Operating Cash Flows
We generated a cash inflow from operating activities of $0.3 million in 2018 compared to an outflow of $10.9 million in 2017. Year over year cash from operating activities has benefited from the normalization of working capital following the acquisition in our Performance Chemicals segment at the end of 2016.
Cash
At June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $66.0 million and $90.2 million, respectively, of which $57.1 million and $74.1 million, respectively, were held bynon-U.S. subsidiaries principally in the United Kingdom. The Company is in a position to control whether or not to repatriate foreign earnings and we currently do not expect to make a repatriation in the foreseeable future.
As disclosed in Innospec’s 2017 Annual Report on Form10-K, the Tax Reform Act requires, amongst other provisions, aone-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings, for which we have recorded a provisional estimated tax liability at December 31, 2017 of $47.7 million. We intend to pay the tax liability over an eight-year payment schedule as prescribed by the Tax Reform Act. During 2018 we have made our first payment of $3.8 million.
Debt
At June 30, 2018, we had $126.0 million of debt outstanding under the revolving credit facility, $99.0 million of debt outstanding on our term loan and $4.4 million of obligations under finance leases relating to certain fixed assets within our Fuel Specialties and Oilfield Services segments.
At December 31, 2017, we had $121.0 million of debt outstanding under the revolving credit facility, $99.0 million of debt outstanding on our term loan and $5.9 million of obligations under finance leases relating to certain fixed assets within our Fuel Specialties and Oilfield Services segment.
Item 3 Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The Company uses floating rate debt to finance its global operations. The Company is subject to business risks inherent innon-U.S. activities, including political and economic uncertainty, import and export limitations, and market risk related to changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. The political and economic risks are mitigated by the stability of the major countries in which the Company’s largest operations are located. Credit limits, ongoing credit evaluation and account monitoring procedures are used to minimize bad debt risk. Collateral is not generally required.
From time to time, the Company uses derivatives, including interest rate swaps, commodity swaps and foreign currency forward exchange contracts, in the normal course of business to manage market risks. The derivatives used in hedging activities are considered risk management tools and are not used for trading purposes. In addition, the Company enters into derivative instruments with a diversified group of major financial institutions in order to manage the exposure tonon-performance of such instruments. The Company’s objective in managing the exposure to changes in interest rates is to limit the impact of such changes on earnings and cash flows and to lower overall borrowing costs. The Company’s objective in managing the exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates is to reduce volatility on earnings and cash flows associated with such changes.
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