Interim Results

28 September 2015

GTS Chemical Holdings plc

(The "Company" or "GTS")

Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2015

GTS Chemical Holdings plc (AIM:GTS), the specialty chemicals and lubricating oil producer, is pleased to announce its results for the six months ended 30 June 2015.

Financial Highlights

· Performance ahead of market expectations

· Turnover up 34.5% to RMB 415 million (period to 30 June 2014: RMB 309 million)

· Gross profit up 39.2% to RMB 88 million (period to 30 June 2014: RMB 63 million)

· Gross margin of 21.2% (period to 30 June 2014: 20.4%)

· Net profit up 34.3% to RMB 53 million (period to 30 June 2014: RMB 39 million)

Chairman's Statement

I am pleased to report that GTS continues to grow strongly. This is particularly pleasing in light of the issues that are now impacting the Chinese economy. Our continued success is founded upon our commitment to product compliance and the way we manufacture. In addition, we are focused on ensuring that our products are attractive to the widest possible market.

Sales in H1 2015 grew by 34.5% to RMB 415 million from RMB 309 million in H1 2014; this is analysed by segment below:

Speciality Chemicals

Our largest segment, specialty chemicals, grew by 30.8% compared with H1 2014, generating RMB 280 million of revenue during the period and now amounts to 67.4% of total revenue.

We remain the largest and only significant specialist manufacturer of ammonium sulfite in China. We are increasingly focusing on the production of ammonium sulfite, which now accounts for 86% of total speciality chemicals sales.

Set out below is an analysis of sales of ammonium sulfite by type of customer:

Whilst the chemical and paper industries remain the largest end users of our products, we are pleased to see that sales to other industry segments are increasing as a result of our marketing efforts, in particular to the trading companies (the wholesalers) and the pharmaceutical sectors. We continue to target the food sector and expect this to increase over the next 12 months, particularly as we have recently been approved by a leading US Corporation as a supplier of ammonium sulfite in the manufacturing of soft drinks, where it is used as a colouring agent.

Lubricant Oils

Sales in the lubricant oils division, which began trading in July 2013, are in line with the Company's expectations reaching RMB 101 million in H1 2015 (H1 2014: RMB 63 million). The division now represents 24.3% of Group revenue (H1 2014: 20.3%). Our success in this area is founded upon our commitment to quality and compliance with the latest regulatory standards and we are in the final stages in the process of getting approved by the American Petroleum Institute ("API"). 

Around 90% of our lubricant oil output is used in the automotive aftermarket. By offering quality products at a reasonable price we have had great success in increasing our brand awareness and this has led to an increasing number of distributors stocking our product. As a result, we have enlarged our distributor network and increased national coverage, from 48 distributors across 18 provinces at the beginning of the period, to 61 covering 20 provinces by 30 June 2015.

In addition, we have been approved as a lubricant oil supplier on Jingdong Mall (the second largest ecommerce platform after Alibaba), which has further established our brand in the market, as we are one of only three domestic brands with such approval.

Recarburizer

The recarburizer division showed a slight revenue increase to RMB 34 million (H1 2014: RMB 32 million). This division remains profitable without the need for any major capital expenditure, although our strategy remains that this will continue to be a relatively modest part of our business.

Gross profit

Gross profit in the period has risen by 39.2% to RMB 88 million from RMB 63 million in H1 2014.

Gross margin has increased over the period to 21.2% from 20.4% in H1 2014, primarily due to quality and efficiency improvements resulting from the upgrade of our production lines.

Working Capital

Net cash generated from operating activities over the period was RMB 40.6 million (H1 2014: RMB 18.5 million). We continue to manage our working capital position despite our continued growth. Most importantly, trade debtors fell by RMB 23 million since the beginning of the year, whilst trade creditors increased by a similar amount. Inventory increased due to stocking in preparation for anticipated sales to new customers and increased demand from Shandong Tralin Paper Co., Ltd. ("Tralin").

Investment and financing

We have made investments of RMB 106.4 million in the period.

We are building our new lubricant oil facility on the land we acquired at the end of last year, which will have an annual capacity of 16,667 tonnes, hence our annual capacity will increase to 26,667 tonnes. So far we have invested RMB 39 million in construction and RMB35 million to acquire equipment for the new site.

The Group has also invested RMB 7.9 million upgrading the existing special chemicals production lines, and RMB13.4 million to construct a new production line, which is expected to go into operation in October 2015.

The Group's investment objective is to enlarge production capacity and improve quality of products, in order to meet the increasingly stringent regulatory and customer requirements.

Impact of current events in China

Economic factors

The slowdown in growth in China has been widely reported although, it should be remembered that China is still growing at a faster rate than, for example, all of the EU countries and the US. We are aware of the potential impact that this might have on our business and have positioned ourselves accordingly.

Speciality Chemicals

In relation to our speciality chemicals division, our major target markets for growth are paper, pharmaceuticals and food.

The paper market is going through various structural changes driven by government reform in order to reduce environmental damage and the reliance upon imported pulp and paper for recycling. In particular, the government is supporting the manufacture of paper from straw as it provides a partial solution to deal with the vast amounts of straw produced in China every year and because by using the ammonium sulfite process the major by-product is organic fertiliser.

As we are the largest and only significant specialist provider of ammonium sulfite in China, a key component of producing paper from straw, we continue to benefit from the investment that is being made into, and the government support for, the manufacture of paper from straw. We are the major supplier of ammonium sulfite to Tralin, which is by far the largest manufacturer of paper from straw in China. Tralin continues to increase production at their factory which is located just 10km from our factory and are in the process of constructing new plants in the North East of China. We have an offtake agreement with Tralin in relation to its existing facility and expect to negotiate a similar agreement in relation to their new plants. Accordingly, even if growth in consumption of paper suffers as a result of the slowing rate of growth we believe that demand for ammonium sulfite by Tralin, and other manufacturers that might enter the market, will continue to outstrip growth in the market as a whole. Hence the growth in demand for ammonium sulfite by this industry sector will likewise outstrip the overall increase in the demand for paper.

We have also been concentrating our marketing efforts on the pharmaceuticals and food sectors, although sales to the food sector remains small we anticipate this to grow over the next 12 months. We believe that both of these sectors will be less affected by the economic issues facing China as a whole. We are also increasing our market reach to smaller users through an expanding network of distributors as can be seen from the significant increase in sales to Trading businesses.

Lubricant oils

90% of our lubricant oil sales are made to the automotive aftermarket. GTS does not supply the manufacturers. Our products are high quality and meet with all the current regulatory standards in China. In addition, we are going through the process of getting API certification. We are currently in the final stage of this process and expect to receive full accreditation by the end of this year. Whilst we are a relatively small producer of lubricant oils, our facilities are amongst the most modern and we benefit as increasing numbers of producers are forced to close as they do not meet the increasingly stringent demands of the Chinese consumer and the Chinese Government. Accordingly, by focussing on quality we believe that we continue to gain market share, which will counteract the impact from external economic factors.

Safety issues

There have also been two recent well-publicised explosions in China, which have had an impact upon regulation in the chemical sector. The first, at the port in Tianjin, did not involve a manufacturing facility but clearly heightened domestic and international awareness of health and safety issues in China. The second involved a chemical manufacturing facility in our province of Shandong. As a result regulations surrounding health and safety particularly in the chemical sector have been strengthened and a number of factories have been required to close. We on the other hand have always been committed to exercising the highest standards of health and safety and it is our belief that we can only benefit from the recent heightened focus on these issues. GTS has been awarded "The Enterprise of Safety Production Standard Grade Three (Hazardous Chemical)" certificate, which is the appropriate grade for our operations.

Dividend

We expect to continue to pay dividends on an annual basis that are consistent with the profitability of the group and its investment requirements.

Outlook

The outlook for each of our production segments is strong. Growth in specialty chemicals continues to be underpinned by our contracts with Tralin which itself is continuing with its own expansion plan and our increasing exposure to the pharmaceuticals and food sectors. We expect the growth in lubricant oils sales to continue to rise as we focus on quality, achieve our API accreditation and increase our distributor network and brand recognition. We continue to invest in our two main sectors in order to be able to meet the expected increase in demand.

I would like to thank our Board of Directors, our employees and our shareholders for their support throughout the period and look forward to the rest of this year with confidence.

Andrew Harding

Non-Executive Chairman

25 September 2015

Enquiries:

About GTS Chemical Holdings plc

GTS is the largest Chinese producer of ammonium sulfite, a specialty chemical used in the paper, chemical engineering, food and pharmaceutical industries. GTS is also the second largest producer of ammonium bisulfite, a preservative and reducing agent used in the petroleum drilling, water treatment and chemical engineering industries. The manufacturing of these two specialty chemicals comprises the Group's core business segment, Specialty Chemicals. This division manufactures its high quality products mainly from recycled waste materials. Additionally, GTS has a rapidly growing lubricant oil division, which services the automotive and industrial markets. Trading in recarburizer is its third division, which accounts for less than 10% of Group revenue.

The Group is located in Shandong Province, one of the largest provinces in China, ranked by GDP, and an area rich in downstream industries. GTS' location also means it is close to several chemical plants and paper factories, which gives it a distinct advantage over its competitors.

The Company is exposed to structural growth in the paper industry and chemicals sector, and market research estimates that from 2014 to 2020, China's demand for ammonium sulfite, led by the paper industry, is set to grow at an annual compound growth rate of 12%. The Company's two main divisions continue to benefit from government backed environmental changes that are currently taking place in China. GTS' biggest product, ammonium sulfite, is in increasing demand as the production of paper from straw continues to grow. The Company believes that the increase in production of paper from straw will continue to exceed the overall increase in demand for paper in China as smaller, less environmentally friendly, producers leave the market.

The Group has a history of strong profit growth and consistently high operating margins.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1 General information

GTS Chemical Holdings Plc (the "Company") was incorporated in Jersey on 22 January 2014. The registered office of the Company is 11 Bath Street, St Helier, Jersey JE2 4ST.

The principal activity of the Company is that of an investment holding company. The Company has a wholly-owned subsidiary Runtai Environmental Protection International Limited ("Hong Kong Runtai") which in turn owns all the equity of Shandong Tiantai Steel-Plastic Co., Limited ("Shangdong Tiantai"). The principal activities of the Group comprise the manufacturing of ammonium sulfite, ammonium bisulfite, blending and distribution of lubricating oils and trading of recarburizer. The principal place of business is at Luzhuang Village, Jiangdian Town, Gaotang County, Shandong Province, P. R. China.

2 Basis of preparation

The consolidated condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting.

The consolidated condensed financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for certain financial instruments, which are measured at fair values as explained in the accounting policies set out below. Historical cost is generally based on the fair value of the consideration given in exchange for assets.

The consolidated condensed financial statements are rounded to the nearest thousand ('000) and they are presented in Chinese Renminbi (RMB), the official currency of the People's Republic of China. RMB is the functional currency of the Company.

The consolidated condensed financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and entities controlled by the Company (its subsidiaries). Control is achieved where the Company has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated in full on consolidation.

The interim report was approved by the Board of Directors on 25 September 2015. The report is unaudited and does not constitute the company's statutory accounts for the six months ended 30 June 2015.

3 Significant accounting policies

These consolidated condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (''IFRS'') issued by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) and interpretations of the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC), as adopted by European Union.

From the beginning of the reporting period the Company has adopted all relevant standards effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

4 Seasonality of interim operation

Traditionally and historically, the first quarter of the year is quiet due to the festive season in China. Therefore, the sales in the second half year are normally higher than the first half year.  

5 Segment information

The sales revenue arises from the sale of ammonium sulfite, ammonium bisulfite, lubricating oils (including cutting oil) and recarburizer. All the activities are within China.

Analysis of revenue from the sale of goods and services are analysed as follows:

6 Taxation

The Company is regarded as resident for tax purposes in Jersey and on the basis that the company is neither a financial services company nor a utility company for the purposes of the Income Tax (Jersey) Law 1961, as amended; the company is subject to income tax in Jersey at a rate of zero per cent.

Hong Kong Runtai, an intermediate parent company is regarded as resident for tax purposes in Hong Kong.

The Group's operating subsidiary in China is subject to income tax rate at 25%. Due to its high technology enterprise status, the subsidiary is entitled to a reduced rate of 15% until 31 December 2019.

7 Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period.

8 Property, plant and equipment

Additional fixed assets are mainly assets under construction, details are as follows:

· RMB 7.8 million to upgrade existing special chemical production lines, which was completed in July 2015 without further capital commitment;

· RMB 74.1 million to build and equip the new lubricating oil workshop on the new site. The project cost is budgeted at RMB 85.7 million and it is expected to be completed in September 2015;

· RMB13.4 million to construct a new production line for manufacturing ammonium sulfite and ammonium bisulfite, which is expected to go into operation in October 2015. Further expenditure on this production line is budgeted as RMB 4.8 million approximately.

9 Long term loans

On 21 February 2014, Guiping Li entered into a loan agreement with Shandong Tiantai whereby Guiping Li granted an interest free loan in the sum of the net dividend payable of RMB 53,209,440 for a term of 50 years. This loan is ranked lower than other creditors in the event of a winding up of the company. Guiping Li is a director of Hong Kong Runtai and Shandong Tiantai. The accounting treatment of this loan is described in Note 11.

On 15 July 2014, Cheng Liu, the CEO entered into a loan agreement with Shandong Tiantai where by Cheng Liu granted a loan of RMB24,267,200 over the period of 10 years at the interest rate of 3% per annum.

10 Share capital

The total issued number of ordinary shares at the beginning and by the end of the reporting period were both 102,313,056 at £0.01 per share.

The exchange rate used for issued shares was £1:RMB10.

11 Capital Reserves

The initial amount of the capital contribution reserve was the difference between the proceeds of the loan received from Ms Guiping Li (spouse of CEO, Cheng Liu) on 21 February 2014, and the amount of that loan measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method ("the discount"). An amount equal to the interest expense on the loan is recognised in the profit and loss account in the year, is transferred from the capital contribution reserve to retained earnings. The amount of capital contribution reserve is therefore equal to the unamortised discount on the loan throughout the life of the loan (50 years).The net effect of the loan and eventual repayment on retained earnings will be nil in each period and cumulatively.

12 Borrowings

During the period, borrowings have increased by RMB44.7 million including long term borrowings of RMB4.8 million. The average interest rate was 7.7% (2014 H1: 9.7%)

The bank borrowings are secured by:

- guarantee provided by Shandong Sanli Agricultural Machinery Co. Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Shandong Liaocheng Tianfang Biological Technology Co. Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Shandong LingTong Heavy Industry Machinery Co., Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Shandong Jinghua Petroleum Equipment Co. Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Liaocheng Youjia Sewing Machinery Co Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Gaotang Qianyi Food Co. Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Gaotang Lida New Building Materials Co Ltd;

- guarantee provided by Gaotang Ming Shun Cotton Industry Co., Ltd;

- personal guarantee from Guiping Li (director of Hong Kong Runtai and Shandong Tiantai);

- personal guarantee from Cheng Liu (CEO of the Company);

- personal guarantee from Cuicui Guo (Supervisor of Shandong Tiantai);

- personal guarantee from Jinqi Wang (spouse of Cuicui Guo);

- personal guarantee from Shifeng Zhang (director of Shandong Lingtong Heavy Machinery Co Ltd);

- personal guarantee from Jianchao Zhang (director of Shandong Sanli Agricultural Machinery Co Ltd);

- Land and buildings. 

13 Related party transactions

At the end of the reporting period, balances due from/(to) related parties are as follows:

Refer to note 9 for the terms of the loans from Guiping Li and Cheng Liu.

Related parties

· Guiping Li is a director of the Shandong Tiantai and Runtai HK;

· Cheng Liu, CEO and director of the company;

· Cuicui Guo is a director of the Shandong Tiantai;

· Xueying Zhang, director of the company;

14 Capital commitments

The Group has capital commitments of RMB 16.5 million under construction projects as detailed in note 8.

15 Events after the reporting date

The board approved a dividend distribution at 1.8 pence per ordinary share which was paid on 31 July 2015.

On 20 July 2015, the Group's CEO and major shareholder, Mr Cheng Liu, entered into a new 10 years loan agreement with Shandong Tiantai. The lender has granted the borrower a loan in the sum of RMB13.6 million, at a rate equal to 3% per annum, payable at the end of the loan term.