Mar 31, 2023
The Directors hereby present the 61st Annual Report of your Company along with the financial results for the year ended 31st March, 2023.
State of affairs of the company
a. Financial results |
(Rs. In Lakhs) |
|
Particulars |
31.03.2023 |
31.03.2022 |
Revenue from operations |
95,382 |
99,328 |
PBIDT |
2,777 |
18,877 |
Less: Finance cost |
3614 |
2,898 |
Profit from Operations |
(836) |
15,979 |
Other Income |
724 |
649 |
PBDT |
(112) |
16,628 |
Less: Depreciation and Amortisation |
3340 |
3,253 |
PBT (Before Exceptional item) |
(3452) |
13,375 |
Exceptional item |
- |
- |
PBT (After Exceptional item) |
(3452) |
13,375 |
Less: Tax expenses |
- |
2,280 |
Deferred Tax |
(850) |
553 |
Profit After Tax |
(2602) |
10,542 |
Other Comprehensive Income |
(519) |
(291) |
Total Comprehensive Income |
(3121) |
10,251 |
Add: Opening balance in Retained Earnings including OCI |
25,936 |
15,685 |
Less: Transfer to General Reserve |
- |
- |
Dividend paid during the year |
720 |
- |
Closing balance in Retained Earnings |
||
including OCI |
22,095 |
25,936 |
b. Dividend and Transfer to reserves
Your directors, considering the fact that the company has incurred a loss during the year under review, have not recommended any dividend. No amount was proposed to be transferred to reserves.
FY 2022-23 was a very challenging year for your Company, especially for the spinning division. Yarn demand which was robust for the most part of FY 21-22 turned sluggish from the beginning of the year under review. As highlighted last year, the abnormal increase in cotton was a major reason for this decline in demand along with inflationary pressures leading to a reduction in discretionary spending by consumers. Another significant reason was the high inventory in the hands of retailers and brands across the globe, including India. Aggressive ordering and improvement in logistics and lead times meant that inventories were double than normal levels leading to a stop on further sourcing by these brands and retailers.
Cotton prices declined on the face of the anticipated drop in demand with ICE futures falling from 116 cents in May to 73 cents in October, a drop of almost 40%. This was not reflected in Indian cotton prices due to the poor cotton crop in the country leading to Indian cotton prices being higher than international growths for the second half of the calendar year. The problem was exaggerated by the import duty on cotton which limited options for imports. Indian spinners were not competitive during this period with aggressive competition from Chinese and Vietnamese mills. Indian mills also faced inventory write-downs in the third quarter of the fiscal leading to an erosion of profits. Your company was forced to reduce capacity utilization in the spinning division to prevent further buildup of inventories during the third and fourth quarters. As a result of all the above factors, the spinning division recorded a loss at an operational level.
The performance of the technical textile division was a bright spot for the Company in an otherwise bleak year. Demand for our products continued to be robust through the year. The high logistics and freight costs which squeezed margins last year moderated significantly starting from the second quarter. The division achieved a topline of Rs. 242 Crores, an increase of 54%, on account of increased capacity utilization and higher productivity levels. Your company plans to increase capacity in this division during FY 23-24 apart from exploring other allied products to diversify the product mix.
Your Company registered a turnover of Rs.95,382 lakhs during FY 2022-23, a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year. Turnover decreased on account of lower capacity utilization in the spinning division. The company earned a profit of Rs. 2777 Lakhs at an EBITDA level. During the year under review, your Company struggled to maintain the improvements in product mix and proportion of value-added products due to a severe decline in demand from export customers. The Company was forced to increase production of commodity products for sales in markets such as Bhiwandi and Kolkatta which had reduced significantly in the previous year. The Companyâs cashflow was good in the above scenario.
The planned installation of âown captiveâ solar plants was completed in the Kanjikode and Hindupur units. The Company now has 10 MW of in-house solar capacity. Apart from this, the Company has tied up for 12.6 MW âgroup captiveâ solar power supply for itâs units in Pollachi and Hassan. .
There has been a significant reduction in Indian cotton prices in the current year with prices hovering between Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 63,000 for most of the season so far. Demand for yarn has shown some improvement starting from February and the company is on track to reach full capacity utilization in all its units. But pricing of yarn continues to be a challenge with profitability still elusive in commodity products due to the high percentage of the raw
material component compared to the sales price. Cotton is still priced higher compared to man-made alternatives but the gap has narrowed significantly compared to last year. Cotton availability and quality is good this season which will lend stability to cotton prices going forward. With inventories in the textile supply chain at moderate levels and a forecast for a hot summer, there is cautious optimism for an increase in demand for knitted products in the near future. There are varied predictions with regard to the monsoon in India and itâs success or failure will have a bearing on the revival of the rural economy and the acreage of cotton for the next season. We will continue to focus on the technical textile division for growth. The company plans to consolidate the gains of the previous year and reap the benefits of the planned capacity expansion during the fourth quarter of FY 23-24 and beyond.
The Company has been able to continue maintaining cordial relations with its labour force in all its units. The Company has 1462 permanent employees on the roll as on 31st March, 2023.
Internal Control Systems & Risk Management
The Company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable Regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed, by the Audit Committee of the Board, for identification of deficiencies and necessary timely corrective actions were taken to improve the controls at all levels. The committee also reviews the statutory auditorsâ report, key issues, significant processes and accounting policies.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The Company has constituted a Risk Management Committee and adopted a policy on risk management for identifying, mitigating and managing risk. The Audit Committee of the Board reviews the risk management policy periodically. The details about composition of the risk management committee, policy and its terms of reference have been provided in the Corporate Governance Report attached to this report.
Number of meetings of the Board
Details of number of meetings of the Board and Committees thereof and the attendance particulars of the Directors in such meetings are provided under the Corporate Governance Report.
Declaration by Independent Directors
The Independent Directors have submitted their disclosures to the Board confirming that they fulfill the requirements enumerated under Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 (hereinafter âthe Actâ), and Regulation 25 of The Securities Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations,2015.
Directors and Key Managerial Personnel (KMP) Appointments, Retirements and Resignations
Mr J Govind Raju, Chief Financial Officer has been designated as the Finance Controller of the Company effective from 22nd November, 2022 and Mr. M K Ravindra Kumar was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the company effective from 22nd November 2022.
There is no cessation of office by any Director due to death or resignation. However, Mr Ashwin Chandran, Managing Director retired by rotation, and being eligible, offered himself for reappointment and was reappointed as Director at the AGM held on 22nd August, 2022.
The following are the whole-time key managerial personnel of the Company as per Section 203 of the Act as on 31st March,2023,
(i) Mr Ashwin Chandran, Chairman and Managing Director
(ii) Mr M K Ravindra Kumar, Chief Financial Officer and
(iii) Mrs S Kavitha, Company Secretary.
The second term of office of Dr Jairam Varadaraj (DIN: 000003361) and Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi, (DIN: 00002773) as Independent Directors, comes to an end on 31s1 May,2023, Board of Directors have placed their appreciation for the contribution made by them during their Directorship.
The Board of Directors at their meeting held on 13lh February, 2023, had carried out an annual evaluation of its own performance and the performance of the Committees of the Board and the individual Directors pursuant to the provisions of the Act and the corporate governance requirements as prescribed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations 2015 (hereinafter "Listing Regulations").
The performance of the Board was evaluated by the Board of Directors after seeking inputs from all the Directors on the basis of criteria such as Board composition and structure, effectiveness of the Board meetings and process and contributions made by the Directors.
The performance evaluation of each Director was done by the entire Board of Directors, excluding the Director being evaluated, taking into consideration inputs received from the other Directors, covering various aspects of the Boardâs functioning such as active participation and contribution during discussions, effective deployment of knowledge and expertise towards the growth and betterment of the Company, impact and influence on the growth of the Company and performance of specific duties, obligations and governance.
The performance of the committees was evaluated by the Board after seeking inputs from the committee members on the basis of criteria such as the composition of the committees and effectiveness of the committee meetings.
In a separate meeting of Independent Directors held on 24th March, 2023 performance of the non-independent Directors, performance of the Board as a whole and performance of the Chairman were evaluated, taking into account the views of the executive Directors and non-executive Directors.
The Board also carried out an evaluation on the performance of the Independent Directors and also verified the fulfilment of the criteria for independence as specified under listing Regulations and their independence from the management. This evaluation of Independent Directors was done by the entire Board, excluding the Independent Directors being evaluated.
Policy on Director''s appointment and remuneration and other details
The Companyâs policy on Directorâs appointment and remuneration and other matters provided in Section 178(3) of the Act has been disclosed in the Corporate Governance Report.
Auditors'' report and Secretarial Auditors'' report
The auditorsâ report and secretarial auditorsâ report do not contain any qualifications, reservation or adverse remarks.
During the year under review, neither the Statutory auditors nor the Secretarial Auditor have reported to the Audit Committee, any instances of fraud committed against the Company by its officers or employees.
The report of the Secretarial Auditor is furnished as Annexure A and forms part of this report.
Receipt of any commission by Whole Time Directors from the Company or receipt of commission/remuneration from subsidiary Company
Whole Time Directors have not received any commission from company or any commission/ remuneration from subsidiaries during the year under review.
The extract of the annual return pursuant to Section 92 read with rule 12 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014 is available on the website of the Company www.precot.com under investors.
The Company complies with all the applicable mandatory secretarial standards issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
The particulars as required under rule 5 of Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, is provided in Annexure B.
The Company has control over "Suprem Associates", a partnership firm by holding majority of the shares in the firm. The accounts of the said firm are consolidated as per the requirement of Indian Accounting Standards (IndAS).
The Company is maintaining the cost records as specified under Section 148(1) of the Companies Act, 2013.
The Company has constituted an Audit Committee as per Section 177 of the Act and Listing Regulations.
The details pertaining to vigil mechanism, composition and meetings of the Audit Committee are included in the Corporate Governance Report.
Energy Conservation, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo
The details as required under Section 134(3)(m) of the Act read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is detailed in Annexure C.
A report on corporate governance is furnished as Annexure D and forms part of this report. This includes other disclosures as required under the provisions of the Act. The Company has complied with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in Regulation 34 of the Listing Regulations.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The CSR Committee comprises of 1. Mr Ashwin Chandran, 2. Mr Prashanth Chandran and 3. Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi. This committee takes care of CSR policy execution to ensure that the CSR objectives of the Company are met. The CSR policy deals with allocation of funds, activities, identification of programmes, approval, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
For the financial year 2022-23, the Company spent Rs. 99.09 lakshs on CSR activities as per the provisions of the Companies Act. Annual report on Corporate Social Responsibility is provided in Annexure E.
The CSR policy is available on the Companyâs website http://www.precot.com/investors.
Particulars of Loan, Guarantees or Investments
Details as per the provisions of Section 186 of the Act, is given under notes to financial statements.
None of the transactions with related parties falls under the scope of Section 188(1) of the Act. Information on transactions with
related parties pursuant to Section 134(3)(h) of the Act read with rule 8(2) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 are given in Annexure F in Form AOC-2 and the same forms part of this report.
The Board has approved a policy for related party transactions which is available on the Companyâs website http://www.precot.com/investors
Directors'' responsibility statement The Directors confirm that:
a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper explanations provided relating to material departures, if any,
b) The Company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company,
c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities,
d) The annual accounts of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis,
e) The internal financial controls are adequate and are operating effectively, and
f) A proper system for ensuring compliance of all the applicable laws are put in place and are operating effectively.
M/s VKS Aiyer & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No. 000066S), pursuant to the provisions of Section 139 of the Act, were appointed as the statutory auditors of the Company for a term of 5 years from the conclusion of the 56th AGM till the conclusion of the 61st AGM to be held in the year 2023.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 139, Section 142 and other applicable provisions, if any, of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 (including any statutory modification(s) thereof, for the time being in force) the Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, have re-appointed, M/s VKS Aiyer & Co.,Chartered Accountants (ICAI Firm Registration No.000066S) as Statutory Auditors of the Company for a second term of five years to hold office from the conclusion of 61st Annual General Meeting till the conclusion of 66th Annual General Meeting subject to the approval of shareholders at the ensuing Annual General Meeting . Accordingly, a resolution seeking memberâs approval for their reappointment as Statutory Auditor is included as Item No.3 of the AGM notice.
They have confirmed that they are not disqualified and are eligible to continue in the office for the year 2023-24.
Pursuant to Section 148 of the Act, read with the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules 2014, the Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, appointed Mr R Krishnan, Cost Accountant (Associate regn. no. 7799), as the cost auditor of the Company for the financial year 2023-24.
Accordingly, a resolution seeking memberâs ratification for the remuneration payable to Mr R Krishnan, Cost Auditor is included as Item No.4 of the AGM notice.
Pursuant to Section 204 of the Act, the Board of Directors has appointed Mr K Duraisami, Practicing Company Secretary, Coimbatore as the secretarial auditor of the Company for the financial year 2023-24.
Based on the requirements under SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, the âInsider Trading Codeâ to regulate, monitor and report trading by insiders and the âCode of Practices and Procedures for fair disclosure of Unpublished Price Sensitive Informationâ are in force.
There was no change in the nature of the business of the Company during the year under review.
The Company has not accepted any deposits from public and as such, no amount on account of principal or interest on deposits from public was outstanding as on the date of the balance sheet.
No material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the Company occurred between the end of the financial year (i.e.31st March, 2023) and the date of this report.
Vigil Mechanism/ Whistle Blower Policy
The Company has formulated and published a Whistle Blower Policy to provide Vigil Mechanism for employees including Directors of the Company to report genuine concerns and to ensure strict compliance with ethical and legal standards across the Company. The provisions of this policy are in line with the provisions of the Section 177(9) of the Act and Listing Regulations, are available on the website of the Company at http://www.precot.com/investors. The details of Whistle Blower Policy forms part of the Corporate Governance Report annexed with this report.
Disclosure under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
The Company has constituted an internal complaints committee to address the complaints regarding sexual harassment. All employees are covered under this policy. The Company has not received any complaints during the year under review. The details relating to Complaints forms part of the Corporate Governance report.
Details of Application made or any proceeding pending under The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 during the year
No applications have been made and no proceedings are pending against the Company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 during the year under review.
Details of difference between amount of the valuation done at the time of one time settlement and the valuation done while taking loan from the banks or financial institutions along with the reasons thereof
The disclosure under this clause is not applicable as the Company has not undertaken any one-time settlement with the banks or financial institutions during the year under review.
In accordance with the requirement of Regulation 34(3) and Schedule V Part F of Listing Regulations, the details in respect of equity shares lying in the suspense account is as follows. .
Your Directors thank the Shareholders, Customers, Suppliers and Bankers for their continued support during the year. Your Directors also place on record their appreciation of the contributions made by Employees at all levels towards the growth of the Company.
Particulars |
Number of share holders |
Number of Equity Shares |
Aggregate number of shareholders and the outstanding shares in the suspense account as on 01-Apr-2022 |
206 |
40750 |
Number of shareholders approached the Company for transfer of shares from suspense account during the year |
1 |
500 |
Number of shareholders to whom shares were transferred from suspense account during the year |
1 |
500 |
Aggregate number of shareholders and outstanding shares in the suspense account as on 31-Mar-2023 |
205 |
40250 |
The voting rights on the shares outstanding in the suspense account as on 31st March, 2023 shall remain frozen till the rightful owner of such shares claims the shares.
Mar 31, 2018
Dear Shareholders,
The directors hereby present the 56th Annual Report of your company along with the financial results for the year ended 31st March 2018.
State of affairs of the company
a. Financial results ('' In lakhs)
Particulars 31.03.2018 |
31.03.2017* |
||
Revenue from operations |
70,915 |
67,930 |
|
PBIDT |
2,069 |
2,819 |
|
Less: Finance cost |
4,079 |
4,273 |
|
Profit from Operations |
(2,011) |
(1,454) |
|
Other Income |
541 |
2,511 |
|
PBDT |
(1,470) |
1,057 |
|
Less: Depreciation and Amortisation |
3,257 |
3,420 |
|
PBT (Before Exceptional item) |
(4,727) |
(2,363) |
|
Exceptional item |
4,150 |
- |
|
PBT (After Exceptional item) |
(577) |
(2,363) |
|
Less: Tax expenses |
- |
- |
|
MAT Credit |
- |
- |
|
Deferred Tax |
- |
- |
|
Profit After Tax |
(577) |
(2,363) |
|
Other Comprehensive Income |
43 |
1,316 |
|
Total Comprehensive Income Add: Opening balance in Retained |
(534) |
(1,046) |
|
Earnings including OCI |
16,407 |
17,454 |
|
Less: Transfer to General Reserve Less: Provision for proposed dividend |
- |
- |
|
(including dividend tax) |
- |
- |
|
Closing balance in Retained Earnings |
|||
including OCI * Figures are restated as per Ind AS |
15,873 |
16,407 |
|
b. Dividend and transfer to reserves
Your directors, considering the fact that the company has incurred a loss during the year under review, have not recommended any dividend. No amount was proposed to be transferred to reserves.
Industry Overview
The financial year under review was not a good one for your company, and for most spinners in general. The disparity between the cotton prices and yarn prices prevailed throughout the year leading to significant drop in the profit margins. While the cotton prices increased by around 10% over that of the previous year, the average increase in yarn prices was only around 2%.
The impact of demonetization which had effected the cotton and fabric trade lingered well into the financial year and impacted cash flows and liquidity in the textile business. The introduction of GST was also a disruptive factor in the short term as all the links in the textile supply chain took time to adjust to the modalities of doing business under the new tax regime. In the longer term though, the introduction of GST should help the organised players in the Industry. Credit for tax paid on capital goods and services, which were not available earlier, can now be availed which is a favourable change for the spinning mills.
Indian cotton output in the 2017-18 season is expected to be marginally higher than the previous year and prices remained stable in the early part of the season. We have also witnessed an increase in yarn demand and prices in the early part of the current financial year from both domestic and export markets. This is a positive sign for the company and the spinning industry in general.
Review of operations
Your company had registered a turnover of Rs, 709 crores during the FY 17-18, an increase of 4.4% compared to the previous year. During the year under review, your company has taken steps to improve the productivity and product mix in the spinning business. Your company has also increased its share of direct business to end customers rather than through dealers and distributors which has helped improve margins. The company has also increased its compact yarn production capacity and will continue to do in the current year. This will help improve productivity and produce better quality yarns intended for quality conscious customers.
As shareholders are aware, your company, as part of a diversification and derricking strategy had invested in a technical textiles project which is starting to show positive returns. As compared to a turnover of Rs, 41 Crores for the year ended 31st March 2017, this division achieved a turnover of '' 73 crores during the year in review. More importantly, we have been able to make a successful entry into the US market, and as a result from the 4th quarter of the year under review the division has been positive at an EBITDA level.
Outlook for the current year
Your company has gradually shifted its focus and is gearing up to meet the quality requirements of higher end customers and brands rather than being driven by commodity products. Production of specialized yarns have received its due acceptance in the market and the demand for such yarns from your company should grow in the period to come. As stated earlier, the demand for yarn has picked up considerably in the first quarter of the current year which bodes well for the performance of the company in the first half of the current year. Looking further forward, a lot will depend on the world cotton stocks which are projected to decline considerably as China continues to deplete its reserves. Increased demand from China and introduction of a new MSP for cotton by the Indian Government have the potential to considerably increase cotton prices in the 2018-19 season. Whether the spinning trade will be able to pass on this increase to it''s customers and whether cotton will lose further market share to man-made fibres due to the widening gap in cost will be the crucial questions to be answered.
As mentioned earlier, the technical textiles division has been successful in getting long term contracts with a few large customers in USA. Our market base has also grown due to development of new markets. Considering the orders in hand and much improved utilisation of capacities, we are confident of achieving a sales of over Rs, 100 crores for FY 2019, with a minimum profit of 10% at EBITDA level.
Personnel
The company has been able to continue maintaining cordial relations with its labour force in all its units. The company has 1218 permanent employees on the roll as on 31-Mar-2018.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed, by the Audit Committee of the Board, for identification of deficiencies and necessary timely actions are taken to improve the controls at all levels. The committee also reviews the statutory auditors'' report, key issues, significant processes and accounting policies.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The company has constituted a Risk Management Committee and adopted a policy on risk management, for identifying and managing risk. The Audit Committee of the Board reviews the risk management policy periodically. The details about composition of the risk management committee, policy and its terms of reference have been provided in the Corporate Governance Report attached to this report.
Number of meetings of the Board
Details of number of meetings of the Board and committees thereof and the attendance particulars of the directors in such meetings are provided under the Corporate Governance Report attached to this report.
Directors and Key Managerial Personnel
The independent directors have submitted their disclosures to the Board stating that they fulfil the requirements enumerated under section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 (hereinafter âthe Actâ), so as to qualify themselves to be appointed as independent directors under the provisions of the Act and relevant rules. Mr Vijay Venkatasamy, Independent director retired from the company on 31-May-2017 on completion of his tenure. Similarly Mr Vijay Mohan, Non-Executive Non-Independent Director retired from the company on 05-Sep-2017 on completion of his tenure. There are no other retirements, resignations or reappointment of directors during the year under review.
The term of office of Mr Suresh Jagannathan, Independent Director, comes to an end on 31-May-2018. He is not seeking reappointment. Mr Suresh Jagannathan has been a member of the Board since 2006. The Board placed on record its sincere appreciation for his valuable contribution over the past 12 years.
The members at the 52nd Annual General Meeting (hereinafter called AGM) held on 05-Sep-2014 appointed Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi, Dr Jairam Varadaraj, Mr C N Srivatsan and Ms R Bhuvaneshwari as Independent directors of the company for a term of 5 (five) consecutive years upto 31-May-2019.
The Board, based on the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the performance evaluation of Independent Directors, has recommended re-appointment of Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi and Dr Jairam Varadaraj as Independent Directors for a term of 4 (four) consecutive years on the Board of the Company from 01-Jun-2019 to 31-May-2023 and Mr C N Srivatsan and Ms R Bhuvaneshwari as Independent Directors for a second term of 5 (five) consecutive years on the Board of the Company from 01-Jun-2019 to 31-May-2024.
Considering the background, experience and contributions made by Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi, Dr Jairam Varadaraj, Mr C N Srivatsan and Ms R Bhuvaneshwari during their tenure, their continued association as Independent directors would be beneficial to the Company and it is desirable to continue to avail their services as Independent Directors. Accordingly, it is proposed to re-appoint Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi, Dr Jairam Varadaraj, Mr C N Srivatsan and Ms R Bhuvaneshwari as Independent Directors of the Company, not liable to retire by rotation.
The following are the whole-time key managerial personnel of the company as per section 203 of the Act as on 31-Mar-2018, (i) Mr Ashwin Chandran, Chairman and Managing Director (ii) Mr M R Siva Shankar, Chief Financial Officer and (iii) Mr R Nithya Prabhu, Company Secretary.
As per the retirement policy of the company, Mr M R Siva Shankar, Chief Financial Officer retires from the Company with effect from 31-May-2018. Mr R Nithya Prabhu, Company Secretary resigned from the company with effect from 22-May-2018. The board placed on record its sincere appreciation for their valuable contributions made by them during their tenure.
Mr A P Ramkumar and Mrs S Kavitha have been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer and the Company Secretary and Compliance Officer respectively with effect from 01-Jun-2018.
Performance Evaluation
The Board of Directors at their meeting held on 23-Mar-2018, had carried out an annual evaluation of its own performance, Board committees and individual directors pursuant to the provisions of the Act and the corporate governance requirements as prescribed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations 2015 (hereinafter âListing Regulationsâ).
The performance of the Board was evaluated by the Board of Directors after seeking inputs from all the directors on the basis of the criteria such as Board composition and structure, effectiveness of Board process etc.
The performance evaluation of each director was done by the entire Board of Directors, excluding the director being evaluated, taking into consideration inputs received from the other directors, covering various aspects of the Board''s functioning such as active participation and contribution during discussions, effective deployment of knowledge and expertise towards the growth and betterment of the company, impact and influence on the growth of the company and performance of specific duties, obligations and governance.
The performance of the committees were evaluated by the Board after seeking inputs from the committee members on the basis of the criteria such as the composition of the committees, effectiveness of committee meetings etc.
In a separate meeting of independent directors dated 23-Mar-2018, performance of non-independent directors, performance of the Board as a whole and performance of the chairman were evaluated, taking into account the views of executive directors and non-executive directors. Performance evaluation of independent directors was done by the entire Board, excluding the independent director being evaluated.
Policy on director''s appointment and remuneration and other details
The company''s policy on director''s appointment and remuneration and other matters provided in section 178(3) of the Act has been disclosed in the Corporate Governance Report, which forms part of this report.
Auditors'' report and secretarial auditors'' report
The auditors'' report and secretarial auditors'' report does not contain any qualifications or adverse remarks.
There were no instances of fraud identified or reported by the statutory auditors during the course of their audit for the period under review.
The report of the secretarial auditor is furnished as Annexure A and forms part of this report.
Receipt of any commission by Whole Time Directors from the company or receipt of commission /remuneration from subsidiary company
Whole Time Directors have not received any commission from company or any commission/ remuneration from subsidiaries during the year under review.
Annual Return
The extract of annual return pursuant to section 92 read with rule 12 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, in Form MGT-9 is furnished as Annexure B to this report.
Secretarial Standards
The company complies with all the applicable secretarial standards.
Particulars of Employees
The particulars as required under rule 5 of Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, is in Annexure C.
Amalgamation of Subsidiary Companies
By the order of the Hon''ble National Company Law Tribunal, Chennai dated 19-Sept-2017, the subsidiary companies, namely Precot Meridian Energy Limited, Suprem Textiles Processing Limited and Multiflora Processing Coimbatore Limited, were merged with your company during the year under review. The appointed date of the merger was 01-April-2016.
Consolidation of Accounts
The company has control of "Suprem Associates", a partnership firm by holding majority of its share in the firm. The accounts of the said firm is consolidated as per the requirement of Indian Accounting Standards (IndAS).
Audit Committee
The company has constituted an audit committee as per section 177 of the Act and Listing regulations.
The details pertaining to vigil mechanism, composition and meetings of the audit committee are included in the Corporate Governance Report, which forms part of this report.
Energy Conservation, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo
The details as required under section 134(3)(m) of the Act read with rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is in Annexure D.
Corporate Governance
A report on corporate governance is furnished as Annexure E and forms part of this report. This includes other disclosures as required under the provisions of the Act. The company has complied with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in regulation 34 of the Listing Regulations.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The CSR committee comprises of 1. Mr Ashwin Chandran, 2. Mr Prashanth Chandran and 3. Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi. This committee takes care of CSR policy execution to ensure that the CSR objectives of the company are met. The CSR policy deals with allocation of funds, activities, identification of programmes, approval, implementation, monitoring and reporting. CSR report pursuant to rule 8 of Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 is in
Annexure F.
For the financial year 2017-18, the company was not required to spend on CSR activities owing to the average net loss for the immediately preceding three financial years as computed under the provisions of the Act.
The CSR policy is available on the company''s website http://www.precot.com/investor-relations/
Particulars of Loan, Guarantees or Investments
Details as per the provisions of section 186 of the Act, is given under notes to financial statements.
Related Party Transactions
None of the transactions with related parties falls under the scope of section 188(1) of the Act. Information on transactions with related parties pursuant to section 134(3)(h) of the Act read with rule 8(2) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 are given in Annexure G in Form AOC-2 and the same forms part of this report.
The Board has approved a policy for related party transactions which is available on the company''s website http://www.precot.com/investor-relations/
Directors'' responsibility statement
The directors confirm that:
a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper explanations provided relating to material departures, if any,
b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company,
c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities,
d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going concern basis,
e) The internal financial controls are adequate and are operating effectively, and
f) A proper system for ensuring compliance of all the applicable laws are put in place and are operating effectively.
Statutory Auditors
The statutory auditors of the company M/s Haribhakti & Co LLP tendered their resignation due to internal restructuring with effect from 13th June 2018. The casual vacancy arising in the office of auditors was filled up by the board by appointment of M/s VKS Aiyer & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No. 000066S) on the recommendation of the audit committee within prescribed period. The appointment is subject to the approval of the shareholders, which is being placed at the Annual General Meeting within prescribed period of three months from the recommendation of the Board.
As the appointment of M/s VKS Aiyer & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No. 000066S) is being done at the Annual General Meeting, he is also being proposed to be appointed as the statutory auditors from the conclusion of 56th AGM till the conclusion of 61st AGM and requires approval of the shareholders. The auditors have given their consent for their appointment and a certificate under section 141 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Necessary resolutions are included in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting for Members approval.
Cost Auditor
Pursuant to section 148 of the Act, read with the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules 2014, the Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the audit committee, appointed Mr R Krishnan, Cost Accountant, as the cost auditor of the company for the financial year 2018-19.
Accordingly, a resolution seeking member''s ratification for the remuneration payable to Mr R Krishnan, Cost Auditor is included as Item No. 8 of the AGM notice.
Secretarial Auditor
Pursuant to section 204 of the Act, the Board of Directors appointed Mr Gouri Shanker Mishra, Practicing Company Secretary, Chennai as the secretarial auditor of the company for the financial year 2018-19.
Insider Trading Regulations
Based on the requirements under SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, the ''Insider Trading Code'' to regulate, monitor and report trading by insiders and the ''Code of Practices and Procedures for fair disclosure of Unpublished Price Sensitive Information'' are in force.
Change in nature of business
There was no change in the nature of the business of the company during the year under review.
Deposits from public
The company has not accepted any deposits from public and as such, no amount on account of principal or interest on deposits from public was outstanding as on the date of the balance sheet.
Material Changes
No material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the company occurred between the end of the financial year (i.e. 31-Mar-2018) and the date of this report.
Vigil Mechanism/ Whistle Blower Policy
The company has formulated and published a Whistle Blower Policy to provide Vigil Mechanism for employees including directors of the company to report genuine concerns and to ensure strict compliance with ethical and legal standards across the company. The provisions of this policy are in line with the provisions of the section 177(9) of the Act and Listing Regulations, are available on the website of the company at http://www.precot.com/investor-relations/. The details of Whistle Blower Policy forms part of the Corporate Governance Report annexed with this report.
Disclosure under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
The company has constituted an internal complaints committee to address the complaints regarding sexual harassment. All employees are covered under this policy. The company has not received any such complaints during the year under review.
Unclaimed Shares
In accordance with the requirement of Regulation 34(3) and Schedule V Part F of Listing Regulations, the details in respect of equity shares lying in the suspense account is as follows.
Particulars |
Number Of share holders |
Number of Equity Shares |
Aggregate number of shareholders and the outstanding shares in the suspense account as on 01-Apr-2017 |
417 |
75000 |
Number of shareholders approached the company for transfer of shares from suspense account during the year |
121 |
19950 |
Number of shareholders to whom shares were transferred from suspense account during the year |
121 |
19950 |
Aggregate number of shareholders and outstanding shares in the suspense account as on 31-Mar-2018. |
296 |
55050 |
The voting rights on the shares outstanding in the suspense account as on 31-Mar-2018 shall remain frozen till the rightful owner of such shares claims the shares.
Acknowledgment
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at all levels towards the growth of the company.
By order of the Board Coimbatore
Ashwin Chandran
22-June-2°18 Chairman and Managing Director
Mar 31, 2016
Dear Shareholders,
The directors hereby present the 54th Annual Report of your company along with the financial results for the year ended 31st March 2016.
The state of affairs of the company
a. Financial results (Rs. Lacs)
Particulars |
31.03.2016 |
31.03.2015 |
Revenue from operations |
68369 |
74695 |
PBIDT |
2859 |
2088 |
Less : Finance cost |
3765 |
3362 |
Profit from Operations |
(906) |
(1274) |
Other income |
1100 |
248 |
PBDT |
194 |
(1026) |
Depreciation |
3800 |
3692 |
PBT (Before Exceptional Item) |
(3606) |
(4718) |
Exceptional Item |
(1945) |
1473 |
PBT (After Exceptional Item) |
(5551) |
(3245) |
Deferred Tax |
- |
19 |
Profit after Tax |
(5551) |
(3264) |
Add : Balance brought forward |
(3433) |
(141) |
Less : Transfer to General Reserve |
- |
- |
Less : Depreciation as per transition provision in Note 7(b) of |
(28) |
|
Companies Act, 2013 Less : Provision for proposed dividend (including dividend tax) |
||
Balance carried forward |
(8984) |
(3433) |
b. Dividend and transfer to reserves
Since this year''s operations have resulted in a net loss, your directors have decided not to declare any dividend. No amount is proposed to be transferred to reserves.
Review of operations
The spinning industry has been witnessing a consistent drop in yarn prices quarter on quarter. Your company''s yarn prices have dipped by around 8% in the current fiscal in comparison with that of the last year. Your company has achieved a turnover of Rs. 684 crores which is lower by Rs. 63 crores compared to the previous year, which is on account of proportionate drop in yarn prices.
The spinning division has shown improvement at cash profit level while the margins of technical textiles division continue to be stressed in spite of its improved turnover. The Central Government has not cleared release of TUFS on a set of applications filed by a number of textile units. TUF subsidy for the period 2012-13 to 2014-15 amounting to Rs. 1945 lacs, accounted on accrual basis, together with foreign currency fluctuation of Rs. 1155 lacs has been provided for in the statement of profit and loss and are non-cash expenditure in the current year.
Economic overview and Industry review
While the global economy continued to remain under stress, the Indian economic growth has been uneven owing to dwindling fresh capital investments, bad loans in the banking sector and subdued exports due to weak global economy. The IMF growth percentile indicators do not put the global economic growth in a positive light for the immediate succeeding year.
Given the current situation of the world economy, the Indian growth forecast could be challenging, especially for the textile industry. At a time when the Indian spinning segment is struggling to maintain its profitability, the TUFS scheme which played a supportive role in the modernization of the textile units has been replaced with a new TUFS scheme which has not considered the spinning industry favourably.
Outlook for the current year
Though IMF projects a 7.3% Indian GDP growth rate for the current fiscal, the recovery is anticipated to be sluggish. Growth in domestic demand could be a key source for improved performance. Improved asset quality of banks would provide the thrust for the capital investment growth which would aid the revival of our economy.
The cotton arrivals for the 2015-16 season is projected to be around 340 lakh bales and the carry over stock is likely to be lower than that of the previous year level. The arrivals which is down by 12%, as compared to the previous year, is an indicator of rising cotton prices which could further strain the margin levels of the spinning industry.
Your company has taken several measures to improve productivity, cut costs and change the product mix to improve the margins in the spinning division. Notwithstanding the global economic slowdown, the turnover, in the technical textiles division, for the FY 2015-16 has grown to Rs. 49 crores as against Rs. 28 crores during FY 2014-15. Your company is in pursuit of newer markets to increase the capacity utilization which will reduce the costs in the short run and yield higher margins.
Opportunities, Threats, Risks and Concerns
The Indian textile industry is expected to grow significantly in the next five years and reach around USD 220 billion. With higher disposable income in the hands of the younger generation, the probability of a pickup in the domestic consumption is more likely. The slowdown of the Chinese economy could be an opportunity that is available to the Indian textile exporters. On a long term basis, the demand from China for cotton yarn is expected to rise once their low cost raw cotton stocks are done away with.
The fragmented Indian textile industry has built up surplus capacity leading to higher supplies at a time when the demand is weakening. The export market is highly dependent on the revival of the global economy which as of now seems to take a longer time.
Interest subsidy, which was available till now for the yarn spinning industry, has now been withdrawn which will push up the interest cost leading to erosion of margin to that extent. Availability of trained manpower is difficult and therefore the training time and cost involved would increase the cost.
Personnel
The company continues to maintain good relations with its labour across its units. The exercise of recruiting, training and deployment of trained labour, at added cost, continues in view of the shortage that has been persistent in Tamil Nadu. The company has 1384 permanent employees on the roll as on 31-Mar-2016.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed, by the audit committee of the board, for identification of deficiencies and necessary timely actions are taken to improve the controls at all levels. The committee also reviews the statutory auditors'' report, key issues, significant processes and accounting policies.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The company has constituted a Risk Management Committee and adopted a policy on risk management, for identifying and managing risk. The audit committee of the board reviews the risk management report periodically. The details about composition of the risk management committee, policy and its terms of reference have been provided in the corporate governance report.
Number of meetings of the board
Details of number of meetings of the board and committees thereof and the attendance particulars of the directors in such meetings are provided under the corporate governance report attached to this report.
Directors and Key Managerial Personnel
The independent directors have submitted their disclosures to the board stating that they fulfill the requirements enumerated under section 149 (6) of the Companies Act, 2013 (hereinafter âthe Actâ), so as to qualify themselves to be appointed as independent directors under the provisions of the Act and relevant rules. There is no resignation or reappointment of independent director during the year under review.
Mr A Ramkrishna, independent director retires from the company on 31-May-2016 on completion of his tenure. He has been associated with the company for more than 35 years holding various managerial positions. He was inducted as executive director in the board of the company on 27-Mar-1998. The directors placed on record their sincere appreciation for the valuable contributions made by Mr A Ramkrishna during his tenure.
Mr D Sarath Chandran, Chairman, Mr Ashwin Chandran, Vice Chairman & Managing Director and Mr Prashanth Chandran, Joint Managing Director of the company have been appointed for a term of three years effective from 01-Apr-2014.
Mr D Sarath Chandran is not liable to retire by rotation. Mr Vijay Mohan, Mr Ashwin Chandran and Mr Prashanth Chandran are liable to retire by rotation as per the provisions of section 152(6) of the Act.
Mr Ashwin Chandran retires by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. He is eligible for re-appointment.
The details of remuneration paid during the year are provided in the corporate governance report. The following are the whole-time key managerial personnel of the company as per section 203 of the Act (i) Mr. Ashwin Chandran, Vice Chairman and Managing Director (ii) Mr. M R Siva Shankar, Chief Financial Officer, and (iii) Mr. R Nithya Prabhu, Company Secretary. There has been no change in the key managerial personnel during the year.
Performance Evaluation
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act and the corporate governance requirements as per SEBI listing regulations, the board had evaluated its own performance, the directors individually and also the working of its committees.
The performance of the board was evaluated by the board of directors after seeking inputs from all the directors on the basis of the criteria such as board composition and structure, effectiveness of board process etc.
The performance evaluation of each director was done by the entire board of directors, excluding the director being evaluated, taking into consideration inputs received from the other directors, covering various aspects of the board''s functioning such as active participation and contribution during discussions, effective deployment of knowledge and expertise towards the growth and betterment of the company, impact and influence on the growth of the company and performance of specific duties, obligations and governance.
The performance of the committees were evaluated by the board after seeking inputs from the committee members on the basis of the criteria such as the composition of the committees, effectiveness of committee meetings etc.
Performance of the non-independent directors, performance of the board as a whole and performance of the chairman were evaluated during the separate meeting of independent directors after taking into account the views of executive directors and non executive directors.
Policy on directorâs appointment and remuneration and other details
The companyâs policy on directorsâ appointment and remuneration and other matters provided in section 178 (3) of the Act has been disclosed in the corporate governance report, which forms part of this report.
Auditorsâ report and secretarial auditorsâ report
The auditorsâ report and secretarial auditorsâ report does not contain any qualifications, reservations or adverse remarks.
There were no instances of frauds identified or reported by the statutory auditors during the course of their audit for the period under review.
The report of the secretarial auditor is furnished as Annexure A and forms part of this report.
Receipt of any commission by MD/WTD from company as receipt of commission / remuneration from subsidiary
MD/WTD are not in receipt of any commission from company or any commission / remuneration from subsidiaries during the year under review.
Annual Return
The extract of annual return pursuant to section 92 read with rule 12 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, in form MGT 9 is furnished as Annexure B to this report.
Particulars of Employees
The particulars as required under rule 5 of Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, is in Annexure C.
Subsidiary companies
Your company has three wholly owned subsidiaries, 1. Suprem Textile Processing Limited, 2. Multiflora Processing Coimbatore Limited, 3. Precot Meridian Energy Limited. These companies are into textile, processing and power segment activities, respectively. There has been no change in the nature of the business of the subsidiaries during the year under review. The subsidiary companies have no operations during the year under review and had insignificant net loss for the year.
The consolidated financial results incorporating the financial statements of the above wholly owned subsidiaries is attached to the annual report as required under the accounting standard and the listing regulations. The statement pursuant to section 129 (3) of the Act, containing the salient features of the financial statements of subsidiary companies, forms part of this annual report.
Pursuant to section 136 of the Act, the financial statements of the company, consolidated financial statements along with relevant documents and separate audited accounts in respect of subsidiaries, are available on the website of the company.
The company does not have any material subsidiary whose net worth exceeds 20% of the consolidated net worth of the holding company in the immediately preceding financial year or has generated 20% of the consolidated income of the company during the previous financial year. The board has approved a policy for determining material subsidiaries which is available on the company''s website http://www.precot.com/ investor-relations/.
The annual accounts of the subsidiary companies are kept for inspection by the shareholders at the registered office of the company. The company shall provide the copy of the annual accounts of subsidiary companies to the shareholders upon their request. The company does not have any associate or joint venture.
Audit Committee
The company has constituted audit committee as per section 177 of the Act and listing regulations. The details pertaining to vigil mechanism, composition and terms of reference of audit committee are included in the corporate governance report, which forms part of this report.
Energy Conservation, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo
The details as required under section 134(3)(m) of the Act read with rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is in Annexure D.
Corporate Governance
A report on corporate governance is furnished as Annexure E and forms part of this report. This includes other disclosures as required under the provisions of the Act. The company has complied with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in regulation 34 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (hereinafter âListing Regulationsâ).
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The CSR policy deals with allocation of funds, activities, identification of programmes, approval, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
For the FY 2015-16, the company is not required to spend on CSR activities because of the average net loss for the immediately preceding three financial years, as computed under the provisions of the Act. CSR report pursuant to rule 8 of Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 is in Annexure F.
The disclosures as required under section 135 (4) (a) of the Act are given in the CSR report.
The board has approved a CSR policy, which is available on the company''s website http://www.precot.com/investor-relations/.
Particulars of Loan, Guarantees and Investments
The particulars of loans, guarantees and investments are given under notes to financial statements.
Related Party Transactions
All transactions entered into with related parties as defined under the Act and listing regulations during FY 15-16 were in the ordinary course of business and on an arm''s length pricing basis. Therefore it does not attract the provisions of section 188 of the Act, and also there are no material contracts or arrangement or transactions and thus disclosure in form AOC-2 is not required.
The board has approved a policy for related party transactions which is available on the company''s website http://www.precot.com/investor-relations/.
Directors'' responsibility statement
The board of directors, to the best of their knowledge and ability, confirm that :
a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper explanations provided relating to material departures, if any
b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company
c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities
d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going concern basis
e) The internal financial controls are adequate and are operating effectively
f) A proper system for ensuring compliance of all the applicable laws are put in place and are operating effectively
Statutory Auditors
The auditors, M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP, pursuant to the provisions of section 139 of the Act, were appointed as statutory auditors of the company from the conclusion of the 53rd AGM till the conclusion of the 58th AGM to be held in the year 2020, subject to ratification by members at every AGM.
The appointment of M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP is included as Item No. 3 of the AGM notice for ratification. The company has received consent and confirmation from M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP that, if appointed, it would be within the limits under the provisions of the Act.
Cost Auditor
Pursuant to section 148 of the Act, read with the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules 2014, the board of directors, on the recommendation of the audit committee, appointed Mr R Krishnan, Cost Accountant, as the cost auditor of the company for the FY 2016 - 17.
Accordingly, a resolution seeking member''s ratification for the remuneration payable to Mr R Krishnan, Cost Auditor is included as Item No. 4 of the AGM notice.
Change in nature of business
The company is primarily engaged in the business of textiles. There was no change in the nature of the business of the company and its subsidiaries during the year under review.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the company did not accept or renew any fixed deposit and no fixed deposit remained unclaimed with the company as on 31-Mar-2016.
Material Changes
No material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the company occurred between the end of the financial year as on 31-Mar-2016 and the date of this report.
Disclosure under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
The company has constituted an internal complaints committee to address the complaints regarding sexual harassment. All employees are covered under this policy. The company has not received any such complaints during the year under review.
Unclaimed Shares
In accordance with the requirement of Regulation 34(3) and Schedule V Part F of listing regulations, the company reports the following details in respect of equity shares lying in the suspense account.
Particulars |
Number of share holders |
Number of Equity Shares |
Aggregate number of shareholders and the outstanding shares in the suspense account lying as on 01-Apr-2015 |
422 |
75875 |
Number of shareholders approached the company for transfer of shares from suspense account during the year |
4 |
725 |
Number of shareholders to whom shares were transferred from suspense account during the year |
4 |
725 |
Aggregate number of shareholders and outstanding shares in the suspense account lying as on 31-Mar-2016 |
418 |
75150 |
The voting rights on the shares outstanding in the suspense account as on 31-Mar-2016 shall remain frozen till the rightful owner of such shares claims the shares.
Acknowledgment
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at all levels towards the growth of the company.
By order of the board
Coimbatore D Sarath Chandran
28-May-2016 Chairman
Mar 31, 2015
Dear Members,
The directors hereby present the 53rd Annual Report along with the
financial results for the year ended 31st March 2015.
Financial results (Rs Lacs)
31.03.2015 31.03.2014
Revenue from operations 73161 73819
PBIDT 3561 8083
Less: Finance cost 3362 3241
Profit from Operations 199 4842
Other income 248 428
PBDT 447 5270
Less: Depreciation and Amortization 3691 3945
Profit / (Loss) before Tax (3245) 1325
Less: Provision for Income Tax - 322
MAT Credit - (322)
Deferred Tax 19 (992)
Add: Extraordinary Item (net of tax) - 728
Profit After Tax (3264) 3045
Add: Balance brought forward (141) (2677)
Less: Transfer to General Reserve - 228
Add : Depreciation as per transition
provision in Note 7(b) of (28) -
Companies Act, 2013
Less: Provision for proposed dividend
(including dividend tax) - 281
Balance carried forward (3433) (141)
Dividend
Since this year's operations have resulted in a net loss, your
directors have decided not to declare any dividend.
Economic overview and industry review
The global economic growth during 2014 was at a modest level of 3.4%
with positive contributions coming from developing economies. Going by
the World Economic Outlook, the growth rate is not expected to be
significantly higher and projected to be 3.5% for the year 2015.
The new Indian government is setting the tone for achieving accelerated
growth with a focus on manufacturing. Policy reforms, foreign
investment inflows and reduced oil prices could play a key role in
reaching the GDP target of around 8% in 2015-16 from the current level
of 7.3%.
The year under review, 2014-15, was not a good year for the textile
industry. Over the past few years, China was the biggest importer of
Indian cotton and yarn. A shift in China's cotton policy saw cotton
exports from India to China drop significantly. The policy also
resulted in increased production of yarn in China using local cotton,
which led to a sharp decline in Indian yarn exports. This, coupled with
weak demand, created an oversupply of yarn in the domestic market,
which resulted in a drop in yarn prices of around 7 - 8% during the
year under review.
Review of operations
Despite falling yarn prices your company has managed to achieve a
turnover of Rs 732 crores, which is close to that of the previous year.
High priced cotton inventory carried from the last season coupled with
declining yarn prices contributed to the margins turning negative.
The technical textiles division has started showing signs of growth in
terms of turnover. The cost of production continues to remain high due
to underutilization of capacity. Our participation in global tenders
and at exhibitions has started drawing the attention of global buyers
but the process of retailers switching suppliers is a long drawn
affair. We expect the division to break even at a cash level in the FY
2015-16.
Outlook for the current year
The current year's cotton production in India is expected to be around
400 lakh bales which will be higher than the previous year. With
declining cotton exports, Indian cotton prices should have fallen. But
the Cotton Corporation of India has been very active in purchasing
cotton and maintaining prices.
This has resulted in Indian cotton prices being higher than
international prices which in turn put pressure on yarn exports. Higher
input costs like salaries and wages and power are also shrinking
margins. Only an overall growth in domestic demand will allow yarn
prices to improve.
Your company will continue to be prudent in expenditure and will take
all steps to ensure maximum capacity utilization and efficiency.
Opportunities, risks and concerns
Though some of the developed economies are showing signs of recovery,
the global economic scenario continues to be weak. European economic
stability, oil prices and geopolitical unrests could hold the key for
the economic revival and such revival could take some time. While the
Indian economic growth forecast is positive, it is largely dependent on
the internal policy reforms, monetary policy and pick up in domestic
consumption.
The mismatch between raw material and yarn prices along with a lack of
availability of skilled labour is a major concern for the industry.
Margins are also impacted on account of rising input costs.
Personnel
The company continues to maintain good relations with its labour across
its units. The exercise of recruiting, training and deployment of
trained labour, at added cost, continues in view of the shortage that
has been persistent in Tamil Nadu.
Internal control systems & risk management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business
processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable
regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed by the audit
committee. The committee also reviews the statutory auditors' report,
key issues, significant processes and accounting policies.
The company has constituted a risk management committee and adopted a
policy on risk management. The audit committee of the board reviews
the risk management report periodically.
Postal ballot
During the year, a special resolution was passed through postal ballot
under section 180 (1)(a) of the Companies Act, 2013 ('the Act'), with
requisite majority for authorising the board to create mortgage, charge
or hypothecation of the assets of the company.
Number of meetings of the board
Five meetings of the board were held during the year. For details,
please refer to the corporate governance report.
Directors
The independent directors have submitted their disclosures as per
section 149 of the Act, so as to qualify themselves as independent
directors.
Mr Prashanth Chandran retires by rotation at the ensuing annual general
meeting. He is eligible for re-appointment.
Performance evaluation
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and clause 49 of
the listing agreement, the board at its meeting held on 06th February
2015, had evaluated its own performance, the directors individually and
also the working of its audit, nomination and remuneration, corporate
social responsibility, stakeholders' relationship, finance and risk
management committees.
The performance evaluation of each director is done by the entire board
of directors, excluding the director being evaluated, taking into
consideration inputs received from the other directors, covering
various aspects of the board's functioning such as active participation
and contribution during discussions, effective deployment of knowledge
and expertise towards the growth and betterment of the company, impact
and influence on the growth of the company and performance of specific
duties, obligations and governance.
Independent directors' evaluation was carried out by the entire board
and that of the chairman and the non- independent directors was carried
out by the independent directors.
Policy on directors' appointment and remuneration
The company's policy on directors' appointment and remuneration and
other matters provided in section 178(3) of the Act has been disclosed
in the corporate governance report.
Key managerial personnel
During the year under review, as per section 203 of the Act, the
following employees were designated as whole-time key managerial
personnel by the board of directors.
i) Mr Ashwin Chandran, Managing Director
ii) Mr M R Siva Shankar, Chief Financial Officer, and
iii) Mr R Nithya Prabhu, Company Secretary
Particulars of employees
Statement pursuant to Section 197(12) of the Act, read with the
Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules,
2014, is as follows:
Employed throughout the year and was in receipt of remuneration not
less than Rs 60 lacs per annum.
Note:
1. Nature of employment is contractual.
2. Mr Ashwin Chandran is related to Mr D Sarath Chandran, Chairman and
Mr Prashanth Chandran, Joint Managing Director.
Particulars pursuant to rule 5 of Companies (Appointment and
Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014
a) The ratio of the remuneration of each director to the median
employee's remuneration for the financial year and the percentage
increase in remuneration of each director, Chief Financial Officer and
Company Secretary in the financial year 2014-15:
% increase in
Name Ratio remuneration
Mr D Sarath Chandran 17.4 : 1 16
Mr Vijay Mohan 0.3 : 1 50
Mr Sumanth Ramamurthi 0.3 : 1 36
Mr A Ramkrishna 0.7 : 1 36
Dr Jairam Varadaraj 0.4 : 1 100
Mr Ashwin Chandran 28.9 : 1 31
Mr Vijay Venkatasamy 0.6 : 1 35
Mr C N Srivatsan 0.5 : 1 (5)
Mr Suresh Jagannathan 0.3 : 1 300
Mr Prashanth Chandran 23.1 : 1 58
Ms Bhuvaneshwari 0.3 : 1 NA*
Mr M R Siva Shankar (CFO) NA 16
Mr R Nithya Prabhu (CS) NA 10
*Ms Bhuvaneshwari was not a director in the financial year 2013-14
b) The percentage increase in the median remuneration of employees in
the financial year was 10%.
c) The company has 1354 permanent employees on the rolls as on 31st
March, 2015.
d) Relationship between average increase in remuneration and company
performance:
The company's PAT has grown from Rs 20.69 crores in the FY 12-13 to Rs
30.45 crores in the FY 13-14, an increase of 47%, against which the
remuneration has been increased by an average of 10% during the FY
14-15 and this is in line with HR policy of the company.
e) Comparison of the remuneration of the Key Managerial Personnel (KMP)
against the performance of the company: The remuneration of KMP
increased by around 19% in FY 14-15, compared to FY 13-14, in line with
the HR policy of the company. The increments and annual bonus payouts
of the employees including KMP are linked to individual performance,
company's performance, industry benchmark and current compensation
trends. The turnover of the company for the FY 14-15 was Rs 732 crores
and profit after tax was Rs (33) crores.
f) Variations in the market capitalisation of the company, price
earnings ratio as at the closing date of the current financial year and
previous financial year and percentage increase or decrease in the
market quotations of the shares of the company in comparison to the
rate at which the company came out with the last public offer:
g) Average percentage increase already made in the salaries of
employees other than key managerial personnel in the last financial
year was 10%. The average increase in the KMP was 19%. The increments
are based on individual performance, company's performance, industry
benchmark and current compensation trends.
h) Comparison of remuneration of each of the KMP against the
performance of the company:
CTC for % increase
Name Designation FY 14-15 (FY 14-15
(Rs in lacs) against 13-14)
Mr Ashwin Chandran Managing Director 63.60 31%
Mr M R Siva Shankar Chief Financial Officer 24.19 16%
Mr R Nithya Prabhu Company Secretary 4.84 10%
Name Turnover PAT
(Rs in crores)
Mr Ashwin Chandran
Mr M R Siva Shankar 732 (33)
Mr R Nithya Prabhu
i) The key parameters for any variable component of remuneration
availed by the directors: The company does not pay any remuneration to
the non-executive directors, as they are paid only sitting fee for
attending the meetings. With respect to executive directors, variable
component is paid in the form of commission, which is based on the net
profit.
j) The ratio of the remuneration of the highest paid director to that
of the employees who are not directors but receive remuneration in
excess of the highest paid director during the year : Mr Ashok
Kulkarni, employee of the company receives remuneration in excess of Mr
Ashwin Chandran, Managing Director of the company. The ratio is 1.1 :
1
k) If remuneration is as per the remuneration policy of the company:
Yes
Subsidiary companies
The company has three subsidiaries namely 1. Suprem Textile Processing
Limited 2. Multiflora Processing (CBE) Limited and 3. Precot Meridian
Energy Limited. There are no associate companies within the meaning of
section 2(6) of the Act. There has been no material change in the
nature of the business of the subsidiaries.
As informed in our earlier report, Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd, a
subsidiary incorporated in Malaysia, has ceased operations and the
liquidation process was completed during the year.
The statement pursuant to section 129 (3) of the Act, containing the
salient features of the financial statements of subsidiary companies,
forms part of this annual report.
The company neither has any material subsidiary whose net worth exceeds
20% of the consolidated net worth of the holding company in the
immediately preceding financial year nor has generated 20% of the
consolidated income of the company during the previous financial year.
The board has approved a policy for determining material subsidiaries
which has been uploaded on the company's website www.precot.com.
The annual accounts of the subsidiary companies are kept for inspection
by the shareholders at the registered office of the company. The
company shall provide the copy of the annual accounts of subsidiary
companies to the shareholders upon their request.
Audit committee
The details pertaining to composition of audit committee are included
in the corporate governance report.
The company has formulated and published a Whistle Blower Policy to
provide vigil mechanism for employees including directors of the
company to report genuine concerns on the website of the company
www.precot.com. The provisions of this policy are in line with the
provisions of section 177(9) of the Act and the revised clause 49 of
the listing agreement.
Corporate governance
A report on corporate governance is annexed to this report. This
includes certain disclosures required under the provisions of the
Companies Act, 2013. The company has complied with the conditions
relating to corporate governance as stipulated in clause 49 of the
listing agreement.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
The board at its meeting held on 30th May 2014 has formed a CSR
committee comprising 1. Mr D Sarath Chandran, 2. Mr Ashwin Chandran and
3. Mr A Ramkrishna. The committee at its meeting held on 28th July
2014, has recommended a CSR policy. The CSR policy deals with
allocation of funds, activities, identification of programmes,
approval, implemen- tation, monitoring and reporting.
For the FY 2014-15, the company is not required to spend on CSR
activities because of the average net loss for the immediately
preceding three financial years, as computed under the provisions of
the Companies Act, 2013.
Particulars of loans, guarantees and investments
The particulars of loans, guarantees and investments have been
disclosed in the financial statements.
Auditors' report and secretarial auditors' report
The auditors' report and secretarial auditors' report does not contain
any qualifications, reservations or adverse remarks. Report of the
secretarial auditor is given as Annexure A which forms part of this
report.
Extract of annual return
The extract of annual return pursuant to section 92 read with rule 12
of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, in form
MGT 9 is furnished as Annexure B to this report.
Related party transactions
All transactions entered into with related parties as defined under the
Act and Clause 49 of the listing agreement during FY 14-15 were in the
ordinary course of business and on an arm's length pricing basis.
Therefore, it does not attract the provisions of section 188 of the Act
and also there are no material contracts or arrangement or transactions
and thus disclosure in form AOC-2 is not required.
The board has approved a policy for related party transactions which
has been uploaded on the company's website www.precot.com.
Directors' responsibility statement
The directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures, if any
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
(e) The internal financial controls are adequate and are operating
effectively
(f) A proper system for ensuring compliance of all the applicable laws
are put in place and are operating effectively
Statutory Auditors
M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP, auditors of the company, retire at the
ensuing annual general meeting. The audit committee and the board of
directors of the company, pursuant to the provisions of section 139 of
the Act and the rules framed thereunder, proposed the appointment of
M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP, as statutory auditors of the company from the
conclusion of the forthcoming AGM till the conclusion of the 58th AGM
to be held in the year 2020, subject to ratification of their
appointment at every AGM. The company has received consent and
confirmation from M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP that, if appointed, it
would be within the limits under the provisions of the Act.
During the year, M/s Haribhakti & Co. had been converted into a limited
liability partnership (LLP) Accordingly, the audit of the company for
FY 14-15 was conducted by M/s Haribhakti & Co. LLP.
Cost Auditors
Pursuant to section 148 of the Act, read with the Companies (Cost
Records and Audit) Rules 2014, the board of directors, appointed Mr R
Krishnan, as the cost auditor of the company for the FY 15-16.
Accordingly, a resolution seeking member's ratification for the
remuneration payable to Mr R Krishnan, cost auditor is included as item
no. 4 of the AGM notice.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the company did not accept or renew any fixed deposit
and no fixed deposit remained unclaimed with the company as on 31st
March 2015.
Material Changes
No material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of
the company occurred between the end of the financial year as on 31st
March 2015 and the date of this report.
Disclosure under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
The company has constituted an internal complaints committee to address
the complaints regarding sexual harassment. All employees are covered
under this policy. The company has not received any such complaints
during the financial year under review.
Unclaimed Shares
As on date the company has only 0.63% of the total shares, lying
unclaimed. These shares were transferred to the unclaimed suspense
account as required under the listing agreement.
Energy Conservation, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange
Earnings and Outgo
The details as required under section 134(3)(m) of the Act, read with
rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is in Annexure C.
Significant and Material orders passed by the regulators or courts or
tribunal
There are no significant and material orders passed by the regulators /
courts / tribunals which would impact the going concern status and the
company's operations in future.
Acknowledgement
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at
all levels towards the growth of the company.
By order of the board
Coimbatore D Sarath Chandran
15th May, 2015 Chairman
Mar 31, 2014
The Directors are pleased to present the 52nd Annual Report along with
the financial results for the year ended 31st March 2014.
Financial Results (Rs. Lacs)
31.03.2014 31.03.2013
Revenue from operations 73819 66717
PBIDT 8083 7606
Less: Finance cost 3241 2612
Profit from Operations 4842 4994
Other income 428 755
PBDT 5270 5749
Less: Depreciation and Amortization 3945 3032
Profit Before Tax 1325 2717
Less: Provision for Income Tax 322 228
MAT Credit (322) (164)
Deferred Tax (992) 936
Tax provision for earlier years - 226
Add: Extraordinary Item 728 578
Profit After Tax 3045 2069
Add: Balance brought forward (2677) (4746)
Add: Withdrawn from General Reserve - 94
Less: Provision for proposed dividend
(including dividend tax) 281 (94)
Balance carried forward 87 (2677)
Dividend
Your company, in compliance with the provisions of the Companies
(Declaration of dividend out of reserves) Rules 1975, had, during last
year, absorbed a part of the loss incurred during the FY 2011-12 and
accordingly declared the dividend. The loss relating to FY 2011-12 will
get fully absorbed in the current year. Your directors have
recommended a dividend of Rs. 2 per equity share of face value Rs. 10
each for the year ended 31st March, 2014, amounting to Rs. 281 lacs
(inclusive of tax of Rs.41 lacs). Share Capital
Members, in the Annual General Meeting held on 20"1 September 2013, had
granted their approval for raising the Authorised share capital from Rs.
9 crores to Rs. 20 crores and also issue of bonus shares in the ratio of
1:2 to those members whose names appeared in register of members on
record date. This has enhanced the paid up share capital of your
company from Rs. 8 crores to Rs. 12 crores.
The bonus issue has been completed during the year under review and the
bonus shares have been listed in the National Stock Exchange.
Economic overview and Industry review
The growth in global economy which remained subdued in the first half
of FY 2013-14 improved in the second half on account of export rebound
in emerging market economies. While it is expected that the recovery in
advanced economies could lead to a trade growth of around 4.7% in 2014,
it would still continue to remain below the 20 year average.
Persistent inflationary pressure, low investments due to policy
inaction coupled with high current account deficit saw the Indian GDP
growth at sub 5% level.
The FY 2013-14 has been a challenging year for the textile industry due
to volatile yarn and cotton prices. Exports of cotton yarn to China
have slowed down on the back of Chinese currency depreciation and
uncertainties on handling large reserves of cotton in the coming
season.
Review of operations
Your company has registered a turnover growth of 10 % over the previous
year. Though the yarn prices witnessed an uptrend in the first half of
FY 2013-14, in comparison with FY 2012-13, the cotton price increases
have neutralized the benefits that accrued out of yarn price increase.
The power situation in Tamil Nadu continued to affect the performance
of the company. The company has to rely on higher cost sources like
self-generation and third party power. Evacuation of windpower had been
an issue contributing to the increased cost in power. The performance
of the unit in Andhra Pradesh was affected briefly on account of local
political disturbances. There has been a shortage in availability of
local labour and hence increased dependency on labour from other states
resulted in higher costs.
Technical Textiles
Your directors are pleased to inform that the technical textile unit
commenced its commercial operations from June 2013. After a successful
trial run, small commercial shipments were done during the year under
review to gauge the acceptance level in the international market.
Technical improvements are being made based on the inputs from the
customers and going forward the plant is expected to achieve a higher
level of utilization by the last quarter of the current financial year.
On the marketing front, presently your company has started
participating in global tenders with focus on the european market.
Outlook for the current year
The projection of global economic growth, as per International Monetary
Fund, is estimated at 3.7% for 2014 and 3.9% for 2015. Though the
predictions are good for export yarn market, the cotton rates could
have a say in quantum of exports. In the ensuing cotton season, India
is likely to be affected by import restrictions in China. In spite of
higher domestic production of 385 lakh bales for 2013-14 season, the
prices have ruled high.
Even though the outlook for the short term remains uncertain with the
various challenges being faced by the companies operating in the
industry, the long term outlook remains robust.
The management is continuing to undertake diligent efforts to step up
the performance of the Company and it is expected that the reinforced
and dedicated efforts would certainly bring about an improvement in
operational growth in future.
Opportunities, Risks and the Concerns
The global growth predictions have not been encouraging and the revival
of Euro economy is still hazy which continues to be a worrying factor.
With regard to the domestic economy, the initial below normal monsoon
forecast could have a bearing on agricultural production. Consequent to
this and rising input costs, the margins could be strained. The power
scenario in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is still uncertain and hence
reliance will continue to be on third party power and own generation.
With the formation of the new government, the economic and
administrative policies are eagerly awaited by the Indian industry.
Personnel
The company maintains its good relations with its labour across its
units. The exercise of recruiting, training and deployment of trained
labour continues in view of the shortage that has been persistent in
Tamil Nadu.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business
processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable
regulations. The audit committee of the board constantly reviews
internal control systems and their adequacy, significant risk areas,
observations made by the internal auditors on control mechanism and the
operations of the company and recommendations made for corrective
action through the internal audit reports. The committee reviews the
statutory auditor report, key issues, significant processes and
accounting policies.
New Companies Act, 2013
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, with a view to bring in more
discipline in the corporate world, has replaced the erstwhile Companies
Act, 1956, with the new Companies Act, 2013.
Directors
The Companies Act, 2013 (''the Act'') provides for appointment of
independent directors. Sub-section (10) of Section 149 of the Act
provides that independent director shall hold office for a term up to
five consecutive years on the board of the company and shall be
eligible for reappointment on passing a special resolution by the share
holders of the company.
Sub-section (11) states that no independent director shall be eligible
for more than two consecutive terms of five years. Sub-section (13)
states that the provisions of retirement by rotation as defined in
sub-section (6) and (7) of Section 152 of the Act shall not apply to
such independent directors. According to the above provisions and
directors'' retirement policy of the company, the independent directors
seeking reappointment are as follows:
Name of the Independent Period of
Director Appointment
1. Mr. A Ramkrishna Two years-01.06.2014
to 31.05.2016
2. Mr. Vijay Venkataswamy Three years-01.06.2014
to 31.05.2017
3. Mr. Suresh Jagannathan Four years-01.06.2014
to 31.05.2018
4. Dr. Jairam Varadaraj Five years - 01.06.2014
to 31.05.2019
5. Mr. C N Srivatsan Five years - 01.06.2014
to 31.05.2019
6. Mr. Sumanth Ramamurthi Five years - 01.06.2014
to 31.05.2019
The term of office of Mr D Sarath Chandran - Chairman, Mr Ashwin
Chandran - Managing Director and Mr Prashanth Chandran - Executive
Director came to an end on 31st March 2014. The Board of Directors, at
their meeting held on 30th May 2014, appointed them as the Chairman,
Vice Chairman & Managing Director and Joint Managing Director of the
company respectively for a period of three years effective from 1st
April 2014. Their appointment and remuneration are being placed before
you at the ensuing Annual General meeting for your consideration and
approval.
The Board of Directors at their meeting held on 30th May 2014,
appointed Ms. R. Bhuvaneshwari, as an additional director of the
company. The above appointment is subject to the approval of the
members at the ensuing annual general meeting.
EXIM Bank has withdrawn their nominee, Mr. KAjit Kumar from the Board
of directors of the company with effect from 10th January, 2014. Your
directors wish to place on record the valuable contributions by Mr.
KAjit Kumar during his tenure as a director of your company.
Subsidiary companies
The Company has four subsidiaries namely 1 .Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd
2. Suprem Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE)
Limited and 4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited.
As informed in our earlier report, Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd, the
subsidiary incorporated in Malaysia, has already filed its petition for
winding up and the process is expected to get completed shortly.
The statement pursuant to section 212 of the Companies Act, 1956,
containing details of subsidiary companies, forms part of this annual
report.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, vide its
circular dated 8th February 2011 has exempted companies from attaching
the annual reports and some particulars of its subsidiary companies
along with the annual report of the holding company required under
section 212 of the Companies Act, 1956. Therefore, the annual reports
of the above subsidiary companies are not attached with this Annual
report. Astatement giving certain information as required vide
aforesaid circular dated 08th February 2011 is placed along with the
consolidated accounts.
The annual accounts of the subsidiary companies are kept for inspection
by the shareholders at the registered office of the company. The
company shall provide the copy of the annual accounts of subsidiary
companies to the shareholders upon their request.
Corporate Governance
The report on corporate governance is annexed. The company has complied
with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in
clause 49 of the listing agreement.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
As per the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, your company has
constituted a CSR committee comprising of Mr. D Sarath Chandran
(Chairperson), Mr. Ashwin Chandran and Mr. A Ramkrishna. The committee
is responsible for formulating and monitoring the CSR policy of the
company.
Directors'' responsibility statement The directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
Auditors
M/s. Haribhakti & Co, auditors of the company, retire at the ensuing
annual general meeting. M/s. Haribhakti & Co., have given their consent
for re-appointment. The Audit Committee and the board of directors of
the company propose the re-appointment of M/s. Haribhakti & Co., as
statutory auditors of the company subject to your approval at the
forthcoming annual general meeting. The company has received
confirmation from M/s. Haribhakti & Co., that, if appointed, it would
be within the limits under section 139 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Cost Auditors
Pursuant to Section 148 of the Companies Act 2013, the board of
directors, on the recommendation of the Audit committee, appointed M/s
K R S & Associates, Cost Accountants, as the cost auditor of the
company for the financial year 2014-15.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the company did not accept or renew any fixed deposits
and no fixed deposits remained unclaimed with the company as on 31st
March 2014.
Unclaimed Shares
As required under Clause 5Aof the Listing agreement, the company has
sent 3 reminders to the shareholders whose shares were , lying
unclaimed/ undelivered with the company. The company has received a
substantial number of requests to claim these share certificates which
are released after a thorough due diligence. As on today the company
has 79,825 equity shares lying unclaimed. These shares were
transferred to the unclaimed suspense account as required underthe
listing agreement.
Particulars of Employees
In terms of the provisions of section 217(2A) of the Companies Act
1956, read with the Companies (Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975 as
amended, the names and other particulars of the employees are set out
in the annexure to the directors'' report. Having regard to the
provisions of section 219(1 )(b)(iv) of the said act, the annual report
excluding the aforesaid information is being sent to all the members of
the company and others entitled thereto. The annexure is available for
inspection by the members at the registered office of the company
during business hours on working days up to the date of ensuing annual
general meeting. Any member who is interested in obtaining such
particulars may write to the company, whereupon a copy would be sent.
Acknowledgement
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at
all levels towards the growth of the company.
By order of the Board
of Directors
Coimbatore R Nithya Prabhu
30th May, 2014 Company Secretary
Mar 31, 2013
Dear Shareholders,
The Directors are pleased to present the 51st Annual Report along with
the financial results for the year ended 31st March 2013.
Financial Results (Rs. Lacs)
31.03.2013 31.03.2012
Revenue from operations 66717 59404
PBIDT 7606 (2257)
Less:Finance cost 2612 2872
Profit from Operations 4994 (5129)
Other income 755 862
PBDT 5749 (4267)
Less: Depreciation and Amortization 3032 2991
PBT 2717 (7258)
Less:Tax expenses 1226 (1975)
Add : Extraordinary Item (net of tax) 578
PAT 2069 (5283)
Add: Balance brought forward (4746) 537
Add: Withdrawn from General Reserve 94
Less: Provision for proposed
dividend
(including dividend tax) (94)
Balance carried forward (2677) (4746)
Dividend
While the company has posted a profit in the year under review, it is
not adequate to absorb the loss of the previous year. Your Directors
have therefore proposed to declare a dividend in line with the
provisions of The Companies (Declaration of dividend out of reserves)
Rules, 1975. Accordingly, a dividend of 10% (ie., Re 1 per share) is
recommended and a sum of Rs. 94 lacs is being withdrawn from the General
Reserve for this purpose.
Directors
Mr A Ramkrishna, Mr Vijay Mohan and Mr C N Srivatsan retire by rotation
at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They are eligible for
re-appointment.
Subsidiary companies
The Company has four subsidiaries namely 1.Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd
2. Suprem Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE)
Limited and 4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited.
During the year under review Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary
incorporated in Malaysia, has ceased its operations and going ahead
with the winding up process which is anticipated to be completed in FY
2013-14.
The statement pursuant to section 212 of the companies act 1956,
containing details of subsidiary companies, forms part of this Annual
report.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, vide its
circular dated 8th February 2011 has exempted companies from attaching
the Annual reports and some particulars of its subsidiary companies
along with the Annual report of the company required under section 212
of the Companies Act 1956. Therefore, the Annual reports of the
subsidiary companies viz 1.Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd 2. Suprem
Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE) Limited and
4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited are not attached with this Annual
report. A statement giving certain information as required vide
aforesaid circular dated 08th February 2011 is placed along with the
consolidated accounts.
The Annual accounts of the subsidiary companies are kept for inspection
by the shareholders at the registered office of the company. The
company shall provide free of cost, the copy of the annual accounts of
subsidiary companies to the shareholders upon their request.
Corporate Governance
The report on corporate governance is annexed. The company has complied
with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in
clause 49 of the listing agreement.
Directors responsibility statement
The directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
Auditors
M/s Haribhakti & Co and M/s KSG Subramanyam & Co, auditors of the
company, retire at the ensuing annual general meeting. While M/s
Haribhakti & Co have given their consent for re-appointment, M/s
KSG Subramanyam & Co have not opted for re- appointment. The audit
committee and the board of directors of the company propose the
re-appointment of M/s Haribhakti & Co as statutory auditors of the
company subject to approval from the members at the forthcoming annual
general meeting. The company has received confirmation from M/s
Haribhakti & Co that, if appointed, it would be within the limits under
section 224(1B) of the companies act 1956.
The Board would like to place on record their appreciation of the
valuable service rendered by M/s KSG Subramanyam & Co for the past 20
years.
Cost Auditors
Pursuant to section 233B(2) of the companies act 1956, the board of
directors, on the recommendation of the Audit committee, appointed M/s
K R S & Associates, cost accountants, as the cost auditor of the
company for the financial year 2013-14. The company has filed the cost
audit report for the financial year 2011-12 on 02.04.2013.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the company did not accept or renew any fixed deposit
and no fixed deposit remained unclaimed with the company as on 31st
March 2013.
Particulars of Employees
In terms of the provisions of section 217(2A) of the companies act
1956, read with the companies (particulars of employees) Rules, 1975 as
amended, the names and other particulars of the employees are set out
in the annexure to the directors report. Having regard to the
provisions of section 219(1)(b)(iv) of the said act, the annual report
excluding the aforesaid information is being sent to all the members of
the company and others entitled thereto. The annexure is available for
inspection by the members at the registered office of the company
during business hours on working days up to the date of ensuing annual
general meeting. Any member who is interested in obtaining such
particulars may write to the company secretary at the registered office
of the company, whereupon a copy would be sent.
Acknowledgement
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at
all levels towards the growth of the company.
By order of the Board
Coimbatore D Sarath Chandran
23rd May 2013 Chairman
Mar 31, 2012
The Directors are pleased to present the 50th Annual Report along with
the audited accounts for the year ended 31st March 2012.
Financial Results (Rs. Lacs)
2011-12 2010-11
Revenue from operations 59404 57784
PBIDT (2257) 8235
Less : Finance cost 2872 1456
Profit from Operations (5129) 6779
Other income 862 318
PBDT (4267) 7097
Less : Depreciation and Amortization 2991 2696
PBT (7258) 4401
Less : Provision for Income Tax - 872
: MAT Credit - (19)
: Deferred Tax (2225) 288
: Tax provision for previous year 250 -
PAT (5283) 3260
Add : Balance brought forward 537 85
Profit available for appropriation (4746) 3345
Dividend and appropriations
Considering the fact that the Company has incurred a loss during the
year under review, your directors have decided not to declare any
dividend for the year ended 31st March 2012.
2011-12 2010-11
(Rs. Lacs) (Rs. Lacs)
Proposed Dividend - 695
Tax on Dividend - 113
General Reserve (4746) 2000
Balance carried forward - 537
Economic overview and Industry review
The Indian economy grew steady in the preceding years, averaging 8.0%
growth from 2007 to 2011. GDP, after a healthy growth of 7.7% during
Apr to Jun 2011, fell sharply in subsequent quarters with the growth
slowing down to 6.5% in 2011-12. High inflation, lower industrial
growth rate, low government spending and an uncertain global outlook,
especially in the Euro zone, have been the major contributory factors
impacting the GDP growth. Industrial growth took the biggest hit,
mainly due to poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors.
Total business spending on fixed assets and capital formation
contracted due to high input costs, high interest rates and lack of
policy reforms. Domestic fuel price hikes, which are expected to
continue, exerted additional upward pressure on inflation which hovered
above 9% for 2011-12
For the Textile Industry, 2011-12 was a very difficult year. The year
started with uncertainty over yarn exports amid record highs in cotton
prices. Global yarn prices were also ruling high due to the shortage
created by the restriction on Indian exports since December 2010. Once
yarn exports were opened up in April 2011, the huge stock of yarn that
had piled up with Indian mills in the preceding months started to flow
into the market. This had an adverse effect on yarn prices as supply
was far higher than demand. Coupled with poor demand for fabric and
garments in both the domestic and export markets, cotton and yarn
prices crashed in the next two months.
As a result, spinning mills that were carrying inventories of cotton
were burdened with huge write- downs in the value of their cotton
stock. In addition, the sudden and sharp drop in domestic and export
yarn prices put the textile mills in a situation where cash loss was
inevitable. Further, as cotton and yarn prices continued to drop month
on month, confidence and sentiment were severely dented and purchasing
reduced drastically. This led to high stock holding and reduced
capacity utilization for your company until November 2011.
Review of operations
The disparity between the cotton prices and yarn prices prevailed for
most part of the year leading to huge losses in the year under review.
With the RBI continuing its policy of increasing interest rates, there
was a sharp increase in financing costs. Energy costs continued to
remain high in view of the critical power situation that prevailed
through the financial year. Salaries and wages continued to escalate
in line with increased demand for human capital and increases in the
cost of living. All these factors added to the pressure on the bottom
line.
The market for fabrics did not maintain the momentum it had during the
first quarter of the financial year. During the rest of the period,
sales volumes dropped leading to slowing down of production and lower
utilization of installed capacity. Your company hopes that during
current year market conditions for the fabric would improve.
Though the turnover of your company has shown a marginal improvement of
around 2% over the previous year in terms of value, the increased input
costs in the form of raw material, labour, power and interest have
contributed to an operating loss of Rs. 51 crores as against an
operating profit of Rs. 66 crores in the previous year.
Technical Textiles
Technical textiles have gained global importance over the past few
years and the sector is set to grow at a fast pace in the immediate
future. With a view to gain a foothold in this sector, your company is
setting up a greenfield technical textile plant with state-of-the-art
technology in the Textile Special Economic Zone at Hassan in the state
of Karnataka. Your company, which has been hitherto in the traditional
textile products like yarn and fabric, will venture into these value
added products, which we consider as an emerging area of opportunity.
The plant will produce non-woven products for medical and hygiene care
applications.
Necessary statutory approvals have been obtained. Civil work has
commenced and the plant is expected to start commercial production from
April 2013. The project cost is estimated to be Rs. 165 crores out of
which Rs. 125 crores is to be funded through a term loan from ICICI
Bank.
Preferential allotment of Equity shares and Convertible share warrants
During the year, the company allotted 525000 equity shares and 525000
convertible warrants at a price of Rs. 98 per share/warrant on a
preferential basis to the promoters of the company. The company has
raised Rs. 6.43 crores and would further receive Rs. 3.86 crores once
the rights on the warrants is exercised by the promoters.
Outlook for the current year
Cotton prices at the commencement of the cotton season 2011 -12 stood
at Rs. 39000 per candy and as the season progressed it moderated to Rs.
35000 in January 2012 and further decreased to Rs. 33000 in March 2012.
The government's wavering stand on cotton exports resulted in an
uncertainty and increased volatility in cotton prices since then. Yarn
prices have gradually improved since December and most counts are
profitable at an operating level currently.
The overall demand for yarns and fabrics in both the export and
domestic markets are muted and there is a lack of confidence in the
entire supply chain. With the financial turmoil in the Euro zone
continuing and the US economy limping back to recovery, a quick
turnaround in export demand looks remote. Our domestic economy
continues to struggle with high inflation and slowing growth, factors
which are strongly affecting demand for textiles and other consumer
goods.
Given this scenario, your company will attempt to cut spending and
concentrate on maximising capacity utilization in the coming quarters.
Opportunities, Risks and Concerns
Continued acute power shortage in Tamilnadu, the economic situation in
the Euro Zone and high domestic inflation are going to be the major
concerns and challenges in the coming period. The high volatility in
price and demand for Cotton and Yarn in the domestic and international
markets is another major concern which could adversely affect your
company's financial performance.
Personnel
Labour relations continued to be cordial throughout
The year in all the units of the company. There is an acute shortage of
labour in Tamil Nadu but your company is continuing to strive to
overcome the shortage.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business
processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable
regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed for identification
of control deficiencies and formulation of time bound action plans to
improve efficiency at all the levels. The Audit committee of the Board
reviews internal control systems and their adequacy, significant risk
areas, observations made by the internal auditors on control mechanism
and the operations of the company, recommendations made for corrective
action and the internal audit reports. The committee reviews with the
statutory auditors and the management, key issues, significant
processes and accounting policies.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The audit
committee of the Board reviews the risk management report periodically.
Directors
Mr. Sumanth Ramamurthi and Mr. Vijay Venkataswamy retire by rotation at
the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They are eligible for reappointment.
In accordance with the retirement policy for the company's Board of
Directors, M V Subaraman, independent director, retiring at the ensuing
annual general meeting, expressed his intention not to seek
re-appointment.
The directors would like to place on record the valuable contributions
made by Mr M V Subaraman as a member of the board and the audit
committee since 2002.
Subsidiary companies
The Company has four subsidiaries namely 1. Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd
2. Suprem Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE)
Limited and 4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited. Benwood Corporation Sdn
Bhd, a subsidiary incorporated in Malaysia, recorded a turnover of Rs.
11 crores for the year ended 31st March 2012 with a Net Profit of Rs.
0.07 crores. The operations of the other subsidiaries are not
significant.
The statement pursuant to section 212 of the Companies Act 1956,
containing details of subsidiary companies, forms part of this Annual
report.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, vide its
circular dated 8th February 2011 has exempted companies from attaching
the Annual reports and some particulars of its subsidiary companies
along with the Annual report of the company required under section 212
of the Companies Act 1956. Therefore, the Annual reports of the
subsidiary companies viz 1. Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd 2. Suprem
Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE) Limited and
4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited are not attached with this Annual
report. A statement giving certain information as required vide
aforesaid circular dated 08th February 2011 is placed along with the
consolidated accounts.
The Annual accounts of the subsidiary companies are kept for inspection
by the shareholders at the registered office of the company. The
company shall provide free of cost, the copy of the annual accounts of
subsidiary companies to the shareholders upon their request.
Corporate Governance
The report on corporate governance is annexed. The company has complied
with the conditions relating to corporate governance as stipulated in
clause 49 of the listing agreement.
Directors responsibility statement
The directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
Auditors
M/s Haribhakti & Co and KSG Subramanyam & Co, auditors of the company
retire at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They have given their
consent for their re-appointment. The company has received confirmation
from them that, if appointed, it would be within the limits under
section 224(1 B) of the Companies Act, 1956. The Audit committee and
the Board of Directors of the company propose the re- appointment of
the auditors.
Cost Auditors
Pursuant to section 233B(2) of the Companies Act 1956, the Board of
Directors on the recommendation of the Audit committee appointed M/s K
R S & Associates, Cost Accountants, as the cost Auditor of the company
for the financial year 2012-13. The company has filed the Cost audit
report for the financial year 2010-11 on 17.09.2011.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the company did not accept or renew any fixed deposits
and no fixed deposits remained unclaimed with the company as on 31st
March 2012.
Particulars of Employees
In terms of the provisions of section 217(2A) of the companies act
1956, read with the companies (particulars of employees) Rules, 1975 as
amended, the names and other particulars of the employees are set out
in the annexure to the directors' report. Having regard to the
provisions of section 219(1)(b)(iv) of the said act, the annual report
excluding the aforesaid information is being sent to all the members of
the company and others entitled thereto. The annexure is available for
inspection by the members at the registered office of the company
during business hours on working days upto the date of ensuing annual
general meeting. Any member who is interested in obtaining such
particulars may write to the company secretary at the registered office
of the company, whereupon a copy would be sent.
Acknowledgement
Your directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by employees at
all levels towards the growth of the company
Annexure to Directors Report
a. Foreign Exchange Earnings
The company's foreign exchange earnings during the year was Rs. 152
crores. Outflow on account of import of raw materials, machinery and
spares amounted to Rs. 27 crores resulting in a net foreign exchange
earnings of Rs. 125 crores.
b. Technology Absorption, Adaptation and innovation Research and
Development
Research and Development activities are carried out on an ongoing basis
for improving the efficiency and also for improving quality of its
products. No separate expenditure was incurred for R & D.
By Order of the Board
D Sarath Chandran
Chairman
Coimbatore
30th May 2012
Mar 31, 2011
Dear Shareholders,
The Directors hereby present the 49th Annual Report along with the
financial results for the year ended 31st March 2011.
Financial Results Rs. in Lacs
2010-11 2009-10
Sales - Domestic 45543 34044
- Exports 11929 9618
57472 43662
Profit Before Interest,Depreciation 8031 6443
& Taxes
Less : Interest 1459 1220
Profit from Operations 6572 5223
Other income 525 336
Profit before Depreciation and Tax 7097 5559
Less : Depreciation and Amortization 2696 2792
Profit Before Tax 4401 2767
Less : Provision for Income Tax 872 470
MAT Credit (19) (49)
Deferred Tax 288 (225)
Tax provision for earlier years - 1000
Profit After Tax 3260 1571
Add : Balance brought forward 85 (81)
Profit available for appropriation 3345 1490
Dividend and appropriations
In view of the improved performance, your directors recommend a
dividend of Rs.10 per share (100%), absorbing a sum of Rs. 808 lacs
including the tax payable by the company. The amount of Rs.3345 lacs is
proposed to be appropriated as under:
2010-11 2009-10
Rs. in Lacs Rs. in Lacs
Proposed Dividend 695 348
Tax on Dividend 113 58
General Reserve 2000 1000
Balance carried forward 537 85
Economic overview and Industry review
The year under review began with a distinctively positive industrial
climate, which was a welcome relief after the set backs in previous
years due to the global meltdown. Flow of credit from institutions both
internally and externally had picked up and overall business sentiments
remained positive. However, in view of the rising food inflation and
the risk of broader inflationary expectations, the Reserve Bank of
India hiked interest rates on several occasions. So finance costs has
been dearer and the abundance of liquidity in the system has been
curtailed. Inflation remains one of the biggest challenges for the
government on the economic front. Oil and coal prices rose sharply and
the trend does not seem to be reversing.
During the year, the Indian economy grew at 8.6% and that growth rate
is expected to continue in the coming years. So, the outlook for the
current year remains broadly positive, subject to the assumption of
normal monsoon and robust growth in manufacturing and service sectors.
On the downside, global commodity and energy prices remain volatile and
could adversely impact growth.
The year 2010-11 for the Textile Industry was a year of opportunities
as well as challenges. The increase in the prices of cotton were
extraordinary and contradictory to estimates. The opening cotton prices
were lower for certain medium and long staple varieties when compared
to the prices of the previous year. However, from December 2010, in the
wake of a sudden surge in global demand, the domestic cotton prices
started rising. The cotton prices peaked during the months of February
& March 2011 and were higher by around 100% as compared to the previous
year. The volatility and strong international demand directly
influenced domestic cotton prices.
To curb the rising cotton price and to ensure sufficient raw material
availability to Indian spinners, the Government banned further exports
of cotton for the 2009/10 season in April 2010. However, for the
2010/11 season, the Government decided to allow the exports of cotton
under OGL without duty effective from 01s1 October 2010. This was
however capped at 55 lacs bales for the season. Yarn prices had also
increased significantly during the period under review. To curb the
increasing prices of cotton yarn, the Government restricted the export
of yarn to 720 Million Kgs for the year 2010-11. This limit was reached
by the end of November 2010, and further exports of yarn was stopped
until March 2011. The export incentive schemes, DEPB and Duty draw back
for cotton yarn were withdrawn in April 2010.
The TUF (Technology Upgradation Fund) scheme has been extended up to
March 2012 and the scope of the scheme has been modified by the
Ministry of Textiles to meet the needs of the industry. The Government
has imposed Central excise duty on branded garments in March 2011. The
Hon'ble Madras High court issued a closure order to al) dyeing units in
Tirupur due to concerns over environmental pollution. Around 750
dyeing units were shutdown after this order. Review of operations
The remunerative prices and good demand for yarn, both in the domestic
and international markets for most of the year under review enabled the
company to maintain the profit margins despite the steep rise in raw
material costs. However the ban on exports of cotton yarn from December
2010 resulted in the company having to hold high stocks of export yarn
by the end of the financial year.
On the power front, in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka the
situtation improved compared to previous years, which facilitated the
increase in the Company's capacity utilisation. However, the continued
shortage of power in Tamil Nadu has affected utilisation levels and
increased energy costs. The prevalent acute shortage of labour has also
affected the performance of our Tamil Nadu units. Notwithstanding these
external factors your company's performance in the year 2010-11 was
commendable and your company achieved the highest profit figures in the
company's history.
During the year under review, your company had taken measures to
improve the performance of the weaving division, as a result of which,
there were significant improvement in the division's efficiency. The
turnover of the division increased, however the higher yarn costs
negated the effects of improved efficiency levels. Your company is
optimistic of improved performance of this division during the current
financial year.
Your company's turnover of Rs.575 crores during the year under review,
registered a significant growth of 32% over the previous year due to
better capacity utilisation and increased sales realisation. This
coupled with improved operational efficiencies enhanced the Operating
Profit to Rs.66 Crores for the year, as against the corresponding
figure of Rs.52 Crores in the previous year.
Outlook for the current year
There was a lot of optimism at the start of the year about the growth
prospects for the textile industry. As the Government opened up exports
of cotton yarn from April 2011 there were expectations of maintaining
the healthy margins seen during 2010/11. However, the huge stocks of
cotton yarn that was held by exporters coupled with a slow down in
demand saw domestic and international yarn prices fall steadily from
the second half of April onward. During the same period, domestic and
international cotton prices fell sharply by over 25% from the peak
levels seen during March 2011. As a result of this, the prices of
cotton stocks held by the company are higher than current market
prices. If this trend were to continue, it will adversely affect the
operating margins in cotton yarn. Since the closure of dyeing units in
Tirupur, the demand for yarn in that region has been affected.
Similarly the imposition of central excise duty on branded garments has
also affected the hosiery cotton yarn market.
The predictions of a normal monsoon point towards improved power
availability in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, but the acute shortage of
power is anticipated to continue in Tamil Nadu.
In order to mitigate the impact of acute labour and power shortages and
to take advantage of technology advancements, your company continues
its modernisation programme. Your company augmented the windmill
generation capacity by 3 MW during the year under review and total
capacity grew to 13.25 MW, which caters to 50% of the power requirement
of the Tamil Nadu units.
Opportunities, Risks and Concern
Even in this liberalised economy, Government interventions in the
textile industry are frequently occurring partly because of the linkage
to the agricultural sector and also due to lobbying by the garment
manufacturers. These sudden policy changes by the government may hinder
the growth of the Indian textile industry.
The high volatility in price and demand of Cotton and Yarn in the
domestic and international market is a major concern which could
adversely affect your company's top line performance. The shortages of
power and labour continue to hinder the operations of your company and
increase costs in these areas.
Personnel
Labour relations continued to be cordial throughout the year in all the
units of the company.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business
processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable
regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed for identification
of control deficiencies and formulation of time bound action plans to
improve efficiency at all the levels. The Audit committee of the Board
reviews internal control systems and their adequacy, significant risk
areas, observations made by the internal auditors on control mechanism
and the operations of the company, recommendations made for corrective
action and the internal audit reports. The committee reviews with the
statutory auditors and the management, key issues, significant
processes and accounting policies. The company continues its efforts in
strengthening internal controls.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The audit
committee of the Board reviews the risk management report periodically.
Directors
Mr A Ramkrishna, Mr Suresh Jagannathan and Dr Jairam Varadaraj retire
by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They are eligible
for reappointment.
The term of office of Mr D Sarath Chandran, Chairman and Managing
Director came to an end on 31st March 2011. He expressed his intention
to relinquish the post of Managing Director. The Remuneration
committee, at its meeting held on 24,h January 2011 and the Board of
Directors, at their meeting held on 29th January 2011, appointed him as
the Chairman for a period of three years effective from 1st April 2011.
His appointment and remuneration are being placed before you at the
ensuing Annual General meeting for consideration and approval.
The term of office of Mr Ashwin Chandran, Joint Managing Director came
to end on 31s1 March 2011. He submitted his willingness under section
269 of the Companies act 1956 to be appointed as the Managing Director.
The Remuneration committee, at its meeting held on 24th January 2011
and the Board of Directors, at their meeting held on 29th January 2011,
appointed him as the Managing Director for a period of three years
effective from 1s" April 2011. His appointment and remuneration are
being placed before you at the ensuing Annual General meeting for
consideration and approval.
In supersession of earlier resolutions passed at the Board of Directors
meeting held on 29th January 2010 and the Annual General meeting held
on 06th August 2010 regarding the appointment of Mr Prashanth Chandran
as the Executive Director, the Remuneration committee, at its meeting
held on 24th January 2011 and the Board of Directors, at their meeting
held on 29th January 2011, appointed him as the Executive Director for
a period of three years effective from 1st April 2011. His appointment
and remuneration are being placed before you at the ensuing Annual
General meeting for consideration and approval.
EXIM Bank has appointed Mr K Ajit Kumar as its Nominee Director in
place of Mr K Muthukumaran with effect from 29th April 2011.
Subsidiary companies
The Company has four subsidiaries namely LBenwood Corporation Sdn Bhd
2. Suprem Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE)
Limited and 4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited. Benwood Corporation Sdn
Bhd, a subsidiary incorporated in Malaysia, recorded a turnover of
Rs.22 crores for the year ended 31st March 2011 with a Net Profit of
Rs. 2 crores. The operations of the other subsidiaries are not
significant.
The statement pursuant to section 212 of the Companies Act 1956,
containing details of subsidiaries of the Company, forms part of this
Annual report.
The company has obtained approval from the Ministry of Corporate
Affairs, New Delhi vide letter No: 47/101/2011-CL-lll dated 09/02/2011,
in terms of Sec 212(8) of the Companies Act, 1956 exempting it from
attaching its subsidiaries 'Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account,
Auditors' and Directors' Report thereon alongwith the Company's
accoutns for the year ended 31st March 2011. As per the terms of the
exemption order the brief financial statement of subsidiaries is
included in the Annual report. Corporate Governance
The report on Corporate Governance is annexed. The company has complied
with the conditions relating to Corporate Governance as stipulated in
Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement.
Directors' Responsibility statement
The Directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
Auditors
M/s Haribhakti & Co and KSG Subramanyam & Co, auditors of the company
retire at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They have given their
consent for re-appointment. The company has received confirmation from
them that, if appointed, it would be within the limits under section
224(1 B) of the Companies Act, 1956. The Audit committee and the Board
of Directors of the company propose the re-appointment of the auditors.
Fixed Deposits
During the year the Company did not accept or renew any fixed deposits
and no fixed deposits remained unclaimed with the company as on 31st
March 2011.
Acknowledgement
Your Directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your Directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by the employees
at all levels towards the growth of the company.
Annexure to Directors' Report
a. Foreign Exchange Earnings
The Company's foreign exchange earnings during the year was Rs. 117
crores. Outflow on account of import of raw materials, machinery and
spares amounted to Rs. 7 crores resulting in a net foreign exchange
earnings of Rs. 110 crores.
b. Technology Absorption, Adaptation and innovation Research and
Development
Research and Development activities are carried out on an ongoing basis
for improving the efficiency and also for improving quality of the
products. No separate expenditure was incurred for R&D.
c. Conservation of Energy
Conservation of Energy continues to receive increased emphasis at all
the units of the Company. Energy audits and Inter unit studies are
carried out on a regular basis for taking steps for reduction of the
energy consumption. The details of total consumption are as follows.
Particulars of Employees pursuant to the provisions of Section 217 (2A)
of the Companies Act, 1956
I
Name : D Sarath Chandran
Age : 65 years
Qualification : B Sc (Hons), MBA
Experience : 39 years
Designation : Chairman & Managing Director
Nature of duties : Management of the Company
Gross remuneration : Rs 98.23 lacs
Date of commencement of employment : 01st April 1975
Previous employment : Premier Mills Limited
Notes:
1. The Chairman & Managing Director was appointed for a period of 3
years with effect from 01sl April 2008.
2. Gross remuneration includes salary, allowances, Commission and
Company's contribution to Provident and Superannuation Funds.
3. Mr D Sarath Chandran is the brother of Mr Vijay Mohan and father of
Mr Ashwin Chandran and Mr Prashanth Chandran.
II
Name : Ashwin Chandran
Age : 36 years
Experience : 14 years
Qualification : B Sc (Hons), MBA
Designation : Joint Managing Director
Nature of duties : Management of the Company
Gross remuneration : Rs 67.94 lacs
Date of commencement of employment : 19th September 2002
Previous employment : -
Notes:
1. The Joint Managing Director was appointed for a period of 3 years
with effect from 01st April 2008.
2. Gross remuneration includes salary, allowances, Commission and
Company's contribution to Provident and Superannuation Funds.
3. Mr Ashwin Chandran is the son of Mr D Sarath Chandran and brother
of Mr Prashanth Chandran.
III
Name : Prashanth Chandran
Age : 30 years
Experience : 6 years
Qualification : B.Engg
Designation : Executive Director
Nature of duties : Operations of the company
Gross remuneration : Rs 61.13 lacs
Date of commencement of employment : 01st October 2005
Previous employment : -
Notes:
1. The Executive Director was appointed for a period of 3 years with
effect from 01st April 2010.
2. Gross remuneration includes salary, allowances, Commission and
Company's contribution to Provident and Superannuation Funds.
3. Mr Prashanth Chandran is the son of Mr D Sarath Chandran and
brother of Mr Ashwin Chandran.
Coimbatore By Order of the Board
27th May 2011 D Sarath Chandran
Chairman
Mar 31, 2010
The Directors hereby present the 48th Annual Report along with the
financial results for the year ended 31st March, 2010.
Financial Results Rs. in Lacs
31.03.10 31.03.09
Sales -Domestic 34044 28183
- Exports 9618 9712
43662 37895
Profit Before Interest.Depreciation 6443 2552
& Taxes
Less : Interest 1220 1302
Profit from Operations 5223 1250
Other income 336 1077
Profit before Depreciation and Tax 5559 2327
Less : Depreciation and Amortization 2791 2992
Profit Before Tax 2768 (665)
Less : Provision for Income Tax 470 -
Fringe Benefit tax - 17
MAT Credit (49) -
Deferred Tax (225) 189
Tax provision for earlier years 1000 -
Profit After Tax 1572 (871)
Add : Balance brought forward (81) 790
Profit available for appropriation 1491 (81)
Dividend and appropriations
In view of the improved performance, your directors recommend a
dividend of Rs.5 per share of Rs. 10 each (50%) absorbing a sum of
Rs.406 lacs including the tax payable by the company. The amount of
Rs.1491 lacs is proposed to be appropriated as under:
09 -10 08-09
Rs. in Lacs Rs. in Lacs
Proposed Dividend 348 -
Tax on Dividend 58 -
General Reserve 1000 -
Balance carried forward 85 (81)
Industry overview and Review of operations
The year under review began with a climate of uncertainty in the
economy. Following the financial crisis that spread across the
industrialised nations in the second half of 2008-09, there was a
significant slowdown in the GDP growth rate in India. The stimulus
measures introduced by the Government helped in maintaining liquidity
in the financial system and reviving growth in the economy. The real
turnaround came in the second quarter of 2009-10 when the economy grew
by 7.9 percent. However, a major concern during the year was the rise
in inflation which impacted consumer spending.
For the textile industry, the year began on a similar note and your
company was looking at the future with uncertainty due to the global
recession, shortages of power and labour, and fluctuations in foreign
exchange rates.
The Indian cotton crop of 2009-10 is estimated at 292 lac bales, which
is a marginal increase from the previous year. However, due to the
increase in demand and higher international prices, cotton prices rose
sharply in December. With the growth in exports of cotton yarn and
apparel from India, sentiments in the domestic market also turned
positive and the effect of the increased raw material cost was offset
by higher yarn prices.
There were improvements on the power front in Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh, which helped to improve the Companys capacity utilisation.
However in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the power shortages affected
utilisation and increased energy costs.
The roof repairs at our unit in Pollachi were carried out as planned
and production restarted in July in a phased manner with the unit
reaching its full capacity in December.
The weaving division of the company recorded an increase of 7% in
turnover. However higher yarn prices and power shortages meant that
there was only a marginal improvement in the operating profit. This
division continues to disappoint in terms of return on investment.
The turnover of the company grew by 15% to Rs.437 Crores against the
corresponding figure of Rs.379 Crores in the previous year due to
better capacity utilisation and increased sales realisation. This,
coupled with improved operational efficiencies enhanced the Operating
Profit to Rs.52.2 Crores for the year, as against the corresponding
figure of Rs.12.5 Crores.
Income tax provision for earlier years
Our company has been making regular investments in replacing machinery
and these expenses were claimed as revenue expenditure for tax
purposes, based on the judgements of the Supreme Court and High Courts
and the same was accepted by the IT department during earlier
assessments. However, since 1997 the department has disputed the claim
and the issue has been under litigation. In 2005, the Madras High Court
had ruled in favour of the company but the department made an appeal to
the Supreme Court, which in 2008 remanded the issue back to the
Commissioner of Appeals Coimbatore, where it stands today.
However, based on recent judicial pronouncements relating to claim of
certain expenses as revenue expenditure, as a prudent measure, the
Company has made a provision of Rs.10 crores towards income tax and
interest charges for earlier years.
Outlook for the current year
The steep increase in yarn prices resulted in government intervention
to restrict the export of cotton and removal of export incentives for
cotton yarn. The adverse effect of this has been negated to a certain
extent by the increase in export prices of cotton yarn as demand
remains buoyant. The International Cotton Advisory Council has
estimated a 7% increase in the cotton production for 2010-11, which we
hope will stabilise the cotton prices for the coming year. The
predictions of a normal monsoon point towards improved power
availability in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, but the acute shortage is
expected to continue in Tamil Nadu.
The operating margins in cotton yam continued to be healthy during the
first two months of 2010-11. With the present climate in the economy,
we expect the performance of the company to improve in the coming year
barring any unforeseen circumstances.
The company is looking at various options to improve the weaving
divisions performance. A major shift in the market segment might be
required to improve price realisation and enhance operational
efficiencies.
Opportunities, Risks and Concern
While the recovery of the US economy and strong domestic demand
indicate a lot of scope for growth in the industry, the recent
upheavals in the Euro zone economies could threaten that. The hardening
of interest rates in Europe will have an effect on consumer spending,
which will affect yarn and apparel exports to these countries. However
the bigger concern would be the consequent effect of oversupply
globally.
The shortages of power and labour will continue to hinder operations of
the company, and increase costs.
Personnel
Labour relations continued to be cordial throughout the year in all the
units of the company. We have entered into a five year wage settlement
with the permanent workers at our A unit in Kerala.
Internal control systems & Risk Management
The company has adequate internal control systems to monitor business
processes, financial reporting and compliance with applicable
regulations. The systems are periodically reviewed for identification
of control deficiencies and formulation of time bound action plans to
improve efficiency at all the levels.
The Audit committee of the Board reviews internal control systems and
their adequacy, significant risk areas, observations made by the
internal auditors on control mechanism and the operations of the
company, recommendations made for corrective action and the internal
audit reports. The committee reviews with the statutory auditors and
the management, key issues, significant processes and accounting
policies. The company continues its efforts in strengthening internal
controls.
Risk Management is an integral part of the business process. The audit
committee of the Board reviews the risk management framework.
Mr L G Varadarajulu
It is with deep regret that we inform the members about the sad demise
of our beloved Ex-Chairman Mr L G Varadarajulu on 19th May 2010. Mr L
G Varadarajulu had been associated with the company since inception as
one of the promoter members/directors and was Chairman of the Company
from 1992 to 2004.
The Company has benefited immensely under his able leadership and
guidance. The Board of Directors places on record its highest
appreciation of the contribution and invaluable services rendered by Mr
L G Varadarajulu to the growth of the company.
Directors
Mr Vijay Mohan, Mr C N Srivatsan and Mr Vijay Venkataswamy retire by
rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. They are eligible for
reappointment.
Mr P Sai Prakash resigned from the Board with effect from 31st December
2009. The Directors would like to place on record the valuable
contributions made by Mr P Sai Prakash.
Mr Prashanth Chandran was appointed as a Whole time Director effective
from 01.04.2010 and designated as Executive Director. The above
appointment is subject to the approval of the members at the
forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
Subsidiary companies
The Company has four subsidiaries namely 1. Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd
2. Suprem Textile Processing Limited 3. Multiflora Processing (CBE)
Limited and 4. Precot Meridian Energy Limited. Benwood Corporation Sdn
Bhd, a subsidiary incorporated in Malaysia, recorded a turnover of
Rs. 13 crores for the year ended 31st December 2009 with a Net Profit
of Rs 0.67 crores. The operations of the other subsidiaries are not
significant.
The statement pursuant to section 212 of the Companies Act 1956,
containing details of subsidiaries of the Company, forms part of this
Annual report.
The company has obtained approval from the Ministry of Corporate
Affairs, New Delhi vide letter No:47/27/ 2010-CL-lll dated 24/02/2010
in terms of Section 212(8) of the Companies act 1956 exempting the
company from attaching the Balance sheet and profit & loss account of
the subsidiaries namely 1 .Suprem Textile Processing Limited 2
Multiflora Processing (CBE) Limited 3. Precot Meridian Energy Limited
and 4. Benwood Corporation Sdn Bhd along with Auditors and Directors
report thereon, with the companys accounts for the year ended 31st
March 2010. As per the terms of the exemption order the brief financial
statement of subsidiaries is included in the Annual report.
Delisting of securities from Regional Stock Exchanges
The Company applied for delisting its securities from the Coimbatore
and Madras Stock Exchanges as there is no trading in these Exchanges.
The Approval from Madras Stock Exchange for delisting the shares was
obtained. The shares of the company will continue to be listed on the
National Stock Exchange, Mumbai.
Corporate Governance
The report on Corporate Governance is annexed. The company has complied
with the conditions relating to Corporate Governance as stipulated in
Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement.
Directors Responsibility statement
The Directors confirm that:
(a) The applicable accounting standards have been followed and proper
explanations provided relating to material departures
(b) The company has adopted prudent and consistent accounting policies
so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company
(c) Proper and sufficient care has been taken for maintenance of
adequate accounting records under the provisions of the Companies Act
for safeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and
detecting fraud and other irregularities
(d) The annual accounts of the company have been prepared on a going
concern basis
Auditors
M/s Suri & Co and KSG Subramanyam & Co, auditors of the company retire
at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. While M/s KSG Subramanyam & Co
have given their consent for reappointment, M/s Suri & Co have not
opted for reappointment. The Board proposes to appoint M/s Haribhakti &
Co and M/s KSG Subramanyam & Co, as Statutory auditors of the company
subject to approval from the members at the forthcoming Annual General
Meeting. The directors have received confirmation from them that, if
appointed, it would be within the limits under section 224(1 B) of the
Companies Act, 1956.
The Board would like to place on record their appreciation of the
valuable service rendered by M/s Suri & Co for the past 13 years.
Fixed Deposits
One Fixed Deposit amounting to Rs.0.15 lacs remained unclaimed as on
31st March, 2010.
Acknowledgement
Your Directors thank the shareholders, customers, suppliers and bankers
for their continued support during the year. Your directors also place
on record their appreciation of the contributions made by the employees
at all levels towards the growth of the company.
Coimbatore By Order of the Board
29.05.2010 D Sarath Chandran
Chairman & Managing Director
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