Commenting on the second quarter results, Patrick S. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
“As we expected, this has been an extraordinary quarter, with market conditions which we have never seen before. We have been operating with the challenges of the massive economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response of the oil and gas industry to the collapse in crude oil demand.
Performance Chemicals has performed very well despite demand volatility and production disruption. Steady sales combined with continued gross margin improvement have contributed to an 11 percent increase in operating income compared to the same period in 2019. This demonstrates the resilience of this business, even with some headwinds in the quarter. We believe that our strategy has us well positioned for future growth.
The collapse in oil and fuel demand has had an inevitable impact on both Oilfield Services and Fuel Specialties.
With freight transport reduced, passenger miles on the road depressed and aircraft largely grounded for much of the quarter, fuel demand for both diesel and gasoline was down significantly. The result has been a reduction in demand for fuel additives which has impacted our sales and the changes in volume and raw material costs have created a short-term margin impact. We expect demand to improve as global lockdowns are eased and economic activity recovers.
The US onshore oil and gas industry has reacted to the demand destruction by making huge cuts to exploration and production. Not only have drilling and completion activities been radically cut back, but record low crude prices also contributed to a curtailment in production. We have responded by making substantial cuts to our cost base, which we believe will position us for improved operating leverage when growth returns. We have also recognized the changes in the oil and gas business by taking an impairment charge reflecting the reduction in the value of intangible assets in our drilling business.
With no further motor gasoline business in the second quarter, we have determined that Octane Additives has finally reached its conclusion and as a result, we have booked a restructuring charge.
Our portfolio has again generated cash during the quarter, further enhancing our strong balance sheet and liquidity in these troubled times.”
Revenues in Fuel Specialties were $107.4 million for the quarter down by 19 percent from last year. Volumes were down by 15 percent reflecting the reduction in fuel demand, there was a negative price/mix effect of 3 percent and an adverse currency impact of 1 percent. Gross margins of 23.6 percent were down significantly on last year’s second quarter and included significant inventory adjustments. Without these adjustments gross margins would have been 31.3 percent. Operating income was $4.7 million down from $24.1 million a year ago.
In Performance Chemicals, revenues of $95.7 million were down 9 percent from $104.7 million a year ago driven by a 4 percent reduction in volumes, an adverse price/mix of 4 percent and a negative currency impact of 1 percent. Gross margins improved to 26.0 percent, up 3.1 percentage points on the same quarter in 2019. Operating income was up by 11 percent from last year at $12.2 million.
In Oilfield Services, revenues of $41.8 million were down by 66 percent on the second quarter of 2019, reflecting the collapse of customer activity in completions in the US onshore market. Gross margins were 23.7 percent, which included significant inventory adjustments. Without these adjustments, gross margins would have been 1.0 percentage point higher than last year. This translated into an operating loss of $12.4 million compared to an operating income of $10.1 million in the same quarter last year.
As expected, there were no Octane Additives revenues in the quarter compared to $1.9 million a year ago which resulted in an operating loss of $1.6 million compared to an operating income of $0.1 million in last year’s second quarter.
Corporate costs for the quarter were $15.4 million, compared to the $13.6 million recorded a year ago, due mainly to higher personnel-related expenses.
The effective tax rate for the quarter was 26.2 percent compared to 26.9 percent last year.
Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter was $29.8 million, compared to $50.0 million a year ago. In the quarter, the Company also distributed $12.8 million to shareholders for the semi-annual dividend. As of June 30, 2020, Innospec had $58.2 million in cash and cash equivalents, and total debt of $39.6 million, resulting in a net cash position of $18.6 million.