate of earnings expected to be earned on the funds invested or to be invested
in the plans’ assets provided to fund the benefit payments inherent in the
projected benefit obligations. Unlike the discount rate, which is
adjusted each year based on changes in current long-term interest rates, the
assumed long-term rate of return on plan assets will not necessarily change
based upon the actual short-term performance of the plan assets in any given
year. Defined benefit pension expense each year is based upon the
assumed long-term rate of return on plan assets for each plan, the actual fair
value of the plan assets as of the beginning of the year and an estimate of the
amount of contributions to and distributions from the plan during the
year. Differences between the expected return on plan assets for a
given year and the actual return are deferred and amortized over future periods
based either upon the expected average remaining service life of the active plan
participants (for plans for which benefits are still being earned by active
employees) or the average remaining life expectancy of the inactive participants
(for plans for which benefits are not still being earned by active
employees).
At
December 31, 2009, approximately 54%, 22%, 18% and 4% of the plan assets related
to our plans in the Germany, Canada, Norway and the U.S.,
respectively. We use several different long-term rates of return on
plan asset assumptions in determining our consolidated defined benefit pension
plan expense. This is because the plan assets in different countries
are invested in a different mix of investments and the long-term rates of return
for different investments differ from country to country.
In
determining the expected long-term rate of return on plan asset assumptions, we
consider the long-term asset mix (e.g. equity vs. fixed income) for the assets
for each of our plans and the expected long-term rates of return for such asset
components. In addition, we receive advice about appropriate
long-term rates of return from our third-party actuaries. Such
assumed asset mixes are summarized below:
·
|
In
Germany, the composition of our plan assets is established to satisfy the
requirements of the German insurance
commissioner.
|
·
|
In
Canada, we currently have a plan asset target allocation of 55% to equity
securities, 45% to fixed income securities and the remainder primarily to
cash and liquid investments. We expect the long-term rate of
return for such investments to average approximately 125 basis points
above the applicable equity or fixed income
index.
|
·
|
In
Norway, we currently have a plan asset target allocation of 14% to equity
securities, 72% to fixed income securities, and the remainder primarily to
cash and liquid investments. The expected long-term rate of
return for such investments is approximately 9.0%, 5.0%, and 4.0%,
respectively.
|
·
|
In
the U.S. substantially all of the assets were invested in The Combined
Master Retirement Trust (“CMRT”), a collective investment trust sponsored
by Contran to permit the collective investment by certain master trusts
which fund certain employee benefits plans sponsored by Contran and
certain of its affiliates. Harold C. Simmons is the sole
trustee of the CMRT and is a member of the CMRT investment
committee. The CMRT’s long-term investment objective is to
provide a rate of return exceeding a composite of broad market equity and
fixed income indices (including the S&P 500 and certain Russell
indices), while utilizing both third-party investment managers as well as
investments directed by Mr. Simmons. During the history of the
CMRT from its inception in 1988 through December 31, 2009, the average
annual rate of return has been 11%.
|
Our
pension plan weighted average asset allocations by asset category were as
follows:
December 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||
Germany
|
Canada
|
Norway
|
CMRT
|
|||||||||||||
Equity
securities and limited
partnerships
|
18 | % | 58 | % | 18 | % | 68 | % | ||||||||
Fixed
income securities
|
61 | 40 | 80 | 31 | ||||||||||||
Real
estate
|
12 | - | - | 1 | ||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents and other
|
9 | 2 | 2 | - | ||||||||||||
Total
|
100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
Germany
|
Canada
|
Norway
|
CMRT
|
|||||||||||||
Equity
securities and limited
partnerships
|
24 | % | 53 | % | 14 | % | 53 | % | ||||||||
Fixed
income securities
|
52 | 39 | 83 | 43 | ||||||||||||
Real
estate
|
12 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents and other
|
12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
We
regularly review our actual asset allocation for each plan and will periodically
rebalance the investments in each plan to more accurately reflect the targeted
allocation when considered appropriate.
Our assumed long-term rates of return
on plan assets for 2007, 2008 and 2009 were as follows:
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||
Germany
|
5.8%
|
5.3%
|
5.3%
|
|||
Canada
|
6.8%
|
6.3%
|
6.0%
|
|||
Norway
|
5.5%
|
6.1%
|
5.8%
|
|||
U.S.
|
10.0%
|
10.0%
|
10.0%
|
We
currently expect to use the same long-term rate of return on plan asset
assumptions in 2010 as we used in 2009 for purposes of determining the 2010
defined benefit pension plan expense.
To the
extent that a plan’s particular pension benefit formula calculates the pension
benefit in whole or in part based upon future compensation levels, the projected
benefit obligations and the pension expense will be based in part upon expected
increases in future compensation levels. For all of our plans for
which the benefit formula is so calculated, we generally base the assumed
expected increase in future compensation levels upon average long-term inflation
rates for the applicable country.
In
addition to the actuarial assumptions discussed above, the amount of recognized
defined benefit pension expense and the amount of net pension asset and net
pension liability will vary based upon relative changes in currency exchange
rates.
A
reduction in the assumed discount rate generally results in an actuarial loss,
as the actuarially-determined present value of estimated future benefit payments
will increase. Conversely, an increase in the assumed discount rate
generally results in an actuarial gain. In addition, an actual return
on plan assets for a given year that is greater than the assumed return on plan
assets results in an actuarial gain, while an actual return on plan assets that
is less than the assumed return results in an actuarial loss. Other actual
outcomes that differ from previous assumptions, such as individuals living
longer or shorter than assumed in mortality tables, which are also
used to determine the actuarially-determined present value of estimated future
benefit payments, changes in such mortality table themselves or plan amendments,
will also result in actuarial losses or gains. These amounts are
recognized in other comprehensive income. In addition, any actuarial
gains generated in future periods would reduce the negative amortization effect
of any cumulative unrecognized actuarial losses, while any actuarial losses
generated in future periods would reduce the favorable amortization effect of
any cumulative unrecognized actuarial gains.
During
2009, all of our defined benefit pension plans generated a combined net
actuarial gain of approximately $2.8 million. This actuarial gain
resulted primarily from the net effects of (i) the overall return on plan assets
being in excess of the assumed return and (ii) the general reduction in discount
rates from December 31, 2008 to December 31, 2009.
Based on
the actuarial assumptions described above and our current expectation for what
actual average currency exchange rates will be during 2010, we expect our
defined benefit pension expense will approximate $24.3 million in
2010. In comparison, we expect to be required to contribute
approximately $23.9 million to such plans during 2010.
As noted
above, defined benefit pension expense and the amounts recognized as accrued
pension costs are based upon the actuarial assumptions discussed
above. We believe all of the actuarial assumptions used are
reasonable and appropriate. However, if we had lowered the assumed
discount rate by 25 basis points for all plans as of December 31, 2009, our
aggregate projected benefit obligations would have increased by approximately
$14 million at that date and our defined benefit pension expense would be
expected to increase by approximately $1 million during
2009. Similarly, if we lowered the assumed long-term rate of return
on plan assets by 25 basis points for all of our plans, our defined benefit
pension expense would be expected to increase by approximately $.8 million
during 2009.
OPEB
plans
Certain
subsidiaries of ours in the U.S. and Canada currently provide certain health
care and life insurance benefits for eligible retired employees. See
Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Under accounting
for other postretirement employee benefits, OPEB expense and accrued OPEB costs
are based on certain actuarial assumptions, principally the assumed discount
rate and the assumed rate of increases in future health care
costs. We recognize the full unfunded status of our OPEB plans as a
liability.
We recognized consolidated OPEB cost of approximately $.9 million
in each of 2007 and 2008 and $.6 million in 2009. Similar to defined
benefit pension benefits, the amount of funding will differ from the expense
recognized for financial reporting purposes and contributions to the plans to
cover benefit payments aggregated $.4 million in each of 2007, 2008 and
2009. Substantially all of our accrued OPEB cost relates to benefits
being paid to current retirees and their dependents and no material amount of
OPEB benefits are being earned by current employees. Due to continued
increases in healthcare costs, it is expected that our OPEB expense for
financial reporting purposes will be consistent with the past two
years. Our expected OPEB benefit payments for 2010 are expected to be
similar amounts.
The
discount rates we use for determining OPEB expense and the related OPEB
obligations are based on current interest rates earned on high-quality bond
yields in the applicable country where the benefits are being
paid. In addition, we receive third-party advice about appropriate
discount rates, and these advisors may in some cases use their own market
indices. We adjust these discount rates as of each valuation date to
reflect then-current interest rates on such bonds. We use these
discount rates to determine the actuarial present value of the OPEB obligations
as of December 31 of that year. We also use these discount rates to
determine the interest component of OPEB expense for the following
year.
In
estimating the health care cost trend rate, we consider our actual health care
cost experience, future benefit structures, industry trends and advice from our
third-party actuaries. During each of the past three years, we have
assumed that the relative increase in health care costs will generally trend
downward over the next several years, reflecting, among other things, assumed
increases in efficiency in the health care system and industry-wide cost
containment initiatives. For example, at December 31, 2009, the
expected rate of increase in future health care costs ranges from 8.0% in 2010,
declining to 5.0% in 2015 and thereafter.
Based on
the actuarial assumptions described above and our current expectation for what
actual average currency exchange rates will be during 2010, we expect our
consolidated OPEB expense will approximate $1.3 million in 2010. In
comparison, we expect to be required to make approximately $.8 million of
contributions to such plans during 2010.
We
believe that all of the actuarial assumptions used are reasonable and
appropriate. However, a 25 basis point change in assumed discount
rates would have the following effects:
25
basis
point increase
|
25
basis
point decrease
|
|
(In
millions)
|
||
Effect
on net OPEB cost during 2009
|
$ (.1)
|
$ .1
|
Effect
at December 31, 2009 on
postretirement
obligation
|
(.6)
|
.6
|
Assumed
health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts we report
for health care plans. A one percent change in assumed health care
trend rates would have the following effects:
1% Increase
|
1% Decrease
|
|
(In
millions)
|
||
Effect
on net OPEB cost during 2009
|
$ (
.2)
|
$ .2
|
Effect
at December 31, 2009 on
postretirement
obligation
|
(2.7)
|
2.2
|
Operations
outside the United States
As
discussed above, we have substantial operations located outside the United
States for which the functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. As a
result, the reported amount of our assets and liabilities related to our
non-U.S. operations, and therefore our consolidated net assets, will fluctuate
based upon changes in currency exchange rates. At December 31, 2009,
we had substantial net assets denominated in the euro, Canadian dollar,
Norwegian krone and United Kingdom pound sterling.
ITEM
7A. QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
General
We are exposed to market risk from
changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates and raw materials
prices.
Interest
rates
We are
exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates, primarily related to
indebtedness. At December 31, 2008 and 2009, the majority of our
aggregate indebtedness was comprised of fixed-rate instruments. The
large percentage of fixed-rate debt instruments minimizes earnings volatility
that would result from changes in interest rates. The following table
presents principal amounts and weighted average interest rates for our aggregate
outstanding indebtedness at December 31, 2009. Information shown
below for such non-U.S. dollar denominated indebtedness is presented in its U.S.
dollar equivalent at December 31, 2009 using an exchange rate of 1.4412 U.S.
dollars per euro. Certain Norwegian krone denominated capital leases
totaling $8.9 million in 2009 have been excluded from the table
below. See Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Amount
|
||||||||||||||||
Indebtedness
|
Carrying
value
|
Fair
value
|
Interest
rate
|
Maturity
date
|
||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Fixed-rate
indebtedness - euro-denominated:
|
||||||||||||||||
Senior
Secured Notes
|
$ | 574.6 | $ | 466.2 | 6.5 | % | 2013 | |||||||||
Variable
rate indebtedness:
|
||||||||||||||||
U.S.
credit facility – dollar denominated
|
$ | 16.7 | $ | 16.7 | 3.3 | % | 2011 | |||||||||
Europe
credit facility – euro denominated
|
13.0 | 13.0 | 3.5 | % | 2011 | |||||||||||
$ | 29.7 | $ | 29.7 |
At
December 31, 2008, our euro-denominated fixed-rate indebtedness consisted solely
of the 6.5% Senior Secured Notes, which aggregated $560.0 million (fair value –
$129.4 million) with a weighted-average interest rate of 6.5%. At
such date, our variable rate, euro-denominated indebtedness consisted of our
Europe credit facility ($42.2 million with a weighted-average interest rate of
4.5%), and our variable rate, U.S. dollar denominated indebtedness consisted of
our U.S. revolving credit facility ($13.7 million with a weighted-average
interest rate of 3.3%) and our revolving note with NL ($19.2 million with a
weighted-average interest rate of 1.8%).
Currency
exchange rates
We are
exposed to market risk arising from changes in currency exchange rates as a
result of manufacturing and selling our products worldwide. Earnings
are primarily affected by fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar relative
to the euro, the Canadian dollar, the Norwegian krone and the United Kingdom
pound sterling.
As described above, at December 31,
2009, we had the equivalent of $587.6 million of outstanding euro-denominated
indebtedness (at December 31, 2008 – the equivalent of $602.2 million of
euro-denominated indebtedness). The potential increase in the U.S.
dollar equivalent of the principal amount outstanding resulting from a
hypothetical 10% adverse change in exchange rates at such date would be
approximately $60.5 million and $58.9 million at December 31, 2008 and 2009,
respectively.
Certain
of our sales generated by our non-U.S. operations are denominated in U.S.
dollars. We periodically use currency forward contracts to manage a very
nominal portion of currency exchange rate risk associated with trade receivables
denominated in a currency other than the holder's functional currency or similar
exchange rate risk associated with future sales. We have not entered into
these contracts for trading or speculative purposes in the past, nor do we
currently anticipate entering into such contracts for trading or speculative
purposes in the future. At December 31, 2009, we had currency forward
contracts to exchange an aggregate euro 21.4 million for an equivalent value of
Norwegian kroner at exchange rates ranging from kroner 8.47 to kroner 9.21 per
euro. These contracts with DnB Nor Bank ASA mature from January 2010
through December 2010 and are subject to early redemption provisions at our
option. At December 31, 2009, the actual exchange rate was kroner 8.3
per euro.
The
estimated fair value of such currency forward contracts at December 31, 2009 was
a $1.6 million net asset, which amount is recognized as part of Prepaid Expenses
in our Consolidated Balance Sheet and a corresponding $1.6 million currency
transaction gain in our Consolidated Statement of Operations. To the
extent we held such contracts during 2007, 2008 and 2009, we did not use hedge
accounting for any of our contracts.
In the first quarter of 2010, we
entered into a series of currency forward contracts to exchange:
·
|
an
aggregate of $48.0 million for an equivalent value of Canadian dollars at
an exchange rate of Cdn. $1.04 per U.S. dollar. These contracts
with Wachovia Bank, National Association mature from January 2010 through
December 2010 and are subject to early redemption provisions at our
option; and
|
·
|
an
aggregate of $64 million for an equivalent value of Norwegian kroner at
exchange rates ranging from kroner 5.83 to kroner 6.06 per U.S.
dollar. These contracts with DnB Nor Bank ASA mature from
February 2010 through January 2011 and are subject to early redemption
provisions at our option.
|
See Note
15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Raw
materials
We are
exposed to market risk from changes in commodity prices relating to our raw
materials. As discussed in Item 1 we generally enter into long-term
supply agreements for certain of our raw material requirements including
ore. Many of our raw material contracts contain fixed quantities we
are required to purchase, although these contracts allow for an upward or
downward adjustment in the quantity purchased. Raw material pricing
under these agreements is generally negotiated annually. For certain
raw material requirements we do not have long-term supply agreements either
because we have assessed the risk of the unavailability of those raw materials
and/or the risk of a significant change in the cost of those raw materials to be
low, or because long-term supply agreements for those raw materials are
generally not available.
Other
We
believe there may be a certain amount of incompleteness in the sensitivity
analyses presented above. For example, the hypothetical effect of
changes in exchange rates discussed above ignores the potential effect on other
variables which affect our results of operations and cash flows, such as demand
for our products, sales volumes and selling prices and operating
expenses. Accordingly, the amounts presented above are not
necessarily an accurate reflection of the potential losses we would incur
assuming the hypothetical changes in exchange rates were actually to
occur.
The above
discussion and estimated sensitivity analysis amounts include forward-looking
statements of market risk which assume hypothetical changes in currency exchange
rates. Actual future market conditions will likely differ materially
from such assumptions. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements
should not be considered to be projections by us of future events, gains or
losses.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The information called for by this Item
is contained in a separate section of this Annual Report. See "Index
of Financial Statements and Schedules" (page F-1).
ITEM 9.
|
CHANGES
IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL
DISCLOSURE
|
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We
maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures. The term
"disclosure controls and procedures," as defined by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e),
means controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit to the SEC under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Act"), is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the
SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include,
without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
we are required to disclose in the reports we file or submit to the SEC under
the Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our
principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, or persons
performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions to be
made regarding required disclosure. Each of Steven L. Watson, our
Chief Executive Officer and Gregory M. Swalwell, our Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer, have evaluated the design and effectiveness of our
disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2009. Based
upon their evaluation, these executive officers have concluded that our
disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of December 31,
2009.
Scope
of Management Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We also
maintain internal control over financial reporting. The term
“internal control over financial reporting,” as defined by Exchange Act Rule
13a-15(f) means a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our
principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing
similar functions, and effected by the board of directors, management and other
personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with GAAP, and includes those policies and procedures
that:
·
|
Pertain
to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our
assets,
|
·
|
Provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that
receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with
authorizations of management and directors
and
|
·
|
Provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of an
unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a
material effect on our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
|
Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to report on internal control
over financial reporting in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009. Our independent registered public accounting firm,
while not required to, has audited our internal control over financial reporting
as of December 31, 2009.
As
permitted by the SEC, our assessment of internal control over financial
reporting excludes (i) internal control over financial reporting of equity
method investees and (ii) internal control over the preparation of our financial
statement schedules required by Article 12 of Regulation
S-X. However, our assessment of internal control over financial
reporting with respect to equity method investees did include controls over the
recording of amounts related to our investment that are recorded in the
consolidated financial statements, including controls over the selection of
accounting methods for our investments, the recognition of equity method
earnings and losses and the determination, valuation and recording of our
investment account balances.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has
been no change to our internal control over financial reporting during the
quarter ended December 31, 2009 that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules
13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our evaluation of the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting is based upon the criteria established
in Internal Control –
Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations
of the Treadway Commission (commonly referred to as the “COSO”
framework). Based on our evaluation under that framework, we have
concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of
December 31, 2009.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the
independent registered public accounting firm that has audited our consolidated
financial statements included in this Annual Report, has audited the
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December
31, 2009, as stated in their report, which is included in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Certifications
Our chief executive officer
is required to annually file a certification with the New York Stock Exchange
(“NYSE”), certifying our compliance with the corporate governance listing
standards of the NYSE. During 2009, our chief executive officer filed
such annual certification with the NYSE. The 2009 certification was
unqualified.
Our chief
executive officer and chief financial officer are also required to, among other
things, quarterly file certifications with the SEC regarding the quality of our
public disclosures, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002. The certifications for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 have
been filed as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 to this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
ITEM 9B. OTHER
INFORMATION
Not applicable.
PART
III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS,
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this Item
is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with
the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the end of the fiscal
year covered by this report (“Proxy Statement”).
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The information required by this Item
is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 12. SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
The information required by this Item
is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this Item
is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement. See also Note 13
to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The
information required by the Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy
Statement.
PART
IV
ITEM
15. EXHIBITS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)
and
(c) Financial
Statements and Schedule
The
Registrant
The
consolidated financial statements and schedule of the Registrant listed on the
accompanying Index of Financial Statements and Schedules (see page F-1) are
filed as part of this Annual Report.
(b)
|
Exhibits
|
Included
as exhibits are the items listed in the Exhibit Index. We will
furnish a copy of any of the exhibits listed below upon payment of $4.00 per
exhibit to cover our costs to furnish the exhibits. Pursuant to Item
601(b)(4)(iii) of Regulation S-K, any instrument defining the rights of holders
of long-term debt issues and other agreements related to indebtedness which do
not exceed 10% of consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2009 will be
furnished to the Commission upon request.
We will
also furnish, without charge, a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics,
as adopted by the board of directors on February 19, 2004, upon
request. Such requests should be directed to the attention of the
Corporate Secretary at our corporate offices located at 5430 LBJ Freeway, Suite
1700, Dallas, TX 75240.
Item
No. Exhibit
Index
2.1
|
Form
of Distribution Agreement between NL Industries, Inc. and Kronos
Worldwide, Inc. – incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the
Registration Statement on Form 10 of the Registrant (File No.
001-31763).
|
3.1
|
First
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Kronos Worldwide,
Inc. – incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registration
statement on Form 10 of the Registrant (File No.
001-31763).
|
3.2
|
Amended
and Restated Bylaws of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. as of October 25, 2007 –
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed (File No. 001-31763) with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission on October 31,
2007.
|
4.1
|
Indenture
governing the 6.5% Senior Secured Notes due 2013,
dated
|
|
as
of April 11, 2006, between Kronos International, Inc. and
The
|
|
Bank
of New York, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the
Current Report on Form 8-K of Kronos International, Inc. (File No.
333-100047) that was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on April 11, 2006).
|
4.2
|
Form
of certificate of Series A 6.5% Senior Secured Note due 2013(incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Kronos
International, Inc. (File No. 333-100047)that was filed with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on
April 11, 2006).
|
4.3
|
Form
of certificate of Series B 6.5% Senior Secured Note due
2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the
Current Report on Form 8-K of Kronos International, Inc.
(File No. 333-100047) that was filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,
2006).
|
4.4
|
Purchase
Agreement dated April 5, 2006 between
Kronos International, Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG London
(incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form
8-K of Kronos International, Inc.
(File No. 333-100047) that was filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April
11, 2006).
|
4.5
|
Registration
Rights Agreement dated as of April 11, 2006
between Kronos International, Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG
London (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
4.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of
Kronos International, Inc. (File No.
333-100047) that was filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,
2006)
|
4.6
|
Collateral
Agency Agreement, dated April 11, 2006, among The Bank of
New York, U.S. Bank, N.A. and Kronos International,
Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to
the Current Report on Form 8-K of
Kronos International, Inc. (File No.
333-100047) that was filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,
2006).
|
4.7
|
Security
Over Shares Agreement, dated April 11, 2006, between Kronos International,
Inc. and The Bank of New York (incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 4.7 to the Current Report on Form 8-K
of Kronos International, Inc. (File
No. 333-100047) that was filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April
11, 2006).
|
4.8
|
Pledge
of Shares (shares in Kronos Denmark ApS), dated April
11, 2006, between Kronos International, Inc. and U.S.
Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.8 to the Current Report on Form 8-K
of Kronos International, Inc. (File No.
333-100047) that was filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,
2006).
|
4.9
|
Pledge
Agreement (shares in Societe Industrielle du Titane
S.A.), dated April 11, 2006, between Kronos
International, Inc. and U.S. Bank, N.A. (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 4.9 to the Current Report on Form
8-K of Kronos International, Inc. (File No.
333-100047) that was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on April 11, 2006)
|
4.10
|
Share
Pledge Agreement (shares in Kronos Titan GmbH), dated
April 11, 2006, between Kronos International, Inc. and
U.S. Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4.10 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Kronos
International, Inc. (File No. 333-100047) that was filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11,
2006).
|
10.1
|
Form
of Tax Agreement between Valhi, Inc. and Kronos Worldwide, Inc. –
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registration statement on
Form 10 of the Registrant (File No.
001-31763).
|
10.2
|
Intercorporate
Services Agreement by and between Contran Corporation and Kronos
Worldwide, Inc., effective as of January 1, 2004 – incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the
Registrant (File No. 001-31763) for the quarter ended March 31,
2004.
|
10.3*
|
Form
of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. 2003 Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Registration statement on Form 10 of the
Registrant (File No. 001-31763).
|
10.4
|
Euro
80,000,000 Facility Agreement, dated June 25, 2002, among Kronos Titan
GmbH & Co. OHG, Kronos Europe S.A./N.V., Kronos Titan A/S and Titania
A/S, as borrowers, Kronos Titan GmbH & Co. OHG, Kronos Europe
S.A./N.V. and Kronos Norge AS, as guarantors, Kronos Denmark ApS, as
security provider, Deutsche Bank AG, as mandated lead arranger, Deutsche
Bank Luxembourg S.A., as agent and security agent, and KBC Bank NV, as
fronting bank, and the financial institutions listed in Schedule 1
thereto, as lenders - incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of NL Industries, Inc. (File No. 001-00640)
for the quarter ended June 30,
2002.
|
10.5
|
First
Amendment Agreement, dated September 3, 2004, Relating to a Facility
Agreement dated June 25, 2002 among Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Europe
S.A./N.V., Kronos Titan AS and Titania A/S, as borrowers, Kronos Titan
GmbH, Kronos Europe S.A./N.V. and Kronos Norge AS, as guarantors, Kronos
Denmark ApS, as security provider, with Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A.,
acting as agent – incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Current
Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant dated November 17, 2004 (File No.
333-119639).
|
10.6
|
Second
Amendment Agreement Relating to a Facility Agreement dated June 25, 2002
executed as of June 14, 2005 by and among Deutsche Bank AG, as mandated
lead arranger, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. as agent, the participating
lenders, Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Europe S.A./N.V, Kronos Titan AS,
Kronos Norge AS, Titania AS and Kronos Denmark ApS – incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kronos
International, Inc.(File No. 333-100047) for the year ended December 31,
2009.
|
10.7
|
Third
Amendment Agreement Relating to a Facility Agreement dated June 25, 2002
executed as of May 26, 2008 by and among Deutsche Bank AG, as mandated
lead arranger, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., as agent, the participating
lenders, Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Europe S.A.,/N.V, Kronos Titan AS,
Kronos Norge AS, Titania AS and Kronos Denmark ApS – incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kronos
International, Inc. (File No. 333-100047) for the year ended December 31,
2009.
|
10.8
|
Fourth
Amendment Agreement Relating to a Facility Agreement dated June 25, 2002
executed as of September 15, 2009 by and among Deutsche Bank AG, as
mandated lead arranger, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., as agent, the
participating lenders, Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Europe S.A./N.V., Kronos
Titan AS, Kronos Norge AS, Titania AS and Kronos Denmark ApS –
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Annual Report on Form
10-K of Kronos International, Inc. (File No. 333-1000047) for the year
ended December 31, 2009.
|
10.9
|
$40,000,000
Unsecured Revolving Demand Promissory Note dated October 29, 2008 and
payable to NL Industries, Inc. – incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1
to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-00640) that
was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29,
2008.
|
10.10
|
Lease
Contract, dated June 21, 1952, between Farbenfabriken Bayer
Aktiengesellschaft and Titangesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung (German
language version and English translation thereof)- incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No.
001-00640)of NL Industries, Inc. for the year ended December 31,
1985.
|
10.11
|
Master
Technology Exchange Agreement, dated as of October 18, 1993, among Kronos
Worldwide, Inc. (f/k/a Kronos, Inc.), Kronos Louisiana, Inc., Kronos
International, Inc., Tioxide Group Limited and Tioxide Group Services
Limited - incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-00640) of NL Industries, Inc. for the
quarter ended September 30, 1993.
|
10.12
|
Form
of Assignment and Assumption Agreement, dated as of January 1, 1999,
between Kronos Inc. (formerly known as Kronos (USA), Inc.) and Kronos
International, Inc. - incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to Kronos
International, Inc.'s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No.
333-100047).
|
10.13
|
Form
of Cross License Agreement, effective as of January 1, 1999, between
Kronos Inc. (formerly known as Kronos (USA), Inc.) and Kronos
International, Inc. - incorporated by reference to Exhibit to Kronos
International, Inc.'s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No.
333-100047).
|
10.14
|
Formation
Agreement dated as of October 18, 1993 among Tioxide Americas Inc., Kronos
Louisiana, Inc. and Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. - incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.2 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q (File No. 001-00640) for the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.15
|
Joint
Venture Agreement dated as of October 18, 1993 between Tioxide Americas
Inc. and Kronos Louisiana, Inc. - incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.3 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No.
001-00640) for the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.16
|
Kronos
Offtake Agreement dated as of October 18, 1993 between Kronos Louisiana,
Inc. and Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. - incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.4 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File
No. 001-00640) for the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.17
|
Amendment
No. 1 to Kronos Offtake Agreement dated as of December 20, 1995 between
Kronos Louisiana, Inc. and Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. - incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Annual Report on
Form 10-K (File No. 001-00640) for the year ended December 31,
1995.
|
10.18
|
Tioxide
Americas Offtake Agreement dated as of October 18, 1993 between Tioxide
Americas Inc. and Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. - incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.5 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q (File No. 001-00640) for the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.19
|
Amendment
No. 1 to Tioxide Americas Offtake Agreement dated as of December 20, 1995
between Tioxide Americas Inc. and Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. -
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Annual
Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-00640) for the year ended December 31,
1995.
|
10.20
|
Parents'
Undertaking dated as of October 18, 1993 between ICI American Holdings
Inc. and Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (f/k/a Kronos, Inc.) - incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.9 to NL Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q (File No. 001-00640) for the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.21
|
Allocation
Agreement dated as of October 18, 1993 between Tioxide Americas Inc., ICI
American Holdings, Inc., Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (f/k/a Kronos, Inc.) and
Kronos Louisiana, Inc. - incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to NL
Industries, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-00640) for
the quarter ended September 30,
1993.
|
10.22
|
Insurance
sharing agreement dated October 30, 2003 by and among CompX International
Inc., Contran Corporation, Keystone Consolidated Industries, Inc.,
Titanium Metals Corp., Valhi, Inc., NL Industries, Inc. and Kronos
Worldwide, Inc. – incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.48 to NL
Industries, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-00640) for the
year ended December 31, 2003.
|
21.1
|
Subsidiaries.
|
23.1
|
Consent
of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.
|
31.1
|
Certification.
|
31.2
|
Certification.
|
32.1
Certification.
___________________________________
* Management
contract, compensatory plan or arrangement
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Kronos Worldwide, Inc.
(Registrant)
By:/s/ Steven L.
Watson
|
Steven
L. Watson
|
March
9, 2010
|
(Vice
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer)
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:
/s/ Steven L.
Watson
|
|
Harold
C. Simmons, March 9, 2010
|
Steven
L. Watson, March 9, 2010
|
(Chairman
of the Board)
|
(Vice
Chairman and Chief Executive
|
|
Officer)
|
/s/ George E.
Poston
|
/s/ Glenn R.
Simmons
|
George
E. Poston, March 9, 2010
|
Glenn
R. Simmons, March 9, 2010
|
(Director)
|
(Director)
|
/s/ C. H. Moore,
Jr.
|
/s/ Keith R.
Coogan
|
C.
H. Moore, Jr., March 9, 2010
|
Keith
R. Coogan, March 9, 2010
|
(Director)
|
(Director)
|
/s/ R. Gerald
Turner
|
/s/ Gregory M.
Swalwell
|
R.
Gerald Turner, March 9, 2010
|
Gregory
M. Swalwell, March 9, 2010
|
(Director)
|
(Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Principal
Financial
Officer)
|
/s/ Tim C.
Hafer
|
|
Tim
C. Hafer, March 9, 2010
|
|
(Vice
President, Controller,
Principal
Accounting Officer)
|
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC.
Annual
Report on Form 10-K
Items
8, 15(a) and 15(c)
Index
of Financial Statements and Schedule
Financial
Statements
|
Page
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
F-2
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets - December 31, 2008 and 2009
|
F-4
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations -
|
|
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009
|
F-6
|
Consolidated
Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) -
|
|
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009
|
F-7
|
Consolidated
Statements of Stockholders' Equity -
|
|
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009
|
F-8
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows -
|
|
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009
|
F-9
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
F-11
|
Financial
Statement Schedule
|
|
Schedule
I – Condensed Financial Information of Registrant
|
S-1
|
Schedules
II, III and IV are omitted because they are not applicable or the required
amounts are either not material or are presented in the Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
|
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the
Stockholders and Board of Directors of Kronos Worldwide, Inc.:
In our
opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related
consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive income (loss), of
stockholders’ equity and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects,
the financial position of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. and its subsidiaries at
December 31, 2008 and 2009 and the results of their operations and their cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2009 in
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement
schedule listed in the accompanying index presents fairly, in all material
respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the
related consolidated financial statements. Also in our opinion, the
Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in
Internal Control - Integrated
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company's management is responsible
for these financial statements and financial statement schedule, for maintaining
effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of
the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under
Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial
statements, on the financial statement schedule, and on the Company's internal
control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective
internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material
respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining,
on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting
included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial
reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and
evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on
the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other
procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A
company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to
provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal
control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i)
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
(ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of
the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or
timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the
company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial
statements.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not
prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation
of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Dallas,
Texas
March 9,
2010
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
(In
millions, except per share data)
ASSETS
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 13.6 | $ | 31.1 | ||||
Restricted
cash
|
1.5 | 1.7 | ||||||
Accounts
and other receivables
|
177.2 | 189.5 | ||||||
Receivable
from affiliates
|
1.4 | .1 | ||||||
Inventories
|
385.1 | 294.8 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
6.6 | 9.0 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
4.1 | 3.7 | ||||||
Total
current assets
|
589.5 | 529.9 | ||||||
Other
assets:
|
||||||||
Investment
in TiO2
manufacturing joint venture
|
105.6 | 98.7 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
166.4 | 185.5 | ||||||
Other
|
11.7 | 11.2 | ||||||
Total
other assets
|
283.7 | 295.4 | ||||||
Property
and equipment:
|
||||||||
Land
|
37.5 | 46.8 | ||||||
Buildings
|
215.9 | 233.0 | ||||||
Equipment
|
949.8 | 1,027.4 | ||||||
Mining
properties
|
73.9 | 115.7 | ||||||
Construction
in progress
|
41.7 | 14.6 | ||||||
1,318.8 | 1,437.5 | |||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
833.3 | 937.8 | ||||||
Net
property and equipment
|
485.5 | 499.7 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 1,358.7 | $ | 1,325.0 |
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)
(In
millions, except per share data)
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Current
maturities of long-term debt
|
$ | .8 | $ | 2.1 | ||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
180.6 | 192.4 | ||||||
Payable
to affiliates
|
14.7 | 12.6 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
3.7 | 3.6 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
4.6 | 4.7 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
204.4 | 215.4 | ||||||
Noncurrent
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Long-term
debt
|
637.7 | 611.1 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
35.7 | 31.1 | ||||||
Accrued
pension cost
|
125.5 | 118.3 | ||||||
Accrued
postretirement benefits cost
|
8.7 | 13.4 | ||||||
Other
|
28.8 | 23.2 | ||||||
Total
noncurrent liabilities
|
836.4 | 797.1 | ||||||
Stockholders'
equity:
|
||||||||
Common
stock, $.01 par value; 60.0 shares authorized; 49.0 shares
issued
|
.5 | .5 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
1,061.8 | 1,061.9 | ||||||
Retained
deficit
|
(567.9 | ) | (602.6 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss):
|
||||||||
Currency
translation
|
(89.3 | ) | (65.2 | ) | ||||
Defined
benefit pension plans
|
(88.6 | ) | (81.0 | ) | ||||
Postretirement
benefit (OPEB) plans
|
1.4 | (1.1 | ) | |||||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
317.9 | 312.5 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
|
$ | 1,358.7 | $ | 1,325.0 | ||||
Commitments
and contingencies (Notes 9 and 14)
See
accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In
millions, except per share data)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 1,310.3 | $ | 1,316.9 | $ | 1,142.0 | ||||||
Cost
of sales
|
1,058.9 | 1,096.3 | 1,011.7 | |||||||||
Gross
margin
|
251.4 | 220.6 | 130.3 | |||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative expense
|
162.1 | 167.4 | 148.2 | |||||||||
Other
operating income (expense):
|
||||||||||||
Currency
transaction gains, net
|
.2 | .6 | 9.9 | |||||||||
Disposition
of property and equipment
|
(.8 | ) | (.9 | ) | (.9 | ) | ||||||
Other
income, net
|
1.3 | .7 | .6 | |||||||||
Corporate
expense
|
(5.1 | ) | (6.4 | ) | (7.4 | ) | ||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
84.9 | 47.2 | (15.7 | ) | ||||||||
Other
income (expense):
|
||||||||||||
Trade
interest income
|
2.2 | 1.0 | .2 | |||||||||
Other
interest income
|
.3 | - | - | |||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(39.4 | ) | (42.2 | ) | (41.4 | ) | ||||||
Income
(loss) before income taxes
|
48.0 | 6.0 | (56.9 | ) | ||||||||
Provision
for income taxes (benefit)
|
114.7 | (3.0 | ) | (22.2 | ) | |||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (66.7 | ) | $ | 9.0 | $ | (34.7 | ) | ||||
Net
income (loss) per basic and diluted
share
|
$ | (1.36 | ) | $ | .18 | $ | (.71 | ) | ||||
Basic
and diluted weighted average shares used in the calculation of net income
(loss) per share
|
49.0 | 49.0 | 49.0 |
See
accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(In
millions)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (66.7 | ) | $ | 9.0 | $ | (34.7 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
|
||||||||||||
Currency
translation
|
34.8 | (42.8 | ) | 24.1 | ||||||||
Pension
plans:
|
||||||||||||
Amortization
of prior service cost, net transition obligation and net losses included
in periodic pension cost
|
6.2 | .5 | 5.1 | |||||||||
Net
actuarial gain (loss) arising duringyear
|
41.2 | (12.0 | ) | 2.5 | ||||||||
47.4 | (11.5 | ) | 7.6 | |||||||||
OPEB
plans:
|
||||||||||||
Amortization
of prior service credit and net losses included in periodic OPEB
cost
|
.1 | (.1 | ) | (.1 | ) | |||||||
Net
actuarial gain (loss) arising during
year
|
.1 | 1.2 | (2.4 | ) | ||||||||
.2 | 1.1 | (2.5 | ) | |||||||||
Total
other comprehensive income (loss)
|
82.4 | (53.2 | ) | 29.2 | ||||||||
Comprehensive
income (loss)
|
$ | 15.7 | $ | (44.2 | ) | $ | (5.5 | ) |
See
accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009
(In
millions)
Accumulated
other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
comprehensive
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Retained
|
income
(loss)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
|
paid-in
|
earnings
|
Currency
|
Pension
|
OPEB
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
stock
|
capital
|
(deficit)
|
translation
|
plans
|
plans
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2006
|
$ | .5 | $ | 1,061.6 | $ | (406.3 | ) | $ | (81.3 | ) | $ | (126.2 | ) | $ | .1 | $ | 448.4 | |||||||||||
Net
loss
|
- | - | (66.7 | ) | - | - | - | (66.7 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax
|
- | - | - | 34.8 | 47.4 | .2 | 82.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock
|
- | .1 | - | - | - | - | .1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cash
dividends declared - $1.00 per share
|
- | - | (49.0 | ) | - | - | - | (49.0 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Change
in accounting:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adoption
of uncertain tax positions provisions
of ASC Topic 715
|
- | - | (2.2 | ) | - | - | - | (2.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Adoption
of asset and liability provisions of
ASC Topic 740
|
- | - | (3.7 | ) | - | 1.7 | - | (2.0 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2007
|
.5 | 1,061.7 | (527.9 | ) | (46.5 | ) | (77.1 | ) | .3 | 411.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
- | - | 9.0 | - | - | - | 9.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
|
- | - | - | (42.8 | ) | (11.5 | ) | 1.1 | (53.2 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock
|
- | .1 | - | - | - | - | .1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cash
dividends declared - $1.00 per share
|
- | - | (49.0 | ) | - | - | - | (49.0 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2008
|
.5 | 1,061.8 | (567.9 | ) | (89.3 | ) | (88.6 | ) | 1.4 | 317.9 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
- | - | (34.7 | ) | - | - | - | (34.7 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
|
- | - | - | 24.1 | 7.6 | (2.5 | ) | 29.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock
|
- | .1 | - | - | - | - | .1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2009
|
$ | .5 | $ | 1,061.9 | $ | (602.6 | ) | $ | (65.2 | ) | $ | (81.0 | ) | $ | (1.1 | ) | $ | 312.5 | ||||||||||
See
accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
millions)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (66.7 | ) | $ | 9.0 | $ | (34.7 | ) | ||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
48.9 | 51.3 | 47.0 | |||||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
104.8 | (10.6 | ) | (21.9 | ) | |||||||
Benefit
plan expense greater (less) than cash funding:
|
||||||||||||
Defined
benefit pension plans
|
2.1 | (15.5 | ) | (1.2 | ) | |||||||
Other
postretirement benefit plans
|
.4 | .6 | .2 | |||||||||
Distributions
from (contributions to)
TiO2
manufacturing joint venture, net
|
(4.9 | ) | 10.0 | 7.7 | ||||||||
Other,
net
|
3.4 | 5.1 | 5.1 | |||||||||
Change
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
and other receivables
|
6.0 | 20.0 | (5.6 | ) | ||||||||
Inventories
|
5.7 | (93.9 | ) | 99.4 | ||||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
.6 | (1.6 | ) | (1.3 | ) | |||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
2.6 | 16.7 | 5.4 | |||||||||
Income
taxes
|
(8.5 | ) | 1.8 | .4 | ||||||||
Accounts
with affiliates
|
(2.0 | ) | 4.1 | (3.7 | ) | |||||||
Other
noncurrent assets
|
.2 | (2.3 | ) | .5 | ||||||||
Other
noncurrent liabilities
|
(2.6 | ) | 8.0 | (11.0 | ) | |||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
90.0 | 2.7 | 86.3 | |||||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(47.3 | ) | (68.1 | ) | (23.7 | ) | ||||||
Change
in restricted cash equivalents
|
(.1 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(47.4 | ) | (68.1 | ) | (23.7 | ) | ||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Indebtedness:
|
||||||||||||
Borrowings
|
330.9 | 398.5 | 284.5 | |||||||||
Principal
payments
|
(321.7 | ) | (338.0 | ) | (333.7 | ) | ||||||
Deferred
financing fees
|
- | (1.2 | ) | (.6 | ) | |||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(49.0 | ) | (49.0 | ) | - | |||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
(39.8 | ) | 10.3 | (49.8 | ) |
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
(In
millions)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents - net change from:
|
||||||||||||
Operating,
investing and financing activities
|
$ | 2.8 | $ | (55.1 | ) | $ | 12.8 | |||||
Currency
translation
|
6.1 | (3.5 | ) | 4.7 | ||||||||
8.9 | (58.6 | ) | 17.5 | |||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
63.3 | 72.2 | 13.6 | |||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$ | 72.2 | $ | 13.6 | $ | 31.1 | ||||||
Supplemental
disclosures –
Cash
paid for:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
|
$ | 38.4 | $ | 41.6 | $ | 39.4 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
23.5 | 3.8 | 2.7 | |||||||||
Accrual
for capital expenditures
|
9.0 | 6.5 | 4.4 | |||||||||
Capital
lease obligation incurred
|
- | - | 5.9 | |||||||||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
1 - Summary of significant accounting policies:
Organization and
basis of presentation. At December 31,
2009, (i) Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) held approximately 59% of our outstanding
common stock (ii) NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) held an additional 36% of our
common stock, (iii) Valhi owned approximately 83% of NL's outstanding common
stock and (iv) subsidiaries of Contran Corporation held approximately 93% of
Valhi's outstanding common stock. Substantially all of Contran's
outstanding voting stock is held by trusts established for the benefit of
certain children and grandchildren of Harold C. Simmons (for which Mr. Simmons
is the sole trustee), or is held by Mr. Simmons or other persons or related
companies to Mr. Simmons. Consequently, Mr. Simmons may be deemed to
control each of such companies.
Unless
otherwise indicated, reference in this report to “we,” “us” or “our” refers to
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
Management’s
estimates. In preparing our
financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America (“GAAP”) we are required to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the
reporting period. Actual results may differ significantly from
previously-estimated amounts under different assumptions or
conditions.
Principles of
consolidation. The consolidated
financial statements include our accounts and those of our majority-owned
subsidiaries. We have eliminated all material intercompany accounts
and balances.
Translation of
currencies. We translate the
assets and liabilities of our subsidiaries whose functional currency is other
than the U.S. dollar at year-end rates of exchange, while we translate our
revenues and expenses at average exchange rates prevailing during the
year. We accumulate the resulting translation adjustments in
stockholders’ equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss),
net of related deferred income taxes. We recognize currency
transaction gains and losses in income currently.
Derivatives and
hedging activities.
We recognize derivatives as either assets or liabilities measured at fair
value in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 815
Derivatives and
Hedging. We recognize the effect of changes in the fair value
of derivatives either in net income (loss) or other comprehensive income (loss),
depending on the intended use of the derivative.
Cash and cash
equivalents. We classify bank
time deposits and U.S. Treasury securities purchased under short-term agreements
to resell with original maturities of three months or less as cash
equivalents.
Fair
value of financial instruments. We carry marketable debt and equity
securities at fair value. ASC Topic 820, Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures, establishes a consistent framework
for measuring fair value and beginning on January 1, 2008 (with certain
exceptions) this framework is generally applied to all financial statements
items required to be measured at fair value. The standard requires fair value
measurements to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three
categories:
|
·
|
Level
1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the
measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or
liabilities;
|
|
·
|
Level
2 – Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are
observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term
of the assets or liability; and
|
|
·
|
Level
3 – Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both
significant to the fair value measurement and
unobservable.
|
See Notes
10, 15 and 16.
Accounts
receivable. We provide an
allowance for doubtful accounts for known and estimated potential losses arising
from sales to customers based on a periodic review of these
accounts.
Inventories and
cost of sales. We state inventories at the lower of cost or
market, net of allowance for obsolete and slow-moving inventories. We
generally base inventory costs for all inventory categories on average cost that
approximates the first-in, first-out method. Inventories include the
costs for raw materials, the cost to manufacture the raw materials into finished
goods and overhead. Depending on the inventory’s stage of completion,
our manufacturing costs can include the costs of packing and finishing,
utilities, maintenance, depreciation, salaries and benefits associated with our
manufacturing process. We allocate fixed manufacturing overheads
based on normal production capacity. Unallocated overhead costs
resulting from periods with abnormally low production levels are charged to
expense as incurred. As inventory is sold to third parties, we
recognize the cost of sales in the same period that the sale
occurs. We periodically review our inventory for estimated
obsolescence or instances when inventory is no longer marketable for its
intended use, and we record any write-down equal to the difference between the
cost of inventory and its estimated net realizable value based on assumptions
about alternative uses, market conditions and other factors.
Investment in
TiO2 manufacturing
joint venture. We
account for our investment in a 50%-owned manufacturing joint venture by the
equity method. See Note 6.
Property and
equipment and depreciation. We state property and
equipment at cost, including capitalized interest on borrowings during the
actual construction period of major capital projects. Capitalized
interest costs were $.7 million in 2007, $2.2 million in 2008 and $1.1 million
in 2009. We compute depreciation of property and equipment for
financial reporting purposes (including mining equipment) principally by the
straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as
follows:
Asset
|
Useful lives
|
|
Buildings and
improvements
|
10
to 40 years
|
|
Machinery and
equipment
|
3
to 20 years
|
|
Mine development
costs
|
Units-of-Production
|
We
use accelerated depreciation methods for income tax purposes, as
permitted. Upon the sale or retirement of an asset, we remove the
related cost and accumulated depreciation from the accounts and recognize any
gain or loss in income currently.
We
expense costs incurred for maintenance, repairs and minor renewals (including
planned major maintenance) while we capitalize expenditures for major
improvements.
We have a
governmental concession with an unlimited term to operate our ilmenite mines in
Norway. Mining properties consist of buildings and equipment used in
our Norwegian ilmenite mining operations and costs associated with the
development of a new mine area which commenced production in
2009. While we own the land and ilmenite reserves associated with the
mining operations, such land and reserves were acquired for nominal value and we
have no material asset recognized for the land and reserves related to our
mining operations.
We
perform impairment tests when events or changes in circumstances indicate the
carrying value may not be recoverable. We consider all relevant
factors. We perform the impairment test by comparing the estimated
future undiscounted cash flows (exclusive of interest expense) associated with
the asset to the asset's net carrying value to determine if a write-down to
market value or discounted cash flow value is required.
Long-term
debt. We state
long-term debt net of any unamortized original issue premium or
discount. We classify amortization of deferred financing costs and
any premium or discount associated with the issuance of indebtedness as interest
expense and compute such amortization by the interest method over the term of
the applicable issue.
Employee benefit
plans. Accounting and
funding policies for our retirement plans are described in Note 10.
Income
taxes. We, Valhi and our
qualifying subsidiaries are members of Contran’s consolidated U.S. federal
income tax group (the "Contran Tax Group") and we and certain of our qualifying
subsidiaries also file consolidated income tax returns with Contran in various
U.S. state jurisdictions. As a member of the Contran Tax Group, we
are jointly and severally liable for the federal income tax liability of Contran
and the other companies included in the Contran Tax Group for all periods in
which we are included in the Contran Tax Group. See Note
14. As a member of the Contran Tax Group, we are a party to a tax
sharing agreement which provides that we compute our provision for U.S. income
taxes on a separate-company basis using the tax elections made by
Contran. Pursuant to the tax sharing agreement, we make payments to
or receive payments from Valhi in amounts we would have paid to or received from
the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or the applicable state tax authority had we
not been a member of the Contran Tax Group. We made net payments of
income taxes to Valhi of $3.0 million in 2007 and $.5 million in 2009, and we
received net refunds from Valhi of $2.7 million in 2008.
We
recognize deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax
consequences of temporary differences between the income tax and financial
reporting carrying amounts of assets and liabilities, including investments in
our subsidiaries and affiliates who are not members of the Contran Tax Group and
undistributed earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries which are not deemed to be
permanently reinvested. The earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries subject
to permanent reinvestment plans aggregated $700 million at December 31, 2008 and
$666 million at December 31, 2009. It is not practical for us to
determine the amount of the unrecognized deferred income tax liability related
to such earnings due to the complexities associated with the U.S. taxation on
earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries repatriated to the U.S. We
periodically evaluate our deferred tax assets in the various taxing
jurisdictions in which we operate and adjust any related valuation allowance
based on the estimate of the amount of such deferred tax assets that we believe
does not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition criteria.
We record
a reserve for uncertain tax positions for tax positions where we believe it is
more-likely-than-not our position will not prevail with the applicable tax
authorities. See Note 16.
Net
sales. We record sales
when products are shipped and title and other risks and rewards of ownership
have passed to the customer, or when services are performed. Shipping
terms of products shipped are generally FOB shipping point, although in some
instances shipping terms are FOB destination point (for which we do not
recognize sales until the product is received by the customer). We
state sales net of price, early payment and distributor discounts and volume
rebates. We report any tax assessed by a governmental authority that
we collect from our customers that is both imposed on and concurrent with our
revenue-producing activities (such as sales, use, value added and excise taxes)
on a net basis (meaning we do not recognize these taxes either in our revenues
or in our costs and expenses).
Selling, general
and administrative expense; shipping and handling
costs. Selling, general and administrative expense includes
costs related to marketing, sales, distribution, shipping and handling, research
and development, legal, and administrative functions such as accounting,
treasury and finance, and includes costs for salaries and benefits, travel and
entertainment, promotional materials and professional fees. We
include shipping and handling costs in selling, general and administrative
expense and these costs were $82 million in 2007, $91 million in 2008, and $74
million in 2009. We expense advertising costs as incurred and these
costs were $1 million in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009. We expense
research, development and certain sales technical support costs as incurred and
these costs approximated $12 million in each of 2007, 2008 and
2009.
Note
2
- Geographic
information:
Our
operations are associated with the production and sale of titanium dioxide
pigments (“TiO2”). Titanium
dioxide pigments are used to impart whiteness, brightness and opacity to a wide
variety of products, including paints, plastics, paper, fibers and
ceramics. At December 31, 2008 and 2009 the net assets of non-U.S.
subsidiaries included in consolidated net assets approximated $201 million and
$177 million, respectively.
For
geographic information, we attribute net sales to the place of manufacture
(point of origin) and to the location of the customer (point of destination); we
attribute property and equipment to their physical location.
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Geographic
areas
|
||||||||||||
Net
sales – point of origin:
|
||||||||||||
Germany
|
$ | 700.6 | $ | 694.8 | $ | 616.5 | ||||||
United
States
|
515.8 | 498.8 | 422.6 | |||||||||
Canada
|
208.0 | 197.2 | 177.2 | |||||||||
Belgium
|
209.7 | 207.7 | 164.4 | |||||||||
Norway
|
184.3 | 194.3 | 139.5 | |||||||||
Eliminations
|
(508.1 | ) | (475.9 | ) | (378.2 | ) | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 1,310.3 | $ | 1,316.9 | $ | 1,142.0 | ||||||
Net
sales – point of destination:
|
||||||||||||
Europe
|
$ | 809.6 | $ | 812.5 | $ | 669.6 | ||||||
North
America
|
374.7 | 368.8 | 319.5 | |||||||||
Other
|
126.0 | 135.6 | 152.9 | |||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 1,310.3 | $ | 1,316.9 | $ | 1,142.0 |
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Identifiable
assets -
|
||||||||
net
property and equipment:
|
||||||||
Germany
|
$ | 273.5 | $ | 263.1 | ||||
Norway
|
83.4 | 101.2 | ||||||
Canada
|
58.3 | 66.1 | ||||||
Belgium
|
64.5 | 62.8 | ||||||
Other
|
5.8 | 6.5 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 485.5 | $ | 499.7 |
Note
3
- Accounts
and other receivables:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Trade
receivables
|
$ | 155.6 | $ | 172.4 | ||||
Recoverable
VAT and other receivables
|
22.2 | 19.0 | ||||||
Refundable
income taxes
|
1.2 | .7 | ||||||
Allowance
for doubtful accounts
|
(1.8 | ) | (2.6 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ | 177.2 | $ | 189.5 |
Note
4
- Inventories
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Raw
materials
|
$ | 67.1 | $ | 56.4 | ||||
Work
in process
|
19.8 | 18.2 | ||||||
Finished
products
|
243.0 | 161.0 | ||||||
Supplies
|
55.2 | 59.2 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 385.1 | $ | 294.8 |
Note
5
- Other
noncurrent assets:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Deferred
financing costs, net
|
$ | 7.1 | $ | 5.9 | ||||
Pension
asset
|
- | .3 | ||||||
Other
|
4.6 | 5.0 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 11.7 | $ | 11.2 |
Note
6
- Investment
in TiO2
manufacturing joint venture:
We own a
50% interest in Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. (“LPC”). LPC is a
manufacturing joint venture whose other 50%-owner is Tioxide Americas Inc.
(“Tioxide”). Tioxide is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huntsman
Corporation. LPC owns and operates a chloride-process TiO2 plant in
Lake Charles, Louisiana.
We and
Tioxide are both required to purchase one-half of the TiO2 produced
by LPC. LPC operates on a break-even basis and, accordingly, we
report no equity in earnings of LPC. Each owner’s acquisition
transfer price for its share of the TiO2 produced
is equal to its share of the joint venture’s production costs and interest
expense, if any. Our share of net cost is reported as cost of sales
as the related TiO2 acquired
from LPC is sold. We report distributions we receive from LPC, which
generally relate to excess cash generated by LPC from its non-cash production
costs, and contributions we make to LPC, which generally relate to cash required
by LPC when it builds working capital, as part of our cash flows from operating
activities in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The net of
these distributions and contributions is reported during the periods they
occur. Net contributions to LPC were $4.9 million in 2007, and net
distributions from LPC were $10.0 million in 2008 and $7.7 million in
2009. These amounts are stated net of distributions of $8.0 million
in 2007, and stated net of contributions of $10.6 million in 2008 and $15.0
million in 2009.
Summary
balance sheets of LPC are shown below:
December 31, | ||||||||
2008 | 2009 | |||||||
(In millions) | ||||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets
|
$ | 68.9 | $ | 72.7 | ||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
181.7 | 166.3 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 250.6 | $ | 239.0 | ||||
LIABILITIES
AND PARTNERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Other
liabilities, primarily current
|
$ | 36.7 | $ | 38.8 | ||||
Partners’
equity
|
213.9 | 200.2 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and partners’ equity
|
$ | 250.6 | $ | 239.0 |
Summary income statements of LPC are
shown below:
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Revenues
and other income:
|
||||||||||||
Kronos
|
$ | 124.6 | $ | 140.3 | $ | 121.2 | ||||||
Tioxide
|
125.0 | 140.7 | 121.8 | |||||||||
Interest
|
.5 | - | - | |||||||||
250.1 | 281.0 | 243.0 | ||||||||||
Cost
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
249.6 | 280.5 | 242.5 | |||||||||
General
and administrative
|
.5 | .5 | .5 | |||||||||
250.1 | 281.0 | 243.0 | ||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - |
Note
7 -Accounts payable and accrued
liabilities:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ | 113.5 | $ | 117.1 | ||||
Employee
benefits
|
23.4 | 26.2 | ||||||
Accrued
sales discounts and rebates
|
14.9 | 21.4 | ||||||
Accrued
interest
|
7.8 | 8.0 | ||||||
Other
|
21.0 | 19.7 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 180.6 | $ | 192.4 |
Note
8
- Long-term
debt:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Kronos
International, Inc. 6.5% Senior Secured Notes
|
$ | 560.0 | $ | 574.6 | ||||
Revolving
credit facilities:
|
||||||||
U.S.
bank credit facility
|
13.7 | 16.7 | ||||||
European
credit facility
|
42.2 | 13.0 | ||||||
Note
payable to affiliate
|
19.2 | - | ||||||
Other
|
3.4 | 8.9 | ||||||
Total
debt
|
638.5 | 613.2 | ||||||
Less
current maturities
|
.8 | 2.1 | ||||||
Total
long-term debt
|
$ | 637.7 | $ | 611.1 |
Senior Secured
Notes. In
April 2006, Kronos International, Inc. (“KII”), one of our wholly-owned
subsidiaries, issued euro 400 million principal amount of 6.5% Senior Secured
Notes (“6.5% Notes”) due 2013 at 99.306% of the principal amount ($498.5 million
when issued). We collateralized the 6.5% Notes with a pledge of 65% of the
common stock or other ownership interests of certain of our first-tier European
operating subsidiaries: Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Denmark ApS, Kronos Limited
and Societe Industrielle Du Titane, S.A. We issued the 6.5% Notes pursuant
to an indenture which contains a number of covenants and restrictions which,
among other things, restricts our ability to incur additional debt, incur liens,
pay dividends or merge or consolidate with, or sell or transfer all or
substantially all of the assets to, another entity. At our option, we may
redeem the 6.5% Notes at redemption prices of 103.25% of the principal amount
through October 2010, declining to redemption prices of 100% on or after October
15, 2012. In the event of a change of control, as defined in the
agreement, we would be required to make an offer to purchase our 6.5% Notes at
101% of the principal amount. We would also be required to make an offer
to purchase a specified portion of our 6.5% Notes at par value in the event we
generate a certain amount of net proceeds from the sale of assets outside the
ordinary course of business, and such net proceeds are not otherwise used for
specified purposes within a specified time period. See Note 15. The
indenture also contains certain cross-referenced provisions, as discussed
below. The carrying amount of the 6.5% Notes includes unamortized original
issue discount of euro 1.7 million ($2.4 million) and euro 1.3 million ($1.9
million) at December 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Revolving
credit facilities.
Europe - Our operating
subsidiaries in Germany, Belgium, Norway and Denmark have a euro 80 million
secured revolving bank credit facility that matures in May 2011. We may
denominate borrowings in euros, Norwegian kroner or U.S. dollars. We may
also issue up to euro 5 million of letters of credit. The facility is
collateralized by the accounts receivable and inventories of the borrowers, plus
a limited pledge of all of the other assets of the Belgian borrower. The
facility contains certain restrictive covenants that, among other things,
restrict the ability of the borrowers to incur debt, incur liens, pay dividends
or merge or consolidate with, or sell or transfer all or substantially all of
the assets to, another entity. On September 15, 2009 we and the lenders
entered into the Fourth Amendment to the credit facility. Among other
things, the Fourth Amendment added two additional financial covenants and
increased the rate on outstanding borrowings to LIBOR plus a margin ranging from
3% to 4% depending on the amount of outstanding borrowings (3.47% at December
31, 2009). Upon achieving a specified financial covenant, these two
additional financial covenants will no longer be in effect, and the interest
rate on outstanding borrowings would be reduced to LIBOR plus 1.75%.
Additionally the borrowing availability under the line is limited to euro 51
million ($73.5 million at December 31, 2009) until we are in compliance with
certain specified financial covenants, and in any event no earlier than March
31, 2010. At December 31, 2009, we had borrowed a net euro 9 million
($13.0 million) and the equivalent of $60.5 million was available for borrowings
under the facility. The amount of such borrowing availability is
based on the euro 51 million maximum borrowing
availability.
United States - Certain
of our U.S. subsidiaries have a $70 million revolving credit facility that
matures in September 2011. The facility is collateralized by the
accounts receivable, inventories and certain fixed assets of the
borrowers. Borrowings under this facility are limited to the lesser
of $70 million or a formula-determined amount based upon the accounts receivable
and inventories that have been pledged. Borrowings bear interest at
either the prime rate (prime plus 0.25% in some cases) or rates based upon the
eurodollar rate plus a range of 2.25% to 2.75% (3.25% at December 31,
2009). The facility contains certain restrictive covenants which,
among other things, restrict the abilities of the borrowers to incur debt, incur
liens, pay dividends in certain circumstances, sell assets or enter into
mergers. At December 31, 2009, $22.0 million was available for
borrowings under the facility.
Canada – As amended in the
fourth quarter of 2009, our Canadian subsidiary has a Cdn. $20 million revolving
credit facility that matures in January 2012. The facility is
collateralized by the accounts receivable and inventories of the
borrower. Borrowings under this facility are limited to the lesser of
Cdn. $13.5 million or a formula-determined amount based upon the accounts
receivable and inventories of the borrower. Borrowings bear interest
at rates based upon either, the Canadian prime rate or the U.S. prime
rate. The facility contains certain restrictive covenants which,
among other things, restrict the ability of the borrower to incur debt, incur
liens, pay dividends in certain circumstances, sell assets or enter into
mergers. At December 31, 2009, no amounts were outstanding and the
equivalent of $8.1 million was available for borrowing under the
facility.
Note payable to
affiliate. In October 2008 the independent members of the Board of
Directors of both us and NL approved terms for borrowing up to $40 million from
NL. Our borrowings from NL under the revolving note were unsecured,
and bore interest at prime rate minus 1.5% with all principal due on demand (and
no later than December 31, 2009). We borrowed a net of $19.2 million
from NL in 2008, which we subsequently repaid in 2009. The facility
terminated according to its terms on December 31, 2009. See Note
13.
Restrictions and
other. Aggregate maturities of long-term debt at December 31,
2009.
Years ending December 31,
|
Amount
|
(In
millions)
|
|
2010
|
$ 2.1
|
2011
|
31.9
|
2012
|
2.2
|
2013
|
575.8
|
2014
|
.5
|
2015
and thereafter
|
.7
|
Total
|
$ 613.2
|
Under the
cross-default provisions of the 6.5% Notes, the 6.5% Notes may be accelerated
prior to their stated maturity if KII or any of KII’s subsidiaries default under
any other indebtedness in excess of $20 million due to a failure to pay the
other indebtedness at its due date (including any due date that arises prior to
the stated maturity as a result of a default under the other
indebtedness). Under the cross-default provisions of the European
revolving credit facility, any outstanding borrowings under the facility may be
accelerated prior to their stated maturity if the borrowers or KII default under
any other indebtedness in excess of euro 5 million due to a failure to pay the
other indebtedness at its due date (including any due date that arises prior to
the stated maturity as a result of a default under the other
indebtedness). Under the cross-default provisions of our U.S. revolving
credit facility, any outstanding borrowing under the facility may be accelerated
prior to its stated maturity in the event of our bankruptcy. The Canadian
revolving credit facility contains no cross-default provisions. The
European, U.S. and Canadian revolving credit facilities each contain provisions
that allow the lender to accelerate the maturity of the applicable facility in
the event of a change of control, as defined in the respective agreement, of the
applicable borrower. In the event any of these cross-default or
change-of-control provisions become applicable, and the indebtedness is
accelerated, we would be required to repay the indebtedness prior to its stated
maturity.
Certain
of the credit facilities described above require the respective borrowers to
maintain minimum levels of equity, require the maintenance of certain financial
ratios, limit dividends and additional indebtedness and contain other provisions
and restrictive covenants customary in lending transactions of this
type. We are in compliance with all of our debt covenants at December
31, 2009. We believe we will be able to comply with the financial
covenants contained in all of our credit facilities through the maturity of the
respective facility; however if future operating results differ materially from
our expectations we may be unable to maintain compliance.
At
December 31, 2009, the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries
approximated $103 million. At December 31, 2009, there were no
restrictions on our ability to pay dividends. The terms of the
indenture governing the 6.5% Notes limits KII’s ability to pay dividends and
make other restricted payments. At December 31, 2009, the maximum
amount of dividends and other restricted payments that KII could make (the
“Restricted Payment Basket”) was nil. The indenture currently
prohibits KII from utilizing such Restricted Payment Basket because KII has not
met a specified financial ratio; such prohibition will continue until such time
as KII meets the specified financial ratio.
Note
9 – Income taxes:
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Pre-tax
income (loss):
|
||||||||||||
U.S.
|
$ | .6 | $ | (.2 | ) | $ | 17.5 | |||||
Non-U.S.
|
47.4 | 6.2 | (74.4 | ) | ||||||||
Total
|
$ | 48.0 | $ | 6.0 | $ | (56.9 | ) | |||||
Expected
tax expense (benefit), at U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of
35%
|
$ | 16.8 | $ | 2.1 | $ | (19.9 | ) | |||||
Non-U.S.
tax rates
|
.3 | (.4 | ) | 1.4 | ||||||||
German
tax attribute adjustments
|
8.7 | (7.2 | ) | .2 | ||||||||
Incremental
U.S. tax and rate differences on equity in earnings of non-tax group
companies
|
(1.7 | ) | (.1 | ) | - | |||||||
Nondeductible
expenses
|
2.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 | |||||||||
U.S.
state income taxes, net
|
(.5 | ) | 1.0 | .2 | ||||||||
Tax
contingency reserve adjustment, net
|
(2.0 | ) | .1 | (4.7 | ) | |||||||
Non
U.S. tax rate changes
|
91.0 | (.1 | ) | - | ||||||||
Assessment
(refund) of prior year income taxes
|
(.9 | ) | .1 | (.2 | ) | |||||||
Nontaxable
income
|
(.8 | ) | (.9 | ) | (.9 | ) | ||||||
Other,
net
|
.9 | .1 | (.3 | ) | ||||||||
Provision
for income taxes (benefit)
|
$ | 114.7 | $ | (3.0 | ) | $ | (22.2 | ) |
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Components
of income tax expense (benefit):
|
||||||||||||
Currently
payable (refundable):
|
||||||||||||
U.S.
federal and state
|
$ | (1.2 | ) | $ | (.1 | ) | $ | 1.9 | ||||
Non-U.S.
|
10.9 | 7.7 | 2.5 | |||||||||
9.7 | 7.6 | 4.4 | ||||||||||
Deferred
income taxes (benefit):
|
||||||||||||
U.S.
federal and state
|
(1.5 | ) | - | 2.5 | ||||||||
Non-U.S.
|
106.5 | (10.6 | ) | (29.1 | ) | |||||||
105.0 | (10.6 | ) | (26.6 | ) | ||||||||
Provision
for income taxes (benefit)
|
$ | 114.7 | $ | (3.0 | ) | $ | (22.2 | ) | ||||
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Comprehensive
provision for income taxes (benefit) allocable to:
|
||||||||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
$ | 114.7 | $ | (3.0 | ) | $ | (22.2 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income -
|
||||||||||||
Pension
plans
|
28.5 | (6.2 | ) | 3.1 | ||||||||
OPEB
|
.1 | .4 | (.9 | ) | ||||||||
Adoption
of measurement date provisions
of
ASC Topic 715 to pension plans
|
(1.2 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Total
|
$ | 142.1 | $ | (8.8 | ) | $ | (20.0 | ) |
The
components of our net deferred income taxes at December 31, 2008 and 2009, and
changes in the deferred income tax valuation allowance during 2007, 2008 and
2009, are summarized in the following tables.
December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Assets
|
Liabilities
|
Assets
|
Liabilities
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Tax
effect of temporary differences related to:
|
||||||||||||||||
Inventories
|
$ | 1.0 | $ | (4.3 | ) | $ | 2.3 | $ | (4.0 | ) | ||||||
Property
and equipment
|
.1 | (56.2 | ) | - | (61.5 | ) | ||||||||||
Accrued
postretirement benefits other than pension (“OPEB”) costs
|
2.8 | - | 4.1 | - | ||||||||||||
Accrued
pension cost
|
6.7 | - | 3.6 | - | ||||||||||||
Other
accrued liabilities and deductible differences
|
21.6 | - | 21.4 | - | ||||||||||||
Other
taxable differences
|
- | (4.9 | ) | - | (6.7 | ) | ||||||||||
Tax
on unremitted earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries
|
- | (2.5 | ) | - | (2.9 | ) | ||||||||||
Tax
loss and tax credit carryforwards
|
167.1 | - | 197.6 | - | ||||||||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(1.2 | ) | - | (.5 | ) | - | ||||||||||
Adjusted
gross deferred tax assets (liabilities)
|
198.1 | (67.9 | ) | 228.5 | (75.1 | ) | ||||||||||
Netting
of items by tax jurisdiction
|
(27.6 | ) | 27.6 | (39.3 | ) | 39.3 | ||||||||||
170.5 | (40.3 | ) | 189.2 | (35.8 | ) | |||||||||||
Less
net current deferred tax asset (liability)
|
4.1 | (4.6 | ) | 3.7 | (4.7 | ) | ||||||||||
Net
noncurrent deferred tax asset (liability)
|
$ | 166.4 | $ | (35.7 | ) | $ | 185.5 | $ | (31.1 | ) |
Tax
authorities are examining certain of our non-U.S. tax returns and have or may
propose tax deficiencies, including penalties and interest. In
March 2010, we received a revised notice of proposed adjustment from the
Canadian tax authorities related to the years 2002 through 2004. We
object to the proposed assessment and we intend to formally respond to the
Canadian tax authorities during the second quarter of 2010. If the
full amount of the proposed adjustment were ultimately to be assessed against us
the net impact to our consolidated financial statements would be approximately
$3.7 million. Because of the inherent uncertainties involved in the
settlement of the potential exposure, if any, the final outcome is also
uncertain. We believe that we have provided adequate
reserves.
Following the
resolution of tax audits in Belgium and Germany in the third and fourth quarters
of 2009, we de-recognized $4.7 million of our reserve for uncertain tax
positions primarily related to the audit resolution.
During
the second quarter of 2008, we recognized a $7.2 million non-cash deferred
income tax benefit related to a European Court ruling that resulted in the
favorable resolution of certain income tax issues in Germany and an increase in
the amount of our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss
carryforwards.
Following
a European Union Court of Justice decision and subsequent proceedings which
concluded in the second quarter of 2007 that we believe may favorably impact us,
we initiated a new tax planning strategy. If we are successful, we
would generate a substantial cash tax benefit in the form of refunds of income
taxes we have previously paid in Europe which we currently do not expect would
affect our future earnings when received. It may be a number of years before we
know if our implementation of this tax planning strategy will be successful, and
accordingly we have not currently recognized any refundable income taxes that we
might ultimately receive. Partially as a result of and consistent with our
initiation of this tax planning strategy, in the second quarter of 2007 we
amended prior-year income tax returns in Germany. As a consequence of amending
our tax returns, our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss
carryforwards were reduced by an aggregate of euro 13.4 million and euro 22.6
million, respectively, and, accordingly, we recognized an $8.7 million provision
for deferred income taxes in the second quarter of 2007 related to the
adjustment of our German tax attributes.
In August
2007, Germany enacted certain changes in their income tax laws. The
most significant change is the reduction of the German corporate and trade
income tax rates. We have a significant net deferred income tax asset in
Germany, primarily related to the benefit associated with our corporate and
trade tax net operating loss carryforwards. We measure our net
deferred taxes using the applicable enacted tax rates, and the effect of any
change in the applicable enacted tax rate is recognized in the period of
enactment. Accordingly, we reported a decrease in our net deferred
tax asset in Germany of $90.8 million in the third quarter of 2007, which is
recognized as a component of our provision for income taxes.
Income tax examinations related to our
operations continue, and we cannot guarantee that these tax matters will be
resolved in our favor due to the inherent uncertainties involved in settlement
initiatives and court and tax proceedings. We believe we have
adequate accruals for additional taxes and related interest expense which could
ultimately result from tax examinations. We believe the ultimate
disposition of tax examinations should not have a material adverse effect on our
consolidated financial position, results of operations or
liquidity.
At
December 31, 2009, we had the equivalent of $941 million and $288 million of net
operating loss carryforwards for German corporate and trade tax purposes,
respectively. At December 31, 2009, we have concluded that no
deferred income tax asset valuation allowance is required to be recognized with
respect to such carryforwards, principally because (i) such carryforwards have
an indefinite carryforward period, (ii) we have utilized a portion of such
carryforwards during the most recent three-year period and (iii) we currently
expect to utilize the remainder of such carryforwards over the long
term. However, prior to the complete utilization of these
carryforwards, particularly if the economic recovery were to be short-lived or
we generate operating losses in our German operations for an extended period of
time, it is possible we might conclude the benefit of the carryforwards would no
longer meet the more-likely-than-not recognition criteria, at which point we
would be required to recognize a valuation allowance against some or all of the
then-remaining tax benefit associated with the carryforwards.
As a
consequence of a European Court ruling that resulted in a favorable resolution
of certain income tax issues in Germany, during the first quarter of 2010 the
German tax authorities agreed to an increase in our German net operating loss
carryforwards. Accordingly, we expect to report a non-cash income tax
benefit of approximately $35.2 million in the first quarter of
2010.
Note
10 – Employee benefit plans:
Defined
contribution plans. We maintain
various defined contribution pension plans with our contributions based on
matching or other formulas. Defined contribution plan expense
approximated $.5 million in 2007, $.9 million in 2008 and $1.0 million in
2009.
Accounting for
defined benefit and postretirement benefits other than pensions (“OPEB”)
plans. We recognize an
asset or liability for the over or under funded status of each of our individual
defined benefit pension plans on our Consolidated Balance
Sheets. Changes in the funded status of these plans are recognized
either in net income (loss), to the extent they are reflected in periodic
benefit cost, or through other comprehensive income (loss).
Prior to
December 31, 2007 we used September 30 as a measurement date for certain of our
pension plans. In accordance with asset and liability recognition provisions of
ASC Topic 715 Compensation –
Retirement Benefits, effective December 31, 2007 we transitioned all of
our plans which had previously used a September 30 measurement date to a
December 31 measurement date using a 15 month net periodic benefit
cost. Accordingly, one-fifth of the net periodic benefit cost for the
period from October 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007 net of income taxes has
been allocated as a direct adjustment to retained earnings to reflect this
change and four-fifths of the cost was allocated to expense in
2007. In addition, we are providing the expanded disclosures
regarding our defined benefit pension plan assets as of December 31, 2009, as
required by the provisions of ASC Topic 715.
Defined benefit plans. We sponsor various defined benefit pension plans. Non-U.S. employees are covered by plans in their respective countries and a majority of U.S. employees are eligible to participate in a contributory savings plan. The benefits under our plans are based upon years of service and employee compensation. Our funding policy is to contribute annually the minimum amount required under ERISA (or equivalent non U.S.) regulations plus additional amounts as we deem appropriate.
We expect
to contribute the equivalent of approximately $23.9 million to all of our
defined benefit pension plans during 2010. Benefit payments to plan
participants out of plan assets are expected to be the equivalent
of:
Years ending December 31,
|
Amount
|
|||
(In
millions)
|
||||
2010
|
$ | 23.7 | ||
2011
|
24.6 | |||
2012
|
27.6 | |||
2013
|
26.2 | |||
2014
|
27.7 | |||
Next
5 years
|
134.1 |
The
funded status of our non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans is presented in the
table below.
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Change
in projected benefit obligations (“PBO”):
|
||||||||
Benefit
obligations at beginning of the year
|
$ | 441.4 | $ | 375.5 | ||||
Service
cost
|
9.6 | 8.6 | ||||||
Interest
cost
|
17.9 | 22.1 | ||||||
Participant
contributions
|
1.8 | 1.6 | ||||||
Actuarial
(gains) losses
|
(23.3 | ) | 12.2 | |||||
Change
in currency exchange rates
|
(47.4 | ) | 27.2 | |||||
Benefits
paid
|
(24.5 | ) | (23.5 | ) | ||||
Benefit
obligations at end of the year
|
375.5 | 423.7 | ||||||
Change
in plan assets:
|
||||||||
Fair
value of plan assets at beginning of the year
|
303.8 | 252.8 | ||||||
Actual
return on plan assets
|
(12.6 | ) | 31.4 | |||||
Employer
contributions
|
20.7 | 23.0 | ||||||
Participant
contributions
|
1.9 | 1.6 | ||||||
Change
in currency exchange rates
|
(36.6 | ) | 21.6 | |||||
Benefits
paid
|
(24.5 | ) | (23.5 | ) | ||||
Fair
value of plan assets at end of year
|
252.7 | 306.9 | ||||||
Funded
status
|
$ | (122.8 | ) | $ | (116.8 | ) | ||
Amounts
recognized in the balance sheet:
|
||||||||
Noncurrent
pension asset
|
$ | - | $ | .3 | ||||
Accrued
pension costs:
|
||||||||
Current
|
(.1 | ) | (1.5 | ) | ||||
Noncurrent
|
(122.7 | ) | (115.6 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ | (122.8 | ) | $ | (116.8 | ) | ||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss:
|
||||||||
Actuarial
losses
|
$ | 119.2 | $ | 110.8 | ||||
Prior
service cost
|
5.6 | 4.8 | ||||||
Net
transition obligations
|
3.2 | 2.7 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 128.0 | $ | 118.3 | ||||
Accumulated
benefit obligations (“ABO”)
|
$ | 343.3 | $ | 389.8 |
The
components of our net periodic defined benefit pension cost for our Non-U.S.
defined benefit pension plans are presented in the table below. In
the fourth quarter of 2008 we recognized a $6.9 million adjustment in connection
with the correction of our pension expense previously recognized for 2006 and
2007. The $6.9 million adjustment consisted of $2.0 million of
service cost, $4.1 million of interest cost credit and $4.8 million of
recognized actuarial gains. The amounts shown below for the
amortization of prior service cost, net transition obligations and recognized
actuarial losses for 2008 and 2009 were recognized as components of our
accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at December 31, 2007 and 2008
respectively, net of deferred income taxes.
Years
ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Net
periodic pension cost:
|
||||||||||||
Service
cost benefits
|
$ | 7.9 | $ | 9.6 | $ | 8.6 | ||||||
Interest
cost on PBO
|
21.1 | 17.9 | 22.1 | |||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(15.3 | ) | (18.2 | ) | (15.4 | ) | ||||||
Recognized
actuarial losses (gains)
|
8.5 | (.8 | ) | 5.5 | ||||||||
Amortization
of prior service cost
|
.7 | .9 | .9 | |||||||||
Amortization
of net transition obligations
|
.5 | .5 | .5 | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | 23.4 | $ | 9.9 | $ | 22.2 |
Certain
information concerning our non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans is presented
in the table below.
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Plans
for which the ABO exceeds plan assets:
|
||||||||
PBO
|
$ | 325.7 | $ | 365.8 | ||||
ABO
|
302.6 | 340.6 | ||||||
Fair
value of plan assets
|
208.4 | 250.3 |
The
weighted-average rate assumptions used in determining the actuarial present
value of benefit obligations for our non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans as
of December 31, 2008 and 2009 are presented in the table below.
Rate
|
December
31,
|
|
|
2008
|
2009
|
Discount
rate
|
5.9%
|
5.5%
|
Increase
in future compensation levels
|
3.2%
|
3.1%
|
The
weighted-average rate assumptions used in determining the net periodic pension
cost for our non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans for 2007, 2008 and 2009 are
presented in the table below.
Rate
|
Years ended December
31,
|
||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Discount
rate
|
4.7%
|
5.5%
|
5.9%
|
Increase
in future compensation levels
|
3.0%
|
3.0%
|
3.2%
|
Long-term
return on plan assets
|
6.2%
|
6.2%
|
5.9%
|
Variances
from actuarially assumed rates will result in increases or decreases in
accumulated pension obligations, pension expense and funding requirements in
future periods.
The
funded status of our U.S. defined benefit pension plan is presented in the table
below.
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Change
in PBO:
|
||||||||
Benefit
obligations at beginning of the year
|
$ | 14.2 | $ | 13.9 | ||||
Interest
cost
|
.9 | .8 | ||||||
Actuarial
(gains) losses
|
(.4 | ) | .7 | |||||
Benefits
paid
|
(.8 | ) | (.8 | ) | ||||
Benefit
obligations at end of the year
|
13.9 | 14.6 | ||||||
Change
in plan assets:
|
||||||||
Fair
value of plan assets at beginning of the year
|
20.5 | 11.1 | ||||||
Actual
return on plan assets
|
(8.7 | ) | 1.4 | |||||
Employer
contributions
|
.1 | .1 | ||||||
Benefits
paid
|
(.8 | ) | (.8 | ) | ||||
Fair
value of plan assets at end of year
|
11.1 | 11.8 | ||||||
Funded
status
|
$ | (2.8 | ) | $ | (2.8 | ) | ||
Amounts
recognized in the balance sheet:
|
||||||||
Accrued
pension costs:
|
||||||||
Current
|
$ | - | $ | (.1 | ) | |||
Noncurrent
|
(2.8 | ) | (2.7 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ | (2.8 | ) | $ | (2.8 | ) | ||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss-
|
||||||||
actuarial
losses
|
$ | 7.9 | $ | 8.0 | ||||
ABO
|
$ | 13.9 | $ | 14.6 |
The
components of our net periodic defined benefit pension cost for our U.S. defined
benefit pension plan is presented in the table below. The amounts
shown below for the amortization of prior service cost, net transition
obligations and recognized actuarial losses for 2008, and 2009 were recognized
as components of our accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at December
31, 2007 and 2008 respectively, net of deferred income taxes.
Years
ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Net
periodic pension cost:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
cost on PBO
|
$ | .9 | $ | .9 | $ | .9 | ||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(1.9 | ) | (2.0 | ) | (1.1 | ) | ||||||
Recognized
actuarial losses
|
- | - | .3 | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | (1.0 | ) | $ | (1.1 | ) | $ | .1 |
The discount
rate assumptions used in determining the actuarial present value of the benefit
obligation for our U.S. defined benefit pension plan as of December 31, 2008 and
2009 are 6.1% and 5.7%, respectively. The impact of assumed increases
in future compensation levels does not have an effect on the benefit obligation
as the plan is frozen with regards to compensation.
The
weighted-average rate assumptions used in determining the net periodic pension
cost for our U.S. defined benefit pension plan for 2007, 2008 and 2009 are
presented in the table below. The impact of assumed increases in
future compensation levels does not have an effect on the periodic pension cost
as the plan is frozen with regards to compensation.
Rate
|
Years ended December
31,
|
||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Discount
rate
|
5.8%
|
6.1%
|
6.1%
|
Long-term
return on plan assets
|
10.0%
|
10.0%
|
10.0%
|
Variances
from actuarially assumed rates will result in increases or decreases in
accumulated pension obligations, pension expense and funding requirements in
future periods.
The
amounts shown in the above tables for actuarial losses, prior service cost and
net transition obligations at December 31, 2008 and 2009 have not yet been
recognized as components of our periodic defined benefit pension cost as of
those dates. These amounts will be recognized as components of our
periodic defined benefit cost in future years. These amounts, net of
deferred income taxes, are recognized in our accumulated other comprehensive
income (loss) at December 2008 and 2009. We expect approximately $6.0
million, $.9 million and $.5 million of the unrecognized actuarial losses, prior
service costs and net transition obligations, respectively, will be recognized
as components of our net periodic defined benefit pension cost in
2010.
The table
below details the changes in other comprehensive income (loss) during 2007, 2008
and 2009.
Years Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Changes
in plan assets and benefit obligations
recognized
in other comprehensive income (loss):
|
||||||||||||
Current
year:
|
||||||||||||
Net
actuarial gain (loss)
|
$ | 70.4 | $ | (15.0 | ) | $ | 2.8 | |||||
Plan
amendment
|
(4.4 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Amortization
of unrecognized:
|
||||||||||||
Net
actuarial losses (gains)
|
8.5 | (.8 | ) | 5.5 | ||||||||
Prior service cost
|
.7 | .9 | .8 | |||||||||
Net transition obligations
|
.5 | .5 | .5 | |||||||||
Change
in measurement date:
|
||||||||||||
Prior service cost
|
.2 | - | - | |||||||||
Net transition obligations
|
.1 | - | - | |||||||||
Net
actuarial losses
|
2.4 | - | - | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | 78.4 | $ | (14.4 | ) | $ | 9.6 |
As noted
above, we are providing the expanded disclosures regarding our defined benefit
pension plan assets as of December 31, 2009, as required by the provisions of
ASC Topic 715. The transition provisions of this Topic required us to provide
these expanded disclosures on a prospective basis for the December 31, 2009 plan
assets only.
In
determining the expected long-term rate of return on plan asset assumptions, we
consider the long-term asset mix (e.g. equity vs. fixed income) for the assets
for each of our plans and the expected long-term rates of return for such asset
components. In addition, we receive third-party advice about
appropriate long-term rates of return. Such assumed asset mixes are
summarized below:
·
|
In
Germany, the composition of our plan assets is established to satisfy the
requirements of the German insurance commissioner. Our German
pension plan assets represent an investment in a large collective
investment fund established and maintained by Bayer AG in which several
pension plans, including our German pension plan and Bayer’s pension
plans, have invested. These plan assets are a Level 3 input
because there is not an active market that approximates the value of our
investment in the Bayer investment fund. We determine the fair
value of the Bayer plan assets based on periodic reports we receive from
the managers of the Bayer plan which are subject to audit by the German
pension regulator.
|
·
|
In
Canada, we currently have a plan asset target allocation of 55% to equity
securities and 45% to fixed income securities. We expect the
long-term rate of return for such investments to average approximately 125
basis points above the applicable equity or fixed income
index. The Canadian assets are Level 1 input because they are
traded in active markets.
|
·
|
In
Norway, we currently have a plan asset target allocation of 14% to equity
securities, 72% to fixed income securities and the remainder primarily to
liquid investments such as money markets. The expected
long-term rate of return for such investments is approximately 9.0%, 5.0%
and 4.0%, respectively. The majority of Norwegian plan assets
are Level 1 inputs because they are traded in active markets; however a
portion of our Norwegian plan assets are invested in certain
individualized fixed income insurance contracts for the benefit of each
plan participant as required by the local regulators and are therefore a
Level 3 input.
|
·
|
In
the U.S., substantially all of the assets were invested in The Combined
Master Retirement Trust (“CMRT”), a collective investment trust sponsored
by Contran to permit the collective investment by certain master trusts
which fund certain employee benefit plans sponsored by Contran and certain
of its affiliates.
|
The
CMRT’s long-term investment objective is to provide a rate of return exceeding a
composite of broad market equity and fixed income indices (including the S&P
500 and certain Russell indices) while utilizing both third-party investment
managers as well as investments directed by Mr. Simmons. Mr. Simmons
is the sole trustee of the CMRT. The trustee of the CMRT, along with
the CMRT’s investment committee, of which Mr. Simmons is a member, actively
manage the investments of the CMRT.
The CMRT
trustee and investment committee do not maintain a specific target asset
allocation in order to achieve their objectives, but instead they periodically
change the asset mix of the CMRT based upon, among other things, advice they
receive from third-party advisors and their expectations regarding potential
returns for various investment alternatives and what asset mix will generate the
greatest overall return. During the history of the CMRT from its
inception in 1988 through December 31, 2009, the average annual rate of return
of the CMRT has been 11%. For the years ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009,
the assumed long-term rate of return for plan assets invested in the CMRT was
10%. In determining the appropriateness of the long-term rate of
return assumption, we primarily rely on the historical rates of return achieved
by the CMRT, although we consider other factors as well including, among other
things, the investment objectives of the CMRT's managers and their expectation
that such historical returns will in the future continue to be achieved over the
long-term.
At December 31, 2009, the portion of
the CMRT in which our U.S. plan is invested is represented by investments which
are valued using Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 inputs, with approximately 75%
valued using Level 1 inputs, 4% using Level 2 inputs and 21% using Level 3
inputs. The CMRT is not traded on any market. The CMRT
unit value is determined semi-monthly, and the plans have the ability to redeem
all or any portion of their investment in the CMRT at any time based on the most
recent semi-monthly valuation. However, the plans do not have the
right to individual assets held by the CMRT and the CMRT has the sole discretion
in determining how to meet any redemption request. For purposes of
our plan asset disclosure, we consider the investment in the CMRT as a Level 2
input because (i) the CMRT value is established semi-monthly and the plans have
the right to redeem their investment in the CMRT, in part or in whole, at
anytime based on the most recent value and (ii) approximately 79% of the assets
of the CMRT are valued using either Level 1 or Level 2 inputs, which have
observable inputs. The total fair value of all of the CMRT assets,
including funds of Contran and its other affiliates that also invest in the
CMRT, was $399 million and $407 million at December 31, 2008 and 2009,
respectively. At December 31, 2009 approximately 50% of the CMRT assets were
invested in domestic equity securities with the majority of these being
publically traded securities; approximately 7% were invested in publically
traded international equity securities; approximately 30% were invested in
publically traded fixed income securities; approximately 11% were invested in
various privately managed limited partnerships and the remainder was invested in
real estate and cash and cash equivalents.
·
|
We
also have plan assets in Belgium and the United Kingdom. The
Belgian plan assets are invested in certain individualized fixed income
insurance contracts for the benefit of each plan participant as
required
|
by the
local regulators and are therefore a Level 3 input. The United
Kingdom plan assets consist of marketable securities which are Level 1 inputs
because they trade in active markets.
We regularly review our actual asset
allocation for each of our plans, and periodically rebalance the investments in
each plan to more accurately reflect the targeted allocation when we consider it
appropriate.
The
composition of our December 31, 2009 pension plan assets by asset category and
fair value level were as follows:
Fair
Value Measurements at December 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
|
Quoted
Prices in Active Markets (Level
1)
|
Significant
Other Observable Inputs (Level
2)
|
Significant
Unobservable Inputs (Level
3)
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Germany
|
$ | 172.3 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 172.3 | ||||||||
Canada:
|
- | |||||||||||||||
Local
currency equities
|
16.6 | 16.6 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Non
local currency equities
|
24.3 | 24.3 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Local
currency fixed income
|
26.2 | 26.2 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Non local currency
fixed income
|
.2 | .2 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Cash
and other
|
1.6 | 1.6 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Norway:
|
||||||||||||||||
Local
currency equities
|
3.6 | 3.6 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Non
local currency equities
|
6.4 | 6.4 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Local
currency fixed income
|
31.9 | 7.7 | - | 24.2 | ||||||||||||
Non
local currency fixed income
|
4.4 | 1.3 | - | 3.1 | ||||||||||||
Cash
and other
|
10.4 | 9.7 | - | .7 | ||||||||||||
U.S.
- CMRT
|
11.8 | - | 11.8 | - | ||||||||||||
Other
|
9.0 | 2.2 | - | 6.8 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 318.7 | $ | 99.8 | $ | 11.8 | $ | 207.1 |
A
rollforward of the change in fair value of Level 3 assets follows.
Amount
|
||||
(In
millions)
|
||||
Fair
value at December 31, 2008
|
$ | 178.9 | ||
Gain
(loss) on assets held at December 31, 2009
|
19.8 | |||
Gain
(loss) on assets sold during the year
|
(1.4 | ) | ||
Assets
purchased
|
20.2 | |||
Assets
sold
|
(19.0 | ) | ||
Currency
|
8.6 | |||
Fair
value at December 31, 2009
|
$ | 207.1 | ||
Our December 31, 2008 pension plan
weighted average asset allocations by asset category were as
follows:
December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
Germany
|
Canada
|
Norway
|
CMRT
|
|||||||||||||
Equity
securities and limited
partnerships
|
24 | % | 53 | % | 14 | % | 53 | % | ||||||||
Fixed
income securities
|
52 | 39 | 83 | 43 | ||||||||||||
Real
estate
|
12 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents and other
|
12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
Postretirement
benefits other than pensions (“OPEB”). We provide certain
health care and life insurance benefits for eligible retired
employees. Certain of our Canadian employees may become eligible for
such postretirement health care and life insurance benefits if they reach
retirement age while working for us. In the U.S., employees who
retired after 1998 are not entitled to any such benefits. The
majority of all retirees are required to contribute a portion of the cost of
their benefits and certain current and future retirees are eligible for reduced
health care benefits at age 65. We use a December 31 measurement date
for our OPEB plans. We have no OPEB plan assets, rather, we fund
medical claims as they are paid. Benefit payments to OPEB plans are
expected to be the equivalent of:
Years ending December 31,
|
Amount
|
|||
(In
millions)
|
||||
2010
|
$ | .8 | ||
2011
|
.7 | |||
2012
|
.7 | |||
2013
|
.7 | |||
2014
|
.6 | |||
Next
5 years
|
3.4 |
The
funded status of our OPEB plans is presented in the table below:
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Change
in accumulated OPEB obligations:
|
||||||||
Obligations
at beginning of the year
|
$ | 12.4 | $ | 9.4 | ||||
Service
cost
|
.3 | .2 | ||||||
Interest
cost
|
.7 | .6 | ||||||
Actuarial
(gains) losses
|
(1.9 | ) | 3.2 | |||||
Change
in currency exchange rates
|
(1.7 | ) | 1.2 | |||||
Benefits
paid from employer contributions
|
(.4 | ) | (.4 | ) | ||||
Obligations
at end of the year
|
9.4 | 14.2 | ||||||
Fair
value of plan assets
|
- | - | ||||||
Funded
status
|
$ | (9.4 | ) | $ | (14.2 | ) | ||
Amounts
recognized in the balance sheet:
|
||||||||
Current
accrued pension costs
|
$ | (.7 | ) | $ | (.8 | ) | ||
Noncurrent
accrued pension costs
|
(8.7 | ) | (13.4 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ | (9.4 | ) | $ | (14.2 | ) | ||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income:
|
||||||||
Net
actuarial losses
|
$ | (1.4 | ) | $ | 1.7 | |||
Prior
service credit
|
(.7 | ) | (.5 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ | (2.1 | ) | $ | 1.2 | |||
The amounts shown in the table above
for net actuarial losses and prior service credit at December 31, 2008 and 2009
have not yet been recognized as components of our periodic OPEB cost as of those
dates. These amounts will be recognized as components of our periodic
OPEB cost in future years. These amounts, net of deferred income
taxes, are recognized in our accumulated other comprehensive income
(loss). We expect to recognize approximately $.2 million of prior
service credit as a component of our periodic OPEB cost in 2010.
The table
below details the changes in benefit obligations recognized in accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) during 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Years Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
Millions)
|
||||||||||||
Changes
in benefit obligations recognized in
other
comprehensive income:
|
||||||||||||
Current
year:
|
||||||||||||
Net
actuarial gain (loss)
|
$ | .2 | $ | 1.6 | $ | (3.2 | ) | |||||
Plan
amendment
|
.1 | - | - | |||||||||
Amortization
of unrecognized:
|
||||||||||||
Prior service cost
(credit)
|
(.2 | ) | .2 | (.2 | ) | |||||||
Net
actuarial gain (loss)
|
.1 | (.1 | ) | - | ||||||||
Total
|
$ | .2 | $ | 1.7 | $ | (3.4 | ) |
At
December 31, 2009, the accumulated OPEB obligations for all OPEB plans was
comprised of $2.8 million related to U.S. plans and $11.4 million related to our
Canadian plan (2008 - $2.9 million and $6.5 million, respectively).
The
components of our periodic OPEB costs are presented in the table
below. The amounts shown below for amortization of prior service
credit and recognized actuarial losses, net of deferred income taxes, were
recognized as components of our accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at
December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Net
periodic OPEB cost (credit):
|
||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | .3 | $ | .3 | $ | .2 | ||||||
Interest
cost
|
.7 | .7 | .6 | |||||||||
Amortization
of prior service credit
|
(.2 | ) | (.2 | ) | (.2 | ) | ||||||
Recognized
actuarial losses
|
.1 | .1 | - | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | .9 | $ | .9 | $ | .6 |
A summary
of our key actuarial assumptions used to determine the net benefit obligation as
of December 31, 2008 and 2009 are presented in the table below. The
weighted average discount rate was determined using the projected benefit
obligation as of such dates. The impact of assumed increases in
future compensation levels does not have a material effect on the actuarial
present value of the benefit obligation as substantially all of such benefits
relate solely to eligible retirees, for which compensation is not
applicable.
2008
|
2009
|
|
Healthcare
inflation:
|
||
Initial
rate
|
8.0%
|
7.5%
|
Ultimate
rate
|
5.5%
|
5.5%
|
Year
of ultimate rate achievement
|
2015
|
2014
|
Weighted
average discount rate
|
6.5%
|
5.8%
|
Assumed
health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts we report
for health care plans. A one percent change in assumed health care
trend rates would have the following effects:
1% Increase
|
1% Decrease
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Effect
on net OPEB cost during 2009
|
$ | .2 | $ | (.2 | ) | |||
Effect
at December 31, 2009 on
postretirement
obligation
|
2.7 | (2.2 | ) |
The
weighted average discount rate used in determining the net periodic OPEB cost
for 2009 was 6.5% (2008 – 6.2%; 2007 – 5.8%). Such weighted average
rate was determined using the projected benefit obligation as of the beginning
of each year. The impact of assumed increases in future compensation
levels does not have a material effect on the net periodic OPEB cost as
substantially all of such benefits relate solely to eligible retirees, for which
compensation is not applicable. The impact of assumed rate of return
on plan assets also does not have a material effect on the net periodic OPEB
cost as there were no plan assets as of December 31, 2008 or 2009.
Variances
from actuarially-assumed rates will result in additional increases or decreases
in accumulated OPEB obligations, net periodic OPEB cost and funding requirements
in future periods.
The
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 provides a
federal subsidy to sponsors of retiree health care benefit plans that provide a
benefit that is at least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part
D. We are eligible for the federal subsidy. We
account for the effect of this subsidy prospectively from the date we determined
actuarial equivalence. The subsidy did not have a material impact on
the applicable accumulated postretirement benefit obligation, and will not have
a material impact on the net periodic OPEB cost going forward.
Note
11 – Other noncurrent liabilities:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Reserve
for uncertain tax positions
|
$ | 13.1 | $ | 9.5 | ||||
Employee
benefits
|
8.9 | 9.2 | ||||||
Insurance
claims and expenses
|
1.8 | .3 | ||||||
Other
|
5.0 | 4.2 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 28.8 | $ | 23.2 |
Note
12 – Common stock compensation and other stock transactions:
NL common stock
options held by our employees. Certain of our employees have
been granted nonqualified options to purchase NL common stock under the terms of
certain option plans sponsored by NL. Generally, the stock options
are granted at a price equal to or greater than 100% of the market price of NL's
common stock at the date of grant, vest over a five-year period and expire ten
years from the date of grant.
At
December 31, 2009, our employees held options to purchase approximately 81,000
shares of NL common stock, all of which were exercisable. These
options are exercisable at various dates through 2011; 18,000 have an exercise
price of $5.63 per share and 63,000 have an exercise price of $11.49 per
share. At December 31, 2009, the quoted market price of NL’s common
stock was $6.94 per share. No options were exercised during
2007. During 2008 and 2009, 600 and 6,950 options were
exercised, respectively.
Long-term
incentive compensation plan. We have a long-term incentive
compensation plan that provides for the discretionary grant of, among other
things, qualified incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options,
restricted common stock, stock awards and stock appreciation
rights. Up to 150,000 shares of our common stock may be issued
pursuant to this plan. As of December 31, 2009, no options had been
granted pursuant to this plan, and 122,500 shares were available for future
grants. During each of 2007 and 2008 we awarded an aggregate of 3,500
shares of our common stock pursuant to this plan to members of our board of
directors, and we awarded an aggregate of 10,500 shares to the board members in
2009.
Note
13 - Related party transactions:
We may be deemed to be controlled by
Harold C. Simmons. See Note 1. Corporations that may
be deemed to be controlled by or affiliated with Mr. Simmons sometimes engage in
(a) intercorporate transactions such as guarantees, management and expense
sharing arrangements, shared fee arrangements, joint ventures, partnerships,
loans, options, advances of funds on open account, and sales, leases and
exchanges of assets, including securities issued by both related and unrelated
parties and (b) common investment and acquisition strategies, business
combinations, reorganizations, recapitalizations, securities repurchases, and
purchases and sales (and other acquisitions and dispositions) of subsidiaries,
divisions or other business units, which transactions have involved both related
and unrelated parties and have included transactions which resulted in the
acquisition by one related party of a publicly-held noncontrolling interest in
another related party. While no transactions of the type described
above are planned or proposed with respect to us other than as set forth in
these financial statements, we continuously consider, review and evaluate, and
understand that Contran and related entities consider, review and evaluate such
transactions. Depending upon the business, tax and other objectives
then relevant, it is possible that we might be a party to one or more such
transactions in the future.
Current receivables from and payables
to affiliates are summarized in the table below.
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Current
receivables from affiliate:
|
||||||||
Income
taxes receivable from Valhi
|
$ | 1.2 | $ | - | ||||
Other
|
.2 | .1 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 1.4 | $ | .1 | ||||
Current
payables to affiliates:
|
||||||||
LPC
|
$ | 14.3 | $ | 12.0 | ||||
Income
taxes payable to Valhi
|
.4 | .4 | ||||||
Other
|
- | .2 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 14.7 | $ | 12.6 | ||||
Noncurrent
note payable to NL
|
$ | 19.2 | $ | - |
Amounts
payable to LPC are generally for the purchase of TiO2 (see Note
6). Purchases of TiO2 from LPC
were $124.6 million in 2007, $140.3 million in 2008, and $121.1 million in
2009.
From time
to time, companies related to Contran will have loans and advances outstanding
between them and various related parties pursuant to term and a demand
notes. These loans and advances are generally entered into for cash
management purposes, in which the lender is generally able to earn a higher rate
of return on the loan than would have been earned if the lender invested the
funds in other investments, and the borrower is able to pay a lower rate of
interest than would be paid if the borrow had incurred third-party
indebtedness. While certain of these loans may be of a lesser credit
quality than cash equivalent instruments otherwise available to the lender, the
lender will evaluate the credit risks involved and appropriately reflect those
credit risks in the terms of the applicable loan. In this regard, in
October 2008 the independent members of the Board of Directors of both us and NL
approved terms for us borrowing up to $40 million from NL through December 31,
2009. We incurred interest expense of $.1 in 2008 and $.3 in 2009
under our borrowings from NL. See Note 8.
Under the
terms of various intercorporate services agreements ("ISAs") entered into
between us and various related parties, including Contran, employees of one
company will provide certain management, tax planning, financial and
administrative services to the other company on a fee basis. Such
charges are based upon estimates of the time devoted by the employees of the
provider of the services to the affairs of the recipient, and the compensation
and associated expenses of such persons. Because of the large number
of companies affiliated with Contran, we believe we benefit from cost savings
and economies of scale gained by not having certain management, financial and
administrative staffs duplicated at each entity, thus allowing certain
individuals to provide services to multiple companies but only be compensated by
one entity. The net ISA fee charged to us, approved by the
independent members of our board of directors, is included in selling, general
and administrative expense and corporate expense and was $6.5 million in 2007,
$6.8 million in 2008 and $7.4 million in 2009.
Tall
Pines Insurance Company, and EWI RE, Inc. provide for or broker certain
insurance policies for Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates,
including ourselves. Tall Pines and EWI are subsidiaries of
Valhi. Consistent with insurance industry practices, Tall Pines and
EWI receive commissions from insurance and reinsurance underwriters and/or
assess fees for the policies that they provide or broker. The
aggregate premiums paid to Tall Pines and EWI by us and our joint venture were
$8.7 million in 2007, $8.5 million in 2008 and $8.5 million in 2009. These
amounts principally included payments for insurance and reinsurance premiums
paid to third parties, but also included commissions paid to Tall Pines and
EWI. Tall Pines purchases reinsurance for substantially all of the
risks it underwrites. We expect these relationships with Tall Pines
and EWI will continue in 2010.
Contran
and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, purchase certain
of their insurance policies as a group, with the costs of the jointly-owned
policies being apportioned among the participating companies. With
respect to certain of such policies, it is possible that unusually large losses
incurred by one or more insureds during a given policy period could leave the
other participating companies without adequate coverage under that policy for
the balance of the policy period. As a result, Contran and certain of
its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, have entered into a loss sharing
agreement under which any uninsured loss is shared by those entities who have
submitted claims under the relevant policy. We believe the benefits,
in the form of reduced premiums and broader coverage associated with the group
coverage for such policies, justifies the risk associated with the potential for
any uninsured loss.
Note
14 - Commitments and contingencies:
Environmental
matters. Our operations are governed by various environmental
laws and regulations. Certain of our operations are and have been
engaged in the handling, manufacture or use of substances or compounds that may
be considered toxic or hazardous within the meaning of applicable environmental
laws and regulations. As with other companies engaged in similar
businesses, certain of our past and current operations and products have the
potential to cause environmental or other damage. We have implemented
and continue to implement various policies and programs in an effort to minimize
these risks. Our policy is to maintain compliance with applicable
environmental laws and regulations at all of our facilities and to strive to
improve our environmental performance. From time to time, we may be
subject to environmental regulatory enforcement under U.S. and non U.S.
statutes, resolution of which typically involves the establishment of compliance
programs. It is possible that future developments, such as stricter
requirements of environmental laws and enforcement policies thereunder, could
adversely affect our production, handling, use, storage, transportation, sale or
disposal of such substances. We believe all of our plants are in
substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws.
Litigation
matters. We are involved in various environmental, contractual,
product liability, patent (or intellectual property), employment and other
claims and disputes incidental to our business. We currently believe
the disposition of all claims and disputes, individually or in the aggregate,
should not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial
condition, results of operations or liquidity.
In March 2010, we were served with two
complaints: Haley
Paint v. E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, et al. (United States
District Court, Northern Division of Maryland, Case No. 1:10-cv-00318-RDB); and
Issac Industries, Inc. v. E.I.
Dupont de Nemours and Company, et al. (United States District Court,
Northern Division of Maryland, Case No.
1:10-cv-00323-RDB). Defendants in both cases include us, E.I. Du Pont
de Nemours & Company, Huntsman International LLC, Millennium Inorganic
Chemicals, Inc. and the National Titanium Dioxide Company Limited (d/b/a
Cristal). In each case, the nominal plaintiff seeks to represent a
class consisting of all persons and entities that purchased titanium dioxide in
the United States directly from one or more of the defendants on or after March
1, 2002. The complaints allege that the defendants conspired and
combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price at which titanium
dioxide was sold in the United States and engaged in other anticompetitive
conduct. We intend to deny all alegations of wrongoing and liability
and will defend vigorously against all claims.
Concentrations of
credit risk. Sales of TiO2 accounted
for approximately 90% of our sales during each of the past three
years. The remaining sales result from the mining and sale of
ilmenite ore (a raw material used in the sulfate pigment production process),
and the manufacture and sale of iron-based water treatment chemicals and certain
titanium chemical products (derived from co-products of the TiO2 production
processes). TiO2 is
generally sold to the paint, plastics and paper industries. Such
markets are generally considered “quality-of-life” markets whose demand for
TiO2
is influenced by the relative economic well-being of the various geographic
regions. We sell TiO2 to over
4,000 customers, with the top ten customers approximating 27% of net sales in
each of 2007 and 2008 and 28% in 2009. We did not have sales to a
single customer comprising over 10% of our net sales in any of the previous
three years. The table below shows the approximate percentage of our
TiO2
sales by volume for our significant markets, Europe and North American, for the
last three years.
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Europe
|
54%
|
53%
|
53%
|
North
America
|
34%
|
34%
|
32%
|
Long-term
contracts. We have long-term
supply contracts that provide for our TiO2 feedstock
requirements through 2014. The agreements require us to purchase
certain minimum quantities of feedstock with minimum purchase commitments
aggregating approximately $549 million at December 31, 2009. In
addition, we have other long-term supply and service contracts that provide for
various raw materials and services. These agreements require us to
purchase certain minimum quantities or services with minimum purchase
commitments aggregating approximately $176 million at December 31,
2009.
Operating
leases. Our principal
German operating subsidiary leases the land under its Leverkusen TiO2 production
facility pursuant to a lease with Bayer that expires in 2050. The
Leverkusen facility itself, which we own and which represents approximately
one-third of our current TiO2 production
capacity, is located within Bayer's extensive manufacturing
complex. We periodically establish the amount of rent for the land
lease associated with the Leverkusen facility by agreement with Bayer for
periods of at least two years at a time. The lease agreement provides
for no formula, index or other mechanism to determine changes in the rent for
such land lease; rather, any change in the rent is subject solely to periodic
negotiation between Bayer and ourselves. We recognize any change in
the rent based on such negotiations as part of lease expense starting from the
time such change is agreed upon by both parties, as any such change in the rent
is deemed “contingent rentals” under GAAP. Under a separate supplies
and services agreement expiring in 2011, Bayer provides some raw materials,
including chlorine, auxiliary and operating materials, utilities and services
necessary to operate the Leverkusen facility.
We also
lease various other manufacturing facilities and equipment. Some of
the leases contain purchase and/or various term renewal options at fair market
and fair rental values, respectively. In most cases we expect that,
in the normal course of business, such leases will be renewed or replaced by
other leases. Net rent expense approximated $11 million in 2007, $12
million in 2008 and $11 million in 2009. At December 31, 2009, future
minimum payments under noncancellable operating leases having an initial or
remaining term of more than one year were as follows:
Years ending December 31,
|
Amount
|
|||
(In
millions)
|
||||
2010
|
$ | 5.4 | ||
2011
|
3.5 | |||
2012
|
2.9 | |||
2013
|
2.1 | |||
2014
|
1.0 | |||
2015
and thereafter
|
20.0 | |||
Total
|
$ | 34.9 |
Approximately
$22 million of the $34.9 million aggregate future minimum rental commitments at
December 31, 2009 relates to our Leverkusen facility lease discussed
above. The minimum commitment amounts for such lease included in the
table above for each year through the 2050 expiration of the lease are based
upon the current annual rental rate as of December 31, 2009. As
discussed above, any change in the rent is based solely on negotiations between
Bayer and ourselves, and any such change in the rent is deemed “contingent
rentals” under GAAP which is excluded from the future minimum lease payments
disclosed above.
Income
taxes. We and Valhi
have agreed to a policy providing for the allocation of tax liabilities and tax
payments as described in Note 1. Under applicable law, we, along with
every other member of the Contran Tax Group, are each jointly and severally
liable for the aggregate federal income tax liability of Contran and the other
companies included in the Contran Tax Group for all periods in which we are
included in the Contran Tax Group. Valhi has agreed, however, to
indemnify us for any liability for income taxes of the Contran Tax Group in
excess of our tax liability previously computed and paid by us in accordance
with the tax allocation policy.
Note
15 - Financial instruments:
The
following table summarizes the valuation of our financial instruments recorded
on a fair value basis as of December 31, 2008 and 2009:
Fair
Value
Measurements
|
||||
Total
|
Quoted
Prices in Active Markets (Level
1)
|
Significant
Other Observable Inputs (Level
2)
|
Significant
Unobservable Inputs (Level
3)
|
|
(in
millions)
|
||||
December
31, 2008:
|
||||
Currency
forward contracts
|
$
(1.6)
|
$ (1.6)
|
$ -
|
$ -
|
December
31, 2009:
|
||||
Currency
forward contracts
|
1.6
|
1.6
|
-
|
-
|
Certain
of our sales generated by our non-U.S. operations are denominated in U.S.
dollars. We periodically use currency forward contracts to manage a
very nominal portion of currency exchange rate risk associated with trade
receivables denominated in a currency other than the holder's functional
currency or similar exchange rate risk associated with future
sales. We have not entered into these contracts for trading or
speculative purposes in the past, nor do we currently anticipate entering into
such contracts for trading or speculative purposes in the
future. Derivatives used to hedge forecasted transactions and
specific cash flows associated with financial assets and liabilities denominated
in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and which meet the criteria for hedge
accounting are designated as cash flow hedges. Consequently, the
effective portion of gains and losses is deferred as a component of accumulated
other comprehensive income and is recognized in earnings at the time the hedged
item affects earnings. Contracts that do not meet the criteria for
hedge accounting are marked-to-market at each balance sheet date with any
resulting gain or loss recognized in income currently as part of net currency
transactions. The fair value of the currency forward contracts is
determined using Level 1 inputs based on the currency spot forward rates quoted
by banks or currency dealers. At December 31, 2009, we had currency
forward contracts to exchange an aggregate euro 21.4 million for an equivalent
value of Norwegian Kroner at exchange rates ranging from kroner 8.47 to kroner
9.21 per euro. These contracts with DnB Nor Bank ASA mature from January
2010 through December 2010 and are subject to early redemption provisions at our
option. At December 31, 2009, the actual exchange rate was kroner
8.30 per euro.
The
estimated fair value of such currency forward contracts at December 31, 2009 was
a $1.6 million net asset which is recognized as part of Prepaid Expenses in our
Consolidated Balance Sheet and a corresponding $1.6 million currency transaction
gain in our Consolidated Statement of Operations. To the extent we
held such contracts during 2007, 2008 and 2009, we did not use hedge accounting
for any of our contracts.
In the first quarter of 2010, we
entered into a series of currency forward contracts to exchange:
·
|
an
aggregate of $48.0 million for an equivalent value of Canadian dollars at
an exchange rate of Cdn. $1.04 per U.S. dollar. These contracts
with Wachovia Bank, National Association, mature from January 2010 through
December 2010 and are subject to early redemption provisions at our option
and
|
·
|
an
aggregate of $64.0 million for an equivalent value of Norwegian kroner at
exchange rates ranging from kroner 5.83 to kroner 6.06 per U.S.
dollar. These contracts with DnB Nor Bank ASA mature from
February 2010 through January 2011 and are subject to early redemption
provisions at our option.
|
The
following table presents the financial instruments that are not carried at fair
value but which require fair value disclosure as of December 31, 2008 and
2009.
December
31,
|
December
31,
|
|||||||||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Carrying
Amount
|
Fair
Value
|
Carrying
Amount
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash,
cash equivalents, restricted cash
|
$ | 15.1 | $ | 15.1 | $ | 32.8 | $ | 32.8 | ||||||||
Notes
payable and long-term debt:
|
||||||||||||||||
Fixed
rate with market quotes -
|
||||||||||||||||
6.5%
Senior Secured Notes
|
$ | 560.0 | $ | 129.4 | $ | 574.6 | $ | 466.2 | ||||||||
U.S. Bank credit
facility
|
13.7 | 13.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | ||||||||||||
European credit
facility
|
42.2 | 42.2 | 13.0 | 13.0 | ||||||||||||
Revolving note with
NL
|
19.2 | 19.2 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Common
stockholders’ equity
|
317.9 | 570.4 | 312.5 | 795.8 |
At December 31, 2008 and 2009, the
estimated market price of the 6.5% Notes was approximately euro 230 and euro 809
per euro 1,000 principal amount, respectively. Fair value of our
restricted marketable debt securities and the fair value of our common
stockholders’ equity are based upon quoted market prices at each balance sheet
date, which represent Level 1 inputs. The fair value of our 6.5%
Notes are also based on quoted market prices at each balance sheet date;
however, these quoted market prices represent Level 2 inputs because the markets
in which the Notes trade are not active. The fair values of variable
interest rate debt are deemed to approximate book value. Due to their
near-term maturities, the carrying amounts of accounts receivable and accounts
payable are considered equivalent to fair value. See Notes 1 and
16.
Note
16 – Recent accounting pronouncements:
Benefit Plan
Asset Disclosures
- During the fourth quarter of 2008, the FASB issued FSP SFAS 132 (R)-1,
Employers’ Disclosures about
Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets, which is now included with ASC Topic
715-20 Defined Benefit
Plans. This statement amends SFAS No. 87, 88 and 106 to
require expanded disclosures about employers’ pension plan
assets. FSP 132 (R)-1 became effective for us beginning with this
annual report, and we have provided the expanded disclosures about our pension
plan assets in Note 10.
Derivative
Disclosures – In March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities, an Amendment of FASB Statement No. 133,
which is now included with ASC Topic 815 Derivatives and
Hedging. SFAS No. 161 changes the disclosure requirements for
derivative instruments and hedging activities to provide enhanced disclosures
about how and why we use derivative instruments, how derivative instruments and
related hedged items are accounted for under SFAS No. 133 and how derivative
instruments and related hedged items affect our financial position and
performance and cash flows. This statement became effective for us in the
first quarter of 2009. We periodically use currency forward contracts to
manage a portion of our currency exchange rate market risk associated with trade
receivables or future sales. In addition, we periodically use commodity
contracts to manage a portion of our natural gas market risk. The
contracts we have outstanding at December 31, 2009 are marked to market at each
balance sheet date and are not accounted for under hedge accounting. See
Note 15. Because our prior disclosures regarding these forward
contracts substantially met all of the applicable disclosure requirements of the
new standard, its effectiveness did not have a significant effect on our
Consolidated Financial Statements.
Other-Than-Temporary-Impairments - In April 2009, the FASB
issued FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) FAS 115-2 and FAS 124-2, Recognition and Presentation of
Other-Than-Temporary Impairments, which is now included with ASC
Topic 320 Debt and Equity
Securities. The FSP amends existing guidance for the
recognition and measurement of other-than-temporary impairments for debt and
equity securities classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity and
expands the disclosure requirements for interim and annual periods for
available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt and equity securities, including
information about investments in an unrealized loss position for which an
other-than-temporary impairment has or has not been recognized. This FSP became
effective for us in the second quarter of 2009 and its adoption did not have a
material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Fair Value
Disclosures -
Also in April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1, Interim Disclosures about Fair Value
of Financial Instruments, which is now included with ASC Topic 825 Financial
Instruments. This FSP will require us to disclose the fair
value of all financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate the
value, whether recognized or not recognized in the statement of financial
position, as required by SFAS No. 107, Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial
Instruments for interim as well as annual periods. Prior to
the adoption of the FSP we were only required to disclose this information
annually. This FSP became effective for us in the second quarter of
2009, see Note 15.
Subsequent
Events – In May 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 165, Subsequent Events,
which is now included with ASC Topic 855 Subsequent Events, which was
subsequently amended by Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”)
2010-9. SFAS No. 165 establishes general standards of accounting for
and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before
financial statements are issued, which are referred to as subsequent events. The
statement clarifies existing guidance on subsequent events including a
requirement that a public entity should evaluate subsequent events through the
issue date of the financial statements, the determination of when the effects of
subsequent events should be recognized in the financial statements and
disclosures regarding all subsequent events. SFAS No. 165 became
effective for us in the second quarter of 2009 and its adoption did not have a
material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Uncertain Tax
Positions. On
January 1, 2007, we adopted FIN 48, Accounting for Uncertain Tax
Positions, which is now included with ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes. FIN
48 clarifies when and how much of a benefit we can recognize in our consolidated
financial statements for certain positions taken in our income tax returns and
enhances the disclosure requirements for our income tax policies and
reserves. Among other things, FIN 48 prohibits us from recognizing
the benefits of a tax position unless we believe it is more-likely-than-not our
position will prevail with the applicable tax authorities and limits the amount
of the benefit to the largest amount for which we believe the likelihood of
realization is greater than 50%. FIN 48 also requires companies to
accrue penalties and interest on the difference between tax positions taken on
their tax returns and the amount of benefit recognized for financial reporting
purposes under the new standard. We are required to classify any
future reserves for uncertain tax positions in a separate current or noncurrent
liability, depending on the nature of the tax position.
Upon
adoption of FIN 48 on January 1, 2007, we increased our existing reserve for
uncertain tax positions, which we previously classified as part of our deferred
income taxes, from $14.1 million to $16.3 million and accounted for such $2.2
million increase as a reduction of retained earnings in accordance with the
transition provisions of the new standard.
We accrue
interest and penalties on our uncertain tax positions as a component of our
provision for income taxes. The amount of interest and penalties we
accrued during 2007, 2008 and 2009 was not material, and at December 31, 2007,
2008, and 2009, we had $3.0 million, $2.7 million, and $2.5 million,
respectively, accrued for interest and penalties for our uncertain tax
positions.
The
following table shows the changes in the amount of our uncertain tax positions
(exclusive of the effect of interest and penalties) during 2007, 2008 and
2009:
Year
Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
Millions)
|
||||||||||||
Changes
in unrecognized tax benefits:
|
||||||||||||
Unrecognized
tax benefits at beginning of year
|
$ | 12.6 | $ | 11.9 | $ | 10.4 | ||||||
Net
increase (decrease):
|
||||||||||||
Tax
positions taken in prior periods
|
(1.9 | ) | (1.1 | ) | (5.0 | ) | ||||||
Tax
positions taken in current period
|
2.2 | 1.8 | .9 | |||||||||
Settlements
with taxing authorities – cash paid
|
(.3 | ) | (.1 | ) | - | |||||||
Lapse
of applicable statute of limitations
|
(1.7 | ) | (.7 | ) | - | |||||||
Change
in currency exchange rates
|
1.0 | (1.4 | ) | .7 | ||||||||
Unrecognized
tax benefits at end of year
|
$ | 11.9 | $ | 10.4 | $ | 7.0 |
If our
uncertain tax positions were recognized, a benefit of $14.9 million, $13.1
million, and $9.5 million would affect our effective income tax rates from
continuing operations for 2007, 2008, and 2009 respectively. We
currently estimate that our unrecognized tax benefits will not change materially
during the next twelve months.
We file
income tax returns in various U.S. federal, state and local jurisdictions.
We also file income tax returns in various non U.S. jurisdictions, principally
in Germany, Canada, Belgium and Norway. Our domestic income tax returns
prior to 2006 are generally considered closed to examination by applicable tax
authorities. Our non U.S. income tax returns are generally considered
closed to examination for years prior to 2005 for Germany, 2006 for Belgium,
2004 for Canada and 2000 for Norway.
Note
17
- Quarterly
results of operations (unaudited):
Quarter
ended
|
||||||||||||||||
March 31
|
June 30
|
September 30
|
December 31
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions, except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 332.5 | $ | 391.9 | $ | 345.6 | $ | 246.9 | ||||||||
Gross
margin
|
57.1 | 59.2 | 50.4 | 53.9 | ||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
(.4 | ) | 5.8 | (3.6 | ) | 7.2 | ||||||||||
Basic
and diluted earnings (loss) per common share
|
$ | (.01 | ) | $ | .12 | $ | (.07 | ) | $ | .15 | ||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 248.0 | $ | 282.0 | $ | 310.1 | $ | 301.9 | ||||||||
Gross
margin
|
4.1 | 14.1 | 59.5 | 52.6 | ||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
(26.6 | ) | (21.8 | ) | 8.6 | 5.1 | ||||||||||
Basic
and diluted earnings (loss) per common share
|
$ | (.54 | ) | $ | (.45 | ) | $ | .17 | $ | .11 |
In the
second quarter of 2008, we recognized a $7.2 million income tax benefit related
to a favorable resolution of certain income tax issues in
Germany. See Note 9. In the fourth quarter of 2008, we
recognized a $6.9 million adjustment ($4.8 million, net of income taxes) in
connection with the correction of our pension expense previously recognized for
2006 and 2007. See Note 10.
In the
fourth quarter of 2009 we recognized a non-cash $4.7 million income tax benefit
related to a net decrease in our reserve for uncertain tax
positions. See Note 16. Also in the fourth quarter of
2009, we recognized a $.9 million adjustment ($.6 million, net of income taxes)
in connection with the correction of our employee benefit expense previously
recognized for 2007, 2008 and the first three quarters of 2009.
The sum
of the quarterly per share amounts may not equal the annual per share amounts
due to relative changes in the weighted average number of shares used in the per
share computations.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SCHEDULE
I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Condensed
Balance Sheets
(In
millions)
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Receivables
from subsidiary
|
$ | 19.9 | $ | 28.8 | ||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
.3 | .3 | ||||||
Total
current assets
|
20.2 | 29.1 | ||||||
Other
assets:
|
||||||||
Investment
in subsidiaries
|
594.0 | 612.1 | ||||||
Other
|
2.4 | .4 | ||||||
Total
other assets
|
596.4 | 612.5 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 616.6 | $ | 641.6 | ||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
$ | .2 | $ | .1 | ||||
Payable
to affiliate and subsidiary
|
40.8 | 63.9 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
41.0 | 64.0 | ||||||
Noncurrent
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Notes
payable to KII
|
229.3 | 235.1 | ||||||
Interest
payable to KII
|
5.4 | 27.2 | ||||||
Note
payable to NL Industries, Inc.
|
19.2 | - | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
3.8 | 2.8 | ||||||
Total
noncurrent liabilities
|
257.7 | 265.1 | ||||||
Stockholders’
equity
|
317.9 | 312.5 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
$ | 616.6 | $ | 641.6 |
The
accompanying Notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SCHEDULE
I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT (Continued)
Condensed
Statements of Operations
(In
millions)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Revenues
and other income:
|
||||||||||||
Equity
in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries
|
$ | (57.4 | ) | $ | 25.1 | $ | (18.2 | ) | ||||
Interest
income from affiliates
|
.1 | - | - | |||||||||
Other
income
|
5.6 | - | - | |||||||||
Total
revenues and other income
|
(51.7 | ) | 25.1 | (18.2 | ) | |||||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
2.5 | 2.8 | 3.4 | |||||||||
Intercompany
interest and other
|
20.6 | 22.3 | 21.3 | |||||||||
Total
costs and expenses
|
23.1 | 25.1 | 24.7 | |||||||||
Income
(loss) before income taxes
|
(74.8 | ) | - | (42.9 | ) | |||||||
Income
tax benefit
|
8.1 | 9.0 | 8.2 | |||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (66.7 | ) | $ | 9.0 | $ | (34.7 | ) | ||||
The
accompanying Notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SCHEDULE
I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT (Continued)
Condensed
Statements of Cash Flows
(In
millions)
Years ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ | (66.7 | ) | $ | 9.0 | $ | (34.7 | ) | ||||
Cash
distributions from subsidiaries
|
34.9 | 35.1 | - | |||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
- | - | .1 | |||||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(2.1 | ) | (.3 | ) | (.1 | ) | ||||||
Equity
in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries
|
57.4 | (25.1 | ) | 18.2 | ||||||||
Other,
net
|
(.6 | ) | .1 | .6 | ||||||||
Net
change in assets and liabilities
|
20.3 | 11.4 | 35.3 | |||||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
43.2 | 30.2 | 19.4 | |||||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Collections
of loans to affiliates
|
5.9 | - | - | |||||||||
Other,
net
|
(.2 | ) | (.4 | ) | (.2 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash provided (used) by investing activities
|
5.7 | (.4 | ) | (.2 | ) | |||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Loan
from NL Industries, Inc.
|
- | 19.2 | (19.2 | ) | ||||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(49.0 | ) | (49.0 | ) | - | |||||||
Net
cash used by financing activities:
|
(49.0 | ) | (29.8 | ) | (19.2 | ) | ||||||
Net
change during the year from operating, investing and financing
activities
|
(.1 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
.1 | - | - | |||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
The
accompanying Notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SCHEDULE
I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT (Continued)
Notes to Condensed Financial
Information
Note
1 - Basis of presentation:
The
accompanying financial statements of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. reflect our
investment in majority-owned subsidiaries on the equity method. The
Consolidated Financial Statements of Kronos and its majority-owned subsidiaries
(the “Company”) and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are
incorporated herein by reference.
Note
2 - Receivable from (payable to) subsidiaries and affiliates:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Current:
|
||||||||
Receivable
from:
|
||||||||
Kronos
Louisiana, Inc. (“KLA”)
|
$ | 17.5 | $ | 27.1 | ||||
Valhi
– income taxes
|
1.1 | - | ||||||
KLA
– income taxes
|
1.3 | 1.7 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 19.9 | $ | 28.8 | ||||
Payable
to:
|
||||||||
Kronos
(US), Inc.
|
$ | 40.8 | $ | 63.5 | ||||
Valhi
– income taxes
|
- | .4 | ||||||
$ | 40.8 | $ | 63.9 | |||||
Noncurrent:
|
||||||||
Payable
to KII
|
$ | 234.7 | $ | 262.3 |
Prior to 2006, KII loaned us an
aggregate euro 163.1 million ($209.5 million at the borrowing date) instead of
paying us cash dividends. The original notes provided for a December
31, 2010 maturity date and required interest to be paid quarterly at an annual
rate of 9.25%. Effective October 1, 2008, the terms of these
notes were modified to remove the requirements for quarterly interest payments
and to extend the maturity date to December 31, 2013, and at December 31, 2008
and 2009 we had an aggregate of $5.4 million and $27.2 million, respectively, of
accrued and unpaid interest on these loans. The notes are unsecured,
contain no financial covenants and provide for default only upon our failure to
pay any amount when due (subject to a short grace
period). Due to the long-term investment nature of these
notes, settlement of the principal and accrued interest balance of the notes is
not contemplated within the foreseeable future. We currently expect
that settlement of the principal and interest amount of the notes will occur
through a capital transaction. We recognize interest expense on such
notes as incurred. Until such time as the notes are settled, we will
recognize interest expense on the promissory notes.
In
October 2008 the independent members of the Board of Directors of both us and NL
approved terms for borrowing up to $40 million from NL. Our
borrowings from NL under the revolving note were unsecured, and bore interest at
prime rate minus 1.5% with all principal due on demand (and no later than
December 31, 2009). We borrowed a net of $19.2 million from NL in
2008, which we subsequently repaid in 2009. The facility terminated
according to its terms on December 31, 2009. See Note 13 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements of Kronos.
Note
3 – Investment in subsidiaries:
December 31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2009
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Investment
in:
|
||||||||
KLA
|
$ | 178.4 | $ | 173.6 | ||||
KC
|
63.8 | 73.6 | ||||||
KII
|
351.8 | 364.9 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 594.0 | $ | 612.1 |
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||
Equity
in earnings (loss) from continuing operations of
subsidiaries:
|
||||||||||||
KLA
|
$ | 12.1 | $ | 12.8 | $ | 14.4 | ||||||
KC
|
(11.8 | ) | (11.7 | ) | (.5 | ) | ||||||
KII
|
(57.7 | ) | 24.0 | (32.1 | ) | |||||||
Total
|
$ | (57.4 | ) | $ | 25.1 | $ | (18.2 | ) |