Mar 31, 2018
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty Sixth Annual Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2018.
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL RESULTS & STATE OF COMPANYâS AFFAIRS
Description |
Amount (Rs. in lakhs) |
|
2017-18 |
2016-17 |
|
Revenue from Operations |
32868.69 |
22952.31 |
Other Income |
130.53 |
316.41 |
Earnings before Finance Costs, Depreciation and Tax |
3583.76 |
1669.74 |
Finance Costs |
387.90 |
347.95 |
Profit before Depreciation and Tax |
3195.86 |
1321.79 |
Depreciation and Amortization |
794.07 |
772.77 |
Profit before Tax |
2401.79 |
549.02 |
Tax Expenses / (Credit) |
788.43 |
215.57 |
Net Profit for the year |
1613.36 |
333.45 |
Your Company has adopted Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) with effect from April 1, 2017 (transition date being April 1, 2016). Accordingly, the financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018 have been prepared in accordance with Ind AS in terms of the provisions of Section 133 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, as amended from time to time. Previous year figures have been restated as per Ind AS to make them comparable.
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, your Company achieved Gross Revenue from operations of Rs.32868.69 lakhs as compared to Rs.22952.31 lakhs in the previous year (an increase of about 43.20%). The increase in revenue was mainly due to robust orders received from various customers. The Profit before Depreciation and Tax for the year stood at Rs.3195.86 lakhs as compared to Rs.1321.79 lakhs in the previous year. The increase in profit was due to excellent order position enjoyed by the company during the year under review.
The Global optical fibre cable consumption has gone up to 493 million fibre-km in 2017, which is a clear increase of 14.9 % from the previous year. The overall growth in the global optical fibre market coupled with increasing Indian market demand primarily due to huge demand from Government driven rural broadband project and other Greenfield network expansion projects from private telecom players in the country. As a matter of fact, the Fibre demand in India mainly driven by the migration of 3G to 4G telecom network which warrants huge volumes of fibre cables to be deployed in backbone, access and premise network nodes. This even extends to the fiberisation requirements to cell sites due to heavy data driven networks with the high bandwidth demands.
The spurt in overall growth in the requirement of optical fibre cables is not only in the domestic segment, but also in the overseas market due to robust network roll-out by leading telcos all across the world. Almost one third of the revenue came from the export segment for the company, which clearly demonstrates the quality culture traditionally being nourished by the company on a long term basis.
DIVIDEND AND RESERVES
After considering the Companyâs profitability, free cash flow and overall financial performance, the Board of Directors of the Company is pleased to recommend a Dividend of Rs.1/- (previous year '' Nil) per equity share of face value Rs.10/- each (i.e. 10%) for the financial year ended on March 31, 2018. The distribution of Dividend on equity shares, if approved by the Members at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, will result in payout of Rs.300.00 lakhs excluding Tax on Dividend and Surcharge/Education Cess thereon.
SHARE CAPITAL
The paid-up Equity Share Capital of the Company as at March 31, 2018 stood at Rs.3000.00 lakhs. During the year under review, the Company has neither issued shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise nor has granted stock options or sweat equity under any scheme. Further, none of the Directors of the Company holds investments convertible into equity shares of the Company as on March 31, 2018.
DEPOSITS/FINANCE
Your Company has not accepted any public deposits during the year within the meaning of Section(s) 73 to 76 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 and as such no amount on account of principal or interest on public deposits was outstanding as on the date of the Balance Sheet.
Your Company continued to optimise bank borrowings during the year by focusing on cash flows and working capital management. By availing alternate funding options like issuance of Buyerâs Credit and Supplierâs Credit, your Company ensured efficiency in its borrowing costs.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Regulation 34(3) read with Para C of Schedule V of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate Governance and a certification by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) confirming compliance by all the Board Members and Senior Management Personnel with Companyâs Code of Conduct and Auditorsâ Certificate regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance are made a part of the Annual Report.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
As a part of its initiative under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Company has undertaken CSR activities in the areas of (i) Animal welfare and (ii) Education promoting employment enhancing vocation skills especially among children and livelihood enhancement projects. These activities are largely in accordance with Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 and the Companyâs CSR Policy.
The Annual Report on CSR activities is given in Annexure-I, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report. The Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of the Company is available on the website of the Company i.e. www.birlacable.com.
DIRECTORSâ RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
To the best of their knowledge and belief and according to the information and explanations obtained by them, your Directors make the following statements in terms of Section 134(3)(c) of the Companies Act, 2013:
(a) that in the preparation of the annual financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018, the applicable accounting standards read with requirements set out under Schedule III to the Companies Act, 2013, have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
(b) that such accounting policies as mentioned in Notes to the Financial Statements have been selected and applied consistently and judgement and estimates have been made that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at March 31, 2018 and the profit of the Company for the year ended on that date. The Company adopted Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) effective from April 1, 2017 with transition date being April 1, 2016 and accordingly, the transition was carried out and applied in the accounting policies in accordance with the applicable Ind AS as stated in the Notes to Financial Statements. The impact of transition has been recorded in opening reserves as at April 1, 2016 and the periods presented have been restated accordingly;
(c) that proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
(d) that the annual financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis;
(e) that proper internal financial controls were in place and that the financial controls were adequate and were operating effectively; and
(f) that system to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws were in place and were adequate and operating effectively.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND ADEQUACY OF INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Companyâs system of financial and compliance controls with reference to the financial statements and risk management is embedded in the business process by which the Company pursues its objectives. Additionally, the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors assess the implementation of risk management and risk mitigation measures through their review of potential risks which could negatively impact the operations, the proposed budget and plan, the Companyâs strategic framework besides inherent risks associated with the products/ goods dealt with by the Company. Your Companyâs approach to address business risks is comprehensive and includes periodic review of such risks and a framework for mitigating and reporting mechanism of such risks. In the view of the Board of Directors, there are no material risks, which may threaten the existence of the Company.
The Board of Directors of the Company has laid down the policies and procedures for internal financial controls to be followed by the Company for ensuring the orderly and efficient conduct of its business, in order to achieve the strategic, operational and other objectives over a long period and that its exposure to risks are within acceptable limits decided by the Board. In addition, the policies and procedures have been designed with an intent to ensure safeguarding of Companyâs assets, the prevention and detection of frauds and errors, the accuracy in completeness of the accounting records and the timely preparation of reliable financial information.
The management is committed to ensure effective internal financial controls environment, which provides assurance on the efficiency of its business operations coupled with adherence to its established policies, safety/security of its assets besides orderly and legitimate conduct of Companyâs business in the circumstances, which may reasonably be foreseen. The Company has defined organisation structure, authority levels delegated powers, internal procedures, rules and guidelines for conducting business transactions. The Companyâs system and process relating to internal controls and procedures for financial reporting have been designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes with the Companies Act, 2013, Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015 and other relevant provisions of the Act and rules made thereunder and all other applicable regulatory/statutory guidelines, etc. for disclosures with reference to financial statements.
Your Companyâs internal control systems are supplemented by an extensive program of internal audit by an independent firm of Chartered Accountants. Internal audits are conducted at regular intervals and a summary of the observations and recommendations of such audits are placed before the Audit Committee. The Internal Auditors, the Audit Committee as well as the Board of Directors conduct an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal financial controls system on an ongoing basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SAFETY
Industrial relations remained cordial throughout the year. Your Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty, dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees in the growth and performance of the Company during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing process at the Companyâs plant and facilities to maintain high awareness levels. The Company is conscious of the importance of environmentally clean and safe operations so as to ensure safety of all concerned and compliance of applicable environmental regulations. The Company as a policy re-evaluates safety standards and practices from time to time in order to raise the bar of safety standards for its people as well as users and customers.
RECOGNITION
The Companyâs manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as aligned with the external standards for Quality Management System IS/ISO 9001:2008, TL9000R5.5/5.0H, Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001:2007. During the year, the audits for these Certifications established continuous improvement in performance against these standards.
During the year under review, the Company successfully obtained certification under Information Security Management System ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Standards from Bureau Veritas for design, development and manufacture of optical fibre cables, ribbon type optical fibre cables, polyethylene insulated jelly filled telecommunication cables, copper communication cables, insulated wire & cables, electric conductors, supply of accessories for optical fibre cables & copper cables and support processes.
DIRECTORS
In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companyâs Articles of Association, Shri D.R.Bansal [DIN: 00050612], Director shall retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible, has offered himself for re-appointment as a Director of the Company. The Board recommends his re-appointment for the consideration of the members of the Company at the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
The brief resume and other details of Director seeking re-appointment as required under Regulation 36(3) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 and Secretarial Standard on General Meetings (SS-2) are given in the Notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting, which is being sent to the shareholders along with Annual Report.
During the year under review, there was no change in the Board of Directors of the Company.
KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
Shri R Sridharan, Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Shri Somesh Laddha, General Manager (Accounts) & Secretary are the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company. During the year under review there was no change in the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.
DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
All Independent Directors of your Company viz.Shri R.C.Tapuriah, Dr.Aravind Srinivasan,Shri Arun Kishore, Shri K.Raghuraman and Smt. Archana Capoor have individually and severally given a declaration pursuant to Section 149(7) of the Companies Act, 2013 affirming compliance to the criteria of Independence as laid down under Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013. Based on the declaration(s) of Independent Directors, the Board of Directors recorded its opinion that all Independent Directors are independent of the Management and have fulfilled the conditions as specified in the Companies Act, 2013, rules made thereunder as well as applicable provisions of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations, 2015.
MEETINGS OF BOARD AND COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES
During the year under review, the Board met six times viz. May 16, 2017, August 08, 2017, September 27, 2017, November 14, 2017, February 06, 2018 and March 09, 2018.
As required under Section 177(8) read with Section 134(3) of the Companies Act, 2013, and the rules framed thereunder, the composition and meetings of the Audit Committee were in line with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, details of which alongwith composition, number of meetings of all other Board Committees held during the year under review and attendance at the meetings are provided in the Report on Corporate Governance, forming a part of the Annual Report. During the year under review, all the recommendations of the Audit Committee were accepted by the Board of Directors.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BOARD, COMMITTEES AND DIRECTORS
Pursuant to the Provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 and the Guidance Note on Board evaluation issued by SEBI, the Board of Directors of the Company carried out the formal annual evaluation of its own performance and that of its Committees and individual Directors, interalia, to assess the skill set and contribution that are desired, recognising that competencies and experiences evolves over time. The Directors were individually evaluated based on personal interaction to ascertain feedback on well defined parameters which, interalia, comprised of level of engagement and their contribution to strategic planning and other criteria based on performance and personal attributes of the Directors. During the process of evaluation, the Board of Directors also considered the criteria for evaluation of performance of Independent Directors and the Board of Directors formulated by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The Board of Directors also reviewed and discussed the annual performance evaluation of Directors carried out by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and review of the performance of the Chairman (taking into account the views of non-executive directors), the Non-independent Directors and the Board as a whole carried out by the Independent Directors. A statement indicating the manner, in which formal annual evaluation has been made by the Board of Directors, is given in the Report on Corporate Governance which forms a part of the Annual Report.
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS AND THEIR REMUNERATION
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) has adopted a terms of reference which, interalia, deals with the criteria for identification of members of the Board of Directors and selection/appointment of the Key Managerial Personnel/Senior Management Personnel of the Company. The NRC recommends appointment of Director/appointment or re-appointment of Manager & CEO based on their qualifications, expertise, positive attributes and independence in accordance with prescribed provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed thereunder and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The NRC, in addition to ensuring diversity of race and gender, also considers the impact the appointee would have on Boardâs balance of professional experience, background, view points, skills and areas of expertise.
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee has also adopted the Remuneration Policy for the members of the Board and Executive Management. The guiding principles of the Remuneration Policy are stated in the Report on Corporate Governance, which forms a part of the Annual Report.
VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
In terms of the provisions of Section 177(9) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has implemented a Vigil Mechanism which includes implementation of the Whistle Blower Policy to deal with instances of fraud and mis-management, if any, and conducting business with integrity, including in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. No employee has been denied access to the Vigilance Officer as well as Chairman of the Audit Committee. The details of the Vigil Mechanism and Whistle Blower Policy are explained in the Corporate Governance Report and also posted on the website of the Company.
AUDITORS
In terms of the provisions of Section 139 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 as amended vide the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 and the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Amendment Rules, 2018 respectively Messrs Jain Pramod Jain & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No. 016746 N) were appointed as Statutory Auditors of the Company to hold office for a term of five (5) years until the conclusion of the Thirtieth Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held for the financial year 2021-22 and their appointment is not required to be ratified each year at Annual General Meeting of the Company. The Auditors have confirmed to the Company that they continue to remain eligible to hold office as the Auditors and not disqualified for being so appointed under the Companies Act, 2013, the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and the rules and regulations made thereunder.
The Board of Directors has re-appointed Messrs D. Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants, as Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the accounting records maintained by the Company in respect of specified products of the Company covered under The Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Amendment Rules, 2014 and fixed their remuneration based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee. The remuneration payable to Cost Auditors is subject to ratification by the shareholders in the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
AUDITORSâ REPORT
The Auditorsâ Report on the financial statements of the Company forms a part of the Annual Report. There is no qualification, reservation, adverse remark, disclaimer or modified opinion in the Auditorsâ Report, which calls for any further comments or explanations. Further, during the year under review, the Auditors have not reported any matter under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, therefore, no detail is required to be disclosed in pursuance to Section 134(3)(ca) of the Companies Act, 2013.
SECRETARIAL AUDITOR
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates, Company Secretaries (PCS Registration no.14474) were appointed to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2018. The Report of the Secretarial Auditor is given in Annexure-II, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
No qualification or observation or other remarks have been made by Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates in the Secretarial Audit Report, which calls for any comments or explanations.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECRETARIAL STANDARDS
The Company has proper system in place to ensure compliance with the provisions of applicable Secretarial Standards. During the year under review, your Company has complied with applicable provisions of Secretarial Standard on Meetings of the Board of Directors (SS-1) and Secretarial Standard on General Meetings (SS-2) issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
All related party transactions that were entered into by the Company during the financial year under review were generally on armsâ length basis and in the ordinary course of business. The disclosure of related party transactions as required under Section 134(3)(h) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 in prescribed Form AOC-2 is given in Annexure-III, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report. There are no material significant related party transactions entered into by the Company with its Promoters, Directors, Key Managerial Personnel or other designated persons, which may have a potential conflict with the interest of the Company at large.
All related party transactions are placed before the meeting(s) of Audit Committee for its approval. Prior omnibus approval of the Audit Committee is obtained on an annual basis, for a financial year, for the transactions which are of a foreseen and repetitive in nature. The statement giving details of all related party transactions entered into pursuant to the omnibus approval together with relevant documents/ information are placed before the Audit Committee for review and updation on quarterly basis. The Companyâs Policy on materiality of Related Party Transactions and dealing with Related Party Transactions, as approved by the Board of Directors, is uploaded on the Companyâs website and can be accessed at weblink: http://www.birlacable.com/pdf/RPTPolicy_BCL.pdf.
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES AND INVESTMENTS UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013
The particulars of Loans, Guarantees and Investment in pursuance to Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 have been disclosed in the financial statements read together with Notes annexed to and forming an integral part of the financial statements.
DISCLOSURE OF RATIO OF REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL, ETC.
As required under Section 197(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Statement of Disclosure of Remuneration and such other details as prescribed therein are given in Annexure-IV, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
EXTRACT OF ANNUAL RETURN
An Extract of Annual Return as provided under Section 92(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is given in Annexure-V, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are not given, as none of the employees qualifies for such disclosure.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING AND OUTGO
As required under Section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules 2014, the information on Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo are given in Annexure-VI, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
GENERAL
Your Directors state that no disclosure or reporting is required in respect of the following items as there were no transactions or events on these items during the year under review:
(a) the Company has neither issued shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise nor has granted stock options or sweat equity under any scheme. Further, none of the Directors of the Company holds investments convertible into equity shares of the Company as on March 31, 2018.
(b) No significant or material orders were passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals which impact the going concern status of the Company and its operations in future.
(c) The Company has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at workplace and has adopted a Policy on prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment at workplace in line with the requirements of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and Rules made thereunder. During the year under review, there were no cases filed or reported pursuant to the provisions of the said Act.
(d) There are no material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the Company, which have occurred between the end of the financial year of the Company to which the financial statements relate and the date of this Report.
(e) No frauds were reported by Auditors in terms of Section 143(2) of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules, if any, made thereunder.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board of Directors desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State Government and continued support extended to the Company by the bankers, investors, vendors, esteemed customers and other business associates. Your Directors also wish to place on record their sincere thanks and infinite appreciations to all the employees of the Company for their unstinted commitment and continued contribution in the performance of the Company.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
(DIN: 00394094)
D.R.Bansal
(DIN: 00050612)
R.C.Tapuriah
(DIN: 00395997)
Aravind Srinivasan Directors
(DIN: 00088037)
Arun Kishore
(DIN: 00177831)
Archana Capoor
(DIN: 01204170)
New Delhi, May 24, 2018
Mar 31, 2017
Directorsâ Report
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty Fifth Annual Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2017.
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL RESULTS & STATE OF COMPANYâS AFFAIRS
2016-17 |
2015-16 |
|
(Rs. in lacs) |
(Rs. in lacs) |
|
Revenue from Operations (Gross) |
22952.31 |
27314.58 |
Other Income |
300.04 |
266.29 |
23252.35 |
27580.87 |
|
The Yearâs working shows - |
||
Profit before Depreciation, Exceptional Item and Tax |
1299.79 |
2253.13 |
Less : Depreciation and Amortization Expense |
772.77 |
717.01 |
: Exceptional Item |
- |
477.52 |
Profit before Tax |
527.02 |
1058.60 |
Less : Tax Expense/(Credit): |
||
- Current Tax/Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) |
155.74 |
65.60 |
(Net of MAT Credit Entitlement, if any) |
||
- Deferred Tax Charge |
53.14 |
145.00 |
Net Profit for the year |
318.14 |
848.0 0 |
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, the Companyâs revenue from operations decreased to Rs.22952.31 lacs from Rs.27314.58 lacs in the previous year (a decrease of about 15.97%). The decrease in revenue was mainly due to less than expected orders received from various customers. The profit (before depreciation and tax) for the year decreased to Rs.1299.79 lacs as against Rs.2253.13 lacs in the previous year. The decrease in profit was mainly because of fall in turnover during the year under review.
Despite less than expected performance, the overall business sentiment of Optical Fibre Cable Industry is upbeat, as global Optical Fibre demand peaked to more than 461 million FKM as per CRU report during the year 2016. This is expected to grow by more than 10% during the year of 2017 mainly driven by China and US demand. In India also, the market is going to witness an upward trend due to recent push by the Government, driving big ticket telecom infrastructure projects, Smart City projects, where Optical Fibre Cable consumption is imminent. As the telecom networks are increasingly changing towards transporting bulk data requirements, the need of Optical Fibre Cables to wire up backbone, metro and access networks is increasing exponentially, which is going in sync with the telecom industry trends. With the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) and intelligent networks, the consumption of Optical Fibre Cables bound to increase in the coming years giving tremendous scope for supply opportunities to the cable industry.
In line with the demand pattern globally, the requirement of Optical Fibre Cables for the Export segment is also picking up and the Company is poised to take its market share to a level, thereby reducing the dependency on the domestic market to a considerable extent. The company is doing exports to more than 60 countries spread across 6 continents.
DIVIDEND
Your Directors regret their inability to recommend any equity dividend for the financial year ended 31st March, 2017 in order to conserve cash resources for future business requirements.
CHANGE OF NAME
During the year under review, name of the Company has been changed from âBirla Ericsson Optical Limitedâ to âBirla Cable Limitedâ in pursuance to a Special Resolution by the members of the Company at the 24th Annual General Meeting held on 19th August, 2016. Consequent to change of name, an amended/new âCertificate of Incorporation pursuant to change of nameâ was issued by the jurisdictional Registrar of Companies on 29th August, 2016.
The change in name was necessitated due to termination of Joint Venture Agreement entered into between Ericsson Cables AB, Sweden on one part and Universal Cables Ltd. and Vindhya Telelinks Limited on the other part, followed by divestment of the entire shareholding by Ericsson Cables AB, by way of interse transfer amongst the promoters.
DEPOSITS/FINANCE
Your Company has not accepted any public deposits during the year within the meaning of Section(s) 73 to 76 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 and as such no amount on account of principal or interest on public deposits was outstanding as on the date of the Balance Sheet.
Your Company continued to optimize bank borrowings during the year by focusing on cash flows and working capital management. By availing alternate funding options like issuance of Buyers Credit and Supplierâs Credit, your Company ensured efficiency in its borrowing costs.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Regulation 34(3) read with Para C of Schedule V of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate Governance and a certification by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) confirming compliance by all the Board Members and Senior Management Personnel with Companyâs Code of Conduct and Auditorsâ Certificate regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance are made a part of the Annual Report.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
As a part of its initiative under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Company has undertaken CSR activities in the areas of
(i) Animal welfare; (ii) Education promoting employment enhancing vocation skills especially among children and livelihood enhancement projects; (iii) Ensuring environmental sustainability, conservation of natural resources and maintaining the quality of soil, air and water. These activities are largely in accordance with Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 and the Companyâs CSR Policy.
The Annual Report on CSR activities is given in Annexure-I, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report. The Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of the Company is available on the website of the Company i.e. www.birlacable.com.
DIRECTORSâ RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
To the best of their knowledge and belief and according to the information and explanations obtained by them, your Directors make the following statements in terms of Section 134(3)(c) of the Companies Act, 2013 :
(a) that in the preparation of the annual financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2017, the applicable accounting standards read with requirements set out under Schedule III to the Companies Act, 2013, have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
(b) that such accounting policies as mentioned in Notes to the Financial Statements have been selected and applied consistently and judgment and estimates have been made that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st March, 2017 and the profit of the Company for the year ended on that date;
(c) that proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
(d) that the annual financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis;
(e) that proper internal financial controls were in place and that the financial controls were adequate and were operating effectively; and
(f) that system to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws were in place and were adequate and operating effectively. RISK MANAGEMENT AND ADEQUACY OF INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Companyâs system of financial and compliance controls with reference to the financial statements and risk management is embedded in the business process by which the Company pursues its objectives. Additionally, the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors assess the implementation of risk management and risk mitigation measures through their review of potential risks which could negatively impact the operations, the proposed budget and plan, the Companyâs strategic framework besides inherent risks associated with the products/ goods dealt with by the Company. Your Companyâs approach to address business risks is comprehensive and includes periodic review of such risks and a framework for mitigating and reporting mechanism of such risks. In the view of the Board of Directors, there are no material risks, which may threaten the existence of the Company.
The Board of Directors of the Company has laid down the policies and procedures for internal financial controls to be followed by the Company for ensuring the orderly and efficient conduct of its business, in order to achieve the strategic, operational and other objectives over a long period and that its exposure to risks are within acceptable limits decided by the Board. In addition, the policies and procedures have been designed with an intent to ensure safeguarding of Companyâs assets, the prevention and detection of frauds and errors, the accuracy in completeness of the accounting records and the timely preparation of reliable financial information.
The management is committed to ensure effective internal financial controls environment, which provides assurance on the efficiency of its business operations coupled with adherence to its established policies, safety/security of its assets besides orderly and legitimate conduct of Companyâs business in the circumstances, which may reasonably be foreseen. The Company has defined organization structure, authority levels delegated powers, internal procedures, rules and guidelines for conducting business transactions. The Companyâs system and process relating to internal controls and procedures for financial reporting have been designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in India, the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under and all other applicable regulatory / statutory guidelines, etc. for disclosure with reference to financial statements.
Your Companyâs internal control systems are supplemented by an extensive program of internal audit by an independent firm of Chartered Accountants. Internal audits are conducted at regular intervals and a summary of the observations and recommendations of such audits are placed before the Audit Committee. The Internal Auditors, the Audit Committee as well as the Board of Directors conduct an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal financial controls system on an ongoing basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SAFETY
Industrial relations remained cordial throughout the year. Your Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty, dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees in the growth and performance of the Company during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing process at the Companyâs plant and facilities to maintain high awareness levels. The Company is conscious of the importance of environmentally clean and safe operations so as to ensure safety of all concerned and compliance of applicable environmental regulations. The Company as a policy re-evaluates safety standards and practices from time to time in order to raise the bar of safety standards for its people as well as users and customers.
RECOGNITION
The Companyâs manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008, Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001:2007. During the year, the audits for these Certifications established continuous improvement in performance against these standards.
During the year under review, the Company successfully obtained certification under ISO 90001:2008/TL9000R5.5/R/5.0H Standards from Bureau Veritas for design, manufacture and supply of optical fibre cable which reflects capabilities of the Company to manufacture products by adhering to global standards.
DIRECTORS
In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companyâs Articles of Association, Shri Harsh V. Lodha [DIN: 00394094], Director shall retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible, has offered himself for re-appointment as a Director of the Company. The Board recommends his re-appointment for the consideration of the members of the Company at the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
The brief resume and other details of Director seeking re-appointment as required under Regulation 36(3) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 are given in the Notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting, which is being sent to the shareholders along with Annual Report.
During the year under review, there was no change in the Board of Directors of the Company.
KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
Shri R Sridharan, Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Shri Somesh Laddha, Dy. General Manager (Finance and Accounts) & Secretary are the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company. During the year under review there was no change in the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.
DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
All Independent Directors of your Company viz. Shri R.C.Tapuriah, Dr. Aravind Srinivasan, Shri Arun Kishore, Shri K.Raghuraman and Smt. Archana Capoor have individually and severally given a declaration pursuant to Section 149(7) of the Companies Act, 2013 affirming compliance to the criteria of Independence as laid down under Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013. Based on the declaration(s) of Independent Directors, the Board of Directors recorded its opinion that all Independent Directors are independent of the Management and have fulfilled the conditions as specified in the Companies Act, 2013, rules made there under as well as applicable provisions of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations, 2015.
MEETINGS OF BOARD AND COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES
During the year under review the Board met five times viz. May 18, 2016, July 14, 2016, August 12, 2016, November 11, 2016 and February 9, 2017.
As required under Section 177(8) read with Section 134(3) of the Companies Act, 2013, and the rules framed there under, the composition and meetings of the Audit Committee were in line with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, details of which along with composition, number of meetings of all other Board Committees held during the year under review and attendance at the meetings are provided in the Report on Corporate Governance, forming a part of the Annual Report. During the year under review, all the recommendations of the Audit Committee were accepted by the Board of Directors.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BOARD, COMMITTEES AND DIRECTORS
Pursuant to the Provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 and the Guidance Note on Board evaluation issued by SEBI, the Board of Directors of the Company carried out the formal annual evaluation of its own performance and that of its Committees and individual Directors, interalia, to assess the skill set and contribution that are desired, recognizing that competencies and experiences evolves over time. The Directors were individually evaluated based on personal interaction to ascertain feedback on well defined parameters which, interalia, comprised of level of engagement and their contribution to strategic planning and other criteria based on performance and personal attributes of the Directors. During the process of evaluation, the Board of Directors also considered the criteria for evaluation of performance of Independent Directors and the Board of Directors formulated by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The Board of Directors also reviewed and discussed the annual performance evaluation of Directors carried out by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and review of the performance of the Chairman (taking into account the views of non-executive directors), the Non-independent Directors and the Board as a whole carried out by the Independent Directors. A statement indicating the manner, in which formal annual evaluation has been made by the Board of Directors, is given in the Report on Corporate Governance which forms a part of the Annual Report.
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS AND THEIR REMUNERATION
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) has adopted a terms of reference which, interalia, deals with the criteria for identification of members of the Board of Directors and selection/appointment of the Key Managerial Personnel/Senior Management Personnel of the Company. The NRC recommends appointment of Director/appointment or re-appointment of Manager & CEO based on their qualifications, expertise, positive attributes and independence in accordance with prescribed provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The NRC, in addition to ensuring diversity of race and gender, also considers the impact the appointee would have on Boardâs balance of professional experience, background, view points, skills and areas of expertise.
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee has also adopted the Remuneration Policy for the members of the Board and Executive Management. The guiding principles of the Remuneration Policy are stated in the Report on Corporate Governance, which forms a part of the Annual Report.
VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
In terms of the provisions of Section 177(9) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has implemented a Vigil Mechanism which includes implementation of the Whistle Blower Policy to deal with instances of fraud and mis-management, if any, and conducting business with integrity, including in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. No employee has been denied access to the Vigilance Officer as well as Chairman of the Audit Committee. The details of the Vigil Mechanism and Whistle-Blower Policy are explained in the Corporate Governance Report and also posted on the website of the Company.
AUDITORS
Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No.109208W) holds office of the Auditors of the Company until the conclusion of the ensuing 25th AGM of the Company. In terms of the provision of Section 139(2) of the Companies Act, 2013 (âthe Actâ) and rules made there under, the Company is required to appoint new Auditors in place of the retiring Auditors.
Accordingly, the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Audit Committee has recommended to the members appointment of Messrs Jain Pramod Jain & Co., Chartered Accountants (Firm Registration No. 016746N) as Auditors of the Company for a term of five (5) years commencing from the conclusion of 25th AGM till the conclusion of the 30th AGM, subject to ratification by members every year, as may be applicable, in place of Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants.
Messrs Jain Pramod Jain & Co., Chartered Accountants have consented to the said appointment, and confirmed that their appointment, if made, would be within the limits specified under Section 141(3)(g) of the Act. They have further confirmed that they are not disqualified to be appointed as statutory auditors in terms of the provisions of the proviso to Section 139(1), Section 141(2) and Section 141(3) of the Act and the provisions of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014.
The Board placed on record its appreciation for the contribution of Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants, during their tenure as Statutory Auditors of the Company.
The Board of Directors has re-appointed Messrs D. Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants, as Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the accounting records maintained by the Company in respect of specified products of the Company covered under The Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Amendment Rules, 2014 and fixed their remuneration based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee. The remuneration payable to Cost Auditors is subject to ratification by the shareholders in the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
AUDITORSâ REPORT
The Auditorsâ Report on the financial statements of the Company forms a part of the Annual Report. There is no qualification, reservation, adverse remark, disclaimer or modified opinion in the Auditorsâ Report, which calls for any further comments or explanations. Further, during the year under review, the Auditors have not reported any matter under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, therefore, no detail is required to be disclosed in pursuance to Section 134(3)(ca) of the Companies Act, 2013.
SECRETARIAL AUDITOR
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates, Company Secretaries (PCS Registration no.14474) were appointed to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2017. The Report of the Secretarial Auditor is given in Annexure-II, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
No qualification or observation or other remarks have been made by Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates in the Secretarial Audit Report, which calls for any comments or explanations.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
All related party transactions that were entered into by the Company during the financial year under review were generally on armsâ length basis and in the ordinary course of business. The disclosure of related party transactions as required under Section 134(3)(h) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 in prescribed Form AOC-2 is given in Annexure-III, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report. There are no material significant related party transactions entered into by the Company with its Promoters, Directors, Key Managerial Personnel or other designated persons, which may have a potential conflict with the interest of the Company at large.
All related party transactions are placed before the meeting(s) of Audit Committee for its approval. Prior omnibus approval of the Audit Committee is obtained on an annual basis, for a financial year, for the transactions which are of a foreseen and repetitive in nature. The statement giving details of all related party transactions entered into pursuant to the omnibus approval together with relevant documents/ information are placed before the Audit Committee for review and updating on quarterly basis. The Companyâs Policy on materiality of Related Party Transactions and dealing with Related Party Transactions, as approved by the Board of Directors, is uploaded on the Companyâs website and can be accessed at we blink: http://www.birlacable.com/pdf/RPTPolicy_BCL.pdf
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES AND INVESTMENTS UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013
The particulars of Loans, Guarantees and Investments in pursuance to Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 have been disclosed in the financial statements read together with Notes annexed to and forming an integral part of the financial statements.
DISCLOSURE OF RATIO OF REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL, ETC.
As required under Section 197(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Statement of Disclosure of Remuneration and such other details as prescribed therein are given in Annexure-IV, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
EXTRACT OF ANNUAL RETURN
An Extract of Annual Return as provided under Section 92(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is given in Annexure-V, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are not given, as none of the employees qualifies for such disclosure.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING AND OUTGO
As required under Section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, the information on Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo are given in Annexure-VI, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directorsâ Report.
GENERAL
Your Directors state that no disclosure or reporting is required in respect of the following items as there were no transactions or events on these items during the year under review:
(a) the Company has neither issued shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise nor has granted stock options or sweat equity under any scheme. Further, none of the Directors of the Company holds investments convertible into equity shares of the Company as on March 31, 2017.
(b) No significant or material orders were passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals which impact the going concern status of the Company and its operations in future.
(c) The Company has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at workplace and has adopted a Policy on prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment at workplace in line with the requirements of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and Rules made there under. During the year under review, there were no cases filed or reported pursuant to the provisions of the said Act.
(d) There are no material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the Company, which have occurred between the end of the financial year of the Company to which the financial statements relate and the date of this Report.
(e) No frauds were reported by Auditors in terms of Section 143(2) of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules, if any, made there under. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board of Directors desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State Government and continued support extended to the Company by the bankers, investors, vendors, esteemed customers and other business associates. Your Directors also wish to place on record their sincere thanks and infinite appreciations to all the employees of the Company for their unstinted commitment and continued contribution in the performance of the Company.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh. V.Lod ha Chairman
(DIN: 00394094)
D.R.Bansal (DIN: 00050612)
R.C.Tapuriah (DIN: 00395997)
Aravind Srinivasan (DIN: 00088037)
Directors
Arun Kishore (DIN: 00177831)
K.Raghuraman (DIN: 00320507)
Archana Capoor (DIN: 01204170)
New Delhi, May 16, 2017
Mar 31, 2016
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty Fourth Annual Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2016.
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL RESULTS & STATE OF COMPANY''S AFFAIRS
|
2015-16 |
2014-15 |
|
(Rs. in lacs) |
(Rs. in lacs) |
Revenue from operations (gross) |
27314.58 |
28914.00 |
Other income |
266.29 |
372.74 |
|
27580.87 |
29286.74 |
The year''s working shows a - |
|
|
Profit before Depreciation Exceptional Item and Tax |
2253.13 |
2444.40 |
Less : Depreciation and Amortization Expense |
717.01 |
597.52 |
: Exceptional Item |
477.52 |
- |
Profit before Tax |
1058.60 |
1846.88 |
Less : Tax Expense/(Credit): |
|
|
-Current Tax/Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) |
65.60 |
565.28 |
(Net of MAT Credit Entitlement, if any) |
|
|
-Deferred Tax charge |
145.00 |
32.00 |
Net Profit for the year |
848.00 |
1249.60 |
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, the Company''s revenue from operations decreased to Rs.27314.58 lacs from Rs.28914.00 lacs in the previous year (a decrease of about 5.53%). The decline in sales was mainly because of non-release of orders by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd.(BBNL) and less than expected orders received from other customers. The profit (before depreciation, exceptional item and tax) for the year decreased to Rs.2253.13 lacs as against Rs.2444.40 lacs in the previous year. The slight fall in profit was mainly due to decrease in turnover during the year under review.
Despite non-release of orders by BBNL, the coming years look to be promising as the second phase of the Optical Fibre Cable roll-out is expected to take place soon, as bulk cable orders are going to be released. This will definitely help the company to show good performance by way of supplying optical fibre cables in high volumes.
Although there is a marginal decrease in revenue, as compared to the previous year, the Company has developed innovative Optical Fibre Cable products for FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home) segment and supplying these micro cables to various customers both in domestic and export markets. As the broadband connectivity for the masses, is the need of the hour, it is being catered to by not only telecom operators but also by various Internet Service Providers. This trend is well acknowledged by the Company and supplies of structured copper cable products and solutions have picked up and good increase in market share is achieved.
The penetration of smart phones in India is seeing a huge surge, as the masses are using these for all their daily needs and India is going to be the biggest user of smart phones in the world by 2018. As data is consumed in a big way by the usage of smart phones, fibre is only medium which can provide huge bandwidth requirements at high speed based on the latest 3G and 4g networks. All telecom service providers are augmenting their data delivery capabilities especially meant for high speed applications using optical fibre cables across their entire telecom network. The Company is well positioned to reap the benefits by way of offering innovative and cost effective optical fibre cable solutions suiting to the varied requirements of all telecom service providers, steps for which are taken at the plant level by continuous improvement drives.
As the hunger for data is a never ending phenomenon now-a-days, the old copper cable networks are getting replaced by optical fibre cables and it is being done on a continuous basis by all the telecom operators in India. Even power utility and energy companies have already started using optical fibre cables based on advanced technology platforms with customized designs of optical fibre cables. As the Company is very well prepared to address these requirements using its strong R & D activities, the growth opportunities are brighter and it will help the Company to generate more traction using this development.
Export segment is picking up very well as the company is able to cater to the varied requirements of all its customers by way of using innovative process technologies and at the same time cost competitive as well. This will greatly enhance the visibility of the Company in the global market and further drive up the exports which are already doing well.
DIVIDEND
After considering the Company''s profitability, free cash flow and overall financial performance, the Board of Directors of the Company is pleased to recommend a Dividend of Re.1/- (previous year Re.1/-) per equity share of face value Rs.10/- each (i.e.10%) for the financial year ended on March 31, 2016. The distribution of Dividend on equity shares, if approved by the Members at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, will result in payout of Rs.300.00 lacs excluding Tax on Dividend and Surcharge/Education Cess thereon.
DEPOSITS/FINANCE
Your Company has not accepted any public deposits during the year within the meaning of Section(s) 73 to 76 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 and as such no amount on account of principal or interest on public deposits was outstanding as on the date of the Balance Sheet.
Your Company continued to optimize bank borrowings during the year by focusing on cash flows and working capital management. By availing alternate funding options like issuance of Buyers Credit and Supplier''s Credit, your Company ensured efficiency in its borrowing costs.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Regulation 34(3) read with Para C of Schedule V of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate Governance and a certification by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) confirming compliance by all the Board Members and Senior Management Personnel with Company''s Code of Conduct and Auditors'' Certificate regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance are made a part of the Annual Report.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
As a part of its initiative under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Company has undertaken CSR activities in the areas of (i) promoting education and employment enhancing skills; (ii) ensuring environment sustainability "green belt development" and (iii) conservation of natural resources, in the area where the Company operates. These activities are largely in accordance with Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 and the Company''s CSR Policy. The CSR activities during the year were implemented through Madhav Prasad Priyamvada Birla Apex Charitable Trust, a registered trust under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The Annual Report on CSR activities is given in Annexure-I, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report. The Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of the Company is available on the website of the Company i.e. www.birlaericsson.com.
DIRECTORS'' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
To the best of their knowledge and belief and according to the information and explanations obtained by them, your Directors make the following statements in terms of Section 134(3)(c) of the Companies Act, 2013 :
- that in the preparation of the annual financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2016, the applicable accounting standards read with requirements set out under Schedule III to the Companies Act, 2013, have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
- that such accounting policies as mentioned in Notes to the Financial Statements have been selected and applied consistently and judgment and estimates have been made that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st March, 2016 and the profit of the Company for the year ended on that date;
- that proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
- that the annual financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis;
- that proper internal financial controls were in place and that the financial controls were adequate and were operating effectively;
- that system to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws were in place and were adequate and operating effectively.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND ADEQUACY OF INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Company''s system of financial and compliance controls with reference to the financial statements and risk management is embedded in the business process by which the Company pursues its objectives. Additionally, the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors assess the implementation of risk management and risk mitigation measures through their review of potential risks which could negatively impact the operations, the proposed budget and plan, the Company''s strategic framework besides inherent risks associated with the products/goods dealt with by the Company. Your Company''s approach to address business risks is comprehensive and includes periodic review of such risks and a framework for mitigating and reporting mechanism of such risks. In the view of the Board of Directors, there are no material risks, which may threaten the existence of the Company.
The Board of Directors of the Company has laid down the policies and procedures for internal financial controls to be followed by the Company for ensuring the orderly and efficient conduct of its business, in order to achieve the strategic, operational and other objectives over a long period and that its exposure to risks are within acceptable limits decided by the Board. In addition, the policies and procedures have been designed with an intent to ensure safeguarding of Company''s assets, the prevention and detection of frauds and errors, the accuracy in completeness of the accounting records and the timely preparation of reliable financial information.
The management is committed to ensure effective internal financial controls environment, which provides assurance on the efficiency of its business operations coupled with adherence to its established policies, safety/security of its assets besides orderly and legitimate conduct of Company''s business in the circumstances, which may reasonably be foreseen. The Company has defined organization structure; authority levels delegated powers, internal procedures, rules and guidelines for conducting business transactions. The Company''s system and process relating to internal controls and procedures for financial reporting have been designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in India, the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under and all other applicable regulatory / statutory guidelines, etc. for disclosure with reference to financial statements.
Your Company''s internal control systems are supplemented by an extensive program of internal audit by an independent firm of Chartered Accountants. Internal audits are conducted at regular intervals and a summary of the observations and recommendations of such audits are placed before the Audit Committee. The Internal Auditors, the Audit Committee as well as the Board of Directors conduct an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal financial controls system on an ongoing basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SAFETY
Industrial relations remained cordial throughout the year. Your Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty, dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees in the growth and performance of the Company during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing process at the Company''s plant and facilities to maintain high awareness levels. The Company is conscious of the importance of environmentally clean and safe operations so as to ensure safety of all concerned and compliance of applicable environmental regulations. The Company as a policy re-evaluates safety standards and practices from time to time in order to raise the bar of safety standards for its people as well as users and customers.
RECOGNITION
The Company''s manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008, ISO TS 16949:2009 and Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001:2007. During the year, the audits for these Certifications established continuous improvement in performance against these standards.
DIRECTORS
In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Company''s Articles of Association, Mr. D.R. Bansal [DIN: 00050612], Director shall retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible, has offered himself for re-appointment. The Board recommends his re-appointment for the consideration of the members of the Company at the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
The brief resume and other details of Director seeking re-appointment as required under Regulation 36(3) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 is given in the Notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting, which is being sent to the shareholders along with Annual Report.
During the year under review, there was no change in the Board of Directors of the Company.
KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
Mr. R Sridharan, Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Somesh Laddha, Dy. General Manager (Finance and Accounts) & Secretary are the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company. During the year under review there was no change in the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.
DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
All Independent Directors of your Company viz. Mr. R.C.Tapuriah, Dr.Aravind Srinivasan, Mr.Arun Kishore, Mr. K.Raghuraman and Mrs. Archana Capoor have individually and severally given a declaration pursuant to Section 149(7) of the Companies Act, 2013 affirming compliance to the criteria of Independence as laid down under Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013. Based on the declaration(s) of Independent Directors, the Board of Directors recorded its opinion that all Independent Directors are independent of the Management and have fulfilled the conditions as specified in the Companies Act, 2013, rules made there under as well as applicable provisions of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations, 2015.
MEETINGS OF BOARD AND COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES
During the year under review the Board met four times viz. May 15, 2015, August 10, 2015, November 05, 2015 and February 10, 2016.
As required under Section 177(8) read with Section 134(3) of the Companies Act, 2013, and the rules framed there under, the composition and meetings of the Audit Committee were in line with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, details of which along with composition, number of meetings of all other Board Committees held during the year under review and attendance at the meetings are provided in the Report on Corporate Governance, forming a part of the Annual Report. During the year under review, all the recommendations of the Audit Committee were accepted by the Board of Directors.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BOARD, COMMITTEES AND DIRECTORS
Pursuant to the Provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Company carried out the formal annual evaluation of its own performance and that of its Committees and individual Directors, interalia, to assess the skill set and contribution that are desired, recognizing that competencies and experiences evolves over time. The process was conducted by allowing the Board to engage in candid discussions with each Director with the underlying objective of taking best possible decisions in the interest of the Company and its stakeholders. The Directors were individually evaluated based on personal interaction to ascertain feedback on well defined parameters which, interalia, comprised of level of engagement and their contribution to strategic planning and other criteria based on performance and personal attributes of the Directors. During the process of evaluation, the Board of Directors also considered the criteria for evaluation of performance of Independent Directors and the Board of Directors formulated by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and review of the performance of the Chairman (taking into account the views of non-executive directors), the Non-independent Directors and the Board as a whole carried out by the Independent Directors. A statement indicating the manner, in which formal annual evaluation has been made by the Board of Directors, is given in the Report on Corporate Governance which forms a part of the Annual Report.
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS AND THEIR REMUNERATION
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) has adopted a terms of reference which, interalia, deals with the criteria for identification of members of the Board of Directors and selection/appointment of the Key Managerial Personnel/Senior Management Personnel of the Company. The NRC recommends appointment of Director/appointment or re-appointment of Manager & CEO based on their qualifications, expertise, positive attributes and independence in accordance with prescribed provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The NRC, in addition to ensuring diversity of race and gender, also considers the impact the appointee would have on Board''s balance of professional experience, background, view points, skills and areas of expertise.
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of Nomination and Remuneration Committee has also adopted the Remuneration Policy for the members of the Board and Executive Management. The guiding principles of the Remuneration Policy are stated in the Report on Corporate Governance, which forms a part of the Annual Report.
VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
In terms of the provisions of Section 177(9) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has implemented a Vigil Mechanism which includes implementation of the Whistle Blower Policy to deal with instances of fraud and mis-management, if any, and conducting business with integrity, including in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. No employee has been denied access to the Vigilance Officer as well as Chairman of the Audit Committee. The details of the Vigil Mechanism and Whistle-Blower Policy are explained in the Corporate Governance Report and also posted on the website of the Company.
AUDITORS
Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants (Registration No.109208W), were appointed as Statutory Auditors to hold office for a term of 3 (three) years until the conclusion of twenty fifth Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held for the financial year 2016-17 subject to ratification of their appointment as such by the members at every Annual General Meeting. They have confirmed to the Company that their appointment, if ratified by the members at the ensuing twenty fourth Annual General Meeting, would be according to the terms and conditions prescribed under Section(s) 139 and 141 of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under and that they are not disqualified for appointment as Auditors within the meaning of the said Act, The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and the rules and regulations made there under.
The Board of Directors has re-appointed Messrs D. Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants, as Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the cost records/accounts maintained by the Company in respect of specified products of the Company covered under the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Amendment Rules, 2014 and fixed their remuneration based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee. The remuneration payable to Cost Auditors is subject to ratification by the shareholders in the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
AUDITORS'' REPORT
The Auditors'' Report on the financial statements of the Company forms a part of the Annual Report. There is no qualification, reservation, adverse remark, disclaimer or modified opinion in the Auditors'' Report, which calls for any further comments or explanations. Further, during the year under review, the Auditors have not reported any matter under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, therefore, no detail is required to be disclosed in pursuance to Section 134(3)(ca) of the Companies Act, 2013.
SECRETARIAL AUDIT
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates, Company Secretaries (PCS Registration no.14474) were appointed to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2016. The Report of the Secretarial Auditor is given in Annexure-II, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
No qualification or observation or other remarks have been made by Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates in the Secretarial Audit Report, which calls for any comments or explanations.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
All related party transactions that were entered into by the Company during the financial year under review were on arms'' length basis and in the ordinary course of business. The disclosure of related party transactions as required under Section 134(3)(h) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts)Rules, 2014 in prescribed Form AOC-2 is given in Annexure-III, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report. There are no material significant related party transactions entered into by the Company with its Promoters, Directors, Key Managerial Personnel or other designated persons, which may have a potential conflict with the interest of the Company at large.
All related party transactions are placed before the meeting(s) of Audit Committee for its approval. Prior omnibus approval of the Audit Committee is obtained on an annual basis for a financial year, for the transactions which are of a foreseen and repetitive in nature. The statement giving details of all related party transactions entered into pursuant to the omnibus approval together with relevant documents/information are placed before the Audit Committee for review and updation on quarterly basis. The Company''s Policy on materiality of Related Party Transactions and dealing with Related Party Transactions, as approved by the Board of Directors, is uploaded on the Company''s website and can be accessed at web link: http://www.birlaericsson.com/pdf/RPTPolicy_BEOL.pdf.
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES AND INVESTMENTS UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013
The particulars of Loans, Guarantees and Investment in pursuance to Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 have been disclosed in the financial statements read together with Notes annexed to and forming an integral part of the financial statements.
DISCLOSURE OF RATIO OF REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL, ETC.
As required under Section 197(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Statement of Disclosure of Remuneration and such other details as prescribed therein are given in Annexure-IV, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
EXTRACT OF ANNUAL RETURN
An Extract of Annual Return as provided under Section 92(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is given in Annexure-V, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are not given, as none of the employees qualifies for such disclosure.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING AND OUTGO
As required under Section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules 2014, the information on Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo are given in Annexure-VI, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
GENERAL
Your Directors state that no disclosure or reporting is required in respect of the following items as there were no transactions or events on these items during the year under review:
(a) the Company has neither issued shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise nor has granted stock options or sweat equity under any scheme. Further, none of the Directors of the Company holds investments convertible into equity shares of the Company as on March 31, 2016.
(b) No significant or material orders were passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals which impact the going concern status of the Company and its operations in future.
(c) The Company has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at workplace and has adopted a Policy on prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment at workplace in line with the requirements of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and Rule made there under. During the year under review, there were no cases filed or reported pursuant to the provisions of the said Act.
(d) There are no material changes or commitments affecting the financial position of the Company, which have occurred between the end of the financial year of the Company to which the financial statements relate and the date of this Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board of Directors desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State Government and continued support extended to the Company by the bankers, investors, venders, esteemed customers and other business associates. Your Director wish to place on record their sincere thanks and indefinite appreciation to all the employees of the Company for their unstinted commitment and continued contribution. The Board also expresses its appreciation of the assistance and unstinted support received from venturer''s and promoter companies viz. Universal Cables Limited, Vindhya Telelinks Limited and Ericsson Cables AB, Sweden.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
(DIN: 00394094)
D.R.Bansal \
(DIN: 00050612)
R.C.Tapuriah
(DIN: 00395997)
Aravind Srinivasan
(DIN: 00088037)
Directors
Arun Kishore
(DIN: 00177831)
K.Raghuraman
(DIN: 00320507)
Archana Capoor
(DIN: 01204170) /
New Delhi, May 18, 2016
Mar 31, 2015
Dear Members,
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty Third Annual
Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company
for the year ended 31st March, 2015.
ACCOUNTS & FINANCIAL MATTERS
2014-15 2013-14
(Rs. in lacs) (Rs. in lacs)
Revenue from operations (gross) 28914.00 31945.23
Other income 372.74 219.88
29286.74 32117.47
The year''s working shows a -
Profit before Depreciation and Tax 2444.40 2810.94
Less: Depreciation and Amortisation 597.52 463.38
expense
Profit before tax 1846.88 2347.26
Current tax (MAT) 580.00 443.20
Less: Minimum alternate (14.72) (365.00)
tax( MAT) credit entitlement
Net current tax 565.28 78.20
Deferred tax charge 32.00 345.00
Net Profit for the year 1249.60 1924.06
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, the Company''s revenue from operations
decreased to Rs. 28914 lacs from Rs. 31945.23 lacs in the previous year
(a decrease of about 9.49%). The decline in sales was mainly because of
non-release of orders by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd.(BBNL) and less
than expected orders received from Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. The gross
profit for the year decreased to Rs. 2444.40 lacs as against Rs.
2810.94 lacs in the previous year. The fall in gross profit was mainly
due to increase in interest cost and additional expenses incurred on
restoration of production after the fire accident. With the ongoing
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) Project, which constitutes one of
the nine pillars of Digital India mission, aims to connect 250,000 gram
panchayats (GPs) with 100 Mpbs backhaul through optical Fibre. This
augurs well for the Company''s growth, as the consumption of optical
fibre cables increases multi-fold which is slated to cross more than
500,000 Kms during the coming years in terms of pan-India connectivity
requirements.
Despite the decrease in revenue, as compared to the previous year, the
Company is consistently getting good inflow of orders of various types
from one of the leading Private Telecom Operator, building up a huge
pan-India Greenfield network. Your Company''s brand name and product
quality played a major important role in catering to the evolving
requirements of the Telecom operators in terms of both supply of high
fibre count optical fibre cables and also lower count innovative fibre
cable designs. Even after the trend of replacing the copper telecom
cables with optical fibre cables, your Company has increased the market
penetration by way of supplying structured copper cables predominantly
used in broadband network for providing internet services to customers
by various ISP companies. The cost of manufacturing of various products
is kept under control by way of innovative monitoring and control
methodologies being continuously implemented at the plant level. This
augured very well in manufacturing competitively priced products so as
to attract the customers on a long term basis. The usage of
smartphones has increased tremendously in India and is slated to
continue in a robust manner which will catapult India as one of the
largest users of smartphones in various types and costs. This obviously
drives up the data consumption with reasonable speed of upload and
download of data. The increase in data consumption necessitates the
deployment of optical fibre cables in a big way throughout the network
starting from transmission backhaul networks, access, metro and final
last mile customer connectivity. All the telecom operators are even
connecting the cell sites through optical fibre cables with various
connection nodes. The entire 3G and 4G networks require optical fibre
as the medium to cater to the needs of increased data consumption. This
encouraging development enhances the consumption of optical fibre
cables and the Company is well positioned to reap the benefits by way
of having a lion''s share of the business opportunities.
Apart from the building of green field fibre networks by the operators,
the replacement of old networks is also gaining momentum. This further
boosts the requirement of optical fibre cables and the Company is
catering to this segment as well. We have seen tremendous growth over
the last two years in the field of Fibre -To -The- Home (FTTH) with the
usage of typical, technologically advanced cable types, which is slated
to continue for the years to come. India has very low broadband
penetration, which provides a huge opportunity for optical fibre
networks to be deployed in FTTH configurations in the urban, semi-urban
scenarios. Moreover, increased adoption of applications such as
e-medicine, video conferencing, e-Learning and security surveillance
will increase capacity and bandwidth requirements which can be
fulfilled by optical fibre cables only. This definitely places the
Company in a leveraging position to take the advantage of increased
deployment of optical fibre cable networks across the usage tiers.
Your Company is also well positioned to grab the best opportunities
coming in its lap for Export markets by way of adopting innovative
cable designs coupled with competitive pricing mainly due to the bulk
sourcing of raw materials and quality processing which drive up the
customer''s interest in company''s products. The growth in Exports is the
ample proof of the work being done to enhance this potential further to
reap the benefits for the Company.
DIVIDEND AND RESERVES
After considering the Company''s profitability, free cash flow and
overall financial performance, the Board of Directors of the Company is
pleased to recommend a Dividend of Re.1/- per equity share of Rs.10/-
each (i.e. 10%) for the financial year ended March 31, 2015. The total
quantum of Dividend on equity shares, if approved by the Members, will
be about Rs. 300.00 lacs while about Rs. 61.07 lacs will be paid by the
Company towards Tax on Dividend and Surcharge/ Education Cess thereon.
Your Board also recommends a transfer to General Reserve of Rs. 300.00
lacs leaving a surplus of Rs. 1785.45 lacs in the statement of Profit
and Loss to be carried forward.
DEPOSITS
Your Company has not accepted any Deposits within the meaning of
Section 73 to 76 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies
(Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate
Governance and a certification by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
confirming compliance by all the Board members and senior management
personnel with Company''s Code of Conduct and Auditors'' Certificate
regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance are made a
part of the Annual Report.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
As a part of its initiative under Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR), the Company has undertaken CSR activities in the areas of
promoting education and employment enhancing skills directed towards
improving the quality of life and increasing the resources of the
surrounding communities, in the area where the Company operates. These
activities are largely in accordance with Schedule VII of the Companies
Act, 2013 and the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy)
Rules, 2014. The CSR activities during the year were implemented
through Madhav Prasad Priyamvada Birla Apex Charitable Trust, a
registered trust under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The Annual Report on CSR activities is given in Annexure-I, which is
attached hereto and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
DIRECTORS'' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
To the best of their knowledge and belief and according to the
information and explanations obtained by them, your Directors make the
following statements in terms of Section 134(3)(c) of the Companies
Act, 2013:-
* that in the preparation of the annual financial statements for the
year ended March 31,2015, the applicable accounting standards read with
requirements set out under Schedule III to the Companies Act, 2013,
have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
* that such accounting policies as mentioned in Notes to the Financial
Statements have been selected and applied consistently and judgement
and estimates have been made that are reasonable and prudent so as to
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at
31st March, 2015 and the profit of the Company for the year ended on
that date;
* that proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of
Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for
preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
* that the annual financial statements have been prepared on a going
concern basis;
* that proper internal financial controls were in place and that the
financial controls were adequate and were operating effectively;
* that system to ensure compliance with the provisions of all
applicable laws were in place and were adequate and operating
effectively.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND ADEQUACY OF INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Company''s system of financial and compliance controls with
reference to the financial statements and risk management is embedded
in the business process by which the Company pursues its objectives.
Additionally, the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors provide
risk oversight through their review of potential risks which could
negatively impact the operations, the proposed budget and plan, the
Company''s strategic framework and any risks that may negatively impact
it. The management is committed to ensure an effective internal
control environment commensurate with the size, scale and complexity of
the operations, which provides assurance on the efficiency of the
Company''s operations and safety/security of its assets besides orderly
and legitimate conduct of Company''s business in the circumstances,
which may reasonably be foreseen. The Company has defined organisation
structure, authority levels delegated powers, internal procedures,
rules and guidelines for conducting business transactions.
The Company''s system and process relating to internal controls and
procedures for financial reporting have been designed to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in
India, the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed thereunder and all
other applicable regulatory / statutory guidelines, etc. for disclosure
with reference to financial statements. The Company''s internal controls
over financial reporting interalia includes the policies and procedures
that pertain to maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of
assets, provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as
necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance
with GAAP in India and in compliance to other applicable statutory and
regulatory provisions, provide reasonable assurance regarding
prevention or timely detection of unauthorised acquisition, use or
disposition of Company''s assets that could have a material effect on
the financial statements and for preventing and detecting fraud and
other irregularities or deliberate mis-statements. Management is
responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate disclosure
controls and procedures and adequate internal controls over financial
reporting with respect to financial statements besides its
effectiveness in the context of applicable regulations. The Internal
Auditor, the Audit Committee as well as the Board of Directors conduct
from time to time an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of
the system of internal controls for financial reporting with respect to
financial statements.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Industrial relations remained cordial throughout the year. Your
Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty,
dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees in the growth
and performance of the Company during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial
safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing process at
the Company''s plant and facilities to maintain high awareness levels.
The Company as a policy re-evaluates safety standards and practices
from time to time in order to raise the bar of safety for its people as
well as users and customers.
RECOGNITION
The Company''s manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by
independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as
aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008
& ISO TS 16949:2009 and Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO
14001:2004. During the year, the audits for these Certifications
established continuous improvement in performance against these
standards.
DIRECTORS
In terms of Section(s) 149, 152 and all other applicable provisions of
the Companies Act, 2013, for the purpose of determining the directors
liable to retire by rotation, the Independent Directors shall not be
included in the total number of directors of the Company. Accordingly,
Mr. H.V Lodha [DIN: 00394094], Director shall retire by rotation at the
ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible, has offered himself
for re-appointment.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 161(1) of the Companies Act, 2013
and the Articles of Association of the Company, Mrs. Archana Capoor
[DIN: 01204170] was appointed as an Additional Director (Non-executive
Independent Women Director) w.e.f. 10th November, 2014 and she shall
hold office up to the date of this Annual General Meeting. The Company
has received requisite notice in writing from a member proposing
appointment of Mrs. Archana Capoor as an Independent Director, not
liable to retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
Your Board has deemed it prudent and recommended to the Shareholders
her appointment of Mrs. Archana Capoor as Independent Director not
liable to retire by rotation for a period of 5 years i.e. up to 31st
March, 2020 at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. Mrs. Archana Capoor
is not disqualified from being appointed as a Director in terms of
Section 164 of the Companies Act, 2013.
The details of Directors seeking appointment/re-appointment as required
under Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with Stock Exchanges are given
in the Notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting, which is being
sent to the shareholders along with Annual Report.
KEY MANAGRIAL PERSONNEL
Mr. R Sridharan, Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Somesh
Laddha, Dy. General Manager (Finance and Accounts) & Secretary are the
Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.
DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
All Independent Directors of your Company viz. Mr. R.C.Tapuriah, Dr.
Aravind Srinivasan, Mr. Arun Kishore , Mr. K.Raghuraman and Mrs.
Archana Capoor have individually and severally given a declaration
pursuant to Section 149(7) of the Companies Act, 2013 affirming
compliance to the criteria of Independence as laid down under Section
149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Clause 49 of the Listing
Agreement with stock exchanges. Based on the declaration(s) of
Independent Directors, the Board of Directors recorded its opinion that
all Independent Directors are independent of the Management and have
fulfilled the conditions as specified in the Companies Act, 2013, rules
made thereunder as well as concerning provisions of Clause 49 of the
Listing Agreement with stock exchanges.
MEETINGS OF BOARD AND COMMITTEES
During the year under review the Board five times viz. May 19, 2014,
August 9, 2014, November 10, 2014, February 7, 2015 and March 31,2015.
Details of all Board Committees along with their composition and
meetings held during the year under review are given in the Report on
Corporate Governance.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BOARD, COMMITTEES & DIRECTORS
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and as stipulated
under Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, the Board of Directors of the
Company carried out the formal annual performance evaluation of all the
Directors and also its self-evaluation process, interalia, to assess
the skill set and contribution that are desired, recognising that
competencies and experiences evolves over time. The process was
conducted by allowing the Board to engage in candid discussions with
each Director with the underlying objective of taking best possible
decisions in the interest of the Company and its stakeholders. The
Directors were individually evaluated based on structured
self-assessment and personal interaction to ascertain feedback on well
defined parameters which, interalia, comprised of level of engagement
and their contribution to strategic planning and other criteria based
on performance and personal attributes of the Directors. During the
process of evaluation, the Board of Directors also reviewed and
discussed the annual performance evaluation of Directors carried out by
the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. A statement in detail
indicating the manner, in which formal annual evaluation has been made
by the Board of Directors, is given in the Report on Corporate
Governance which forms a part of the Annual Report.
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS AND THEIR REMUNERATION
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of
Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) has adopted a terms of
reference which, interalia, deals with the manner of selection of
Directors and the Key Managerial Personnel of the Company. The NRC
recommends appointment of Director/appointment or re-appointment of
Manager & Chief Executive Officer based on their qualifications,
expertise, positive attributes and independence in accordance with
prescribed provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed
thereunder. The NRC, in addition to ensuring diversity of race and
gender, also considers the impact the appointee would have on Board''s
balance of professional experience, background, view points, skills and
areas of expertise.
The Board of Directors in consonance with the recommendation of
Nomination and Remuneration Committee has also adopted the Remuneration
Policy for the members of the Board and Executive Management. The said
policy earmark the principles of remuneration and ensures a well
balanced and performance related compensation package taking into
account shareholders'' interest, industry practices and relevant
corporate regulations in India.
VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
The Company has a Vigil Mechanism and Whistle-Blower Policy to deal
with instances of fraud and mis- management, if any, and conducting
business with integrity, including in accordance with all applicable
laws and regulations. The details of the Vigil Mechanism and
Whistle-Blower Policy are explained in the Corporate Governance Report
and also posted on the website of the Company.
AUDITORS
As per Section 139 of the Companies Act, 2013 read together with other
provisions of The Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, in the
last Annual General Meeting (22nd AGM), Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co.,
Chartered Accountants (Registration No.109208W), were appointed as
Statutory Auditors to hold office until the conclusion of the next
third Annual General Meeting (25th AGM) of the Company subject to
ratification by shareholders in the subsequent Annual General Meetings.
Accordingly, the ratification of appointment of Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar
& Co., Chartered Accountants, as the Statutory Auditors of the Company
would be considered by the members of the Company at the ensuing Annual
General Meeting.
The Board of Directors has appointed Messrs D. Sabyasachi & Co., Cost
Accountants, as Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the cost accounts
maintained by the Company in respect of specified products of the
Company covered under The Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Amendment
Rules, 2014 and fixed their remuneration based on the recommendation of
the Audit Committee. The remuneration payable to Cost Auditors is
subject to ratification by the shareholders in the ensuing Annual
General Meeting of the Company.
AUDITORS'' REPORT
Notes to Financial Statements are self explanatory including with
respect to Emphasis of Matter paragraph drawn by the Auditors in their
report and therefore, do not call for any further comments or
explanations.
SECRETARIAL AUDIT
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013
and the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial
Personnel) Rules, 2014, Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates, Company
Secretaries were appointed to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the
Company for the year ended 31st March, 2015. There are no adverse
remarks or observations made by Messrs R.K.Mishra & Associates in the
Secretarial Audit Report. The Report of the Secretarial Auditor is
given in Annexure-II, which is attached hereto and forms a part of the
Directors'' Report.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
All related party transactions entered into during the financial year
under review by the Company were on an arm''s length basis and in the
ordinary course of business. There are no material significant related
party transactions made by the Company with Promoters, Directors, Key
Managerial Personnel or other designated persons which may have a
potential conflict with the interest of the Company at large.
All related party transactions are placed before the meeting(s) of
Audit Committee for approval. Prior omnibus approval of the Audit
Committee is obtained for the financial year for the transactions which
are of a foreseen and repetitive in nature. The statement giving
details of all related party transactions entered into pursuant to the
omnibus approval together with relevant documents/information are
placed before the Audit Committee for review and approval on quarterly
basis. The company has developed a Policy on materiality of Related
Party Transactions and dealing with Related Party Transactions.
The policy on Policy on materiality of Related Party Transactions and
dealing with Related Party Transactions as approved by the Board is
uploaded on the company''s website and the same is available at the
weblink http://www.birlaericsson.com/ pdf/RPTPolicy_BEOL.pdf
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES AND INVESTMENTS UNDER SECTION 186 OF
THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013
The particulars of Loans, Guarantees and Investment in pursuance to
Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 are given in the Notes to the
Financial Statements.
DISCLOSURE OF RATIO OF REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL
PERSONNEL, ETC.
As required under Section 197(12) read with Rule 5 of the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the
details of the ratio of the remuneration of each Director to the median
employee''s remuneration and such other details as prescribed therein
are given in Annexure-III, which is attached hereto and forms a part of
the Directors'' Report.
EXTRACT OF ANNUAL RETURN
An extract of the Annual Return as per Section 92(3) of the Companies
Act, 2013 in given Annexure IV, which is attached hereto and terms a
part of the Directors'' Report.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section
197 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 5 of the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are
not given, as none of the employees qualifies for such disclosure.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNING AND OUTGO
As required under Section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read
with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules 2014, the information on
Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange
Earnings and Outgo are given in Annexure-V, which is attached hereto
and forms a part of the Directors'' Report.
GENERAL
Your Directors state that no disclosure or reporting is required in
respect of the following items as there were no transactions on these
items during the year under review:
(a) Issue of equity shares with differential rights as to dividend,
voting or otherwise.
(b) Issue of shares (including sweat equity shares) to employees of the
Company under any scheme.
(c) No significant or material orders were passed by the Regulators or
Courts or Tribunals which impact the going concern status and Company''s
operations in future.
(d) During the year under review, there were no cases filed or reported
pursuant to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the
excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State
Government and continued support extended to the Company by the
bankers, investors, suppliers, esteemed customers and other business
associates. The Board also expresses its appreciation of the assistance
and unstinted support received from venturer''s and promoter companies
viz. Universal Cables Limited, Vindhya Telelinks Limited and Ericsson
Cables AB, Sweden.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh. V.Lodha
(DIN: 00394094)
Chairman
D.R.Bansal
(DIN: 00050612)
R.C.Tapuriah
(DIN: 00395997)
Aravind Srinivasan
(DIN: 00088037)
Directors
Arun Kishore
(DIN: 00177831)
K.Raghuraman
(DIN: 00320507)
Archana Capoor
(DIN: 01204170)
New Delhi, May 15, 2015
Mar 31, 2014
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty Second Annual
Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company
for the year ended 31st March, 2014.
ACCOUNTS & FINANCIAL MATTERS
2013-14 2012-13
(Rs. in lacs) (Rs. in lacs)
Revenue from operations (gross) 31945.23 13561.41
Other income 219.88 314.47
32165.11 13875.88
The year''s working shows a
Gross Profit (after Interest) of - 2810.94 933.38
Less: Depreciation and
Amortisation expense 463.68 364.70
Profit before tax 2347.26 568.68
Current tax (MAT) 443.20 -
Less: Minimum alternate tax
credit entitlement (365.00) -
Net current tax 78.20 -
Deferred tax charge 345.00 -
Net Profit for the year 1924.06 568.68
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, your Company has achieved one of its best
performances with optimism and renewed vigor despite a challenging
macro economic environment. Your Company''s revenue from operations
increased to Rs.31945.23 lacs in the current year from Rs.13561.41 lacs
in the previous year (an increase of about 135%) and the gross Profit
for the year signifi cantly increased to Rs.2810.94 lacs as against
Rs.933.38 lacs in the previous year. With the investment plans
announced by large operators in enhancing optical fi bre network and
the take-off in National Optic Fibre Network(NOFN) from BBNL, etc. has
put your Company in an advantageous position to achieve and realize the
upward growth curve in telecom cables business in the immediate future.
The gross revenue from operations for the year under review
substantially increased as compared to the previous year mainly due to
increased off take of optical fi bre cables by the Company''s important
private sector operators and domestic government customers coupled with
a continuous sales growth in the export markets. Your Company has also
supplied reasonably good volume of high fi bre count Optical Fibre
Cables to a leading private sector customer during the year under
review refl ecting Company''s strategy to remain consistently relevant
to the evolving business needs of the customers. Despite evolving
business preferences and intense competitive landscape in telecom cable
industry, the traditional PIJF Cables and other specialty cables
business have increased their share moderately in the overall revenue
from operation of the Company. With the emphasis on control on the
material consumption and monitoring of factory and other overheads, the
Company has achieved a signifi cant increase in the gross Profit
levels compared to the previous year fi gure. This was possible as the
Company has been consistently working on reducing the costs at all
levels and on improving the margins by continuous innovation and
development of cost effective products.
Building the country''s new telecom infrastructure based on latest cost
effective world-class technology and upgrading the existing network
facilities is of paramount importance. The need for building a
state-of-the-art telecom network is felt under various stages of
planning and implementation by all stakeholders including the regulator
and the government authorities. Some of the big ticket telecom
projects announced includes National Optic Fibre Network from Bharat
Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), a special purpose vehicle promoted by
public sector companies like BSNL, PGCIL and RailTel under USO funding
mechanism. This ambitious project plans to bring rural India into the
high-speed broadband network by way of connecting 250,000 villages
using 400,000 km. of optical fi bre cables. Other private telecom
operators are also in the anvil for upgrading the existing network in
2G and 3G and some are implementing ambitious Greenfield
state-of-the-art network using latest technologies like 4G-LTE for high
speed broadband applications to offer superior customer experience and
delight. Lastly, it is proved that higher broadband penetration among
the masses will uplift the economy of the country as a whole and will
contribute in socio-economic development and inclusive growth. In order
to achieve broadband penetration, it would be necessary that the last
mile connectivity to the customers'' premises is capable to handle the
high speed connectivity. This necessarily requires optical fi bre
cables to be laid to homes or buildings or even to wireless
transmission towers in the area. The National Telecom Policy, 2012 also
provides for a strategy to encourage Fibre To The Home (FTTH) with
enabling guidelines and policies favouring fast transformation of
cities and towns into "Always Connected" societies which augers well
for telecom cable industry in general.
Your Company is well positioned to grab these big opportunities which
will lift the company to different league by way of using its
best-in-class technologies in a cost effective manner and also
developing new products especially for Export markets apart from
catering to the needs of Domestic customers.
DIVIDEND
After considering the Company''s Profitability, cash fl ow and overall
financial performance, the Board of Directors of the Company is
pleased to recommend a Dividend of Re.1/- per equity share of Rs.10/-
each (i.e. 10%) for the financial year ended 31st March, 2014. The
total quantum of Dividend, if approved by the Members, will be about
Rs.300.00 lacs while about Rs.50.99 lacs will be paid by the Company
towards Dividend Distribution Tax and Surcharge thereon.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate
Governance and a certifi cation by the Chief Executive officer (CEO)
confi rming compliance by all the Board members and senior management
personnel with Company''s Code of Conduct form a part of the Annual
Report. A certifi cate from the Auditors of the Company regarding
compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance is given in Annexure,
which is attached hereto and forms part of this Directors'' Report.
DIRECTORS'' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
As required under Section 217 (2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956, your
Directors to the best of their knowledge and belief and according to
the information and explanation obtained by them, state that:- - In the
preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2014,
the applicable accounting standards have been followed;
- The Company has selected such accounting policies, applied them
consistently, made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and
prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of
the Company as at 31st March, 2014 and of the Profit for the year
ended on that date;
- Proper and suffi cient care has been taken for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the
Companies Act, 1956 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for
preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities; and
- The attached Annual Accounts have been prepared on a ''going concern''
basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Industrial relations remained cordial through out the year. Your
Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty,
dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees that ensured
sustained improvement in operational effi ciencies of the Company in
most diffi cult and challenging business environment during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial
safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing processes at
the Company''s plant and facilities.
RECOGNITION
The Company''s manufacturing facilities continue to remain certifi ed by
independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as
aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008
& ISO TS 16949:2009 and Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO
14001:2004. During the year, the audits for these Certifi cations
established continuous improvement in performance against these
standards.
DIRECTORS
In terms of Section(s) 149, 152 and all other applicable provisions of
the Companies Act, 2013, for the purpose of determining the directors
liable to retire by rotation, the Independent Directors shall not be
included in the total number of directors of the Company. Accordingly,
Mr.Mats O.Hansson, Director shall retire by rotation at the ensuing
Annual General Meeting and does not seek re-appointment. The Board has
decided not to fill, for the time being, the vacancy caused due to his
retirement.
Pursuant to Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013, Directors are
required to inform their status as to ''Independent Director'' (ID) in
the first meeting of the Board of Directors held from April 1, 2014.
Accordingly four of the Directors of your Company viz. (i)
Mr.R.C.Tapuriah, (ii) Dr.Aravind Srinivasan, (iii) Mr.Arun Kishore and
(iv) Mr.K.Raghuraman have declared their adherence to the criteria fi
xed under Section 149(6) for ''Independent Directors''. The Board of
Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 19th May, 2014 perused
their declarations and other requirements under the Companies Act, 2013
and the Rules made thereunder, as applicable, and found all of them to
be meeting with criteria for Independent Director and same were taken
on record. The relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 also
provide that the IDs shall be appointed as such within a period of 12
months from April 1, 2014. Your Board has deemed it prudent and
recommended to the Shareholders their appointment as ID for a period
upto 5 years at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. All IDs shall not
be liable to retire by rotation. None of the above mentioned persons is
disqualifi ed from being appointed as a Director in terms of Section
164 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Details of Directors seeking appointment/re-appointment as required
under Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with Stock Exchanges are given
in the Notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting, which is being
sent to the shareholders along with Annual Report.
Mr.Magnus Kreuger, Director resigned from the Board of your Company
with effect from 1st February, 2014 and Mr.Mats O.Hansson, retiring
Director in the ensuing Annual General Meeting has expressed his
unwillingness for re-appointment. The Board places on record its
appreciation for the distinguished services rendered by Mr.Magnus
Kreuger and Mr.Mats O.Hansson during their respective term as Director
of the Company.
AUDITORS
Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants (Registration
No.109208W), were appointed as Statutory Auditors to hold office until
the conclusion of the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Section 139 read together with other provisions of Chapter X of the
Companies Act, 2013 and the Rules made thereunder, inter alia, provide
that no listed company shall appoint/re-appoint an audit fi rm as
auditor for more than two terms of five consecutive years. In other
words, the Company can make appointment of auditor for five years at a
time. Since Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co. has been functioning as
Auditors of the Company since last nine consecutive years, the Board of
Directors unanimously agreeing to the recommendation of the Audit
Committee, further recommends re-appointment of Messrs V.Sankar Aiyar &
Co. as Statutory Auditors of the Company upto three years to hold offi
ce from the conclusion of the ensuing Annual General Meeting (22nd)
till the conclusion of fourth consecutive Annual General Meeting(25th)
hereafter, subject to ratification by shareholders in every Annual
General Meeting.
The Board of Directors has appointed Messrs D. Sabyasachi & Co., Cost
Accountants, as Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the cost accounts
maintained by the Company in respect of cables and fixed their
remuneration based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee. The
remuneration payable to Cost Auditors is subject to ratification by
the shareholders in the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
The due date and actual date of fi ling of the Cost Audit Report of the
Company for the financial year 2012-13 were 27.09.2013 and 02.09.2013
respectively.
AUDITORS'' REPORT
Notes to Financial Statements are self explanatory including with
respect to Emphasis of Matter paragraph drawn by the Auditors in their
report and therefore, do not call for any further comments or
explanations.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section
217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956, read with the Companies
(Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, as amended, are not given, as
none of the employees qualify for such disclosure.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTGO
As required under Section 217(1)(e) of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Rules made therein, the concerned particulars relating to Energy
Conservation, Technology Absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and
Outgo are given in Annexure, which is attached hereto and forms part of
the Directors'' Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board of Directors desires to place on record its grateful
appreciation for the excellent assistance and co-operation received
from the State Government and continued support extended to the Company
by the bankers, investors, suppliers, esteemed customers and other
business associates. The Board also expresses its appreciation of the
assistance and unstinted support received from venturer''s and promoter
companies viz. Universal Cables Limited, Vindhya Telelinks Limited and
Ericsson Cables AB, Sweden.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
D.R.Bansal
R.C.Tapuriah
Dr. Aravind Srinivasan Directors
Arun Kishore
K.Raghuraman
New Delhi, May 19, 2014
Mar 31, 2013
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Twenty First Annual
Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company
for the year ended 31st March, 2013.
ACCOUNTS & FINANCIAL MATTERS
2012-13 2011-12
(Rs. in lacs) (Rs. in lacs)
Revenue from operations (gross) 13561.41 8112.27
Other income 314.47 226.28
13875.88 8338.55
The year''s working shows a
Gross Profit/(Loss) (after Interest) of - 933.38 (105.83)
Less: Depreciation and
Amortisation expense 364.70 379.77
Profit/(Loss) before tax 568.68 (485.60)
Income tax and fringe benefit
tax credit of earlier years (3.21)
Net Profit/(Loss) for the year 568.68 (482.39)
Your Directors regret their inability to recommend any equity dividend
for the year in order to conserve cash resources for future business
requirements.
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, your Company has delivered broadbased
competitive growth and margin improvement despite a challenging
environment. Your Company''s revenue from operations has stood at
Rs.13561.41 lacs (Rs.8112.27 lacs) an increase of 67.17% and the gross
profit has stood at Rs.933.38 lacs (Gross Loss - Rs.105.83 lacs), a
positive swing of Rs.1039.21 lacs. This is quite commendable given the
fact that the year 2012 witnessed the ultimate regulatory uncertainty
in the telecom sector owing to various judicial pronouncements which
had impacted financial health, sustainability and growth of this
industry which is one of the major contributor towards the
socio-economic and GDP growth in the country. However, the cheering
news for 2013 will be the considerable growth, the sector will witness
with the emergence of government initiatives for affordable broadband
services through wireline backhauls and access networks, etc. which
will eventually go a long way in your company taking advantage of the
upward growth curve in the telecom cables sector.
The gross revenue from operations for the year under review increased
as compared to the previous year mainly due to increased off take by
the Company''s important domestic government customers and private
operators coupled with a continuous sales growth in the export markets.
With the emphasis on control on the material consumption and monitoring
of factory and other overheads, the Company has achieved a reasonable
increase in the gross profit levels compared to the previous year
figure. This was possible as the Company has been consistently working
on reducing the costs at all levels and on improving the margins
despite overall sluggishness in the sector in which it operates.
A new generation high speed data services using 4 G LTE Technology
which is under implementation by Private sector Telecom player is being
viewed to revolutionize the way people communicate in our country.
Under this project huge roll-out of Fibre is being undertaken which
will continue for at least 3 - 5 years to come. Apart from this our
Government has initiated Rural Broadband Connectivity Program in the
name of "National Fibre Optic Network" (NFON) which will be implemented
by Bharat Broadband Network Limited, a special purpose vehicle promoted
for this project execution by the Government. This roll-out of Rural
Fibre Network will be undertaken during 2-3 years period starting from
mid 2013. The much awaited "Network for Spectrum" will also be
kick-started by both Telecom Ministry and Defence Ministry from this
year which will be undertaken for at least 2 - 3 years, by way of
laying Optical Fibre Cables connecting all locations of our Armed
Forces. Fiber-To-The- Home (FTTH) projects, which are under serious
consideration by leading Private Telecom Players, will catapult the
cable industry to a higher level with more fibre roll-outs in the
access network.
Your Company is well positioned to grab these big opportunities which
will lift the company to different league by way of using its
best-in-class technologies in a cost effective manner and also
developing new products especially for Export markets apart from
catering to the needs of Domestic customers.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate
Governance and a certification by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
confirming compliance by all the Board members and senior management
personnel with Company''s Code of Conduct form a part of the Annual
Report. A certificate from the Auditors of the Company regarding
compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance is given in Annexure,
which is attached hereto and forms part of this Directors'' Report.
DIRECTORS'' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
As required under Section 217 (2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956, your
Directors to the best of their knowledge and belief and according to
the information and explanation obtained by them, state that:- - In the
preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2013,
the applicable accounting standards have been followed;
- The Company has selected such accounting policies, applied them
consistently, made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and
prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of
the Company as at 31st March, 2013 and of the profit for the year ended
on that date;
- Proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the
Companies Act, 1956 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for
preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities; and
- The attached Annual Accounts have been prepared on a ''going concern''
basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Industrial relations remained cordial through out the year. Your
Directors recognize and appreciate the sincere and hard work, loyalty,
dedicated efforts and contribution of all the employees that ensured
sustained improvement in operational efficiencies of the Company in
most difficult and challenging business environment during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial
safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing processes at
the Company''s plant and facilities.
RECOGNITION
The Company''s manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by
independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as
aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008
& ISO TS 16949:2009 and Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO
14001:2004. During the year, the audits for these Certifications
established continuous improvement in performance against these
standards.
Your Company is pleased to inform that Engineering Export Promotion
Council, which is a body constituted under Union Ministry of Commerce
and Industry, has awarded the Star Performer in the export segment for
the Company''s various products and services for the year 2009-10.
DIRECTORS
Mr.S.K.Daga and Mr.Dinesh Chanda acted as Alternate Directors to
Mr.Mats O Hansson and Mr.Magnus Kreuger respectively during the year
except on vacation of office u/s 313(2) of the Companies Act, 1956 and
until re-appointment thereafter.
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Articles of Association of the Company, Mr.Magnus Kreuger, Dr. Aravind
Srinivasan and Mr.Arun Kishore, Directors, are due to retire by
rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible,
offers themselves for re-appointment.
AUDITORS
Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants, retire as Auditors
of the Company and being eligible, offer themselves for re-appointment.
Your Company has appointed Messrs D.Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants,
97/2, Suren Sarkar Road, Beleghata, Trikon Park, Kolkata - 700010 as
Cost Auditors for conducting audit of the cost accounts maintained by
the Company in respect of cables. The due date and actual date of
filing of the cost audit report of the Company for the financial year
2011-12 are 31.01.2013 and 03.01.2013 respectively.
AUDITORS'' REPORT
Notes to Financial Statements are self explanatory including with
respect to Emphasis of Matter paragraph drawn by the Auditors in their
report and therefore, do not call for any further comments or
explanations.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section
217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956, read with the Companies
(Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, as amended, are not given, as
none of the employees qualify for such disclosure.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTGO
As required under Section 217(1)(e) of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Rules made therein, the concerned particulars relating to Energy
Conservation, Technology Absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and
Outgo are given in Annexure, which is attached hereto and forms part of
the Directors'' Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board of Directors desires to place on record its grateful
appreciation for the excellent assistance and co-operation received
from the State Government and continued support extended to the Company
by the bankers, investors, suppliers, esteemed customers and other
business associates. The Board also expresses its appreciation of the
assistance and unstinted support received from venturer''s and promoter
companies viz. Universal Cables Limited, Vindhya Telelinks Limited and
Ericsson Cables AB, Sweden.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
D.R.Bansal
R.C.Tapuriah
Aravind Srinivasan Directors
Arun Kishore
K.Raghuraman
Dinesh Chanda Alternate
Director
(Alternate to Mr.Magnus Kreuger)
New Delhi, May 21, 2013
Mar 31, 2011
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Nineteenth Annual
Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company
for the year ended 31st March, 2011.
ACCOUNTS & FINANCIAL MATTERS
2010-11 2009-10
(Rs. in lacs) (Rs. in lacs)
Turnover (Gross) 7055.23 10518.79
Other Income 371.17 174.78
7426.40 10693.57
The yearÃs working shows a
Gross Profit/(Loss) (73.20) 586.59
(after Interest) of
Less: Depreciation/Amortisation 364.72 358.76
Profit/(Loss) before Tax (437.92) 227.83
(Excess) provision for tax
in respect of earlier years (0.32) (0.37)
Net Profit/(Loss) for the year (437.60) 228.20
(Debit) Balance Brought Forward (24.84) (253.04)
(Deficit) carried to Balance Sheet (462.44) (24.84)
Your Directors regret their inability to recommend any equity dividend
for the year under consideration.
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, your Company's domestic sales were
adversely affected due to significantly lower sales volume in the
traditional Jelly Filled Telephone Cables (JFTC) and also reduced off
take of Optical Fibre Cables by a majority of telecom operators. In
addition, the sale of Specialty Cables and Automobile Wires also
decreased by Rs.1136.14 lacs due to sluggish demand. However, more off
take from overseas customers has dramatically improved the export sales
of JFTC/ Specialty Cables from Rs.380.38 lacs to Rs.1446.71 lacs in the
year under review. This has been possible since your Company, in a
pre-emptive move, has strengthened its presence in the overseas markets
to offset the general fall in the volume of domestic market. The
Company's renewed focus on overseas markets has already resulted in
significant tractions in acquiring new customers, particularly in
Middle East and SAARC regions. Market focus has also been extended to
specific regions in Africa and Europe continents. These initiatives are
expected to yield greater proportion of revenue from exports in the
overall turnover of the Company in the years to come.
The gross turnover for the year under review decreased to Rs.7055.23
lacs as compared to Rs.10518.79 lacs last year. As the turnover dropped
by almost 33%, the Company had to suffer a gross loss of Rs.73.20 lacs
(loss before depreciation) as against the gross profit of Rs.586.59
lacs of the previous year. Despite the lower turnover, general control
on material consumption, factory and other overheads along with higher
interest income and gain in the exchange rate fluctuations have to a
great extent restricted the loss. Several measures were also taken to
rationalize costs and improve margins in the highly competitive product
categories.
The year under report would have been substantially better with the
expectation of a major contract to be awarded by BSNL to the Company
and its consortium partner for a Defence OFC Network Project. However,
despite of your Company alongwith its consortium partner being the
lowest eligible bidder in one package of the said tender floated by
BSNL, due to a multitude of reasons, the placement of orders have been
postponed as the concerned tender has not yet been decided.
Despite the Indian telecom cable market being currently depressed, the
driving force for future growth will emanate from the proposed new
National Broadband Policy, which envisages a massive rollout of
nationwide OFC Network down to the village level.
After the auction of 3G Spectrum, the winning companies have failed to
undertake the network expansion plan with the speed anticipated by the
cable industry. With a progressive increase in 3G usage the necessity
of enhanced Optical Fibre connectivity will be felt by the end users.
This huge untapped demand of connectivity through Optical Fibre Cable
Network along with the announcement of new Broadband Policy and the
setting up of National Broadband Network by the Government of India
will generate substantial demand of Optical Fibre Cable across the
country. Your Company having recognized its core business strength has
already re-engineered itself by re-thinking its internal business
processes and cannibalizing its internal systems using the
best-in-class available technologies, to achieve cost reduction and
productivity improvement. During the year, the Company also focused on
building differentiated capability and strengthening its sales and
technical delivery teams in order to strengthen its capability platform
for future growth. Although the economic and business environments have
not completely stabilized, yet your Directors are confident of the long
term business prospects of the Company.
The Company regularly measures its progress and benchmarks itself
against different competitors to change business strategies needed to
create new revenue streams in order to keep growing, prioritize
innovations and customer experience to be successful in the future.
Continuous investment by the Company in contemporary management
practices and manufacturing systems has resulted in significant
enhancement in quality and productivity.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate
Governance and a certification by the Managing Director (CEO)
confirming compliance by all the Board members and senior management
personnel with Company's Code of Conduct form a part of the Annual
Report. A certificate from the Auditors of the Company regarding
compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance is given in Annexure,
which is attached hereto and forms part of this Directorsà Report.
DIRECTORSÃ RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
As required under Section 217 (2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956, your
Directors to the best of their knowledge and belief and according to
the information and explanation obtained by them, state that:-
- In the preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st
March, 2011, the applicable accounting standards have been followed;
- The Company has selected such accounting policies, applied them
consistently, made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and
prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of
the Company as at the end of the financial year 2010-11 and of the loss
for the year ended 31st March, 2011;
- Proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the
Companies Act, 1956 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for
preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities; and
- The attached annual Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31st
March, 2011 has been prepared on a 'going concern basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Industrial relations remained cordial throughout the year. The Board
wishes to place on record its sincere appreciation for the contribution
made by the employees to the significant improvement in operational
performance of the Company, their commitment and dedicated efforts in
most difficult and challenging environment during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial
safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing processes at
the Company's plant and facilities.
RECOGNITION
The Company's manufacturing facilities continue to remain certified by
independent and reputed external agency as being compliant as well as
aligned with the external standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008
and Environmental Management Standards IS/ISO 14001:2004. During the
year, the audits for these Certifications established continuous
improvement in performance against these standards.
DIRECTORS
Mr. Mats O. Hansson holds office as a Director only till the date of
the ensuing Annual General Meeting i.e. the date upto which Mr. Janne
Sjoden in whose place he has been appointed would have held his office
and being eligible offer himself for appointment. The resolution
seeking his appointment as Director is included in the notice of the
Annual General Meeting.
Mr. S.K.Daga and Mr. Dinesh Chanda acted as Alternate Directors to Mr.
Mats O. Hansson and Mr. Magnus Kreuger respectively during the year
except on vacation of office u/s 313(2) of the Companies Act, 1956 and
until re-appointment thereafter.
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Articles of Association of the Company, Mr. R.C.Tapuriah, a Director,
is due to retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and
being eligible has offered himself for re-appointment.
AUDITORS
Messrs V. Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants, retire as Auditors
of the Company and, being eligible, offer themselves for
re-appointment.
Messrs D.Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants, have been appointed as
Cost Auditors for Cost Audit in respect of Cables.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section
217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956, read with the Companies
(Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, as amended, are not given, as
none of the employees qualify for such disclosure.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTGO
As required under Section 217(1)(e) of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Rules made therein, the concerned particulars relating to Energy
Conservation, Technology Absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and
Outgo are given in Annexure, which is attached hereto and forms part of
the Directors' Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the
excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State
Government and continued support extended to the Company by the
bankers, investors, suppliers and esteemed customers and other business
associates. The Board of Directors also expresses its appreciation of
the assistance and cooperation extended by the Indian co-promoter
companies, viz. Universal Cables Limited and Vindhya Telelinks Limited
and unstinted support, technical assistance and guidance received from
Ericsson Group Companies.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
R.C.Tapuriah
Dr. Aravind Srinivasan } Directors
Arun Kishore
K.Raghuraman
Dinesh Chanda Alternate Director
[Alterante to Mr. Magnus Kreuger]
D.R. Bansal Managing Director
New Delhi, July 14, 2011
Mar 31, 2010
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their Eighteenth Annual
Report, together with the Audited Financial Statements of the Company
for the year ended 31st March, 2010.
ACCOUNTS & FINANCIAL MATTERS
2009-10 2008-09
(Rs. in lacs) (Rs. in lacs)
Turnover (Gross) 10518.79 13284.26
Other Income 182.29 156.54
10701.08 13440.80
The yearÃs working shows a
Gross Profit/(Loss) (after Interest) of 586.59 (199.89)
Less: Depreciation/Amortisation 358.76 370.83
Profit/(Loss) before Tax 227.83 (570.72)
Provision for Tax
- (Excess)/short provision for tax
in respect of earlier years (0.37) (4.48)
- Fringe Benefit Tax - 8.75
Net Profit/(Loss) for the year 228.20 (574.99)
Credit/(Debit) Balance Brought Forward (253.04) 321.95
(Deficit) carried to Balance Sheet (24.84) (253.04)
Your Directors regret their inability to recommend any equity dividend
for the year under consideration.
GENERAL & CORPORATE MATTERS
During the year under review, your CompanyÃs domestic sales was
adversely affected due to significantly lower sales volume in the
traditional Jelly Filled Telephone Cables (JFTC) and also reduced
offtake of Optical Fibre Cables by the majority of telecom operators.
Despite the lower turnover, your directors are pleased to inform you
that there has been an inspiring performance of the Company as compared
to previous year due to excellent results in terms of cost management
and by launching of new products like Specialty Cable, CAT-5 Cable,
Auto Cable etc. During the year under review, your Company has further
strengthened its presence in the export market by exporting JFTC and
Optical Fibre Cables to certain prominent customers in South Asia and
Middle East to partially offset a general fall in volume in domestic
market. Also the expansion of customer base and the spurt in the export
performance of the Company will form a platform for growth in the years
to come.
The gross turnover for the year under review decreased to Rs.10518.79
lacs as compared to Rs.13284.26 lacs last year. However, inspite of
lower turnover, the Company has earned a gross profit after interest of
Rs.586.59 lacs as compared to a gross loss of Rs.199.89 lacs during the
previous year. The change in product mix, accelerated cost
optimization, general control in the employees cost and efficient
working capital management added to beneficial impact on profitability.
Despite the Indian telecom cable market being currently depressed, the
driving forces for the growth to be experienced will emanate from the
impending auction of the 3G spectrum, whereby the prominent players in
the Optical Fibre Cable segment will reap rich dividends and your
Company is in the forefront of it.
The Communication industry is going through a monumental change with
pressure coming from multiple directions. Suppliers from other
industries are combining their wares with mobile and high-bandwidth
fixed line connectivity to provide customer oriented, lifestyle
changing goods and services. Recognizing its core business strength and
the influence these strengths have within an dramatically evolving
market, your Company has re-engineered itself by re-thinking its
internal business processes, cannibalizing its internal systems using
the best in class available technologies to take advantages of the
tremendous cost reduction and productivity improvement. Although the
economic and business environment have not completely stabilized, yet
your Directors are confident of the longterm business prospects of the
Company with greater emphasis on efficiency in materials, processes and
other areas of business.
The Company regularly measures its progress and benchmarks itself
against different competitors to change business strategies needed to
create new revenue streams in order to keep growing, prioritize
innovations and customer experience to be successful in the future. The
Company has also put great emphasis on applying proven concepts such as
Ã5Sà and ÃKaizenà to identify further opportunities of cost reduction
and process improvement in order to provide a distinct, simple and
responsive way to serve its customers.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Management Discussion & Analysis, Report on Corporate
Governance and a certification by the Managing Director (CEO)
confirming compliance by all the Board members and senior management
personnel with CompanyÃs Code of Conduct form a part of the Annual
Report. A certificate from the Auditors of the Company regarding
compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance is given in Annexure,
which is attached hereto and forms part of this Directorsà Report.
DIRECTORSÃ RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
As required under Section 217 (2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956, your
Directors to the best of their knowledge and belief and according to
the information and explanation obtained by them, state that:- - In the
preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2010,
the applicable accounting standards have been followed;
- The Company has selected such accounting policies, applied them
consistently, made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and
prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of
the Company as at the end of the financial year 2009-10 and of the
profit for the year ended 31st March, 2010;
- Proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the
Companies Act, 1956 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for
preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities; and
- The attached annual Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31st
March, 2010 has been prepared on a Ãgoing concernà basis.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Industrial relations remained cordial through out the year. The Board
wishes to place on record its sincere appreciation for the contribution
made by the employees to the significant improvement in operational
performance of the Company, their commitment and dedicated efforts in
most difficult and challenging environment during the year.
The Company continues to accord a very high priority to both industrial
safety and environmental protection and these are ongoing processes at
the CompanyÃs plant and facilities.
RECOGNITION
During the year under review, your Company has received prestigious
ISO/TS 16949:2002 Certification for manufacture of Insulated Wires &
Cables from DET NORSKE VERITAS, USA. The CompanyÃs manufacturing
facilities continue to remain certified by independent and reputed
external agency as being compliant as well as aligned with the external
standards for Quality System IS/ISO 9001:2008 and Environmental
Management Standards IS/ISO 14001:2004. During the year, the audits for
these Certifications established continuous improvement in performance
against these standards.
DIRECTORS
Mr.B.R.Nahar, Mr.Janne Sjoden and Mr.A.P.Dadoo, Directors resigned from
the Board of your Company with effect from 11th May, 2009, 30th July,
2009 and 17th August, 2009 respectively. The Board places on record its
appreciation for the distinguished service rendered by Mr.B.R.Nahar,
Mr.Janne Sjoden and Mr.A.P.Dadoo during their respective tenure.
Mr.Arun Kishore, Mr.Mats O.Hansson and Mr.K.Raghuraman were appointed
as Directors of the Company to fill in the casual vacancy caused by
resignation of Mr.B.R.Nahar, Mr.Janne Sjoden and Mr.A.P.Dadoo with
effect from 30th July, 2009, 30th July, 2009 and 30th October, 2009
respectively.
Mr.Arun Kishore holds office as a Director only till the date of the
ensuing Annual General Meeting i.e. the date upto which Mr.B.R.Nahar in
whose place he has been appointed would have held his office and being
eligible offer himself for appointment. The resolution seeking his
appointment as Director is included in the notice of the Annual General
Meeting.
Mr.S.K.Daga and Mr.Dinesh Chanda acted as Alternate Directors to
Mr.Mats O Hansson and Mr.Magnus Kreuger respectively during the year
except on vacation of office u/s 313(2) of the Companies Act, 1956 and
until re-appointment thereafter.
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Articles of Association of the Company, Dr.Aravind Srinivasan, a
Director, is due to retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual General
Meeting and being eligible has offered himself for re-appointment.
Mr.D.R.Bansal has been re-appointed as Managing Director of the Company
for the period from 8th August, 2010 to 7th August, 2013, subject to
the approval of shareholders. Details about Directors seeking
appointment/re-appointment are given in the Notice of the ensuing
Annual General Meeting being sent to the shareholders along with Annual
Report.
AUDITORS
Messrs V.Sankar Aiyar & Co., Chartered Accountants, retire as Auditors
of the Company and, being eligible, offer themselves for
re-appointment.
Messrs D.Sabyasachi & Co., Cost Accountants, have been appointed as
Cost Auditors for Cost Audit in respect of Cables.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Particulars of employees in accordance with the provisions of Section
217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956, read with the Companies
(Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, as amended, are not given, as
none of the employees qualify for such disclosure.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTGO
As required under Section 217(1)(e) of the Companies Act, 1956 and the
Rules made therein, the concerned particulars relating to Energy
Conservation, Technology Absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and
Outgo are given in Annexure, which is attached hereto and forms part of
the Directorsà Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Board desires to place on record its grateful appreciation for the
excellent assistance and co-operation received from the State
Government and continued support extended to the Company by the
bankers, investors, suppliers and esteemed customers and other business
associates. The Board of Directors also expresses its appreciation of
the assistance and cooperation extended by the Indian co-promoter
companies, viz. Universal Cables Limited and Vindhya Telelinks Limited
and unstinted support, technical assistance and guidance received from
Ericsson Group Companies.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh.V.Lodha Chairman
Magnus Kreuger
R.C.Tapuriah
Dr. Aravind Srinivasan Directors
Arun Kishore
K.Raghuraman
New Delhi, May 11, 2010 D.R. Bansal Managing Director