Interim Management Statement and Strategy Update
Trading update and 2011 outlook
Including the impact of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) supply issues, full year group operating profit1 is expected to be c.$141m on revenues of c.$2.3bn
o With the exception of the HDD supply issue, volume and revenues are in-line with expectations
o Impact of HDD supply issues on 2011 operating profit is expected to be c.$9.5m
o There will be a consequent impact to cash through lost profit and increased working capital, with net debt at year end now expected to be c.$320m-$330m
A consultation is underway on a proposed reorganisation of the Pace Europe business, the details of which are subject to finalisation. A corresponding exceptional charge of c.$12m will be taken in 2011 and the consultation is expected to conclude before the end of H1 2012. The proposal is targeting annualised savings of c.$7m, with c.50% expected in 2012.
2012 outlook: underlying business and impact of HDD supply issues
The Board now expects 2012 group operating margin to be c.7% on broadly flat revenues before the impact of HDD supply issues, reflecting:
o Increased pricing pressure, particularly in North American Cable, impacting group operating margins by c.1%
o Near term cost containment measures to improve operational efficiency, benefiting group operating margins by c.1%
Impact of HDD supply issues on 2012
o Pace's HDD suppliers remain uncertain on capacity and pricing - impact on 2012 revenue, profit and cash flow remains uncertain
o All efforts are being taken to mitigate this, including seeking alternative supplies, working with customers and aggressively managing working capital
o Based on dialogue with our suppliers and customers, and our detailed analysis, our current working assumption of operating profit impact in 2012 is $35m-$50m of which the majority is expected to fall in H1
Taking account of the 2011 and 2012 outlook given above, including our working assumption for the HDD supply issue, we will remain within our banking covenants