Post 273 as well.
Shares -
RM2 is ready to please
RM2 is ready to please
Pallet manufacturer and rental provider’s float could get 2014 off with a bang
A business with half its market cap in cash, products that could disrupt its target market, huge potential to pay a generous dividend and very high-profile board members is set to join the stock market on 6 January. Support services group RM2 International has devised a more durable glass fibre and resin pallet which lasts longer than traditional wood products. With big name customers already signed up, we suspect this will be a much sought-after stock.
It will be quoted on Aim and valued at £278 million. RM2 has already raised £137 million cash to expand its production capacity and fund the manufacture of pallets to rent and sell.
We are very encouraged by the fact that none of the existing shareholders are selling down their holdings at flotation. Invesco Perpetual is the biggest investor and management also has a significant position.
CEO John Walsh-15
Chief executive officer John Walsh tells Shares that while RM2 should make a small profit in 2014, he classifies the upcoming year as a ‘growth’ period. He reckons the business will make $75 million revenue, rising to $250 million in 2015 and $500 million in 2016. ‘It will be 2015 when we really hit the ground running and start to generate significant cash by the end of that year,’ adds Walsh.
Most of the pallets are expected to be rented by customers under long lease agreements, resulting in a high level of recurring revenue. Assets will be funded through a mixture of secured debt and cash generated from operations. The new product has many benefits. The pallets do not gather the mould that forms on their wooden equivalent, which is a boon for pharmaceutical companies, while they are also more durable and have greater load-bearing capacity. RM2 says ‘dozens’ of blue chip companies are already using the new pallets, notably Heinz (HNZ:NYSE), IBM (IBM:NYSE), Flextronics (FLEX:NDQ) and Unilever (ULVR).
RM2 claims its pallet costs $55 to make and last for more than 100 trips. Walsh says normal wooden pallets cost $40 each and only survive 30 stints on average. ‘You can get low-quality wood single-use versions for as little as $6 but these are an environmental disaster as they go into landfill.’
Its Canadian plant can produce one million pallets a year. RM2 will increase capacity to three million units in 2014, helped by the launch of a new factory in the US. The following year should see a UK plant open and annual production capacity reach 6.5 million pallets. North America and Western Europe are the target markets.
Board members have significant contacts in the food, drink, retail and private equity sectors. Chairman Ian Molson is former deputy chairman of Canadian brewer Molson. Non-executive directors include former Marks & Spencer (MKS) chairman Stuart Rose; and Paul Walsh who is ex-CEO of Diageo (DGE) and incoming chairman of catering giant Compass (CPG).
Invesco already holds 28.52pc of the company, which is registered in Luxembourg, and expects to increase its stake to 40.19pc following its admission to the Aim market on January 6. The free float is expected to be 43pc.