Hardide plc (LON:HDD) has announced its interim Statement for the six months ended 31 March 2024
Financial Highlights
Six months ended 31 March:
| £m | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
| Revenue | 2.1 | 2.9 | -0.8 |
| Gross margin % | 41.0% | 46.7% | -5.7ppts |
| EBITDA | (0.5) | – | -0.5 |
| (Loss) before tax | (1.0) | (0.6) | -0.4 |
| Cash balance at 31 March | 0.7 | 0.7 | – |
Two months ended 31 March 2024
| £m | 2 months to 31.3.24 |
| Revenue | 0.9 |
| Gross margin % | 48.3% |
| EBITDA | – |
Business and Commercial Highlights
· Return to EBITDA and net cash flow break even since the successful net £0.75m equity fund raise in February
· Revenue growth has resumed in recent months, benefiting from the successful launch of the pre-coated product sales range, focused on industrial spares end user markets
· Increasing sales to the aerospace sector with further new work expected
· Demand recovering again in core markets following recent de-stocking
· Short to medium term business development opportunities in power generation and for sand screens for the oil and gas sector
· Grant funded development work for hydrogen applications showing early promise
· Matt Hamblin (an existing NED) is to become Hardide’s new CEO on 3 June. Current interim CEO Steve Paul will continue in a business development role
· The cash break-even point of the business has been lowered by over 20% in revenue terms over the last 18 months, benefiting from margin improvement and cost reduction
· Available cash balance of over £0.7m at 31 March 2024, supplemented recently by an additional US$315k asset backed loan
· Management is focused on delivering an adjusted EBITDA positive performance for the financial year as a whole, prior to an expected one-off £0.4m charge relating to restructuring and CEO transition costs
· A run rate cash positive trading performance is targeted by the financial year end.
Andrew Magson, Non-Executive Chair commented:
“We are pleased that trading momentum has improved significantly in recent months.
With further management action being taken to increase margins and reduce overhead costs, and sales from our recently launched pre-coated product range now gaining traction, the Board continues to expect the business to be EBITDA positive both in the second half year and, prior to charging c. £0.4m of one-off cash restructuring costs, for the financial year as a whole. It is also targeting Hardide to be in a run rate cash positive trading position by the financial year end.
More broadly, under new leadership, the Board is confident that Hardide is now much better positioned to realise the significant value inherent in its unique high performance coatings technology.”
Overview
Recent trading momentum has improved significantly with an EBITDA break-even performance delivered in the last two months of the period and cash break even achieved since the February fund raise.
In the six months ended 31 March 2024 (“H1 24”) Hardide’s revenues were £2.1m (H1 23: £2.9m), of which £0.9m was generated in the last two months. As previously reported, revenues were below expectations in the first part of the financial year, mainly due to customer de-stocking. The EBITDA loss in H1 24 was £0.5m (H1 23: EBITDA break-even). The net cash flow out flow in the period was £0.7m, prior to the net £0.75m proceeds received from the equity fund raise in February. As of 31 March 2024, the Group retained available cash resources of just over £0.7m, similar to the position at 30 September 2023.
Under new leadership since mid-February, the management team is implementing swift action to drive revenue growth, improve margins and reduce overheads with the objective of recovering to an adjusted EBITDA positive performance for the financial year as a whole (prior to anticipated one-off restructuring costs), and is targeting a run rate cash positive trading performance by the financial year end.
Commercial and operational review
The Company’s strategy of driving growth by diversifying sources of revenue to better utilise existing spare capacity is beginning to bear fruit, with promising early sales and strong enquiry levels following the recent launch of a range of pre-coated consumable spares sold directly to end customers for use in thermal spray equipment. The concept of enhanced pre-coated product sales is now being expanded and is beginning to be trialled in other industrial applications. This will supplement Hardide’s established business of supplying coatings as a service, often to suppliers of larger OEM customers.
The Group’s revenues analysed by end use market were as follows:
| £m | H1 24 (£m) | H1 23 (£m) | % change | H1 24 % total | H1 23 % total |
| Energy | 0.8 | 1.9 | -53% | 42% | 64% |
| Industrial | 0.8 | 0.9 | -19% | 36% | 33% |
| Aerospace | 0.5 | 0.1 | +400%+ | 22% | 3% |
| Total | 2.1 | 2.9 | -27% | 100% | 100% |
The lower levels of demand from large oil service industry customers mainly related to short term de-stocking earlier in the financial year and to a lesser extent lower activity levels than in the prior year, including the impact of sanctions on Russia and new regulations impacting land drilling in the USA. More recently demand has shown some recovery. We are in discussions with customers regarding new products and applications to revive and expand this segment.
Sales to industrial customers were also impacted by some de-stocking at the beginning of the period. Business in this market segment has now recovered.
Sales growth to the aerospace sector in H1 was very encouraging and we have a visible pipeline of sales scheduled well into 2025. In addition, a number of new applications and opportunities are under development to build on the recent success, with the potential to benefit revenues in the near future.
There were no sales to the power generation sector either in the period under review or the prior period, whilst the initial set of turbine blades sold in 2022 are field tested. The customer has indicated that we should expect follow on sales towards the end of the current calendar year. We are also exploring opportunities for sales of spares to support the maintenance aftermarket in this sector.
Business improvement initiatives and cost reduction
Efforts are underway to strengthen our connection with end-user customers and key decision makers to accelerate the growth in the business, as well as developing new markets as described above and in the business development section below.
We have recently enhanced our product and customer costing systems and analysis, and this is assisting better pricing decisions and margin improvement.
Together, all the above is enabling us to become more focused in prioritisation of business development projects, with a much clearer understanding developing of which opportunities are more likely to be commercially successful, as well as meeting technical requirements.
We continue to refine our overhead structure to better align it with the current size of business, whilst still retaining agility to be entrepreneurial and realise growth opportunities.
Over the last 18 months we have taken action to improve margins and lower overhead costs to yield over £1.5m of benefit, thereby lowering the cash break-even point of the business by more than 20% in revenue terms.
Financial review
Group revenues for the period were £2.1m compared with £2.9m in the first half of the prior financial year, for the reasons explained above.
Gross margins reduced to 41.0% from 46.7% in the prior first half year, reflecting less efficient recovery of operational fixed costs due to lower sales revenues. However, it was pleasing to see gross margins rise to 48.3% in the two months to March 2024, ahead of prior period levels, in response to better sales volumes and the profit improvement actions taken.
Overhead costs of £1.3m compared favourably with £1.5m the prior H1 due to the cost savings actions described above, which more than offset cost inflation.
The EBITDA loss for the period was £0.5m (H1 23: EBITDA break-even) because of lower revenues. The Group recovered to an EBITDA break even position in the final two months of the period due to improved trading momentum, better margins and reduced costs.
The net cash out flow in the period, prior to the equity fund raise in February, was £0.7m. We were very grateful to both existing and new shareholders who supported us to raise £0.75m (net of costs) at that time, and we are pleased to report that the improved trading performance since then has enabled us to retain those funds on the balance sheet at the half year period end.
The Group’s capital invested (defined as the sum of shareholders’ funds plus net debt) reduced from £6.7m at 30 September 2023 to £6.3m at 31 March 2024, largely due to depreciation and amortisation charges continuing to be significantly above capital expenditure, as the business remains very well invested with significant spare capacity. The proceeds of the equity issue in February remained held in cash at the period end and therefore this did not materially affect overall levels of capital invested.
Funding and going concern
The Group’s net indebtedness (including IFRS16 lease liabilities) at 31 March 2024 was £2.2m (30 September 2023: £2.4m), comprising cash of £0.7m (30 September 2023: £0.7m), loans of £0.7m (£0.8m) and lease liabilities of £2.2m (£2.3m), respectively. Some £0.2m of the loans and lease liabilities are repayable in the six month period to 30 September 2024 and £0.5m in the twelve month period to 31 March 2025.
The Group recently secured an additional US$315,000 of asset backed lending, lifting the Group’s currently available cash resources to c. £1m.
Group revenues would need to fall more than 15% below latest base case forecasts in the remainder of this financial year and into the next financial year for the Group to be in a position where, absent further action that could be taken in such a scenario to improve margins and reduce costs, it would need to seek further support from shareholders in the 12 months from the date of this report.
Therefore, the Directors’ expectation is that the company will continue to be a going concern for the foreseeable future and the interim financial statements have been prepared on this basis.
People
We were delighted to announce today the appointment of Matt Hamblin as Hardide’s new Chief Executive with effect from 3 June. Matt was originally appointed to the Hardide Board as a Non-Executive Director in November 2023. The Board believes Matt’s deep understanding of the coatings and surface treatment sector together with his track record of commercialising and achieving profitable growth at Keronite, a coatings business with many similarities to Hardide, is highly aligned with Hardide’s strategic objectives.
We are very pleased that Steve Paul, our current Interim Chief Executive, will be able to continue to contribute to Hardide’s growth agenda by working with us in an ongoing business development capacity. The Board is grateful to Steve for leading Hardide’s recently improved trading performance and for introducing new sources of revenue.
The Board would also like to thank all Hardide employees for their resilience and commitment to the Group in what has been a very challenging period as we have driven improvements in business performance and reduced the cost base. We also extend our gratitude to colleagues who have recently departed from the Group, acknowledging their contributions to Hardide and wishing them success in their future endeavours.
Business development
Under new commercially focussed leadership, the Board is seeking to accelerate revenue growth by diversifying sources of revenue to supplement the Group’s traditional model of providing coatings as a service, largely to global OEMs.
Whilst traditional revenue streams continue to have significant short to medium term development opportunities – such as sand screens in the oil and gas market, new products and customers in the aerospace sector, and coated turbine blades in power generation – a range of new initiatives are also underway:
· Supply of enhanced pre-coated products for end users in industrial spares markets
· Opportunities for Hardide to become specified as a solution to address specific customers’ requirements
· Increased presence in the North American market through more targeted business development activity, leveraging our operational facility in Martinsville, USA.
· Opportunities to sell, lease or licence capacity in partnership with certain customers
· Development of new markets in emerging technologies, including in hydrogen manufacture and storage. The grant funded development work we are carrying out in this area is generating encouraging initial results.
Outlook
Management’s focus on near-term sales growth is expected to drive second half revenues beyond those of the equivalent period last year and improve considerably upon H1.
With further action currently being taken to improve margins and reduce overhead costs, the Board continues to expect the business to be EBITDA positive both in the second half year and, prior to charging c.£0.4m of anticipated one-off cash restructuring costs, for the financial year as a whole. It is also targeting Hardide to be in a run rate cash positive trading position by the financial year end.
More broadly, under new leadership, the Board is confident that Hardide is now much better positioned to realise the significant value inherent in its unique high performance coatings technology.
Andrew Magson, Non-Executive Chair
Steve Paul, Interim CEO
22 May 2024
