UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 1 to
FORM 10-K
x ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15 (D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2012
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OF 15 (D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER:
KEYUAN PETROCHEMICALS, INC.
(formerly Silver Pearl Enterprises, Inc.)
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada | 45-0538522 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification or Organization No.) |
Qingshi Industrial Park
Ningbo Economic & Technological Development Zone
Ningbo, Zhejiang Province
P.R. China 315803
(86) 574-8623-2955
(Address and telephone number of principal executive offices and principal place of business)
Securities registered under Section 12 (b) of the Exchange Act: NONE
Securities registered under Section 12 (g) of the Exchange Act:
COMMON STOCK WITH $.001 PAR VALUE
(Title of Class)
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the securities Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark if Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 (d) of the Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated Filer o |
Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company x |
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The aggregate market value of the 9,871,301 shares of voting and non-voting common equity stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $ 13,918,534.41 as of June 29, 2012, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the last sale price of the registrant’s common stock on such date of $1.41 per share*, as reported on the OTCBB.
As of August 29, 2013, the Registrant has 57,646,160 shares of common stock outstanding.
Explanatory Note
We are filing this Amendment No. 1 to our annual report on Form 10-K (“Amended Report”) pursuant to a SEC comment letter dated July 3, 2013 to amend certain disclosures in the Form 10-K filed with the SEC on June 6, 2013 (“Original Report”). Pursuant to the SEC comments, changes and revisions have been made to the following items: Item 1. Business; Item 1A. Risk Factors; Item 3. Legal Proceedings; Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations; Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance; Item 11. Executive Compensation; and Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence (collectively, “Revised Items”). The Revised Items are filed herewith in this Amended Report in their entirety.
This Amended Report may not reflect events occurring after the filing of the Original Report, nor does it modify or update those disclosures in the items not described in the above paragraph of this Explanatory Note. Accordingly, this Amended Report should be read in conjunction with the Original Report and our other reports filed with the SEC subsequent to the filing of our Original Report, including any amendments to those filings.
In addition, pursuant to Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as a result of this Amended Report, the certifications pursuant to Section 302 and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, filed and furnished, respectively, as exhibits to the Original Report have been re-executed and re-filed as of the date of this Amended Report and are included as exhibits hereto.
KEYUAN PETROCHEMICALS,, INC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the Year Ended December 31, 2012
PART I | Page | |
Item 1 | 1 | |
Item 1A | 24 | |
Item 3 | 41 | |
PART II | ||
Item 7 | 42 | |
PART III | ||
Item 10 | 51 | |
Item 11 | 55 | |
Item 13 | 57 | |
PART IV | ||
Item 15 | 62 | |
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Except as otherwise indicated by the context, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”) to the “Company,” “Keyuan” “we,” “us” or “our” are references to the combined business of Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “Sinotech Group” are references to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Sinotech Group Limited, previously known as Keyuan International Group Limited”; references to “Keyuan HK” are references to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Keyuan Group Limited; references to “Ningbo Keyuan” are references to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd.; references to “Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals” are to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals Co., Ltd; references to “Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers” are references to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ningbo Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers Co., Ltd.; references to ”Guangxi Keyuan” are references to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Guangxi Keyuan New Materials Co., Ltd. References to “China” or “PRC” are references to the People’s Republic of China. References to “RMB” are to Renminbi, the legal currency of China, and all references to “$” and dollar are to the U.S. dollar, the legal currency of the United States.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to us. Such statements should not be unduly relied upon. When used in this report, forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan” and similar expressions, as well as statements regarding new and existing products, technologies and opportunities, statements regarding market and industry segment growth and demand and acceptance of new and existing products, any projections of sales, earnings, revenue, margins or other financial items, any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, uncertainties related to conducting business in China, any statements of belief or intention, and any statements or assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements reflect our current view concerning future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. There are important factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from those described in this report as anticipated, estimated or expected, including, but not limited to: competition in the industry in which we operate and the impact of such competition on pricing, revenues and margins, volatility in the securities market due to the general economic downturn; Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regulations which affect trading in the securities of “penny stocks,” and other risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward- looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Depending on the market for our stock and other conditional tests, a specific safe harbor under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 may be available. Notwithstanding the above, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) expressly state that the safe harbor for forward-looking statements does not apply to companies that issue penny stock. Because we may from time to time be considered to be an issuer of penny stock, the safe harbor for forward-looking statements may not apply to us at certain times.
PART I
GENERAL OVERVIEW
(a) Nature of business
We, through our PRC operating subsidiaries, Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Keyuan”), Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals Co., Ltd (“Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals”), Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers Co., Ltd (“Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers”) and Guangxi Keyuan Co., Ltd (“Guangxi Keyuan”) , are engaged in the manufacture and sale of petrochemical products in the PRC. Our operations include (i) a production facility with an annual petrochemical production capacity of 720,000 metric tons (MT) of a variety of petrochemical products, (ii) facilities for the storage and loading of raw materials and finished goods and (iii) a manufacturing technology that can support our manufacturing process with relatively low raw material costs and high utilization and yields, all of which are led by a management team consisting of petrochemical experts with proven track records from some of China’s largest state-owned enterprises in the petrochemical industry.
Due to China’s growing demand for refined petrochemical products, we expanded our annual production capacity from 550,000 MT to 720,000 MT in April 2011. We also completed the construction of a Styrene-Butadience-Styrene (the “SBS”) production facility with an annual production capacity of 70,000 MT in September 2011 and began initial trial production in October and November 2011. One SBS production line began commercial production in December 2011 and the second line began commercial production in August, 2012.
In January 2012, we signed a cooperation agreement with Fangchenggang City to build a new petrochemicals production facility, Guangxi Keyuan New Materials Industrial Park, in Guangxi Province (the "Guangxi Project"). Once the facility is fully operational, it is expected to have annual production capacity of 400,000 metric tons of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (the "ABS") and related products. As the date of this filing, we have been focused on the complex pre-construction government approval work and on research to improve the efficiency of the production of Guangxi Project since the signing of the agreement.
(b) Organization
Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. (“Company” or “the Company”, formerly known as “Silver Pearl Enterprises, Inc.”, together with its subsidiaries, herein referred to as “we” “us” and “our”) was incorporated in the State of Texas on May 4, 2004.
On April 22, 2010, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with Keyuan International Group Limited (“Keyuan International”), a privately held investment holding company organized on June 11, 2009 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, Delight Reward Limited (“Delight Reward”), the sole stockholder of Keyuan International and Denise D. Smith (“Smith”), the Company’s former principal stockholder. Pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, Delight Reward transferred to the Company all of its shares of Keyuan International in exchange for 47,658 shares of the Company’s Series M convertible preferred stock (the “Share Exchange”). On an “as converted” basis, the Series M convertible preferred stock represented approximately 95% of the Company’s outstanding common stock right after the Share Exchange. The Series M convertible preferred stock voted with the common stock on an “as converted basis” and was converted into 47,658,000 shares of the Company’s common stock on December 28, 2010.
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As a result of the Share Exchange, Keyuan International became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and Delight Reward became the controlling stockholder of the Company. The Share Exchange was accounted for as a reverse acquisition and recapitalization whereby Keyuan International is deemed to be the accounting acquirer (and the legal acquire). The common stock of the Company continues post the Share Exchange, while the retained deficit of the Company was eliminated as the historical operations are deemed to be those of Keyuan International.
On May 12, 2010, the Company formed a corporation under the laws of the State of Nevada called Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. and on the same day, acquired 100% of the entity’s stock for cash. As such, the entity became the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary (the “Merger Subsidiary”).
Effective as of May 17, 2010, the Merger Subsidiary was merged with and into the Company. As a result of the merger, the Company’s name was changed to “Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc.”. Prior to the merger, the Merger Subsidiary had no liabilities and nominal assets and, as a result of the merger, the separate existence of the merger subsidiary ceased. The Company is the surviving corporation in the merger and, except for the name change, there was no change in the Company’s directors, officers, capital structure or business.
On August 8, 2010, Keyuan Group Limited (“Keyuan HK”) established a wholly owned subsidiary in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals, which is engaged in the sale of petrochemical products in the PRC.
On April 4, 2012, Guangxi Keyuan was incorporated by Ningbo Keyuan (75% ownership) and Keyuan HK (25% ownership) in Guangxi province, PRC, as a Sino-Foreign joint venture subsidiary, for the purpose of developing the Guangxi Project.
On June 15, 2012, Ningbo Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers was established as a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary of Ningbo Keyuan to engage in the sales and marketing of various petrochemical products, specifically synthetic rubbers .
On October 15, 2012, Keyuan International Group Limited changed its name to Sinotech Group Limited.
(c) History of Keyuan International before the Share Exchange
Immediately prior to the date of the Share Exchange, the Company was a shell company with no operations and a nominal amount of cash, and Keyuan International, through Keyuan Group Limited (“Keyuan HK”) and its indirect subsidiary, Ningbo Keyuan, was engaged in the manufacturing and sale of petrochemical products.
Keyuan HK was established in Hong Kong in 2009, and is a holding company with no significant assets or operations. On April 26, 2007, Ningbo Keyuan was established as a wholly foreign owned enterprise in Ningbo, PRC by Hong Kong Keyuan PEC Investment Holdings Limited (“Hong Kong Keyuan”, 51%), Hong Kong Development Enterprise Co., Limited (“Hong Kong Development”, 26%) and Wayes International Trading Limited (“Wayes International”, 23%). Hong Kong Keyuan was controlled by Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Hong Kong Development was controlled by Mr. Jicun Wang and Wayes International was controlled by Mr. Peijun Chen. Ningbo Keyuan had an original registered capital of USD $12,000,000. The Ningbo Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation Bureau approved Ningbo Keyuan’s increase in its registered capital from USD$12,000,000 to USD$20,400,000 on February 27, 2009. The registered capital of Ningbo Keyuan was then increased from USD $20,400,000 to USD$50,400,000 and a new Certificate of Approval was issued by the Ningbo Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation Bureau on March 22, 2010.
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On April 1, 2008 Ningbo Litong Petrochemical (“Ningbo Litong”) acquired 12.75% of the shares of Ningbo Keyuan from Hong Kong Keyuan on behalf of Mr. Chunfeng Tao. On November 25, 2008 Ningbo Kewei Investments Co., Limited (“Ningbo Kewei”), a company controlled by Mr. Tao acquired 12.75% of Ningbo Keyuan from Ningbo Litong. On June 24, 2009, Ningbo Kewei acquired 15.75% of Ningbo Keyuan from Hong Kong Keyuan through a capital increase. On July 17, 2009, Hong Kong Keyuan acquired 28.5% shares from Ningbo Kewei. Through these transactions Mr. Tao’s 51% ownership of Ningbo Keyuan remained unchanged.
In 2009, Apex Smart Limited, Best Castle Investments Limited, Chance Brilliant Holdings Limited, Delight Reward Limited and Keyuan International Group Limited were established in the British Virgin Island (BVI) and Keyuan HK was established in Hong Kong. Delight Reward Limited holds 100% of the equity interests of Keyuan International Group Limited which holds 100% of the equity interests of Keyuan HK. Delight Reward Limited is owned by:
● | Apex Smart Limited (45.6132%), which was 100% held by Stewart Shiang Lor, subsequently by Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok and subsequently by Mr. Chunfeng Tao. |
● | Best Castle Investments Limited (23.2523%), which was 100% held by Mr. O. Wing Po and subsequently by Mr. Jicun Wang. |
● | Chance Brilliant Holdings Limited (20.5694%), which was 100% held by Mr. Lo Kan Kwan and subsequently by Mr. Peijun Chen. |
● | Harvest Point Limited (5.3896%), which was 100% held by Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok and subsequently by Ms. Muxia Duan. |
● | Strategic Synergy Limited (5.1755%), which was 100% held by Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok and subsequently Mr. Mok transferred one third of the ownership to Mr. Xin Yue |
On November 16, 2009 Keyuan HK acquired 100% of Ningbo Keyuan from Hong Kong Keyuan, HongKong Development and Wayes International. Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok, Mr. O. Wing Po and Mr. Lo Kan Kwan also agreed to support Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jicun Wang and Mr. Peijun Chen respectively to retain their controls in Delight Reward Limited and its subsidiaries. The reorganization is considered as restructuring under common control and Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jicun Wang and Mr. Peijun Chen remained as the controlling parties.
On April 2, 2010, Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok, Mr. O. Wing Po, and Mr. Lo Kan Kwan, who indirectly held 100% of the equity interest in Delight Reward Limited, entered into certain share transfer agreements with Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jicun Wang, Mr. Peijun Chen and Mr. Xin Yue, pursuant to which each of these persons agreed to transfer all of its interests in Apex Smart Limited, Best Castle Investments Limited and Chance Brilliant Holdings Limited, Harvest Point Limited and Strategic Synergy Limited (collectively the “BVI Holding Companies”), to Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jicun Wang, Mr. Peijun Chen and Mr. Xin Yue respectively, subject to achievement of certain performance targets of Ningbo Keyuan. The performance targets are the Company achieving: at least $39 million of gross revenue for the three months commencing from July 2010 to September 2010; at least $40 million of gross revenue for the three months commencing from October 2010 to December 2010; and, at least $41 million of gross revenue for the three months commencing from January 2011 to March 2011.
Pursuant to the share transfer agreements, (i) Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok granted Mr.Chunfeng Tao an option to acquire 100% of the equity of Apex Smart Limited in three installments provided that certain performance targets are met; (ii) Mr. O. Wing Po granted Mr. Jicun Wang an option to acquire 100% of the Best Castle Investments Limited in three installments provided that certain performance targets are met; (iii) Mr. Lo Kan Kwan granted Mr. Peijun Chen an option to acquire 100% of the equity of Chance Brilliant Holdings Limited in three installments provided that certain performance targets are met; (iv) Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok granted Mr. Xin Yue an option to acquire 100% of the equity of Harvest Point Limited in three installments provided that certain performance targets are met; and (v) Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok granted Mr. Xin Yue an option to acquire 100% of the equity of Strategic Synergy Limited in three installments provided the performance targets are met (the share transfer agreements are herein referred as “Slow Walk Agreement(s)” or “Slow Walk”. Options are herein sometimes referred as “Slow Walk Option(s)”).
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(d) Current Shareholding Structure of the Company
On November 4, 2010, the Company exercised its conversion rights under the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock to convert all of outstanding shares of its Series A 6% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock into a total of 6,132,032 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share. As a result, following the conversion, all 6,132,032 shares of Series A Preferred Stock that had been outstanding were cancelled and were automatically converted, without any delivery of conversion notice required on the part of the holders of Series A preferred stock.
On November 15, 2010, one-third of the Slow Walk Options were exercised after the first performance target was met.
On December 28, 2010, the Company exercised its mandatory conversion rights under the terms of the Series M preferred stock to convert all of outstanding shares of its Series M preferred stock into a total of 47,658,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, all of which are held by Delight Reward Limited.
On April 29, 2011, Harvest Point Limited transferred 1,028 shares of Delight Reward Limited’s stock to Strategic Synergy Limited, changing their ownership of Delight Reward Limited’s stock to 3.334% and 7.232% respectively. On the same day, Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok and Mr. Xin Yue transferred 33,333 shares and 16,667 shares of Harvest Point Limited, respectively, to Ms. Muxia Duan thus transferred 100% ownership of Harvest Point Limited to Ms. Muxia Duan.
After the second and third performance targets were met, Mr. Peijun Chen and Mr. Jicun Wang exercised their remaining two-thirds of the Slow Walk Options on February 15, 2012. Mr. Chunfeng Tao exercised his remaining two-thirds of the Slow Walk Options on November 15, 2012.
On April 8, 2012, Strategic Synergy Limited transferred 105 shares of Delight Reward shares to Happyvale Limited. On October 23, 2012, Delight Reward repurchased 105 shares of Delight Reward shares from Happyvale Limited in a consideration of 100,000 shares of common stock of the Company.
On March 25, 2013, Best Castle Investments Limited transferred 11,626 shares of Delight Reward Limited to Apex Smart Limited, increasing Apex Smart Limited’s ownership of Delight Reward Limited from 45.6132% to 68.864%.
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As a result, the shareholding structure following the restructuring is as follows:
(e) Independent Investigation and Nasdaq Delisting Decision
During the process of preparing the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2010, on or about March 24, 2011, KPMG, the Company’s former independent auditor, raised certain issues primarily relating to unexplained issues regarding certain cash transactions and recorded sales and requested that the Audit Committee conduct an independent investigation. Based on the issues raised by KPMG, on March 31, 2011, our Audit Committee elected to commence an independent investigation of the issues raised and engaged the services of independent counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (“Pillsbury”), which in turn engaged Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP (“Deloitte”), as independent forensic accountants, and King & Wood, as Audit Committee counsel in the People’s Republic of China (Pillsbury, Deloitte and King & Wood are collectively referred herein as “Investigation Team”).
On September 28, 2011, the Investigation Team completed the investigation. On October 3, 2011, the Company provided the Nasdaq Hearings Panel with a copy of the final investigation report along with a comprehensive list of remedial actions the Company has taken and is committed to taking to remediate the accounting and internal control issues. On October 5, 2011, the Company was notified that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel exercised its discretionary authority pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5101 to delist the Company’s securities from the Nasdaq Stock Market. As a result, the Company’s shares resumed trading in the pink sheets under the ticker symbol KEYP.PK beginning October 7, 2011. The Company’s common stock is currently traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol KEYP.
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(f) SEC Settlement
The Company has reached a settlement in a case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 28, 2013 in the United States District Count for the District of Columbia against the Company, alleging the Company violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 12b-20 and 13a-13 thereunder. Under the terms agreed to by the Company and the SEC, the Company, without admitting or denying the allegation of the complaint, will pay a civil penalty of $1million and will be permanently enjoined from violating certain securities law. The settlement remains subject to approval by the United District Court for the District of Columbia, which must approve its terms and enter the final judgment. As the date of this filing, the United District Court for the District of Columbia has not approved the settlement yet.
(g) FINANCINGS
April – May 2010 Private Placement
Following the Share Exchange, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with 122 accredited investors for the issuance and sale of 748,704 Units at a purchase price of $35 per unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $26,204,640 consisting of, in the aggregate, (a) 6,738,336 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share convertible into the same number of shares of Common Stock, (b) 748,704 shares of Common Stock, (c) three-year Series A Warrants to purchase up to 748,704 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $4.50 per, and (d) three-year Series B Warrants to purchase up to 748,704 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $5.25 per share (the “April-May 2010 Private Placement”).
In connection with the April-May 2010 Private Placement, we also entered into a registration rights agreement with the investors, in which we agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC to register for resale of the Common Stock, the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock, the Series A Warrant Shares and the Series B Warrant Shares issued in the financing, within 30 calendar days of April 22, 2010 and to have such registration statement declared effective within 150 calendar days of April 22, 2010 or within 180 calendar days of April 22, 2010 in the event of a full review of the registration statement by the SEC. If we can not comply with the foregoing obligations under the registration rights agreement, we will be required to pay liquidated damages in cash to each investor, at the rate of 1% of the applicable subscription amount for each 30 day period in which we are not in compliance; provided, that such liquidated damages will be capped at 10% of the subscription amount of each investor and will not apply to any registrable securities that may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act if all of the conditions in Rule 144(i)(2) are satisfied at the time of the proposed sale, or are subject to an SEC comment with respect to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act.
Accordingly, we filed a registration statement on Form S-1 in connection with the April-May 2010 private placement transaction. Amendment No. 4 to such Form S-1 which we filed on October 15, 2010 was declared effective on October 19, 2010. However, because of the delinquency of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 and interim reports on Form 10-Q for three months ended March 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011 respectively, as of April 10, 2012, the Amendment No. 4 to such Form S-1 is no longer effective. As a result, we began to accrue penalties pursuant to the terms of the registration rights agreement from April, 2011 to November 1, 2011, the period that the registerable securities were not able to be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
Pursuant to the terms of the securities purchase agreement and the terms of the Certificate of Designation of Series A preferred stock, we exercised our conversion rights to convert all of the outstanding Series A preferred stock into a total of 6,132,032 shares of Common Stock. As a result of the conversation, since November 4, 2010, we have no longer incurred the Series A dividends, payable quarterly, at the rate of 6% per annum for each outstanding share.
September 2010 Private Placement
On September 28, 2010, we closed an offering for $20,250,000 consisting of a total of 540,001 units at a purchase price of $37.50 per unit, each unit consisting of, (a) ten (10) shares of Series B convertible preferred stock of the Company, (b) one and a half (1.5) three year Series C warrants to purchase one and a half (1.5) shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $4.50 per share, and (c) one and a half (1.5) three year Series D warrants to purchase one and a half (1.5 ) shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $5.25 per share (the “ September 2010 Private Placement”) in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by Regulation S as promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933.
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In connection with the September 2010 Private Placement, we also entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with the investors, in which we agreed to file a registration statement with the Commission to register for resale the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock, the Series C Warrant Shares and the Series D Warrant Shares, within 30 calendar days of October 19, 2010 and to have the registration statement declared effective within 150 calendar days of October 19, 2010 or within 180 calendar days of October 19, 2010 in the event of a full review of the registration statement by the Commission. If we do not comply with the foregoing obligations under the registration rights agreement, we will be required to pay cash liquidated damages to each Series B Investor, at the rate of 1% of the applicable subscription amount for each 30 day period in which the Company is not in compliance; provided, that such liquidated damages will be capped at 10% of the subscription amount of each investor and will not apply to any registrable securities that may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act if all of the conditions in Rule 144(i)(2) are satisfied at the time of the proposed sale, or are subject to an SEC comment with respect to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act.
Accordingly, we filed a registration statement on Form S-1 in connection with the September 2010 private placement transaction. Amendment No. 2 to such Form S-1 which we filed on January 14, 2011 was declared effective on January 19, 2011. However, because of the delinquency of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 and interim reports on Form 10-Q for three months ended March 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011 respective, as of April 10, 2012, Amendment No. 2 to such Form S-1 is no longer effective. As a result, we began to accrue penalties pursuant to; the terms of the registration rights agreement from April 2011to November 2011, the period that the registerable securities were not able to be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
(h) Mandatory Conversion of Series A Preferred Stock and Series M Preferred Stock
On November 4, 2010, we exercised our mandatory conversion rights under the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock to convert all of outstanding shares of its Series A 6% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock into a total of 6,132,032 shares of Common Stock. As a result, following the conversion, all 6,132,032 shares of Series A Preferred Stock that had been outstanding were cancelled and automatically converted, without any delivery of conversion notice required on the part of the holders of Series A Preferred Stock. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock accrued through November 3, 2010 and amounted to approximately $143,000 and were paid to the holders of Series A Preferred Stock on the regularly scheduled payment date of January 31, 2011.
As a result of foregoing, as of November 4, 2010, we longer incurred the Series A Dividend that was payable quarterly, at the rate of 6% per annum for each outstanding share, payable in cash or common stock dividends, as applicable.
On December 28, 2010, we exercised our mandatory conversion rights under the terms of the Series M preferred stock to convert all of the outstanding shares of the Series M preferred stock into a total of 47,658,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share. As a result, following the conversion, all 47,658 shares of Series M preferred stock that had been outstanding were cancelled and were automatically converted, without any delivery of conversion notice required on the part of the holders of Series M Preferred Stock.
(i) Stock Repurchase Program
On September 17, 2012, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $2 million of the Company’s stock for up to $1.50 per share. On December 31, 2012, the Company engaged TriPoint Global Equities LLC (“TriPoint Global”) as its agent to design and execute the stock repurchase program, that complies with the requirements of Rule 10b5-1(c)(1) and Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As of March 31, 2013, the Company has purchased 117,554 shares of common stock through the stock repurchase program. On April 17, 2013, in connection with the delay in filing our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, we decided to temporarily suspend the stock repurchase program until we file all periodic reports required under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased | Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs | ||||||||||||
December 1 - December 31, 2012 | 0 | $ | 0.00 | 0 | $ | 2,000,000 | ||||||||||
January 1 - January 31, 2013 | 11,200 | $ | 0.73 | 11,200 | $ | 1,991,861 | ||||||||||
February 1 - February 28, 2013 | 15,850 | $ | 0.77 | 15,850 | $ | 1,979,668 | ||||||||||
March 1 - March 31, 2013 | 90,504 | $ | 1.25 | 90,504 | $ | 1,866,488 | ||||||||||
Total | 117,554 | $ | 1.14 | 117,554 | $ | 1,866,488 |
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OUR PRODUCTS
We manufacture and supply a variety of petrochemical products, including BenzeneToluene-Xylene Aromatics (BTX Aromatics), propylene, styrene, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), Styrene butadiene styrene (SBS), and other petrochemicals, each of which is described below:
● | BTX Aromatics: consists of benzene, toluene, xylene and other chemical components used for further processing into plastics, gasoline and solvent materials widely used in paint, ink, construction coating and pesticide; |
● | Propylene: a chemical intermediate which is one of the building blocks for an array of chemical and plastic products that are commonly used to produce polypropylene, acrylonitrile, oxo alcohols, propylene oxide, cumene, isopropyl alcohol, acrylic acid and other chemicals for paints, household detergents, automotive brake fluids, indoor/outdoor carpeting, textile, insulating materials, auto parts and electrical appliances; |
● | Styrene: a precursor to polystyrene and several copolymers widely used for packaging materials, construction materials, electronic parts, home appliances, household goods, home furnishings, toys, sporting goods and other products; |
● | LPG: a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. A replacement for chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant which reduces damage to the ozone layer; and |
● | MTBE & Other Chemicals: MTBE, oil slurry, sulphur and others which are used for a variety of applications including fuel components, refrigeration systems, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides. |
● | Styrene butadiene styrene (SBS): a thermoplastic elastomer with features similar to rubber, widely used in the manufacture of resin, shoes, tape, tubes and asphalt. |
Production Capacity and Expansion
Our annual designed manufacturing capacity was 550,000 metric tons of a variety of petrochemical products at the end of 2010. We upgraded the catalytic pyrolysis processing equipment used in production facilities to expand the capacity from 550,000 MT to 720,000 MT. This capacity expansion project started in March 2011 and was completed in April 2011.
In September 2011, we completed building a new facility designed for producing Styrene-Butadience-Styrene (the “SBS”), one of the Styreneic Block Copolymers. SBS is a product with higher product margin with significant applications in the footwear, adhesive, polymer modification and modified asphalt industries. The SBS facility was built on part of the 1.2 million square feet of land for which we obtained the right of use in August 2010. The construction started in September, 2010 and was completed as scheduled in September 2011. One SBS production line began commercial production in December 2011 and the second line began commercial production in August, 2012. The designed capacity of the SBS facility allows for production of up to 70,000 metric tons per year. The SBS facility achieved a 41% utilization rate in 2012, as the first full year of production, and generated approximately $71.1 million in sales and $7.7 million in profit. We expect to generate net profit margins of 10% from our production of SBS once the facility reaches normal production levels, which means the actual production volume reach more than 80% of the design capacity. However, market conditions, the volatility of feedstock and SBS product prices can significantly impact the estimated profitability and we cannot guaranty that our SBS production will reach more than 80% of the design capacity in the near future.
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The following chart depicts our production capacity in 2012:
Breakdown of 2012 Capability of 693,895 (MT)
Other than the utilization rate for SBS facility discussed above, the utilization rates for our other facilities are as follows:
● | styrene production: 88%; |
● | propylene: 78%; |
● | LPG: 85%; |
● | BTX Aromatic: 105%; and |
● | MTBE & others: 50% |
Most of our facilities have been operating since 2009, so the current utilization rates for each product (except for the newly developed SBS) has been optimized to achieve stable output, less raw material cost and less equipment maintenance. We also made slight adjustments to the utilization rate for the BTX Aromatic facility to reduce the output to achieve more stable production conditions. We have been working on existing equipment upgrades to achieve increased stabilized production. However, in order to develop our business to meet increasing customer demands, optimizing the utilization rates for our current facilities is not adequate to achieve our goals. More specifically, the increasing market demand in tire and auto parts has resulted in increasing market demand for styrene, ABS and SSBR; and higher requirements related to environmental protection imposed by the PRC government has lead to higher demand for transformer oil and catalytic cracking oil. Based on these market trends, rather than focusing on optimizing our current utilization rates for our different facilities, we have been focusing on the following improvements to our infrastructure to expand our manufacturing capacity:
a) | an ABS production facility in Guangxi Province, which will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 MT of ABS. The Company began pre-construction activities in February 2012, and the first phase is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2014; |
b) | an oil catalytic cracking processing facility as an extension of our catalytic pyrolysis processing equipment, as well as the feed way of the main raw materials to produce synthetic rubber. This facility can reduce production costs and the market risk in the purchase of raw materials, and improve the stability and efficiency of project production to 200,000 MT of heavy oil per year; |
c) | increased the annual production capacity of our ethylbenzene-styrene facility from 80,000 MT to 200,000 MT, among which 120,000 MT can be used for producing synthetic and 80,000 MT can be sold to downstream petrochemical companies. One of the main raw materials, ethylene can be acquired from the oil catalytic cracking facility. This facility can be considered the bridge between original products and high-value added products and will complete the integration of internal resources; |
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d) | a transformer oil facility using hydrogen from the ethylene-styrene facility to complete a double hydrogenation process on original products (BTX Aromatic) for refining transformer oil, and producing high value transformer oil with a design capability of 100,000 MT per year; and |
e) | an SSBR (Solution Polymerized Styrene Butadiene Rubber) production facility with a design capability of 150,000 MT per year, that will use its own production process technology in synthetic rubber, combining styrene and butadiene, to produce SSBR. This product can be used as raw materials for tires, instead of imported hexakis (methoxymethy) melamine (“HMMM”). |
We registered our catalytic oil processing facility and transformer oil plant with the Ningbo local government in February 2013, and expect it to be completed and operational in late 2013, at which time, we will be able to produce medical use and edible products such as tubes and chewing gum.
The total estimated cost of processing equipment for product refinement and the SSBR production facility is approximately $149.3 million, including $49.8 million for processing equipment and $99.5 million for the SSBR production facility. We are currently going through the governmental approval and design phase of the ABS production facility and estimating the related costs. Upon full completion of our expansion, our total production capacity will reach 2,443,000 MT per year including, but not limited to, our current petrochemical production of 720,000 MT, styrene of 200,000 MT, catalytic cracking oil of 200,000 MT, ABS of 400,000 MT, SSBR of 150,000 MT and transformer oil of 100,000 MT. The following chart depicts the breakdown of our planned production capacity of 2,443,000 MT.
Capacity Breakdown after expansion projects (2,443,000 MT)
We are currently evaluating the timeline for our expansion projects. Our current estimate is as follows:
Expansion Project | Expected Completion Date | |
Oil Catalytic Processing Facility | End of Q4, 2013 | |
Ethylene-Styrene Facility | End of Q4, 2014 | |
Transformer Oil Facility | End of Q4, 2014 | |
SSBR production facility | End of Q4, 2015 | |
ABS Production Facility | End of Q4, 2014 |
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Petrochemical Manufacturing Process
The following chart illustrates our petrochemical manufacturing process:
The following chart illustrates the manufacturing process of SBS:
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Petrochemical Market in China
China has the world’s second largest petrochemical market after the U.S. in terms of production and consumption. China’s petrochemical output value grew from RMB 1,240 billion in 2000 to RMB 11,000 billion in 2011 representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.95%. China Petrol and Chemical Industry Association (CPCIA) expect that the total profits in the petrochemical industry will increase 12.5% in 2012. (Source: http://www.cu-market.com.cn/hgjj/2013-1-7/15504023.html)
Based on a report from China’s petroleum and chemical industry federation, production for the petroleum and chemical industry will remain stable, based on an assumed total output for 2013 of RMB14.25 trillion, and profits of RMB870 billion . (source: http://www.askci.com/news/201301/21/219524756358.shtml)
China’s increasing domestic demand for petrochemical products has exceeded the domestic supply in the past several years:
● | China’s benzene supply grew from 2.13 million MT in 2002 to 6.626 million MT in 2011 representing a CAGR of 13.5%. China’s benzene demand increased from 2.08 million MT in 2002 to 5.609 million MT in 2011, representing a CAGR of 11.65%. (data source http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/2_3_3662667.html ) |
● | China’s toluene supply grew from 697,000 MT in 2002 to 2.55 million MT in 2011, representing a CAGR of 15.5%. China’s toluene demand increased from 1.56 million MT in 2002 to 2.30 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 5%. (data source: http://info.pcrm.hc360.com/2012/02/020858176690.shtml ) |
● | China’s xylene supply grew from 820,000 MT in 2002 to 6.5 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 30%. China’s xylene demand increased from 1.1 million MT in 2002 to 7.5 million MT in 2009 representing a CAGR of 32%. (data source: www.stats.gov.cn ) (www.chem99.com) |
● | China’s propylene supply has grown from 3.78 million MT in 2000 to 15.93 million MT in 2012, representing a CAGR of 14.16%. China’s propylene demand has risen from 4.39 million MT in 2000 to 18.60 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 16%. (data source: http://www.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_37153.html) |
● | China’s styrene supply has grown from 0.89 million MT in 2002 to 3.806 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 20%. China’s Styrene demand has increased from 2.69 million MT in 2002 to 7.3 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 13%. (data http://chem.chem365.net/Web/jckxx_news/30869.htm, http://static.sse.com.cn/cs/zhs/scfw/gg/ssgs/2010-04-29/600481_20100429_3.pdf ) |
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● | China’s LPG supply has grown from 12.56 million MT in 2003 to 21.811 million MT in 2011 representing a CAGR of 7.14%. China’s LPG demand has increased from 18.77 million MT in 2003 to 23.64 million MT in 2010, representing a CAGR of 3%. (data source: http://www.oilchem.net:88/coalchem/2_1_2991360.html,) |
As a result, China has imported petrochemical products to meet the domestic demand, which is expected to continue for a number of years (source: Publication by Business Monitor International Ltd.: China Petrochemicals Report, Includes 5 Year Forecast to 2014; Q2 2010):
● | China imported 1.862 million MT of benzene between 2003 and 2011. (data source: http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_54578.html) |
● | China imported 863,000 MT of toluene in 2002 and 659,630 MT in 2011 (data source: http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_53435.html) |
● | China imported 271,000 MT of xylene in 2002 and 477,183 MT in 2012 (data source: http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_54074.html) |
● | China’s imports of propylene increased from 210,000 MT in 2004 to 2.15 million MT in 2012 (data source: http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_54205.html)) |
● | China’s imports of styrene increased from 1.79 million MT in 2002 to 3.607 million MT in 2011 (data source: http://chem.oilchem.net/chemical/5_3_53475.html) |
● | China imported butadiene 344,826MT in 2012, increased 88% compared to butadiene imported in 2011,. (data source: http://finance.oilchem.net/bulk/108_8697.html,) |
Asphalt Market in China and Pretreatment & Asphalt Process
In addition to its use as raw materials for emulsified, diluted and modified asphalt-based products, asphalt is widely used for highways, roads and airport pavements. At the end of 2011, the length of China’s highways has reached 85,000 km (52,816 miles) in the aggregate (http://www.ptbtv.com/news.asp?ID=78058), which made China rank the second in the world in terms of the length of its highway system. According to the PRC government plan, the length of China's highways will reach 100,000 km (62,137 miles) by 2020 (http://www.cngaosu.com/a/2010/1109/71783.html). In November 2008, the PRC Ministry of Communication issued a RMB 5 trillion investment plan and according to this plan, the average annual investment for construction of highways in the next five years will be RMB 980 billion, among which 60% will be used for construction of expressways, 20% for provincial highways and 20% for highways in the countryside.
To ensure the high-quality condition of roads and highways, the PRC government requires regular pavement maintenance every five years. In the past five years, the domestic demand for asphalt in China has exceeded supply with total imports of approximately 5.6 million MT in 2010.
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The following chart depicts the pretreatment and asphalt process:
Environmental Protection and Safety Measures
We are committed to environmental protection, facility safety and quality control throughout the design, maintenance and growth of our operation facilities and manufacturing process.
Environmental Protection
We have taken various measures to meet national standards and ensure our environmental compliance. For example, we recycle the water for cooling in our production process and large amounts of water can be saved through recycling. Sulfureted hydrogen generated in production is sent to the facility for sulfur recovery. The waste water and waste gas is treated by our sewage water treatment station and emission control facility to meet the national standards before discharge. The industrial residue and garbage is sent to qualified companies for safe treatment.
Safety Measures
Our safety control measures include:
1. | Distribution control system; |
2. | Emergency shutdown mechanism; |
3. | Automatic interlocking system; |
4. | Detection & alarm system for flammable and toxic gas; |
5. | Fire detection & automatic sprinkler system; and |
6. | Real-time system and process monitoring system |
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Quality Control
With our commitment to quality control, our petrochemical products have met all applicable national standards for petrochemical products set by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the PRC. For instance, the purity of our Styrene product exceeded the national standard of 99.7%, and the purity and our Propylene product exceeded the national standard of 99.5%.
Our Competitive Strengths
As an independent petrochemical manufacturer and supplier, our competitive strengths include:
Technology Advantage
We have proprietary manufacturing technologies that allow for better use of raw materials, higher yield rate and enhanced operational efficiency.
Specifically, we possess the technology to use heavy oil, instead of naphtha, which is a commonly used feedstock in the petrochemical production industry. Heavy oil is approximately 15% cheaper per ton and more readily available than naphtha, which provides us with competitive advantage in the selection of raw materials. In addition, we use proprietary catalytic pyrolysis with higher reaction temperatures, which results in a 15% higher Olefin yield rate than that of conventional fluidized catalytic cracking processes. Finally, we use enhanced technologies in our production process that allow for lower capital investment and higher operations efficiency.
Our yield rate in 2010 for our entire production line indicated a yield rate of 87.6% for finished products. The yield rate in 2011 for our entire line was 87.2% for finished products. The yield rate in 2012 for our entire line was 87.3% for finished products. Yield rate represents the percentage of finished product produced from input of raw material and net input of unfinished products and is calculated by dividing the sum of crude oil and net unfinished input into the individual net production of finished products. A yield rate of 87.3% means, for instance, 100 tons of heavy oil can generate approximately 87.3 tons of finished products.
In addition, we use enhanced technologies in our production process that allow for lower capital investment and higher operations efficiency. Our proprietary catalytic pyrolysis process uses a set of dual risers for one precipitator and one regenerator, while the commonly used fluidized catalytic cracking process uses one riser for one precipitator and one regenerator respectively. The dual riser, one precipitator and one regenerator are integrated into one complete process, which provides for ease of operation, higher operation efficiency and higher reaction temperature. It was estimated that the technology generates a 15% higher olefin yield rate than that of the fluidized catalytic cracking process, which allows us to produce more higher-margin olefin products such as styrene and propylene
Furthermore, a catalytic pyrolysis process with high temperatures can produce more olefin hydrocarbon based products compared with other equipment using low temperatures for the same product. In other words, our cost is reduced while producing the same amount of the product.
Our management considers our manufacturing technologies and manufacturing design critical to our business, and has taken steps to protect these technologies. In January 2011, we received the approval for our patent application for MEP technology (Multiple Ethylene Propylene) from the National Intellectual Property Bureau in China, #ZL-2010-2-0191523.6. In addition to patent protection, we also entered into confidentiality and license agreements with certain employees, customers and others to protect the confidentiality of our technologies.
In 2013, we received the patent notices for three devices used in the production process for Acrylonitrile: Fluidization Reaction System of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381020.4), Cooler of Acrylonitrile Gas (#ZL-2012-2-0382047.5), and Absorption Tower of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381066.6), respectively. These techniques were developed together with East China University Of Science and Technology (ECUST), and can be used for improving the output capacity and recovery rates, and for decreasing discharge waste to improve production efficiency.
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On January 10, 2012, we started an application for a patent called “the synthetic method for transparent segmented copolymer”, which has been accepted and posted on the China patent data website in July 2012. Assuming there is no objection for this patent application during 2013, we will automatically obtain the patent in the end of 2013. Obtaining this patent will not only expand our SBS products range and increase the “K resin” content in the styrene, which will further improve our product portfolio to avoid market risk; but also benefit us for applying for High Tech Company. For more details about this patent application, please ref to the following website:
http://dbpub.cnki.net/Grid2008/Dbpub/Detail.aspx?DBName=SCPD2012&FileName=CN102558466A&QueryID=4&CurRec=1
Elite Workforce
Our management team, composed of seasoned petrochemical experts with proven track records from China’s largest state-owned enterprises, provides us with specialized operating management and technical administration. In addition, we have allied with many industry-renowned technology experts and advisors assisting us to achieve consistent technological improvement.
Ideal Location
Our operation and storage facilities are at the ocean-front and in close proximity to suppliers and customers which provides us with an advantage of lower logistics cost and readily available access to raw materials and target customers. In addition, being located in Qingshi Chemical Park in Ningbo provides us with access to skilled labor and industry resources.
Sales and Pricing
Sales
In selling our products, most of our customers pay cash in advance. For core customers with excellent credit history, we may make an exception by conducting credit sales, which is part of our strategy to maintain customer relationship.
In order to meet customers’ demand, we have improved our manufacturing technologies and streamlined our conversion process to achieve an approximately 30 days’ raw material-to-sales cycle.
In order to facilitate our future growth, Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals was incorporated in Ningbo, China with a registered capital of $3 million as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keyuan HK on August 27, 2010. Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals is responsible for the sales and marketing, raw materials sourcing and market analysis for the Company. Dr. Jingtao Ma was appointed as the General Manager of the new entity. Dr. Ma was the head of the former sales and marketing division of Ningbo Keyuan. This new entity will also serve as the “market thermometer” that can better monitor market conditions and obtain first hand market data through buying and selling activities. Management believes that the consolidation of the sales and marketing and raw material procurement function under one business unit will help efficiently manage the future expansion of the Company.
Pricing
Our raw material price fluctuations are primarily attributable to international oil prices and market effects of supply and demand. We set our selling prices based upon benchmark prices published by national petrochemical companies, and/or through individually negotiated prices with customers. Specifically, BTX aromatic prices are influenced by benchmark prices set by National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC.
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Energy required for production of our products consists of water, electricity and steam, the costs of which are attributed to cost of sales rather than operating expense. The supply prices of these energy sources in China have historically been very stable as a result of PRC government policy. Accordingly, the potential impact of changing energy costs to our production is minimal. Following are the costs for water, electricity and stream for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 (amounts in thousands):
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2012 (Unaudited) | 2011 (Unaudited) | |||||||
Water | $ | 1,337 | $ | 904 | ||||
Electricity | $ | 11,276 | $ | 7,486 | ||||
Steam | $ | 1,497 | $ | 4,433 |
Total energy cost was approximately $14,110 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, which constitutes approximately 1. 9% of sales. Total energy cost was approximately $12,823 in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, which constitutes approximately 2% of sales.
Customers
Customers for Petrochemicals Products
Our main customer base is downstream petrochemicals manufacturers and distributors (trading companies) located in and near the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. 14% of our sales are direct sales to petrochemical companies that use our products as raw materials for their own products such as polystyrene, isoprene, dicyclopentadiene, acrylic acid, oil fuel products and other chemical products. 86% of our sales are through the trading companies, i.e., distributors who sell our products to petrochemicals derivative companies and manufacturers. We engage distributors as customers mainly because: (1) distributors customarily pay the entire purchase price prior to shipment, while end-users often request credit payment terms; and (2) it decreases our overhead by allowing for a more streamlined sales force as distributors do not require regular client visits, entertaining or a highly specialized sales team to maintain the relationships.
In order to estimate the total orders for a year, we conduct surveys with our major customers to obtain their preliminary orders for the next one or two years and update the information annually. We enter into purchase contracts with customers on an order-to-order basis. In each contract, price is determined based on market price and the quantity is specified based on (1) the customer demand for a particular order and (2) our capability to satisfy that particular order. Our five largest customers accounted for 36% and 44 % of the sales for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. We anticipate that our overall customer composition and the concentration of our top customers will change as we expand our business and modify our product portfolio to include new products and higher-margin products; however, we can give no assurance that this will be the case.
Customers for SBS Products
The sales for SBS commenced at the end of 2011. 60% of our SBS customers are trading agents and the rest of our customers are end-user factories. Most of our SBS customers are located in the Yangtze River delta, South China and Northern cities in China such as Hebei and Shangdong. The end-user factories purchase our SBS as raw materials for their various products, such as shoe sole material, adhesive, waterproof rolling material, asphalt and plastic modifier.
We currently have 15% of the Chinese market for SBS. We engage agents as our main customers primarily because: (1) trading agents pay 30% in advance when placing their order and pay the rest before shipment, and (2) it decreases our overhead by allowing for a more streamlined sales force as trading agents do not require regular client visits, entertaining or a highly specialized sales team to maintain the relationships.
To maintain and develop our relationship with SBS customers, we set up a customer relationship department to closely monitor and timely respond to customers’ requests and feedback, as well as a technical team in charge of improving product quality and adjusting product chemical features to meet different requirements from customers. We also have monthly meetings with our major customers to obtain their preliminary orders. Because the price of SBS fluctuates monthly, and we do not have a warehouse distribution system, the price of SBS usually includes the shipment cost and profit. Our five largest customers accounted for 23% of the sales of SBS for the year ended December 31, 2012. We anticipate that our overall customer composition and the concentration of our top customers will change as we expand our business and modify our product portfolio to include new products and higher-margin products; however, we can give no assurance that this will be the case.
Intellectual Property
We have a pending trademark application for the Ningbo Keyuan company logo with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Trademark Office. On January 25, 2011 we received approval for a patent related to the Company's proprietary production process, called MEP (Multiple Ethylene Propylene). MEP is an exclusive and leading technology used in Keyuan's existing production process. Through the ingenuity of our CEO, Mr. Tao, we have developed this proprietary production process that improves the manufacturing efficiency and flexibility for a wide range of petrochemicals. The utility model patent received, #ZL-2010-2-0191523.6, applies to a processing technology used in the production of ethylene and propylene. This technology allows us to use lower grade feedstock (such as heavy oil) instead of a higher grade feedstock commonly used in other existing petrochemical production processes. It also allow us to improve the yield and utilization rate of its production line, resulting in a 15% cost savings.
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In 2013, we received the patent notices for three devices used in the production process for Acrylonitrile: Fluidization Reaction System of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381020.4), Cooler of Acrylonitrile Gas (#ZL-2012-2-0382047.5), and Absorption Tower of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381066.6), respectively. These techniques were developed together with ECUST, and can be used for improving the output capacity and recovery rates, and for decreasing discharge waste to improve production efficiency.
On January 10, 2012, we started an application for a patent called “the synthesis for transparent block copolymer”, which has been accepted and posted on the China patent data website in July 2012. Assuming there is no objection to this patent application during 2013, we will automatically obtain the patent at the end of 2013. Obtaining this patent will not only expand our SBS products range and increase the “K resin” content in styrene, which will further improve our product portfolio; but it will also benefit us in our application for status as a High Tech Company. For more details about this patent application, please refer to the following website:
http://dbpub.cnki.net/Grid2008/Dbpub/Detail.aspx?DBName=SCPD2012&FileName=CN102558466A&QueryID=4&CurRec=1
Going Concern and Management’s Plans
Our audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern. We reported a net loss of approximately $5.85 million in 2012 and cash flows used in operations of approximately $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. At December 31, 2012, we had a working capital deficit of approximately $159 million. The Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2012 includes a going concern explanatory paragraph which means that the accounting firm has express substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
We continue to finance its operations primarily through short-term bank borrowings. Short-term bank borrowings and bills payable amounted to approximately $397.8 million at December 31, 2012, and have increased to approximately $414 million at May 28, 2013. Management expects that short-term bank financing will continue to be available through at least the end of 2013.
We continue to benefit from favorable PRC tax policies related to consumption tax, approximately $51.3 million of which was refundable at December 31, 2012. Management believes that this amount will be refunded by June 30, 2013 and that additional consumption tax deposits of approximately $84.1 million through May 28, 2013 will be refunded more promptly in the second half of 2013.
We are expanding our production line to include Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene (“SEBS”). Management expects production and sale of SEBS to commence in the second half of 2013, and that SEBS will yield a higher gross margin than some of the Company’s current products.
We are also exploring sources of additional financing, including short-term financing from vendors and other parties. In addition, the Company is closely monitoring its cash balances, cash needs and expense levels.
The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent upon management’s ability to implement its strategic plan, obtain additional capital and generate net income and positive cash flows from operations. There can be no assurance that these plans will be sufficient or that additional financing will be available in amounts or terms acceptable to the Company, if at all.
Government Regulation
In addition to U.S. securities laws, banking laws and laws applicable to all companies, such as The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as a China-based entity, we are subject to various Chinese regulations. This section sets forth a summary of the most significant China regulations or requirements that may affect our business activities operated in China or our shareholders’ right to receive dividends and other distributions of profits from the PRC subsidiary.
Foreign Investment in PRC Operating Companies
The Foreign Investment Industrial Catalogue jointly issued by China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and NDRC in 2007 classified various industries/businesses into three different categories: (i) encouraged for foreign investment; (ii) restricted to foreign investment; and (iii) prohibited from foreign investment. For any industry/business not covered by any of these three categories, they will be deemed industries/businesses permitted for foreign investment. Except for those expressly provided with restrictions, encouraged and permitted industries/businesses are usually 100% open to foreign investment and ownership. With regard to those industries/businesses restricted to foreign investment, there is always a limitation on foreign investment and ownership. Foreign investment is prohibited in prohibited industries/business. The PRC subsidiary’s business does not fall under the industry categories that are restricted to, or prohibited from foreign investment and is not subject to limitation on foreign investment and ownership.
Regulation of Foreign Currency Exchange
Foreign currency exchange in the PRC is governed by a series of regulations, including the Foreign Currency Administrative Rules (1996), as amended, and the Administrative Regulations Regarding Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996), as amended. Under these regulations, the Renminbi is freely convertible for trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for direct investment, loans or investments in securities outside the PRC without the prior approval of State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). Pursuant to the Administrative Regulations Regarding Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996), foreign investment enterprises, or FIEs may purchase foreign exchange without the approval of SAFE for trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions by providing commercial documents evidencing these transactions. They may also retain foreign exchange, subject to a cap approved by SAFE, to satisfy foreign exchange liabilities or to pay dividends. However, the relevant Chinese government authorities may limit or eliminate the ability of FIEs to purchase and retain foreign currencies in the future. In addition, foreign exchange transactions for direct investment, loan and investment in securities outside the PRC are still subject to limitations and require approvals from SAFE.
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Regulation of FIEs’ Dividend Distribution
The principal laws and regulations in the PRC governing distribution of dividends by FIEs include:
(i) | The Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Law (1979), as amended, and the Regulations for the Implementation of the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Law (1983), as amended; |
(ii) | The Sino-foreign Cooperative Enterprise Law (1988), as amended, and the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Sino-foreign Cooperative Enterprise Law (1995), as amended; |
(iii) | The Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (1986), as amended, and the Regulations of Implementation of the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (1990), as amended. |
Under these regulations, FIEs in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the wholly-owned foreign enterprises in the PRC are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless such reserve funds have reached 50% of their respective registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.
Regulation of a Foreign Currency’s Conversion into RMB and Investment by FIEs
On August 29, 2008, SAFE issued a Notice of the General Affairs Department of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on the Relevant Operating Issues concerning the Improvement of the Administration of Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises or Notice 142, to further regulate the foreign exchange of FIEs. According to Notice 142, FIEs shall obtain a verification report from a local accounting firm before converting its registered capital in foreign currency into Renminbi, and the converted Renminbi shall be used for the business within its permitted business scope. Notice 142 explicitly prohibits FIEs from using RMB converted from foreign capital to make equity investments in the PRC, unless the domestic equity investment is within the approved business scope of the FIE and has been approved by SAFE in advance. In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight over the flow and use of Renminbi funds converted from the foreign currency-dominated capital of a FIE. The use of such Renminbi may not be changed without approval from SAFE, and may not be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not yet been used. Violations of Notice 142 may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the SAFE rules.
Regulation of Foreign Exchange in Certain Onshore and Offshore Transactions
In October 2005, SAFE issued the Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fund-raising and Return Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies, or SAFE Notice 75, which became effective as of November 1, 2005. SAFE has also issued implemented rules to SAFE Notice 75. SAFE Notice 75 and its implementation rules require PRC residents (including both corporate entities and natural persons) to register with SAFE or its competent local branch in connection with their direct or indirect shareholding in any company outside of China referred to as an “offshore special purpose company” established for the purpose of raising fund from overseas to acquire assets of, or equity interests in, PRC companies. Under SAFE Notice 75, a “special purpose vehicle”, or SPV, refers to an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or indirectly, by PRC residents for the purpose of seeking offshore equity financing using assets or interests owned by such PRC residents in onshore companies. In addition, any PRC resident that is the shareholder of an offshore special purpose company is required to amend his or her SAFE registration with the SAFE or its competent local branch, with respect to that offshore special purpose company in connection with any of its increase or decrease of capital, transfer of shares, merger, division, equity investment or creation of any security interest over any assets located in China. The SAFE regulations require retroactive approval and registration of direct or indirect investments previously made by PRC residents in offshore special purpose companies. PRC subsidiaries of an offshore special purpose company are required to coordinate and supervise the filing of SAFE registrations by the offshore holding company’s shareholders who are PRC residents in a timely manner. In the event that a PRC resident shareholder with a direct or indirect investment in an offshore parent company fails to obtain the required SAFE approval and make the required registration, the PRC subsidiaries of such offshore parent company may be prohibited from making distributions of profit to the offshore parent and from paying the offshore parent proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation in respect of the PRC subsidiaries. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE approval and registration requirements described above, as currently drafted, could result in liability under PRC law for foreign exchange evasion.
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There still remain uncertainties as to how certain procedures and requirements under the aforesaid SAFE regulations will be enforced, and it remains unclear how these existing regulations, and any future legislation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. Although we have requested PRC residents who, to our knowledge, hold direct or indirect interests in our Company to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under the SAFE Notice 75 and other related rules, our PRC resident beneficial holders have not completed such approvals and registrations required by the SAFE regulations. We will attempt to comply, and attempt to ensure that all of our shareholders subject to these rules comply with the relevant requirements. We cannot, however, assure the compliance of all of our China-resident shareholders. Any current or future failure to comply with the relevant requirements could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the Chinese government, including restrictions on certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or hinder our investment in those subsidiaries or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Regulations on Employee Stock Option Plans
In December 2006, the People’s Bank of China promulgated the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for Individuals, which set forth the respective requirements for foreign exchange transactions by individuals (both PRC or non-PRC citizens) under either the current account or the capital account. In January 2007, SAFE issued implementing rules for the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for Individuals, which, among other things, specified approval requirements for certain capital account transactions such as a PRC citizen’s participation in the employee stock ownership plans or stock option plans of an overseas publicly-listed company. In March 2007, SAFE promulgated the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plan of Overseas-Listed Company, or the Stock Option Rules. Under these rules, PRC citizens who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branch and complete certain other procedures. For participants of an employee stock ownership plan, an overseas custodian bank should be retained by the PRC agent, which could be the PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly-listed company, to hold on trusteeship all overseas assets held by such participants under the employee share ownership plan. In the case of a stock option plan, the PRC agent is required to retain a financial institution with stock brokerage qualification at the place where the overseas publicly-listed company is listed or a qualified institution designated by the overseas publicly-listed company to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options for the stock option plan participants. For participants who had already participated in an employee stock ownership plan or stock option plan before the date of the Stock Option Rules, the Stock Option Rules require their PRC employers or PRC agents to complete the relevant formalities within three months of the date of this rule.
Further, a notice concerning the individual income tax on earnings from employee share options jointly issued by Ministry of Finance, or the MOF, and the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, and its implementing rules, provide that domestic companies that implement employee share option programs shall (a) file the employee share option plans and other relevant documents to the local tax authorities having jurisdiction over them before implementing such employee share option plans; (b) file share option exercise notices and other relevant documents with the local tax authorities having jurisdiction over them before exercise by the employees of the share options, and clarify whether the shares issuable under the employee share options mentioned in the notice are the shares of publicly listed companies; and (c) withhold taxes from the PRC employees in connection with the PRC individual income tax.
We and our PRC citizen employees who participate in the employee stock incentive plan, which we adopted in 2010, will be subject to these regulations. We and our PRC option grantees have not completed the registrations under these regulations. We cannot assure you that we and our PRC option grantees will be able to complete the required registrations. Any current or future failure to comply with the relevant requirements could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the Chinese government, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
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Government Regulations Relating to Taxation
On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress or NPC, approved and promulgated the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, which we refer to as the New EIT Law. The New EIT Law took effect on January 1, 2008. Under the New EIT Law, FIEs and domestic companies are subject to a uniform tax rate of 25%. The New EIT Law provides a five-year transition period starting from its effective date for those enterprises which were established before the promulgation date of the New EIT Law and which were entitled to a preferential lower tax rate under the then-effective tax laws or regulations.
On December 26, 2007, the State Council issued a Notice on Implementing Transitional Measures for Enterprise Income Tax, or the Notice, providing that the enterprises that have been approved to enjoy a low tax rate prior to the promulgation of the New EIT Law will be eligible for a five-year transition period beginning January 1, 2008, during which time the tax rate will be increased step by step to the 25% unified tax rate set out in the New EIT Law. From January 1, 2008, for the enterprises whose applicable tax rate was 15% before the promulgation of the New EIT Law, the tax rate will be increased to 18% for 2008, 20% for 2009, 22% for 2010, 24% for 2011, and 25% for 2012. For the enterprises whose applicable tax rate was 24%, the tax rate will be changed to 25% from January 1, 2008.
The New EIT Law and Implementation Rules of the New EIT Law provide that an income tax rate of 10% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises”, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or (ii) have such establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The income tax for non-resident enterprises shall be subject to withholding at the income source, with the payor acting as the obligatory withholder under the New EIT Law, and therefore such income taxes generally called withholding tax in practice. Such income tax may be exempted or reduced by the State Council of the PRC or pursuant to a tax treaty between the PRC and the jurisdictions in which our non-PRC shareholders reside. For example, the 10% withholding tax is reduced to 5% pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement Between Hong Kong and Mainland China if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the registered capital in a company in the PRC and is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied the other conditions and requirements under such Double Tax Avoidance Agreement Between Hong Kong and Mainland China and other applicable laws. We are a U.S. holding company and substantially all of our income is derived from dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC. Thus, if Keyuan HK are considered as a “non-resident enterprise” under the New EIT Law and the dividends paid to Keyuan HK by our subsidiaries in the PRC are considered income sourced within the PRC, such dividends may be subject to a withholding tax at a rate up to 10%.
The new tax law provides only a framework of the enterprise tax provisions, leaving many details on the definitions of numerous terms as well as the interpretation and specific applications of various provisions unclear and unspecified. Any increase in the combined Company’s tax rate in the future could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company was subject to the 25% tax rate. In order to support the growth of certain local enterprises, the local government granted certain credit back to Ningbo Keyuan. In the first two profitable years, the local government will credit back to the Company the entire local portion of the income tax which equals to 40% of the whole Enterprise Income Tax the Company paid applying the 25% tax rate.; in the subsequent three profitable years, the local government will credit back 50% of the local income tax the Company paid under the 25% tax rate. The Company will recognize the subsidy related to income tax at the time the cash is received.
Regulations on Work Safety
On June 29, 2002, the Work Safety Law (“WSL”) of the PRC was adopted by Standing Committee of the 9th National People’s Congress and came into effect on November 1, 2002, as amended on August 27, 2009. The WSL provides general work safety requirements for entities engaging in manufacturing and business activities within the PRC. Additionally, Regulation on Work Safety Licenses (“RWSL”), as adopted by the State Council on January 7, 2004 effective on January 13, 2004, requires enterprises engaging in the manufacture of dangerous chemicals to obtain a work safety license with a term of three years. If a work safety license needs to be extended, the enterprise must go through extension procedures with authorities three months prior to its expiration. In addition, on May 17, 2004, the Measures for Implementation of Work Safety Licenses of Dangerous Chemicals Production was promulgated as implementing measures to the Regulation on Work Safety Licenses which provides that entities producing dangerous chemicals are required to obtain work safety licenses pursuant to specific requirements. Without work safety licenses, no entity may engage in the formal manufacture of dangerous chemicals. The Measures for Implementation of Work Safety Licenses of Dangerous Chemicals Production was amended on August 5, 2011 and the amended regulation will become effective on December 1, 2011. The amended regulation provides for more detailed and comprehensive requirements and conditions for obtaining work safety licenses for dangerous chemicals production.
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The Regulations on the Safety Administration of Dangerous Chemicals (“RSADC”) was promulgated by the State Council on January 26, 2002, effective as of March 15, 2002. It sets forth general requirements for manufacturing and storage of dangerous chemicals in China. The RSADC requires that companies manufacturing dangerous chemicals establish and strengthen their internal regulations and rules on safety control and fulfill the national standards and other relevant provisions of the State. In addition, according to the RSADC, companies that manufacture, store, transport or use dangerous chemicals shall be required to obtain corresponding approvals or licenses with the State Administration of Work Safety and its local branches and other proper authorities. Companies that manufacture or store dangerous chemicals without approval or registration with the proper authorities can be shut down, ordered to stop manufacturing or ordered to destroy the dangerous chemicals. Such companies can also be subject to fines. If criminal law is violated, the persons chiefly liable, along with other personnel directly responsible for such impropriety, shall be subject to relevant criminal liability. The RSADC was amended on March 2, 2011 and the amended regulation will become effective on December 1, 2011. The amended regulation strengthens the administration of dangerous chemicals production.
The Company has put work place safety as one of the top priorities for our work. In order to comply with the aforementioned rules and regulations, as of December of 2012, we have made considerable investment for major equipment with a total estimated amount of RMB 23.25 million (about USD 3.7 million). We have installed a distribution control system (DCS), emergency shutdown system, electric explosion protection, automatic interlocking system, detecting & alarming system for inflammable and toxic gas, fire fighting and fire detecting system, auto-sprinkling system, pressure release and control system. The Company’s operating subsidiary Ningbo Keyuan has obtained a work safety license effective from March 25, 2011 to March 24, 2014 for producing petrochemical products.
Regulations on Environmental Protection
According to the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution Law, as adopted by the Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress on February 28, 2008 and effective on June 1, 2008, China adopted a licensing system for pollutant discharge. Companies directly or indirectly responsible for discharge of industrial waste water or medical sewage to waters are required to obtain a pollutant discharge license. All companies are prohibited from discharging wastewater and sewage to waters without the license or in violation of the terms of the pollutant discharge license. As Ningbo city is currently working on setting up an inspection system of the pollutant discharge, there is no specific pollutant discharge license for our operating subsidiary Ningbo Keyuan. However, Ningbo Keyuan’s facilities have passed inspection with Ningbo city environmental protection authorities which includes an approval for the pollutant discharge.
The Regulations on the Administration of Construction Projects Environmental Protection (“RACPEP”), as adopted by the State Council on November 18, 1998 and effective on November 29, 1998, governs construction projects and the impact such projects will have on the environment. Pursuant to the RACPEP, the governing body is responsible for supervising the implementation of a three tiered system that includes (i) reviewing and approving a construction project, (ii) overseeing the construction project and (iii) inspecting the finished construction project and ensuring that all harmful pollutants are disposed of correctly. Manufacturing companies are required to apply for inspection with environmental protection authorities upon completion of a construction project. Our facilities have passed the inspection by the environmental protection authorities.
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In order to meet the above mentioned requirements for environmental protection, we have invested about RMB 40 million (about USD 6.3 million) and built facilities including a sewage treatment facility, a sulphur recovery facility, a sea water desulphurization facility, a flue gas treatment facility and a real-time monitoring system for environmental protection. With these facilities, we believe we are able to meet all the environmental protection standards set by the government.
Research and Development
We consider ourselves as a technology driven innovative Company. Our senior management combined has over one hundred years of industry experience. We continue to enhance our technology through internal and external research and development.
On January 25, 2011 we received approval for a patent related to the Company's proprietary production process, called MEP (Multiple Ethylene Propylene). MEP is an exclusive and leading technology used in Keyuan's existing production process. The utility model patent received, #ZL-2010-2-0191523.6, applies to a processing technology used in the production of ethylene and propylene. This technology allows us to use lower grade feedstock (such as heavy oil) instead of a higher grade feedstock commonly used in other existing petrochemical production processes. It also allows us to improve the yield and utilization rate of its production line.
On February 1, 2011, we signed an agreement with Ningbo Institute of Technology, an affiliate of Zhejiang University, to jointly develop commercial applications for Butadiene Styrene Resin. This is one component of Keyuan's long-term strategy to invest in technology advancement. Keyuan will work with researchers from the Ningbo Institute of Technology to research and develop synthesis technology for Butadiene Styrene Resin over the next 2 years. Butadiene Styrene Resin is a block co-polymer with excellent transparency and anti-impact properties, including flexibility and durability. It is currently used in packaging and plastic products such as medical instruments and toys. This partnership will focus on developing commercial applications for Butadiene Styrene Resin in synthetic rubber products. We and Ningbo Institute of Technology will share the rights to products and technologies developed from this cooperation.
On January 10, 2012, we started an application for a patent called “the synthesis for transparent block copolymer”, which has been accepted and posted on the China patent data website in July 2012. Assuming there is no objection to this patent application during 2013, we will automatically obtain the patent at the end of 2013. Obtaining this patent will not only expand our SBS products range and increase the “K resin” content in styrene, which will further improve our product portfolio; but it will also benefit us in our application for status as a High Tech Company. For more details about this patent application, please refer to the following website: http://dbpub.cnki.net/Grid2008/Dbpub/Detail.aspx?DBName=SCPD2012&FileName=CN102558466A&QueryID=4&CurRec=1
In 2013, we received the patent notices for three devices used in the production process for Acrylonitrile: Fluidization Reaction System of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381020.4), Cooler of Acrylonitrile Gas (#ZL-2012-2-0382047.5), and Absorption Tower of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381066.6), respectively. These techniques were developed together with ECUST, and can be used for improving the output capacity and recovery rates, and for decreasing discharge waste to improve production efficiency.
Description of Property
We have acquired the state-granted use rights to land set forth in the table below.
Address | Size | Leased/Owned/Granted | Function | ||||
1. | Qingshi Industrial Park, Beilun District, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China | 231,084 Square meters | Granted use rights | Plant land | |||
2. | No.8 Lianhe Road 239 Block, Qijiashan Neighborhood, Beilun District, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China | 4,948 Square meters | Owned | Dormitory Building |
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Employees
As of December 31, 2012, we had 535 full-time employees, including 1 executive officer and 12 other senior management members, 3 engineers, 21 sales people, 8 researchers and developers and 33 administrative staff. The remaining 457 full-time employees are production facility manufacturers. All of the employees have signed labor contracts with us and receive monthly salaries as well as other social benefits including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, accidental insurance, medical insurance and housing funds, etc. We do not have any other employees in addition to our full-time employees.
We are compliant with local prevailing wage, contractor licensing and insurance regulations, and have good relations with our employees.
As required by PRC regulations, we participate in various employee benefit plans that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including pension, work-related injury benefits, maternity insurance, and medical and unemployment benefit plans. We are required under PRC laws to make contributions to the employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time. Members of the retirement plan are entitled to a pension equal to a fixed proportion of the salary prevailing at the member’s retirement date.
Executive Offices
Our offices are located at Qingshi Industrial Park, Ningbo Economic & Technological Development Zone, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China 315803.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We are a reporting company and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. For further information with respect to the Company, you may read and copy its reports, proxy statements and other information, at the SEC public reference rooms at 100 F. Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference rooms. The Company’s SEC filings are also available at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.
Copies of Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are all available at our website (http://www.keyuanpetrochemicals.com/ ) free of charge, within a week after we file same with the SEC or by sending a request for a paper copy to our outside securities counsel: Hunter Taubman Weiss LLP, c/o Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc., 17 State Street, Suite 2000, New York, NY 10004.
THE FOLLOWING MATTERS MAY HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON OUR BUSINESS, FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OR PROSPECTS, FINANCIAL OR OTHERWISE. REFERENCE TO THIS CAUTIONARY STATEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF A FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT OR STATEMENTS SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A STATEMENT THAT ANY ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE IN SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT OR STATEMENTS.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our independent registered public accounting firm added an emphasis paragraph to their audit report describing an uncertainty related to our ability to continue as a going concern.
Due to our continued losses and limited capital resources our independent registered public accounting firm has issued a report that describes an uncertainty related to our ability to continue as a going concern. The auditors’ report discloses that we incurred a net loss and we consumed cash in operating activities in 2012 and that we had a working capital deficiency at December 31, 2012. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and may make it difficult for us to raise capital. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Our limited operating history makes evaluation of our business difficult.
We have a limited operating history and have encountered and expect to continue to encounter many of the difficulties and uncertainties often faced by early stage companies. Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects, including our ability to develop a wide customer and distribution network for our services, to expand our operations to include additional services and to control raw material costs, all of which are critical to our success. An investor must consider our business and our prospects in light of the risks, uncertainties and difficulties common to early stage companies. We may encounter unanticipated problems, expenses and delays in developing and marketing our services and securing additional blending and storage facilities. We may not be able to successfully address these risks. If we are unable to address these risks, our business may not grow, our stock price may suffer, and we may be unable to stay in business.
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Key employees are essential to growing our business.
Mr.Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jingtao Ma, Mr. Shifa Wang, and Mr. Mingliang Liu are essential to our ability to continue to grow our business. They have established relationships with customers and suppliers within the industries in which we operate. In addition, in December, 2012, Mr. Shifa Wang was appointed as the new General Manager of Ningbo Keyuan Plastics replacing Dr. Jingtao Ma, with responsibility for daily operations, management and efficiency improvements. If one or more of these key employees were to leave us, our relationships with our customers and suppliers may become strained, and our growth strategy might be hindered, which could limit our ability to increase revenue.
In addition, although we are located in an area with a good supply of skilled labor, we still face competition from other companies located in the same area for attracting skilled personnel. If we fail to attract and retain qualified personnel to meet current and future needs, this could slow our ability to grow our business, which could result in a decrease in market share.
We continue to be dependent on bank loans and other short term financing in order to fund our purchases of raw materials.
In order to operate our business efficiently, we rely on short term bank financing to fund the purchase of raw materials. As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately $295 million of short term debt, and lines of credit from 14 banks. Typically, the term for a short term bank loan is one year. Bank loans are renewable at the banks’ option. In 2012, we paid back approximately $730 million and borrowed approximately $828 million in the form of short terms loans. As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately $295of short term debt. If one or more of these banks were revoke their line of credit or fail to renew such line of credit when it is due, we would be unable to continue to purchase raw materials in the amounts necessary to continue production at our current capacity.
We continue to have significant concentration with regard to our capital sources, revenue and raw material purchases.
At December 31, 2012 and 2011, we held cash and pledged bank deposits in financial institutions of approximately $225 million and $164 million, respectively. They were primarily held in major financial institutions located in mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which institutions we believe have high credit ratings.
Sales to one major customer accounted for 13% and 18% of our total annual net revenue for the fiscal year 2012 and 2011, respectively.
We currently buy a majority of our heavy oil, an important component of our products, from three suppliers. Although there are a limited number of suppliers of the particular heavy oil used in production, management believes that other suppliers could provide similar heavy oil on comparable terms. A change in suppliers, however, could cause a delay in manufacturing and a possible loss of sales, which would affect operating results adversely. Purchases (net of VAT) from the largest three suppliers for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were approximately $549 million and $377 million, respectively. These purchases represented 78% and 83%, respectively of all of our purchases for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. Our largest supplier, Mercuria Energy Trading PTE Ltd (“Mercuria”), accounted for approximately $473 million and $305 million, or 68% and 67% of total purchases for the years ended December 2012 and 2011, respectively. The form of Fuel Oil Purchase and Sale Contract by and between Mercuria and Ningbo Keyuan is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.48. The material terms of the agreement with Mercuria are summarized as follows: 1) commodity: fuel oil; 2) quantity and quality of the fuel oil are specified according to the specific order; 3) price: USD $732.499/MT; 4) payment shall be made against Mercuria’s commercial invoice, or invoice and LOI; 5) Ningbo Keyuan shall open an irrevocable letter of credit in a format acceptable to Mercuria by a first class international bank. In case the issuing bank of letter of credit cannot be accepted by Mercuria, Mercuria has the right to require Ningbo Keyuan to add confirmation to the letter of credit; 6) Mercuria is not under obligation to deliver or discharge the goods until a letter of credit is in place; 7) title to and risks of the fuel oil shall be passed from Mercuria to Ningbo Keyuan when the fuel oil passes the permanent flange connection of the shore tank at Sinochem Xingzhong Oil Staging (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd’s tanks; and 8) the agreement is governed by laws of England, and any disputes shall be resolved by arbitration in Singapore.
In addition, Mercuria provided short-term financing to us of approximately $29 million during 2012, of which $20 million was included in accounts payable at December 31, 2012 and was repaid in January 21, 2013. Interest paid for this financing amounted to approximately $0.43 million. In addition, on December 27, 2012, the supplier provided a non-interest bearing advance of approximately $10 million to the Company, that was repaid in full on January 8, 2013. The Company believes the short-term financing from the supplier, which currently makes up a large proportion of our overall financing, has significantly impacted our liquidity by providing additional financing for our operations. The short-term financing is facilitated through the use of available letters of credit and our lines of credit, and enables lower costs of trade financing. We believe that we are in compliance with the terms of letters of credit with the banks and as of the date of this filing have not identified violations of the terms of our letters of credit due to short-term financing from vendors. However, due to the fact that we do not currently have established policies and procedures to provide for a complete and timely analysis of possible contingencies associated with short-term financings from suppliers and the evaluation of legal and regulatory considerations related to those business activities, we cannot assure that a full evaluation will not reveal violations of the terms of letters of credit. We intend to perform an evaluation to ensure full compliance.
We need additional capital to expand our manufacturing facility and we may not be able to obtain it at acceptable terms, or at all, which could adversely affect our ability to increase our production capacity and expand our business.
The total estimated cost of additional processing equipment for product refinement and the SSBR production facility is approximately $149.3 million, including $49.8 million for additional processing equipment and $99.5 million for our SSBR production facility. We plan to fund these expansions through short-term borrowings, cash from operations and potential equity financing. However, our ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including, but not limited to:
● | investors’ perception of, and demand for, securities of petrochemical manufacturing and supply companies; |
● | conditions of the U.S. and other capital markets in which we may seek to raise funds; |
● | our future results of operations, financial condition and cash flow; |
● | PRC governmental regulation of foreign investment in petrochemical manufacturing companies in China; |
● | economic, political and other conditions in China; and |
● | PRC governmental policies relating to foreign currency borrowings |
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Our operations may be adversely affected by the cyclical nature of the petroleum and petrochemical market and by the volatility of prices of our raw materials and petrochemical products.
All of our revenues are attributable to petrochemical products, which have historically been cyclical and sensitive to the availability and price of raw materials and general economic conditions. Markets for many of our products are sensitive to changes in industry capacity and output levels, cyclical changes in regional and global economic conditions, the price and availability of substitute products and changes in consumer demand, which from time to time have had a significant impact on product prices in the regional and global markets. Historically, the markets for these products have experienced alternating periods of tight supply, causing prices and margins to increase, followed by periods of capacity additions, finally resulting in oversupply and declining prices and margins. As tariffs and other import restrictions are reduced and the control of product pricing is relaxed in China, the markets for many of our products have become increasingly subject to the cyclicality of regional and global markets. Raw material costs accounted for more than 90% of our Cost of Goods Sold. Volatility of raw material costs could have significant negative impact on our profitability.
Our operation may be interrupted by weather conditions and power shutdowns and our operating results may therefore be adversely affected.
Our operating results depend largely on the uninterrupted operation of our business. Our facilities are located at Beilun, Ningbo, China, by the east coast. Severe weather conditions and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, storms, floods, and other severe weather events could disrupt our operations. Additionally, we are located in an industrial park where the infrastructure such as the electricity grid is in need of periodic upgrade. Disruptions to our operations due to natural conditions discussed above and/or mandatory power shutdowns due to the periodic electricity grid upgrades could significantly affect our ability to manufacture and/or sell products, which would result in a substantial loss of sales and revenues and substantial harm to our operating results.
Our manufacturing processes could expose us to substantial product liability claims, which may negatively impact our profitability.
We face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that the use of our products is alleged to have resulted in adverse side effects. Side effects or marketing or manufacturing problems pertaining to any of our products could result in product liability claims or adverse publicity. These risks will exist for those products in clinical development and with respect to those products that have received regulatory approval for commercial sale. To date, we have not experienced any product liability claims. However, that does not mean that we will not have any such claims with respect to our products in the future which may negatively impact our profitability.
In the past several years we have derived a significant portion of our revenues from a small group of customers and we have purchased raw material from a small group of suppliers. If we are to remain dependent upon only a few customers and a few raw material suppliers, such dependency could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
For the year ended December 31, 2012, our five largest customers accounted for 35% of our total sales. For the year ended December 31, 2011, our five largest customers accounted for 44% of our total sales. Sales to one major customer accounted for 13% and 18% of our total annual net revenue for the fiscal years 2012 and 2011, respectively. As our customer base may change from year-to-year, during such years that the customer base is comparatively highly concentrated, the loss of, or reduction of our sales to, any of such major customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We currently buy a majority of our heavy oil, an important component of our products, from three suppliers. Although there are a limited number of suppliers of the particular heavy oil used in production, management believes that other suppliers could provide similar heavy oil on comparable terms. A change in suppliers, however, could cause a delay in manufacturing and a possible loss of sales, which would affect operating results adversely. Purchases (net of VAT) from the largest three suppliers for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were approximately $549 million and $377 million, respectively. These purchases represented 78% and 83%, respectively of all of our purchases for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. Our largest supplier accounted for approximately $473 million and $305 million, or 68% and 67% of total purchases for the years ended December 2012 and 2011, respectively. In addition, the supplier provided short-term financing to us of approximately $29 million during 2012, of which $20 million was included in accounts payable at December 31, 2012 and was repaid in January 21, 2013. Interest paid for this financing amounted to approximately $0.43 million. In addition, on December 27, 2012, the supplier provided a non-interest bearing advance of approximately $10 million to the Company, that was repaid in full on January 8, 2013. These types of short-term financing from vendors bear the risk of possible violation of the terms of our letters of credit. We are planning to establish policies and procedures to provide for the complete and timely analysis of contingencies associated with these transactions and the evaluation of legal and regulatory considerations related to those business activities. However, at present, we cannot assure that these short term financings will not result in violations of the terms of our existing credit facilities or PRC law or regulation.
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We may be exposed to risks relating to our disclosure controls and our internal controls and may need to incur significant costs to comply with applicable requirements.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and to effectively prevent fraud. We maintain a system of internal controls over financial reporting, which is defined as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
During the process of preparing the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2010, on or about March 24, 2011, KPMG, the Company’s prior independent auditor, raised certain issues primarily relating to the unexplained issues regarding certain cash transactions and recorded sales and requested that the Audit Committee conduct an independent investigation. Based on the issues raised by KPMG, on March 31, 2011, our Audit Committee elected to commence an independent Investigation of the issues raised and engaged the services of the Investigation Team. Following the Investigation, the Audit Committee identified, among other issues, inadequate disclosure and issues regarding internal control and procedures. In order to improve corporate governance and enhance internal controls, management and our Board of Directors are committed to adopting and implementing the recommendations of the Audit Committee in addition to all of the corrective actions the Company has taken to date. For more details of the corrective actions, please refer to Item 9A Controls and Procedures herein after.
Notwithstanding the foregoing corrective actions, we cannot currently ensure that our controls and procedures will be effective at any time in the immediate future. Moreover, in order to improve our controls and procedures we anticipate that we will continue to incur significant costs. Failure to properly improve our controls and procedures could result in our failure to meet our reporting obligations, result in the restatement of our past financial statements, cause harm to our operating results, subject us to regulatory scrutiny and sanction, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the market price for shares of our common stock, all of which present significant risk to our investors.
Insurance coverage for some of our operations may be insufficient to cover losses.
The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of its development. Insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products or offer them at a high price. We do not maintain insurance coverage for various risks, including environmental claims. A significant uninsured claim against us would have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that require us to obtain environmental permits for our operations. We have obtained relevant environmental licenses or approvals to conduct the manufacturing of petrochemical products in our operating subsidiary Ningbo Keyuan. If we fail to obtain all required environmental permits for our operations, or comply with the provisions of our permit, we could be subject to fines, criminal charges or other sanctions by regulators, including the suspension or termination of our operations. We are required to comply with extensive and complex environmental laws and regulations at various levels in the PRC relating to, among other things:
● | the handling of petrochemical products; |
● | the operation of petrochemical product storage facilities; |
● | workplace safety; |
● | environmental damage; and |
● | hazardous waste disposal. |
If we are involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous substances, or if we are found to be in violation of environmental laws or regulations, we could be subject to liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we should fail to comply with applicable environmental regulations, we could be subject to substantial fines or penalties and to civil and criminal liability. Our facilities passed inspection by the Ningbo City environmental protection authorities after the completion of construction. However, we cannot assure you that at all times we will be in compliance with environmental laws and regulations or our environmental permits or that we will not be required to expend significant funds to comply with, or discharge liabilities arising under, environmental laws, regulations and permits.
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Our failure to protect our technologies could have a negative impact on our business.
Our manufacturing technologies and process, which have or have not been patented or registered as our property, are key components of our competitive advantage and our growth strategy. On January 25, 2011 we received approval for a patent related to the Company's proprietary production process, called MEP (Multiple Ethylene Propylene). MEP is an exclusive and leading technology used in Keyuan's existing production process. The utility model patent received, #ZL-2010-2-0191523.6, applies to a processing technology used in the production of ethylene and propylene. Working with East China University Of Science and Technology (ECUST), we discovered the technique to improve recovery rate and output capacity of Acrylonitrile. Based on that discovery, the Company applied for patents for three devices in the production process in August, 2012, which are Fluidization Reaction System of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381020.4), Cooler of Acrylonitrile Gas (#ZL-2012-2-0382047.5) and Absorption Tower of Acrylonitrile (#ZL-2012-2-0381066.6). These three technology inventions are used for improving the output capacity and recovery rate, decreasing discharge waste to improve production efficiency. In March 2013, we received the patent notices from Patent Office, which means its application has been approved..We also rely on confidentiality and license agreements with certain of our employees, customers and others to protect the confidentiality of our technologies. If we are unable to adequately protect the confidentiality of these technologies, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
We incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.
Though we are currently a smaller reporting company (market cap less than $75,000,000), we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. Additionally, from April 2011 to September 2011, we have incurred approximately $5,000,000 in connection with the Independent Investigation commenced by our Audit Committee at the request of our former auditor KPMG. We may continue to incur costs for the various corrective actions we are taking and committed to taking to improve our internal controls and procedures, as well as corporate governance. Furthermore, if the Company’s market cap exceeds $75 million, we will be subject to the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as new rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, has required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect these rules and regulations, along with the corrective actions to improve our controls and procedures, to increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs and to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. Additionally, if we are unable to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s internal controls requirements, we may not be able to obtain the independent auditor certifications that Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires publicly-traded companies to obtain.
We may be subject to penalties or fines from the Chinese government as a result of possible violations of PRC laws or regulations
Our management and our Board of Directors have reviewed our past practices and have been advised that several of these practices may result in possible violation of PRC laws or regulations. Specifically, a) we maintained an off-balance account to pay service providers who were not able to issue formal invoices, to distribute cash bonus to our key employees and officers, to pay rental for certain officers’ dormitories whose residences are far from our factory, etc. However, we are advised that such practices may result in violation of PRC laws. As a result, we ceased the use of such off-balance account in April 2011 and have recorded, and will record, all transactions in that account into our financial statement in the relevant annual report and interim report. b) In September 2010, we adopted a numbering system to bar scan our products to avoid any misrepresentation of the nature of our products. In the past we sometimes accommodated requests from our customers to change the name of products so that our customers could save on freight costs. c) in the past, in order to overcome the restrictions regarding the use of certain bank loans or to satisfy the banks’ internal requirements to demonstrate the usage of the loans , we engaged with certain related and other parties in short term financings. . Though we are current on our loan payments and as a general rule, the risk of prosecution and or civil liabilities is diminished if the loans have been repaid, we are advised that such practices may have been in violation of PRC banking laws. d) in 2010, RMB 21 million was transferred by Ningbo Keyuan to one of its employees with no collateral or written agreement. The RMB 21 million was subsequently returned by the employee. The funds were used by the employee to assist an investor in the September 2010 Private Placement, in converting RMB to U.S. dollars. Though we have discontinued the above mentioned practices, such action may violate PRC foreign exchange laws and regulations. If Ningbo Keyuan is held responsible for any such violation conducted by the employee and the investor, Ningbo Keyuan may be subject to penalties. Additionally, Ningbo Keyuan discounted and continues to discount bank notes in order to use its effective credit lines and finance our growth. Though Ningbo Keyuan is current on its loan payments and we have been advised by our PRC counsel that as long as payments to bank loans are current, the chance that Ningbo Keyuan will be subject to a fine, penalty or civil liability because of discounting bank notes is remote; there is a risk that such practice may be a potential violation of PRC banking laws. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we may not be subject to penalties or fines from the Chinese regulators if they decide to proceed against us and we cannot assure you that there will be no other violation of any current PRC laws or regulations identified by the relevant government regulators in the future.
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We may face litigation and/or regulatory action as a result of recent events.
In November 2011, The Rosen Law Firm filed a class action law suit against us in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. We believe there is no basis to the law suit and intend to defend the law suit vigorously. Moreover, as a result of recent events, including but not limited to the delisting of our stock from the NASDAQ, our failure to file periodic reports as they are due for approximately six months and our failure to comply with certain registration requirements related to common shares underlying our preferred stock and warrants, we may become subject to litigation from shareholders and other investors. Additionally, we may also become subject to regulatory enforcement actions in either the U.S. and/or China. If we are forced to defend either a civil law suit brought by outside shareholders or investors and/or a regulatory action, we will be required to expend significant additional funds that could otherwise be utilized for business purposes. Additionally, defense of such claims will result in management expending additional time and focus in connection with such defense that may materially impact its ability to effectively run our business.
Risks Relating to Regulation of Our Business
Uncertainties with respect to the governing regulations could have a material and adverse effect on us.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business and our ownership of the equity interests in our PRC subsidiaries, both of which are wholly foreign owned enterprise under the PRC laws. These laws and regulations are relatively new and may be subject to change, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness of newly enacted laws, regulations or amendments may be delayed, resulting in detrimental reliance by foreign investors. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively.
The PRC government has broad discretion in dealing with violations of laws and regulations, including levying fines, revoking business permits and other licenses and requiring actions necessary for compliance. In particular, licenses and permits issued or granted to the PRC subsidiary by relevant governmental bodies may be revoked at a later time by higher regulatory bodies. We cannot predict the effect of the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations on our businesses. We cannot assure you that our current ownership and operating structure would not be found to be in violation of any current or future PRC laws or regulations. As a result, we may be subject to sanctions, including fines, and could be required to restructure our operations or cease to provide certain services. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Any of these or similar actions could significantly disrupt our business operations or restrict us from conducting a substantial portion of our business operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our PRC subsidiaries will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments.
We conduct all of our business through our consolidated subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC. We rely on dividends paid by these consolidated subsidiaries for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay any dividends and other cash distributions to our stockholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends by entities established in the PRC is subject to limitations. Current regulations in the PRC would permit the PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us only out of its accumulated distributable profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries will be required to set aside at least 10% (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital) of its accumulated profits each year. Such cash reserve may not be distributed as cash dividends. In addition, if the PRC subsidiary incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Under U.S. GAAP (Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 740-30, no deferred tax expense is required to be recorded on the earnings of foreign subsidiaries when the parent company establishes that the earnings will be permanently reinvested outside the U.S. If dividend payments are made by our subsidiaries to the US parent, additional U.S. tax could become due in future years. At the time of the repatriation or investment in U.S. property, the U.S. will tax the foreign earnings as a dividend and will allow a foreign tax credit for any foreign taxes previously paid on the earnings. To the extent that dividend payments are made by our PRC subsidiaries to our US Parent additional tax may be due.
PRC regulations on loans and direct investments by overseas holding companies in PRC entities may delay or prevent us to make overseas loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary.
Under the PRC laws, foreign investors may make loans to their PRC subsidiaries or foreign investors may make additional capital contributions to their PRC subsidiaries. Any loans to such PRC subsidiaries are subject to the PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations, i.e. loans by foreign investors to their PRC subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”), or its local branch. Foreign investors may also decide to finance their PRC subsidiaries by means of additional capital contributions. These capital contributions must be examined and approved by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (the “MOFCOM”), or its local branch in advance.
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China, and such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC stockholders.
On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress (the “NPC”), approved and promulgated the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (herein referred as the “New EIT Law”). The New EIT Law took effect on January 1, 2008. Under the New EIT Law, Foreign Investment Enterprises (“FIEs”), and domestic companies are subject to a uniform tax rate of 25%. In addition, an enterprise established outside of China with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise” which means that we may be treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes.
Under the New EIT Law, an enterprise established outside of China with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. The implementing rules of the New EIT Law define de facto management as “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. On April 22, 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, issued a circular, or SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China, which include all of the following conditions: (a) the location where senior management members responsible for an enterprise’s daily operations discharge their duties; (b) the location where financial and human resource decisions are made or approved by organizations or persons; (c) the location where the major assets and corporate documents are kept; and (d) the location where more than half (inclusive) of all directors with voting rights or senior management have their habitual residence. Although the SAT Circular 82 only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the determining criteria set forth in the SAT Circular 82 may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or individuals. Due to the short history of the New EIT Law and lack of applicable legal precedents, it remains unclear how the PRC tax authorities will determine the PRC tax resident treatment of a foreign company controlled by individuals like us.
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If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are “resident enterprises” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we may be subject to the enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable income as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. In our case, this would mean that income such as interest on offering proceeds and non-China source income would be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Second, although under the New EIT Law and its implementing rules, dividends paid to us from our PRC subsidiaries would qualify as “tax-exempt income,” we cannot guarantee that such dividends will not be subject to a 10% withholding tax Finally, it is possible that “resident enterprise” classification could result in a situation in which a 10% withholding tax is imposed on dividends we pay to our non-PRC enterprise stockholders and with respect to gains derived by our non-PRC enterprise stockholders from transferring our shares and a 20% withholding tax is imposed on dividends we pay to our non-PRC individual stockholders and with respect to gains derived by our non-PRC individual stockholders from transferring our shares.. We are actively monitoring the possibility of “resident enterprise” treatment for the applicable tax years and are evaluating appropriate organizational changes to avoid this treatment, to the extent possible.
If we were treated as a “resident enterprise” by PRC tax authorities, we would be subject to taxation in both the U.S. and China, and our PRC tax may not be credited against our U.S. tax.
If we receive any dividends from our PRC subsidiaries in the future, the dividends may be subject to PRC withholding tax.
The New EIT Law and the Implementation Rules of the New EIT Law provides that an income tax rate of 10% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises”, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or (ii) have such establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The income tax for non-resident enterprises shall be subject to withholding at the income source, with the payer acting as the obligatory withholder under the New EIT Law, and therefore such income taxes are generally called withholding tax in practice. It is currently unclear in what circumstances a source will be considered as located within the PRC. We are an offshore holding company. Thus, if Keyuan HK is considered as a “non-resident enterprise” under the New EIT Law and the dividends paid to us by our subsidiaries in the PRC are considered income sourced within the PRC, such dividends may be subject to a withholding tax at a rate up to 10%.
In January 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, promulgated the Provisional Measures for the Administration of Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax for Non-resident Enterprises (“Measures”), pursuant to which, the entities which have the direct obligation to make the following payment to a non-resident enterprise shall be the relevant tax withholders for such non-resident enterprise, and such payment includes: incomes from equity investment (including dividends and other return on investment), interests, rents, royalties, and incomes from assignment of property as well as other incomes subject to enterprise income tax received by non-resident enterprises in China. Given these Measures, our PRC subsidiaries have an obligation to withhold income tax in respect of the dividends paid to non-resident enterprise investors.
The new tax law provides only a framework of the enterprise tax provisions, leaving many details on the definitions of numerous terms as well as the interpretation and specific applications of various provisions unclear and unspecified. Any increase in the combined company’s tax rate in the future could have a material adverse effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.
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We face uncertainty from China’s Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Enterprise Income Tax on Non-Resident Enterprises' Share Transfer (Circular 698 that was released in December 2009 with retroactive effect from January 1, 2008.)
The Chinese State Administration of Taxation released a circular (“Circular 698”) on December 10, 2009 that addresses the transfer of shares by nonresident companies. Circular 698, which is effective retroactively to January 1, 2008, may have a significant impact on many companies that use offshore holding companies to invest in China. Pursuant to Circular 698, where the withholding agent does not withhold in accordance with laws or can’t perform the withholding obligation, the non-resident enterprises shall file a tax declaration with the PRC tax authority located at the place of the resident enterprise whose equity has been transferred, within seven days agree the date of the equity transfer provided under the contracts.
Where a foreign investor indirectly transfers equity interests in a Chinese resident enterprise by selling the shares in an offshore holding company, and the latter is located in a country or jurisdiction where the effective tax burden is less than 12.5% or where the offshore income of his, her, or its residents is not taxable, the foreign investor is required to provide the tax authority in charge of that Chinese resident enterprise with the relevant information within 30 days of the transfers. Moreover, where a foreign investor indirectly transfers equity interests in a Chinese resident enterprise through an abuse of form of organization and there are no reasonable commercial purposes such that the corporate income tax liability is avoided, the PRC tax authority will have the power to re-assess the nature of the equity transfer in accordance with PRC’s “substance-over-form” principle and deny the existence of the offshore holding company that is used for tax planning purposes.
There is uncertainty as to the application of Circular 698. For example, while the term “indirectly transfer” is not defined, it is understood that the relevant PRC tax authorities have jurisdiction regarding requests for information over a wide range of foreign entities having no direct contact with China. Moreover, the relevant authority has not yet promulgated any formal provisions or formally declared or stated how to calculate the effective tax in the country or jurisdiction and to what extent and the process of the disclosure to the tax authority in charge of that Chinese resident enterprise. In addition, there are no formal declarations with regard to how to decide abuse of form of organization and reasonable commercial purpose, which can be utilized by us to balance if our company complies with the Circular 698. As a result, we may become at risk of being taxed under Circular 698 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 698 or to establish that we should not be taxed under Circular 698, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our PRC subsidiaries are obligated to withhold and pay PRC individual income tax on behalf of our employees who are subject to PRC individual income tax. If we fail to withhold or pay such individual income tax in accordance with applicable PRC regulations, we may be subject to certain sanctions and other penalties and may become subject to liability under PRC laws.
Under PRC laws, Ningbo Keyuan and Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals are obligated to withhold and pay individual income tax on behalf of our employees who are subject to PRC individual income tax. If any PRC subsidiary fails to withhold and/or pay such individual income tax in accordance with PRC laws, it may be subject to certain sanctions and other penalties and may become subject to liability under PRC laws. We paid employees, senior management members and outside individual service providers cash compensation or awards totaling approximately RMB 4.8 million (approximately $709,000) in Year 2009, 2010 and first two months of 2011 without withholding individual income tax. Though we have stopped such practice and will follow any compensation recommendation from our compensation committee in the future, we may be subject to certain sanctions and other penalties and may become subject to liability under applicable tax laws in China.
In addition, the SAT has issued several circulars concerning employee stock options. Under these circulars, our employees working in the PRC (which could include both PRC employees and expatriate employees subject to PRC individual income tax) who exercise stock options will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiaries have obligations to file documents related to employee stock options with relevant tax authorities and withhold and pay individual income taxes for those employees who exercise their stock options. While tax authorities may advise us that our policy is compliant, they may change their policy, and we could be subject to sanctions
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Regulations of Overseas Investments and Listings may increase the administrative burden we face and create regulatory uncertainties.
On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), the State Asset Supervision and Administration Commission (the “SASAC”), the State Administration of Taxation (the “SAT”), the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (the “SAIC”) and SAFE, amended and released the New M&A Rule, which took effect as of September 8, 2006. This regulation, among other things, includes provisions that purport to require that an offshore company formed for purposes of overseas listing of equity interest in PRC companies and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals (an “SPV”) obtain the approval of CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such SPV’s securities on an overseas stock exchange.
The application of the New M&A Rule with respect to overseas listings of SPVs remains unclear.
It is not clear whether the provisions in the new regulation regarding the offshore listing and trading of the securities of a SPV apply to an offshore company such as us which owns equity interests in Ningbo Keyuan and Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals. We believe that the M&A Rules and CSRC approval are not required in the context of the share exchange under our transaction because (i) such share exchange is a purely foreign related transaction governed by foreign laws, not subject to the jurisdiction of PRC laws and regulations; (ii) at the time of Share Exchange, we were not an SPV formed or controlled by PRC companies or PRC individuals; (iii) Ningbo Keyuan was established as a Sino-foreign joint venture by means of direct investment rather than by merger or acquisition of an existing PRC domestic company ; (iv) at the time of Share Exchange, we were owned and controlled by foreigners; and (v) there is no clear requirement in the New M&A Rule that would require an application to be submitted to the MOFCOM or CSRC for the approval of the listing and trading of our common stock on the U.S. security market. However, we cannot be certain that the relevant PRC government agencies, including CSRC, would reach the same conclusion, and we still cannot rule out the possibility that CSRC may deem that the transactions effected by the share exchange circumvented the M&A Rules, the PRC Securities Law and other rules and notices.
However, through the Slow Walk Options, we are indirectly owned or substantially controlled by PRC individuals, Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Mr. Jicun Wang and Mr. Peijun Chen. If CSRC or another PRC regulatory agency subsequently determines that CSRC’s approval is required for the transaction, we may face sanctions by CSRC or another PRC regulatory agency. If this happens, these regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from financings into the PRC, restrict or prohibit payment or remittance of dividends to us or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our shares. CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to delay or cancel the transaction.
The M&A Rules, along with foreign exchange regulations discussed in the above subsection, will be interpreted or implemented by the relevant government authorities in connection with our future offshore financings or acquisitions, and we cannot predict how they will affect our business development strategy.
PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore holding companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.
In October 2005, SAFE issued the Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fund-raising and Return Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies, or SAFE Notice 75, which became effective as of November 1, 2005. SAFE has also issued implemented rules to SAFE Notice 75. SAFE Notice 75 and its implementation rules require PRC residents (including both corporate entities and natural persons) to register with SAFE or its competent local branch in connection with their direct or indirect shareholding in any company outside of China referred to as an “offshore special purpose company” established for the purpose of raising funds from overseas to acquire assets of, or equity interests in, PRC companies. Under SAFE Notice 75, a “special purpose vehicle”, or SPV, refers to an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or indirectly, by PRC residents for the purpose of seeking offshore equity financing using assets or interests owned by such PRC residents in onshore companies. In addition, any PRC resident that is the shareholder of an offshore special purpose company is required to amend his or her SAFE registration with the SAFE or its competent local branch, with respect to that offshore special purpose company in connection with any of its increase or decrease of capital, transfer of shares, merger, division, equity investment or creation of any security interest over any assets located in China. The SAFE regulations require retroactive approval and registration of direct or indirect investments previously made by PRC residents in offshore special purpose companies. PRC subsidiaries of an offshore special purpose company are required to coordinate and supervise the filing of SAFE registrations by the offshore holding company’s shareholders who are PRC residents in a timely manner. In the event that a PRC resident shareholder with a direct or indirect investment in an offshore parent company fails to obtain the required SAFE approval and make the required registration, the PRC subsidiaries of such offshore parent company may be prohibited from making distributions of profits to the offshore parent and from paying the offshore parent proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation in respect of the PRC subsidiaries. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE approval and registration requirements described above, as currently drafted, could result in liability under PRC law for foreign exchange evasion.
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There still remain uncertainties as to how certain procedures and requirements under the aforesaid SAFE regulations will be enforced, and it remains unclear how these existing regulations, and any future legislation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. Although we have requested PRC residents who, to our knowledge, hold direct or indirect interests in our company to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under the SAFE Notice 75 and other related rules, our PRC resident beneficial holders have not completed such approvals and registrations required by the SAFE regulations. We cannot assure you that such PRC residents will be able to complete the necessary approval and registration procedures required by the SAFE regulations. We will attempt to comply, and attempt to ensure that all of our shareholders subject to these rules comply with the relevant requirements. We cannot, however, assure the compliance of all of our China-resident shareholders. Any current or future failure to comply with the relevant requirements could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the Chinese government, including restrictions on certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or hinder our investment in those subsidiaries or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
In December 2006, the People’s Bank of China promulgated the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for Individuals, which set forth the respective requirements for foreign exchange transactions by individuals (both PRC or non-PRC citizens) under either the current account or the capital account. In January 2007, SAFE issued implementing rules for the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for Individuals, which, among other things, specified approval requirements for certain capital account transactions such as a PRC citizen’s participation in the employee stock ownership plans or stock option plans of an overseas publicly-listed company. In March 2007, SAFE promulgated the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plan of Overseas-Listed Company, or the Stock Option Rules. Under these rules, PRC citizens who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branch and complete certain other procedures. For participants of an employee stock ownership plan, an overseas custodian bank should be retained by the PRC agent, which could be the PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly-listed company, to hold on trusteeship all overseas assets held by such participants under the employee share ownership plan. In the case of a stock option plan, the PRC agent is required to retain a financial institution with stock brokerage qualification at the place where the overseas publicly-listed company is listed or a qualified institution designated by the overseas publicly-listed company to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options for the stock option plan participants. For participants who had already participated in an employee stock ownership plan or stock option plan before the date of the Stock Option Rules, the Stock Option Rules require their PRC employers or PRC agents to complete the relevant formalities within three months of the date of this rule.
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Further, a notice concerning the individual income tax on earnings from employee share options jointly issued by Ministry of Finance, or the MOF, and the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, and its implementing rules, provide that domestic companies that implement employee share option programs shall (a) file the employee share option plans and other relevant documents to the local tax authorities having jurisdiction over them before implementing such employee share option plans; (b) file share option exercise notices and other relevant documents with the local tax authorities having jurisdiction over them before exercise by the employees of the share options, and clarify whether the shares issuable under the employee share options mentioned in the notice are the shares of publicly listed companies; and (c) withhold taxes from the PRC employees in connection with the PRC individual income tax.
We and our PRC citizen employees who participate in the employee stock incentive plan, which we adopted in 2010, will be subject to these regulations. We and our PRC option grantees have not completed the registrations under these regulations. We cannot assure you that we and our PRC option grantees will be able to complete the required registrations. Any current or future failure to comply with the relevant requirements could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the Chinese government, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Failure to comply with PRC laws and regulations relating to the environmental protection and safety in production requirements in China may result in severe penalties and liabilities.
The Chinese government has been adopting increasingly stringent regulations relating to the safety and environmental protection, and our business depends upon compliance with the aforesaid regulations and requirements. We completed an as-build acceptance inspection and we obtained relevant safety production permits and approvals from a variety of government authorities upon completion of the aforesaid inspection. The as-build inspection was conducted by the local government to make sure that a company meets all the conditions for normal production. We obtained all the necessary permits and approvals including environmental protection, firefighting and safety production before our trial production and submitted the application for as-build acceptance inspection at the end of 2009. The as-build acceptance inspection needs to be conducted within 12 months after the submission of application and we received the complete set of permits and approvals from relevant government authorities on December 16, 2010. However, there is no assurance that we will obtain or renew all such permits or approvals, which are subject to our fulfillment of the standards and requirements set out by the regulatory authorities. If we fail to pass the as-build acceptance inspection or obtain required licenses, we may be subject to fines, penalties or legal proceedings. Our operations at our production facilities are subject to periodic checks by the relevant authorities in the PRC and they have the power to take action against us, impose fines, withdraw or suspend our relevant licenses or activities or impose other penalties if we fail to comply with relevant regulations, in the event of which our business operations may be adversely affected. In addition, any change in the scope or application of these laws and regulations may limit our production capacity or increase our cost of operation and could therefore have an adverse effect on our business operations, financial condition and operating results. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in fines, penalties or legal proceedings. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not impose additional or stricter laws or regulations, compliance with which may cause us to incur significant capital expenditures, which it may not be able to pass on to our customers.
In September 2011, we completed construction of an SBS production facility which we started in September 2010. The SBS facility was built on part of 1.2 million square feet of land for which we obtained the use right in August 2010. To ensure compliance with national environmental regulation and working safety protection regulations, we underwent an environmental assessment which was conducted by the government environmental bureau. The preliminary environmental assessment permit was obtained in 2009 to enable us to start construction. We constructed our facility based on a design system in compliance with environmental protection, including gas discharge and waste water treatment and recycling. As a result, we passed the environmental assessment in August 2012. However, there can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not impose additional or stricter laws or regulations, compliance with which may cause us to incur significant capital expenditures, which we may not be able to pass on to our customers. Our operations at our production facilities are subject to periodic checks by the relevant authorities in the PRC and they have the power to take action against us, impose fines, withdraw or suspend our relevant licenses or activities or impose other penalties if we fail to comply with relevant regulations, in the event of which our business operations may be adversely affected.
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Risks Associated With Doing Business in China
There are substantial risks associated with doing business in China, as set forth in the following risk factors.
Our operations and assets in China are subject to significant political and economic uncertainties.
Changes in PRC laws and regulations, or their interpretation, or the imposition of confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, imports and sources of supply, devaluations of currency or the nationalization or other expropriation of private enterprises could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Under its current leadership, the Chinese government has been pursuing economic reform policies that encourage private economic activity and greater economic decentralization. There is no assurance, however, that the Chinese government will continue to pursue these policies, or that it will not significantly alter these policies from time to time without notice.
We derive all of our sales from China.
Substantially all of our sales are generated from China. We anticipate that sales of our products in China will continue to represent a substantial proportion of our total sales in the near future. Any significant decline in the condition of the PRC economy could adversely affect consumer demand of our products, among other things, which in turn would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Currency fluctuations and restrictions on currency exchange may adversely affect our business, including limiting our ability to convert Chinese Renminbi into foreign currencies and, if Chinese Renminbi were to decline in value, reducing our revenue in U.S. dollar terms.
Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and our operations in China use their local currency as their functional currencies. Substantially all of our revenue and expenses are in Chinese Renminbi. We are subject to the effects of exchange rate fluctuations with respect to any of these currencies. For example, the value of the Renminbi depends to a large extent on Chinese government policies and China’s domestic and international economic and political developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. Since 1994, the official exchange rate for the conversion of Renminbi to the U.S. dollar had generally been stable and the Renminbi had appreciated slightly against the U.S. dollar. However, on July 21, 2005, the Chinese government changed its policy of pegging the value of Chinese Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, Chinese Renminbi may fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. As a result of this policy change, Chinese Renminbi depreciated approximately 0.06% against the U.S. dollar in 2009 and appreciated approximately 3.57% in 2010. Chinese Renminbi further appreciated approximately 4.86% in 2011. It is possible that the Chinese government could adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in more significant fluctuation of Chinese Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. We can offer no assurance that Chinese Renminbi will be stable against the U.S. dollar or any other foreign currency.
The statements of our operations are translated into U.S. dollars at the average exchange rates in each applicable period. To the extent the U.S. dollar strengthens against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign currency denominated transactions could result in reduced revenue, operating expenses and net income for our international operations. Similarly, to the extent the U.S. dollar weakens against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign currency denominated transactions could result in increased revenue, operating expenses and net income for our international operations. We are also exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as we convert the financial statements of our foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars in consolidation. If there is a change in foreign currency exchange rates, the conversion of the foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements into U.S. dollars will lead to a translation gain or loss which is recorded as a component of other comprehensive income. In addition, we have certain assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the relevant entity’s functional currency. Changes in the functional currency value of these assets and liabilities create fluctuations that will lead to a transaction gain or loss. We have not entered into agreements or purchased instruments to hedge our exchange rate risks, although we may do so in the future. The availability and effectiveness of any hedging transaction may be limited and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exchange rate risks.
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Although Chinese governmental policies were introduced in 1996 to allow the convertibility of Chinese Renminbi into foreign currency for current account items, conversion of Chinese Renminbi into foreign exchange for capital items, such as foreign direct investment, loans or securities, requires the approval of SAFE which is under the authority of the People’s Bank of China. These approvals, however, do not guarantee the availability of foreign currency conversion. We cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain all required conversion approvals for our operations or that Chinese regulatory authorities will not impose greater restrictions on the convertibility of Chinese Renminbi in the future. Because a significant amount of our future revenue may be in the form of Chinese Renminbi, our inability to obtain the requisite approvals or any future restrictions on currency exchanges could limit our ability to utilize revenue generated in Chinese Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of China, or to repay foreign currency obligations, including our debt obligations, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may have limited legal recourse under PRC laws if disputes arise under our contracts with third parties.
The Chinese government has enacted laws and regulations dealing with matters such as corporate organization and governance, foreign investment, commerce, taxation and trade. However, their experience in implementing, interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations is limited, and our ability to enforce commercial claims or to resolve commercial disputes is unpredictable. If our new business ventures are unsuccessful, or other adverse circumstances arise from these transactions, we face the risk that the parties to these ventures may seek ways to terminate the transactions, or, may hinder or prevent us from accessing important information regarding the financial and business operations of these acquired companies. The resolution of these matters may be subject to the exercise of considerable discretion by agencies of the Chinese government, and forces unrelated to the legal merits of a particular matter or dispute may influence their determination. Any rights we may have to specific performance, or to seek an injunction under PRC law, in either of these cases, are severely limited, and without a means of recourse by virtue of the Chinese legal system, we may be unable to prevent these situations from occurring. The occurrence of any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because our funds are held in banks in uninsured PRC bank accounts, the failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could affect our ability to continue our business.
Funds on deposit at banks and other financial institutions in the PRC are often uninsured. A significant portion of our assets are in the form of cash deposited with banks in the PRC, and in the event of a bank failure, we may not have access to our funds on deposit. Depending upon the amount of money we maintain in a bank that fails, our inability to have access to our cash could impair our operations, and, if we are not able to access funds to pay our suppliers, employees and other creditors, we may be unable to continue in business.
Our business could be severely harmed if the Chinese government changes its policies, laws, regulations, tax structure or its current interpretations of its laws, rules and regulations, relating to our operations in China.
Our business is located in Ningbo, China and virtually all of our assets are located in China. We generate our sales revenue only from customers located in China. Our results of operations, financial state of affairs and future growth are, to a significant degree, subject to China’s economic, political and legal development and related uncertainties. Our operations and results could be materially affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to:
● | Changes in policies by the Chinese government resulting in changes in laws or regulations or the interpretation of laws or regulations, |
● | changes in taxation, |
● | changes in employment restrictions, |
● | import duties, and |
● | currency revaluation. |
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Over the past several years, the Chinese government has pursued economic reform policies including the encouragement of private economic activities and greater economic decentralization. If the Chinese government does not continue to pursue its present policies that encourage foreign investment and operations in China, or if these policies are either not successful or are significantly altered, then our business could be harmed. Following the Chinese government’s policy of privatizing many state-owned enterprises, the Chinese government has attempted to augment its revenues through increased tax collection. It also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Continued efforts to increase tax revenues could result in increased taxation expenses being incurred by us. Economic development may be limited as well by the imposition of austerity measures intended to reduce inflation, the inadequate development of infrastructure and the potential unavailability of adequate power and water supplies, transportation and communications. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry by imposing industrial policies.
Failure to comply with the U.S. foreign corrupt practices act and Chinese anti-corruption laws could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
Our executive officers, employees and other agents are subject to anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws including China’s anti-corruption laws and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, which generally prohibits United States companies from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. In addition, we are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent our transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Foreign companies, including some that may compete with us, are not subject to these prohibitions, and therefore may have a competitive advantage over us. The PRC also strictly prohibits bribery of government officials. However, corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices occur from time-to-time in the PRC.
While we intend to implement measures to ensure compliance with the FCPA and China’s anti-corruption laws by all individuals involved with our company, our employees or other agents may engage in such conduct for which we might be held responsible. Since we became a U.S. public company, we have implemented strict requirements to preclude payments to government officials and limits on the amount employees can spend on gifts and entertaining clients. Although prior to our becoming a U.S public company we had given culturally traditional gifts to government officials during Spring Festival and other Chinese traditional holidays, we believe the amounts of such gifts are below the amounts that generally trigger criminal liability under PRC law. The gifts were not made with the intent to bribe or wrongfully influence any such officials. However, if our employees or other agents are found to have engaged in practices that violate either U.S or PRC laws, we could suffer severe penalties and other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our brand and reputation, our sales activities or our stock price could be adversely affected if we become the target of any negative publicity as a result of actions taken by our employees or other agents.
Changes in foreign exchange regulations in the PRC may affect our ability to pay dividends in foreign currency or conduct other foreign exchange business.
The Renminbi is not a freely convertible currency currently, and the restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use revenues generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside the PRC or to make dividends or other payments in United States dollars. The PRC government strictly regulates conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies. Over the years, foreign exchange regulations in the PRC have significantly reduced the government’s control over routine foreign exchange transactions under current accounts. In the PRC, SAFE regulates the conversion of the Renminbi into foreign currencies. Pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations, foreign invested enterprises incorporated in the PRC are required to apply for “Foreign Exchange Registration Certificates.” Currently, conversion within the scope of the “current account” (e.g. remittance of foreign currencies for payment of dividends, etc.) can be effected without requiring the approval of SAFE. However, conversion of currency in the “capital account” (e.g. for capital items such as direct investments, loans, securities, etc.) still requires the approval of SAFE.
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The Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities.
China has only recently permitted provincial and local economic autonomy and private economic activities, and, as a result, we are dependent on our relationship with the local government in the province in which we operate our business. Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. We believe that our operations in China are in material compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. However, the central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.
PRC employment contract law and increases in the labor costs in China may hurt our business and profitability.
A Chinese employment contract law that became effective on January 1, 2008, imposes more stringent requirements on employers in relation to entry into fixed-term employment contracts, recruitment of temporary employees and dismissal of employees. In addition, under the Regulations on Paid Annual Leave for Employees, which also became effective on January 1, 2008, employees who have worked continuously for more than one year are entitled to a paid vacation ranging from 5 to 15 days, depending on the length of the employee’s service. Employees who waive such vacation entitlements at the request of the employer will be compensated for three times their normal daily salaries for each vacation day so waived. As a result of the new law and regulations, our labor costs may increase. There is no assurance that disputes, work stoppages or strikes will not arise in the future.
Increases in the labor costs or future disputes with our employees could damage our business, financial condition or operating results. According to PRC labor laws, the employer shall be responsible to deal with and pay social insurances and housing funds for all of its employees based on the actual salary of the employees. In addition, as required by PRC regulations, we participate in various employee benefit plans that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including pension, work-related injury benefits, maternity insurance, medical and unemployment benefit plans. We are required under PRC laws to make contributions to the employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time. Members of the retirement plan are entitled to a pension equal to a fixed proportion of the salary prevailing at the member’s retirement date. There is no guarantee that we and our subsidiaries will be able to comply with the relevant requirements. Failure to comply with the various PRC Labor Laws and regulation requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law.
Future inflation in China may inhibit our ability to conduct business in China.
In recent years, the Chinese economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion and high rates of inflation. These factors have led to the adoption by the Chinese government, from time to time, of various corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit, or regulate growth and contain inflation. High inflation may in the future cause the Chinese government to impose controls on credit and/or prices, or to take other action, which could inhibit economic activity in China, and thereby harm the market for our products.
We may have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC.
We may have difficulty in hiring and retaining a sufficient number of qualified employees to work in the PRC. As a result, we may experience difficulty in establishing management, legal and financial controls, collecting financial data and preparing financial statements, books of account and corporate records and instituting business practices that meet Western standards. We may have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC. Please refer to Item 9A. Controls and Procedures on page 58 for additional information on this matter.
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You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China based on United States or other foreign laws, against us and our management.
We conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, some of our directors and executive officers reside within China. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside China upon some of our directors and senior executive officers, including with respect to matters arising under U.S. federal securities laws or applicable state securities laws. It would also be difficult for investors to bring an original lawsuit against us or our directors or executive officers before a Chinese court based on U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Moreover, China does not have treaties with the United States or many other countries providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgment of courts.
Because Chinese laws govern almost all of our business’ material agreements, we may not be able to enforce our rights within the PRC or elsewhere, which could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
The Chinese legal system is similar to a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which decided legal cases have little precedential value. Although legislation in the PRC over the past 26 years has significantly improved the protection afforded to various forms of foreign investment and contractual arrangements in the PRC, these laws, regulations and legal requirements are relatively new. Due to the limited volume of published judicial decisions, their non-binding nature, the short history since their enactments, the discrete understanding of the judges or government agencies of the same legal provision, inconsistent professional abilities of the judicators, and the inclination to protect local interest in the court room, interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations involve uncertainties, which could limit the legal protection available to us, and foreign investors, including you. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital and could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until some time after the violation. In addition, any litigation in the PRC, regardless of outcome, may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
Risks Related to our Securities
Insiders have substantial control over us, and they could delay or prevent a change in our corporate control even if our other stockholders wanted it to occur.
Pursuant to a share transfer agreement, Mr. Chunfeng Tao, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President has exercised an option after certain performance targets were met to purchase from Mr. Brian Pak-Lun Mok, the sole shareholder of Apex Smart Limited (the owner of 45.6132% of the share capital of Delight Reward Limited), 100% of Apex Smart Limited’s equity, which entitled Mr. Tao to own 45.6132% of the equity of Delight Reward Limited. Delight Reward Limited holds 47,658,000 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 82.60% of our common stock. Accordingly, Mr. Tao (indirectly controls approximately 56.81% of our common stock) and other insiders are able to control all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This could delay or prevent an outside party from acquiring or merging with us even if our other stockholders wanted it to occur.
There may not be sufficient liquidity in the market for our securities in order for investors to sell their securities.
There is currently only a limited public market for our common stock and there can be no assurance that a trading market will develop further or be maintained in the future.
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The market price of our common stock may be volatile.
The market price of our common stock has been and will likely continue to be highly volatile, as is the stock market in general. Some of the factors that may materially affect the market price of our Common Stock are beyond our control, such as changes in financial estimates by industry and securities analysts, conditions or trends in the industry in which we operate or sales of our common stock. Additionally, on April 1, 2011 trading in our common stock was halted by Nasdaq and on October 5, 2011 our common stock was delisted from Nasdaq. On October 7, 2011, our stock began trading on the Pink Sheets and is currently trading on the OTC Bulletin Board. It is likely that our stock will experience significant pressure for some time as a result of the lack of liquidity during the period in which it was halted.
These factors and the event listed above may materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our performance. In addition, the public stock markets have experienced extreme price and trading volume volatility. This volatility has significantly affected the market prices of securities of many companies for reasons frequently unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Because we became public by means of a reverse merger, we may not be able to attract the attention of major brokerage firms.
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Since we became public through a “reverse merger,” the newly-issued common shares issued in connection with the “reverse merger” and the private placement are restricted shares. As a result, our common stock will continue to be very thinly traded after the reverse merger, until a considerable number of such shares are registered in an effective registration statement or become sellable under Rule 144 if all of the conditions in Rule 144(i)(2) are satisfied at the time of the proposed sale. Therefore, securities analysts of major brokerage firms may not provide coverage of our Company since there is little incentive to brokerage firms to recommend the purchase of our common stock. No assurance can be given that brokerage firms will want to conduct any secondary offerings on behalf of the Company in the future.
We may from time to time become a party to various legal or administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business.
On November 15, 2011, the Rosen Law Firm filed a class action suit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging we had violated federal securities laws by issuing materially false and misleading statements and omitting material facts with regard to disclosure of related party transactions and effectiveness of internal controls in past public filings. The case is currently at the discovery stage and we believe there is no basis to the suit filed by the Rosen Law Firm and intend to contest the case vigorously.
On January 9, 2012, Ningbo Keyuan filed a law suit in Ningbo Beilun District People’s Court against Zhenjiang Kaiyuan Installation Group (now known as Zhenjiang Industry Equipment Installation Group Co., Ltd) in breach of a project construction contract and alleged damages of RMB 98,000. Zhenjiang Industry Equipment filed a counter claim requiring us to pay RMB 9,825,615 of project cost and RMB 1,350,000 of interest. The two parties have settled the case and Ningbo Keyuan agreed to pay Zhenjiang Industry Equipment a total amount of RMB 7,220,000 (approximately $1,144,738).
In June 2012, Ningbo Keyuan filed a law suit in Ningbo Beilun District People’s Court against Ningbo Lianneng Thermo Co., Ltd (“Ningbo Lianneng”) in a dispute over a power supply contract alleging damages of RMB 10,964,366 (approximately $1,740,300). In August 2012, Ningbo Lianneng filed a counter claim in Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court (the “Intermediate Court”) against Ningbo Keyuan for the same dispute for RMB 15,444,539 (approximately $ 2,451,500). A civil trial for the counter claim was held at the Intermediate Court on August 30, 2012, but no decision was made. In addition, Ningbo Keyuan filed the same law suit in the Intermediate Court in late August 2012, and a civil trial for this claim was held on October 18, 2012. No decision has been made as of the date of this filing.
On February 28, 2013, the Company reached a settlement in a case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in the United States District Count for the District of Columbia against the Company, alleging the Company violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 12b-20 and 13a-13 thereunder. Under the terms agreed to by the Company and the SEC, the Company, without admitting or denying the allegation of the complaint, will pay a civil penalty of $1million and will be permanently enjoined from violating certain securities law. The settlement remains subject to approval by the United District Court for the District of Columbia, which must approve its terms and enter the final judgment.
Other than as set forth herein, we are currently not a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings and are not aware of any pending or threatened legal or administrative proceedings against us.
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PART II
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and result of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to those financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section of the other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
Overview
Operating through our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Ningbo Keyuan, Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemicals, Keyuan Keyuan Synthetic Rubbers and Guangxi Keyuan, our operations include (i) a production facility with an annual petrochemical production capacity of 720,000 metric tons (MT) of a variety of petrochemical products, (ii) facilities for the storage and loading of raw materials and finished goods and (iii) a manufacturing technology that can support our manufacturing process with relatively low raw material costs and high utilization and yields, all of which are led by a management team consisting of petrochemical experts with proven track records from some of China’s largest state-owned enterprises in the petrochemical industry.
In April 2011, we expanded our annual production capacity from 550,000 MT to 720,000 MT. We also completed the construction of a Styrene-Butadience-Styrene (the “SBS”) production facility with an annual production capacity of 70,000 MT in September 2011 and we began initial trial production in October and November 2011. One SBS production line began commercial production in December 2011 and second production line began commercial production in August 2012. We plan to construct new devices to refine our original products to produce other high-value added products. Currently these projects are in the pre-construction government approval phase.
In January 2012, we signed a cooperation agreement with Fangchenggang City to build a new petrochemicals production facility in Guangxi Keyuan New Materials Industrial Park, in Guangxi Province. The total investment amount to construct this new production facility is RMB 12.8 billion (approximately USD $2.02 billion). We commenced pre-construction activities in February 2012 and intend to finish the initial stage of construction and begin operations by the end of 2013. However, the timeline is subject to revision pending the status of project financing. This new production facility, as a part of our expansion plan, will improve our competitive position by extending and expanding our supply chain and manufacturing base. Once the facility is fully operational, it is expected to have an annual production capacity of 400,000 metric tons of ABS. We plan to fund the construction and operation of the new production facility through outside financing. If such financing is not available on terms acceptable to us, construction of this facility will be delayed until appropriate financing is available. According to the cooperation agreement, the government of Fangchenggang City will provide the land use right for the facility.
Our Facility and Equipment
Facility
As of December 31, 2012, we have invested a total of approximately $26 million in the construction and improvement of our production facility. Our current production facility encompasses roughly 1.3 million square feet, including 594,000 square feet for production and 19,500 square feet for laboratories and offices. We also acquired 1.2 million square feet of additional land in August 2010 for our future expansion.
We have an on-site ocean shipping dock with 5,000 MT of shipping capacity and a 10-truck loading facility. Approximately 90% of our feedstock and finished products use this shipping dock. We also have adjacent access to another shipping dock with an additional 50,000 MT of shipping capacity.
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Equipment
Our major processing equipment includes the following:
● | Heavy oil catalytic pyrolysis processing equipment- risers/generators/precipitators, fuel gas boilers, fractionating tower, absorbing, re-absorbing ,and desorbing towers, heat exchangers, pumps, a stabilizing tower; |
● | Gas fractionation processing equipment- de-propanizing tower, refining propylene tower, de-ethanizination tower, heat exchangers, pumps; |
● | Ethylbenzene processing equipment- alkylation reactor, anti-alkylation reactor, dehydrogenation reactor, propylene absorbing tower, de-ethylene tower, ethylbenzene recovering tower, heating furnace for benzene, heating furnace for gas, steam overheating furnace, tail gas compressor, washing tower; and |
● | Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and sulfur recovery process- LPG desulfurization extraction tower, dry gas desulfurization tower, regenerating tower, LPG de-mecaptan extraction tower. |
Our Products
We manufacture and supply a variety of petrochemical products, including BTX aromatics, propylene, styrene, LPG, MTBE and other petrochemicals.
● | BTX Aromatics: Consisting of benzene, toluene, xylene and other chemical components for further processing into oil resin, gasoline and solvents materials widely used in paint, ink, construction coating and pesticide. |
● | Propylene: A chemical intermediate as one of the building blocks for an array of chemical and plastic products that are commonly used to produce polypropylene, acrylonitrile, oxo chemicals, propylene oxide, cumene, isopropyl alcohol, acrylic acid and other chemicals for paints, household detergents, automotive brake fluids, indoor/outdoor carpeting, textile, insulating materials, auto parts and electrical appliances. |
● | Styrene: A precursor to polystyrene and several copolymers widely used for packaging materials, construction materials, electronic parts, home appliances, household goods, home furnishings, toys, sporting goods and others. |
● | LPG: A mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. A replacement for chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant which reduces damage to the ozone layer. |
● | MTBE & Other Chemicals: MTBE, oil slurry, sulphur and others are used for a variety of applications including fuel components, refrigeration systems, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides, etc. |
● | Styrene butadiene styrene (SBS): a thermoplastic elastomer with features similar to rubber, widely used in the manufacture of resin, shoes, tape, tubes and asphalt. |
Expansion Plan
Our annual designed manufacturing capacity was 550,000 MT of a variety of petrochemical products at the end of 2010. In order to meet the increasing market demands, we upgraded the catalytic pyrolysis processing equipment used in our production facilities to expand the capacity from 550,000 MT to 720,000 MT. This capacity expansion project started in March 2011 and was completed in April 2011.
In September 2011, we completed building a new facility designed for the production of SBS, one of the Styreneic Block Copolymers. SBS is a product with higher product margin with major applications for the footwear, adhesive, polymer modification and modified asphalt industries. The SBS facility was built on part of the 1.2 million square feet of land for which we obtained the land use right in August 2010 The construction started in September, 2010 and was completed (as planned) in September 2011. We started trial production in October and November, 2011, and one SBS production line began commercial production in December 2011. The design capacity of the SBS facility allows for production of up to 70,000 MT per year. We expect to generate net profit margins of 10% from our production of SBS once the facility reaches normal production levels. In 2012, the facility achieved a 41% utilization and generated approximately $ 71.0 million in sales and approximately $ 5.97 million of income from operations.
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In order to develop our business to meet the increasing customer demands, we have been working to expand our manufacturing capacity by focusing on the following improvements to our infrastructure. In anticipation of the market demand for the production of finished goods, environmental protection requirements, we adjusted our original expansion project and are currently working to refining our manufacturing capacity to include:
a) | an ABS production facility in Guangxi Province, which will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 MT of ABS. The Company began pre-construction activities in February 2012, and the first phase is expected to be completed by the forth quarter of 2014. |
b) | an oil catalytic cracking processing facility as an extension of our catalytic pyrolysis processing equipment, as well as the feed way of the main raw materials to produce synthetic rubber. This facility can reduce production costs and the market risk in completely repurchase of raw materials, and improve the stability and efficiency of project production to 200,000 MT of heavy oil per year. |
c) | Increased the annual production capacity of our ethylbenzene-styrene facility from 80,000 MT to 200,000 MT, among which 120,000 MT can be used for producing synthetic and 80,000 MT can be sold to downstream petrochemical companies. One of the main raw materials, ethylene, can be acquired from the oil catalytic cracking facility. This facility can be considered the bridge between original products and high-value added products and will complete the integration of internal resources; |
d) | a transformer oil facility using hydrogen from the ethylene-styrene facility to complete a double hydrogenation process on original products (BTX Aromatic) for refining transformer oil, and producing high value transformer oil with a design capability of 100,000 MT per year. |
e) | an SSBR (Solution Polymerized Styrene Butadiene Rubber )production facility with a design capability of 150,000 MT per year, that will use its own production process technology in synthetic rubber, combining styrene and butadiene, to produce SSBR. This product can be used as raw materials for tires, instead of imported hexakis (methoxymethy) melamine (“HMMM”). |
We are currently evaluating the timeline for the expansion projects. Our current estimate is as follows:
Expansion Project | Expected Completion Date | |
Oil Catalytic Cracking Processing Facility | End of Q4, 2013 | |
Ethylene-Styrene Facility | End of Q4, 2014 | |
Transformer Oil Facility | End of Q4, 2014 | |
SSBR production facility | End of Q4, 2015 | |
ABS Production Facility | End of Q4, 2014 |
The total cost of additional processing equipment for products refinement and the SSBR production facility is approximately $149.3 million, including $49.8 million for additional processing equipment and $99.5 million for our SSBR production facility. We are currently going through the governmental approval and design phase of the ABS production facility and estimating the related costs.
We plan to fund this proposed expansion through debt financing, cash from operations, proceeds from prior financings, warrant exercises, and potential equity financing. However, we may not be able to obtain additional financing at acceptable terms, or at all, and, as a result, our ability to increase our production capacity and to expand our business could be adversely affected.
Going concern and management’s plans
Our audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern. We reported a net loss of approximately $5.85 million in 2012 and cash flows used in operations of approximately $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. At December 31, 2012, we had a working capital deficit of approximately $159 million. The Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2012 includes a going concern explanatory paragraph which means that the accounting firm has express substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
We continue to finance our operations primarily through short-term bank borrowings. Short-term bank borrowings and bills payable amounted to approximately $397.8 million at December 31, 2012, and have increased to approximately $414 million at May 28, 2013. Management expects that short-term bank financing will continue to be available through at least the end of 2013.
We continue to benefit from favorable PRC tax policies related to consumption tax, approximately $51.3 million of which was refundable at December 31, 2012. Management believes that this amount will be refunded by June 30, 2013 and that additional consumption tax deposits of approximately $84.1 million through May 28, 2013 will be refunded more promptly in the second half of 2013.
We are expanding our production line to include Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene (“SEBS”). Management expects production and sale of SEBS to commence in the second half of 2013, and that SEBS will yield a higher gross margin than some of the Company’s current products.
We are also exploring sources of additional financing, including short-term financing from vendors and other parties. In addition, the Company is closely monitoring its cash balances, cash needs and expense levels.
The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent upon management’s ability to implement its strategic plan, obtain additional capital and generate net income and positive cash flows from operations. There can be no assurance that these plans will be sufficient or that additional financing will be available in amounts or terms acceptable to the Company, if at all.
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Manufacturing and Sales
Our total production of finished products for 2012 was 688,821 MT and revenue totaled $750 million, based on the sale of 675,484 MT of petrochemical products included the sale of SBS products which was 28,730MT. Our total production of finished products for 2011 was 535,208 MT and revenue totaled $626.7 million based on the sale of 588,976 MT of petrochemical products. Therefore, we experienced an increase in total production of finished products with an increase in revenue and sales. The lower overall production in 2011 was mainly due to the 44 days of production interruptions.
In the second quarter of 2011, we experienced production interruptions, mainly as a result of the expansion of our production capacity. In April 2011, we lost a combined 25 days of production, equating to approximately 54,000 tons of production, and approximately $45 million of revenues. In the third quarter of 2011, we incurred production interruptions, mainly as a result of the upgrade of the local power grid. We lost a combined 19 days of production, equating to approximately 41,000 tons of production, and approximately $40 million of revenues. As a result, in 2011 we experienced production interruptions totaling a combined 44 days. These lost days of production equated to approximately 95,000 tons of production and approximately $85 million of revenues.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Group”). The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of fixed assets; the fair value determination of financial and equity instruments; the realizability of inventories; and the recoverability of property, plant and equipment. These estimates are often based on complex judgments and assumptions that management believes to be reasonable but are inherently uncertain and unpredictable.
We believe the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:
Inventories. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is determined using the weighted-average cost method. Provisions are made for excess, slow moving and obsolete inventory as well as inventory whose carrying value is in excess of net realizable value. Management continually evaluates the recoverability based on assumptions about customer demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory reserves or write-downs may be required. The Group did not record any provision for slow-moving and obsolete inventory as of December 31, 2012 and 2011.
Property, Plant and Equipment. Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, taking into consideration the assets’ estimated residual value. When items are retired or otherwise disposed of, income is charged or credited for the difference between the net book value and proceeds received thereon. Ordinary maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.
The estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment are as follows:
Buildings | 45 years |
Machinery and equipment | 5 to 15 years |
Vehicles | 5 years |
Office equipment and furniture | 3 to 10 years |
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Construction-in-progress is stated at cost. Cost comprises nonrefundable prepayments and direct costs of construction as well as interest costs capitalized during the period of the construction of the plant or installation of equipment. Costs included in construction in progress are transferred to their respective categories of property, plant and equipment when the assets are ready for their intended use, at which time depreciation commences.
Long-Lived Assets. The Group reviews the recoverability of its long-lived assets on a periodic basis in order to identify business conditions, which may indicate a possible impairment. The assessment for potential impairment is based primarily on the Group’s ability to recover the carrying value of its long-lived assets from expected future discounted cash flows. If the total of the expected future discounted cash flows is less than the total carrying value of the assets, a loss is recognized for the difference between the fair value (computed based upon the expected future discounted cash flows) and the carrying value of the assets.
For certain major customers, the Group accepts their payment for the Group’s products by bills receivable. Bills receivable represent short-term notes receivable issued either by the customer or by the customer and an accepting bank that entitles the Group to receive the full face amount from the customer or the accepting bank at maturity, which is generally six months from the date of issuance. Bills receivable are typically sold at a discount prior to maturity, and the discount is included in interest expense. Historically, the Group has experienced no losses on bills receivable.
Bill Receivable. In connection with the Company’s financing transactions, the Group may also obtain bills receivable in exchange for cash or payables. These bills, which are sold at a discount prior to maturity, include provisions whereby the Group agrees to reimburse the accepting bank in the event that the related party counterparty fails to honor its liability to the accepting bank.
Bills Payable. Bills payable represent bills issued by an accepting bank in favor of the Group’s suppliers. The Group’s suppliers receive payments from the accepting bank directly upon maturity of the bills, and the Group is obliged to repay the face value of the bills to the accepting bank. Bills that are not remitted directly by the Group to its suppliers may be sold by the Group to other accepting banks for cash prior to their maturity. Discounts paid are recorded as a component of interest expense.
Revenue Recognition. The Group derives its revenue primarily from the sale of petrochemical products. In accordance with the provisions of the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, codified in FASB ASC Topic 480, revenue is recognized only when it is realized or realizable and earned. Revenues are considered to have been earned when the entity has substantially accomplished what it must do to be entitled to the benefits represented by the revenues. The Group recognizes revenue when the products are delivered and the customer takes ownership and assumes risks of losses, collection of the relevant receivable is probable, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists and the sales price is fixed or determinable. Written sales agreements, which specify price, product, and quantity, are generally used as evidence of an arrangement. Customer acceptance is generally evidenced by a carrier signed shipment notification form.
In the PRC, value added tax (“VAT”) of 17% on invoiced amounts is collected on behalf of the tax authorities. Revenue is recorded net of VAT. VAT paid for purchases, net of VAT collected from customers, is recorded in “other current assets” in the consolidated balance sheets.
Share-Based Compensation. The Group accounts for share-based payments under the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation”, or ASC Topic 718. Under ASC Topic 718, the Group measures the costs of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award and recognizes the costs over the period the employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which generally is the vesting period.
The Group accounts for equity instruments issued to non-employee vendors in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Subtopic 505-50, “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees”. All transactions in which goods or services are received in exchange for equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the equity instrument issued. The measurement date for the fair value of the equity instruments issued is the date on which the counterparty’s performance is completed.
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Income Taxes. Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, and operating loss carryforwards. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred income tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the carrying amount of deferred income tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred income tax assets will not be realized.
The Group recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Group has elected to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Contingencies. In the normal course of business, the Group is subject to loss contingencies, such as legal proceedings and claims arising out of its business. An accrual for a loss contingency is recognized when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated.
Results of Operations
The following table and analysis sets forth information from our statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011(amounts in thousands, except production and per metric ton amounts):
For the Year Ended December 31 | Year to Year Comparison | |||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | Increase/ (decrease) | Percentage Change | |||||||||||||
Sales | ||||||||||||||||
Third Parties | $ | 750,628 | $ | 533,913 | $ | 216,715 | 40.59 | % | ||||||||
Related Parties | - | 92,772 | (92,772 | ) | (100 | %) | ||||||||||
Total Sales | 750,628 | 626,685 | 123,943 | 19.78 | % | |||||||||||
Cost of Sale | ||||||||||||||||
Third Parties | 721,519 | 504,872 | 216,647 | 42.91 | % | |||||||||||
Related Parties | - | 99,798 | (99,798 | ) | (100 | %) | ||||||||||
Cost of Sales | 721,519 | 604,670 | 116,849 | 19.32 | % | |||||||||||
Gross Profit | 29,109 | 22,015 | 7,094 | 32.22 | % | |||||||||||
Operating Expenses | ||||||||||||||||
Selling Expenses | 1,132 | 1,240 | (108 | ) | (8.71 | %) | ||||||||||
General and administrative Expenses | 12,510 | 17,859 | (5,349 | ) | (29.95 | %) | ||||||||||
Total Operating Expenses | 13,642 | 19.099 | (5,457 | ) | (28.57 | %) | ||||||||||
Income from Operations | 15,467 | 2,916 | 12,551 | 430.42 | % | |||||||||||
Other Income(Expense) | ||||||||||||||||
Interest Income | 5,940 | 4,320 | 1,620 | 37.50 | % | |||||||||||
Interest Expense | (25,065 | ) | (15,797 | ) | 9,268 | 58.67 | % | |||||||||
Foreign Exchange gain, net | (1,319 | ) | 3,662 | (4,981 | ) | (136 | %) | |||||||||
Liquidated damages expenses | - | (2,493 | ) | (2,493 | ) | 100 | % | |||||||||
Other income (expense), net | (79 | ) | 3,103 | (3,182 | ) | (97.45 | %) | |||||||||
Total other expenses | (20,523 | ) | (7,205 | ) | 13,318 | 184.84 | % | |||||||||
Loss before provision for income taxes | (5,056 | ) | (4,289 | ) | 767 | 17.88 | % | |||||||||
Income tax expense | 794 | 2,852 | (2,058 | ) | (72.16 | %) | ||||||||||
Net loss | (5,850 | ) | (7,141 | ) | (1,291 | ) | (18.08 | %) | ||||||||
Other comprehensive income | ||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | 945 | 3,235 | (2,290 | ) | (70.79 | %) | ||||||||||
Comprehensive loss | $ | (4,905 | ) | $ | (3,906 | ) | 999 | 25.58 | % |
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Sales: Our sales for the year ended December 31, 2012 were $750,628 compared to sales of $533,913 for the year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of $216,715, or 40.59%. The substantial increase in our sales was due to higher production volume of our products, more working days and the operation of our of SBS facility for the 12 months ended December 31, 2012. In 2012, we sold 675,484 metric tons of chemical products at an average price of $1.11 per metric ton, as compared to sales of 588,976 metric tons of chemical products at an average price of $1.07 per metric ton in 2011. This represents an increase of approximately 15% in sold products. Compared with 44 days production suspension in 2011, we lost 15 days of production for inspections during 2012. With the commencement of production in 2012, the SBS facility achieved 41% of its designed capacity (full capacity should be 70,000tons/ year) in its first year which brought an additional 28,730 MT of finished products and sales of $70,992.
We did not incur any sales to related parties for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to $92,772 of sales to related parties for the year ended December 31, 2011. Pricing for sales to related parties adopts the same principles as that to non-related parties. For additional information on related party sales, please refer to Footnote 23 of the financial statements.
The breakdown of the 675,484 metric tons products produced is listed below.
Product | (Metric Tons) | |||
BTX Light Aromatics | 287,887 | |||
BTX Heavy Aromatics | 135,694 | |||
LPG | 71,017 | |||
MTBE and Others | 50,661 | |||
Styrene | 56,152 | |||
Propylene | 45,343 | |||
SBS products | 28,730 | |||
Total Metric Tons Sold | 675,484 |
Cost of Sales: Cost of sales was $721,519 for the year ended December 31, 2012, or 96% of sales, compared to cost of sales of $504,872, or 95% of sales for the year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of $216,647. Our cost of sales are primarily composed of the costs of direct raw materials (mainly heavy oil, benzene and carbinol), labor, depreciation and amortization of manufacturing equipment and facilities, and other overhead. In 2012, our average cost of finished product was $1.07 per metric ton, as compared to an average cost of $1.03 per metric ton in 2011, an increase of 3%. The increase of the cost of sales is mainly attributable to the SBS facility. Our SBS facility resulted in an additional 28,730 MT of products in 2012 and an additional $63,365 of cost of sales. Moreover, the increasing Chinese labor costs also caused an increase in cost of sales.
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Gross Profit: Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2012 was $29,109, compared to $22,015 for the year ended December 31, 2011. Our gross profit margin has increased from 3.51% for the year ended December 31, 2011 to 3.9% for the year ended December 31, 2012. The main reason for the increase in the gross margin is the increase in sales volume and the new SBS products which yield a higher gross profit margin of 10.74%.
Operating Expenses: Operating expenses, including selling expenses, and general and administrative expenses, were $13,642, or 1.8 % of sales for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to $19,100, or 3% of sales for the fiscal year 2011, a decrease of $ 5,457. The decrease was due to expense of $5.8 million in connection with the Independent Investigation for the year ended December 31, 2011. There were no such expenses for the year ended December 31, 2012.
Interest Expense: For the year ended December 31, 2012, interest expense was approximately $25,065 as compared to interest expense of approximately $15,797 for the year ended December 31, 2011. The increase in interest expense is mainly due to the increased interest cost associated with discounting of bank acceptance notes and higher interest rates, together with the increased bank borrowings.
Liquidated damages expense: For the year ended December 31, 2012, we did not accrue any liquidated damages expenses compared to accrued liquidated damages expense of $2,493 for the year ended December 31, 2011. On April 1, 2011, trading of the Company’s common stock was suspended. In addition, management determined that, our Registration Statements were no longer effective since April 15, 2011 and the registrable securities in connection with Series A and B Private Placements were not be able to be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act during the period between April 2011 and November 1, 2011. Accordingly, in the year ended December 31, 2011, it became probable that the Company will be required to remit liquidated damages to investors. Estimated contingent liabilities of $2.5 million were accrued with a corresponding charge to earnings in the year ended December 31, 2011.
Net loss: Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2012 was approximately $5,850 , as compared to a net loss of approximately $7,141 for the year ended December 31, 2011, a decrease of $1,291 or 18.08 %. The decrease in net loss was mainly due to a higher yield rate and decreased legal, consulting and investigation expenses.
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment: Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. Our local currency, Renminbi (RMB), is our functional currency. Results of operations and cash flow are translated at average exchange rates during the period, and assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate as quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the end of the period. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the statement of shareholders’ equity. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.
Currency translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated statement of shareholders’ equity and amounted to gain $945 for the year ended December 31, 2012 and $3,235 for the year ended December 31, 2011, respectively. The equity accounts were translated at historical rates. The average translation rates applied to income statement accounts for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were RMB 6.30318 and RMB6.45328 to 1.00 U.S. dollar.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company’s financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Report of our Independent Registration Public Accounting Firm on the Company’s financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2012 includes a going concern explanatory paragraph which means that the auditors stated that conditions exist that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The following table sets forth a summary of our approximate cash flows for the periods indicated:
For the Year Ended December 31 (in thousands) | ||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | (7,095 | ) | $ | 1,731 | |||
Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (54,417 | ) | $ | (42,313 | ) | ||
Net cash provided by financing activities | $ | 77,488 | $ | 16,934 |
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Net cash used in operating activities was $7,095 for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to $ 1,731 provided by operating activities for the same period in 2011. The decrease in cash provided by operations was primarily due to increases in accounts receivable, inventories, prepayments to suppliers and other current assets, offset by an increase in advances from customers. The Company normally receives cash payment from customers before we deliver the goods. Because we agreed to extend credit to some of our long-term customers with good credit ratings and to deliver product before payment during the third and fourth quarters of 2012, as of December 31, 2012, account receivables was $14,248 (in thousands), compared with $2,226 (in thousands) as of December 31, 2011, an increase of $12,022 or 540%.
Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $54,417 and $42,313 for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Net cash used in investing activities was primarily comprised of payments for our infrastructure construction and the expansion of our facilities.
Net cash provided by financing activities amounted to $77,488 for 2012 and $16,934 for 2011. Cash provided by financing activities in 2012 was primarily due to the increase in short-term bank loans, offset by cash used in the settlement of bills payable, the repayment of bank loans and the increase in pledged deposits at banks.
We have entered into loan agreements with our primary lenders, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, etc., under which we have term loans. As of December 31, 2012, we had an aggregate principal amount of approximately $295 million outstanding under the loan agreements, with maturity dates from January 2013 to December 2013 and interest rates from 1.27% to 6.72% per annum. As of March 31, 2013, we had an aggregate principal amount of approximately $284.6 million outstanding under the loan agreements, with maturity date through March, 2014, and interest rates from 1.13% to 6.72% per annum. The loan agreements contain customary affirmative and negative covenants and were mainly guaranteed by third parties and individual persons or secured by a lien on our property and equipment. Beginning in January 2011, certain individual loan guarantors, some of whom are related parties, were paid a monthly fee of approximately 0.1% of the outstanding loan balances as compensation for their guarantees. We paid approximately $1.8 million of compensation in respect of these guarantees for the year ended December 31, 2012. Historically, all debts due have been paid back by the Company in a timely manner. All short-term bank loans are revolving loans whose terms (at due date of payment) are generally extended by the lender. As of December 31, 2012, we were in compliance with the terms of our loan agreements. As such, management expects most unpaid loan balances will be extended at their due dates. Depending on our capital needs, the Company evaluates whether to apply for additional long-term bank loans when they are paid back. The Company currently has sufficient lines of credit with the banks for both short-term and long-term borrowings for our current operations. However, we are working to refining our manufacturing capacity to include an ABS facility, an oil catalytic cracking processing facility, an increased annual design capacity of ethylene-styrene facility to 200,000 MT, a transformer oil facility and a SSBR production facility. The total cost of additional processing equipment for products refinement and SSBR production facility is approximately $149.3 million, including $49.8 million for additional processing equipment and $99.5 million for our SSBR production facility. We are currently going through the governmental approval and design phase of the ABS production facility and estimating the related costs. We plan to fund this proposed expansion through debt financing, cash from operations, proceeds from prior financings, warrant exercises, and potential equity financing. However, we may not be able to obtain additional financing at acceptable terms, or at all, and, as a result, our ability to increase our production capacity and to expand our business could be adversely affected.
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PART III
The following table and text set forth the names and ages of all directors and executive officers as of December 31, 2011. The Board of Directors is comprised of only one class. All of the directors will serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors are elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, retirement, resignation or removal. There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers. Also provided herein are brief descriptions of the business experience of each director, executive officer and advisor during the past five years and an indication of directorships held by each director in other companies subject to the reporting requirements under the Federal securities laws.
As of the closing of the Share Exchange on April 22, 2010, Ms. Smith resigned as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President and Secretary, effective immediately. Our Board of Directors appointed Mr. Tao to serve as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer effective immediately at the closing of the Share Exchange.
Prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange, our Board of Directors was comprised of one director, Ms. Smith. Effective at the closing of the Share Exchange, Ms. Smith resigned from her position as Chairman and tendered her resignation as a member of our Board; prior to resigning as Chairman, Ms. Smith appointed Mr. Chunfeng Tao to serve as Chairman of our Board. This change in our Board was effective on May 10, 2010, which was 10 days after we mailed a schedule 14(f) to our shareholders regarding same.
Set forth below is information regarding our current directors and executive officers:
Name | Age | Position | ||
Chunfeng Tao | 45 | Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary | ||
Fan Zhang | 35 | Vice President of Accounting & Acting Chief Financial Officer | ||
Yuxin Xiang | 40 | Independent Director | ||
Dishen Shen | 74 | Independent Director | ||
Xin Yue | 48 | Director |
Mr. Chunfeng Tao, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Chunfeng Tao has been a member of our Board of Directors and the CEO of the Company since April 22, 2010. Mr. Tao has over 20 years’ extensive experience in the petrochemical industry. Between 2008 to 2010, he served as President of Ningbo Plastics. Between 2005 and 2008, he served as President of Ningbo Hebang Chemical Co., a company with annual revenue of RMB 10 billion which he managed and built to an annual production capacity of 250,000 MT for aromatic and heavy oil cracking products. Between 2002 and 2005, Mr. Tao served as Executive Vice President of Ningbo Daxie Liwan Petrochemicals Co., a company with annual revenue of RMB 6 billion. Under his management, the company’s annual production was increased to 500,000 MT of high grade asphalt. Between 1989 and 2002, Mr. Tao served in various senior management and technical positions at Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., the largest base for crude oil processing and sour crude oil processing in China, and won over 30 technological innovations, management awards and distinction during his service period. Due to Mr. Tao’s extensive experience in the petrochemical industry, his capacity of strong leadership demonstrated over the years in different companies, and his familiarity with the Company’s daily operation, Mr. Tao’s contribution to the Board as a director and the Chairman is crucial to the functioning of the Board.
Mr. Fan Zhang, Vice President of Accounting & Acting Chief Financial Officer. On August 20, 2011, Mr. Fan Zhang was appointed as Vice President of Accounting by the Board of the Directors to replace Mr. Weifeng Xue, effective as of August 20, 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Zhang was a Finance Director in Ningbo LG Yongxing Chemical Co., Ltd., a Sino-Korean joint venture between Ningbo Yongxing Chemical Investment Co. Ltd., and LG Chemical Co. Ltd., the largest chemical company in Korea. Ningbo LG Yongxing Chemical Co. Ltd is the largest ABS producer in China. Mr. Zhang has more than twelve years experience in financial reporting and controls, tax planning, fund management, ERP operation system management, internal audit and property insurance planning. Mr. Zhang holds a Bachelor degree in Economics from Hangzhou Electronic Technical University.
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Mr.Yuxin Xiang, Director. Mr. Yuxin Xiang has been a member of our Board of Directors since September 6, 2012. Mr. Xiang serves as the President of CNX Consulting Inc. which provides financial reporting, asset management and capital transactions services to North American companies, as well as a director and Audit Committee member of five companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). Prior to joining CNX Consulting, Mr. Xiang served as the Chief Financial Officer of IND DairyTech Limited and GobiMin Inc, both listed on TSXV. Mr. Xiang also worked in corporate finance management for several TSX listed companies, including COM DEV International Ltd., ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. and CFM Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Huazhong University of Science & Technology in China, and a Masters of Business Administration from York University in Canada. Mr. Xiang is a Certified Management Accountant (Ontario) and a Certified Public Accountant (Delaware). Due to Mr. Xiang’s expertise in financial reporting, asset management, corporate finance, accounting and his experience working with public companies, as a director he broadens the areas of expertise of the Company’s Board and provides the management with higher level of scrutiny and proper advice relevant to a public company.
Mr. Dishen Shen, Director. Mr. Dishen Shen has been a member of our Board of Directors since July 1, 2010. Mr. Shen is a senior petrochemical engineer with nearly 40 years of oil refining and petrochemical industry expertise and management experience and has served in a variety of progressive leadership roles in planning and economic development in Zhejiang Province, focusing primarily on development of the petrochemical industry, and serves today as a member of the People's Committee of Zhejiang Province. Since 2005, he has been serving as a senior counsel for Zhejiang Provincial Association Of Engineering Consultants, the institute providing consulting and administration service. He graduated from Beijing Petroleum Institute with a major in oil refining systems. As a senior petrochemical engineer of oil refining and his expertise in petrochemical industry, Mr. Shen adds to the Board relevant expertise and knowledge which is directly relevant to the Company’s business.
Mr. Xin Yue, Director. Mr. Xin Yue has been a member of our Board of Directors since July 1, 2010. Mr. Yue currently is co-founder and chief executive officer of Cmark Capital Co., Ltd since 2005. Previously he also co-founded Golden Spider Co., Ltd., and New Shengtong Technology Co., Ltd. Mr. Yue has served as an advisor to several U.S. public companies, such as Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. and Jpak Group Inc. and president at a Shanghai subsidiary of Jiubai Group Co., Ltd. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Management at Capital Economic and Trade University and his MBA in Finance from Baruch College at The City University of New York. Mr. Yue’s broad experience as an advisor to U.S. public companies adds to our Board relevant expertise and knowledge about the U.S. capital market, and rules and regulations of U.S. securities laws.
Significant Employees
The following are employees who are not executive officers, but who are expected to make significant contributions to our business:
Dr. Jingtao Ma, Executive Vice President. Dr. Ma joined the Company in 2007 and he has over 20 years’ experience in corporate management, research & development, sales & marketing, and business development. Dr. Ma is responsible for the sales & marketing and raw material procurement of the Company. Between 1992 and 2007, he served in management and technical positions at Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. in various functions including manufacturing and operations, and chemical and technical analysis. Dr. Ma received his Master of Science and studies for Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from Lanzhou Chemistry & Physics Research Institute of CSA.
Mr. Shifa Wang, Vice President & Chief Engineer. With 30 years’ management experience in petrochemical technology and manufacturing, and specialty in oil refining and catalytic cracking, Mr. Wang has been responsible for technology, and research and development of the Company since 2009. In December , 2012, Mr. Wang was appointed as the new General Manager of Ningbo Keyuan replacing Dr. Ma, responsible for daily operation and management and efficiency improvement of Ningbo Keyuan. Between 2007 and 2009, Mr. Wang served as General Manager at Guangdong Yingchang Heavy Road Asphalt Co., Ltd, responsible for managing and overseeing the overall business operations of the company. Between 1981 and 2002, he served as the Chief Engineer at Sinopec Anqing Refinery Co., Ltd., responsible for technology development and research and development. Between 2003 and 2006, he was the Head of Operations for Phase II production line expansion, including construction of 500,000 MT heavy oil catalytic cracking facility, 150,000 MT gas fractionation facility, 10,000 MT sulphur recovery facility and 30,000 MT polypropylene facility, at Guangdong Tianyi Group Co., Ltd. Mr. Wang received his Bachelor of Science from Chemical Engineering Department of China Petroleum University and Master of Art in Enterprise Management from Qinghua University.
Mingliang Liu, Vice President of Manufacturing. Mr. Liu has been responsible for overseeing the manufacturing by the Company since 2009. Mr. Liu has over 30 years of experience in petrochemical manufacturing and production management and specializes in oil refining, heavy oil cracking and crude oil processing. Between 1975 and 2009, he served in various supervisory and managerial positions at Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Mr. Liu majored in Economics & Management at Zhejiang CCP Institute.
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Corporate Governance
Corporate governance is the system that allocates duties and authority among a company’s stockholders, Board of Directors and management. The stockholders elect the Board of Directors and vote on extraordinary matters; the Board of Directors is a company’s governing body, responsible for hiring, overseeing, and evaluating management, particularly the chief executive officer; and management runs a company’s day-to-day operations. Our Board of Directors currently consists of five seats.
Board Leadership Structure.
The Board of Directors maintains a structure with the Chief Executive Officer of the Company holding the position as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors utilizes a leadership structure that has the Chief Executive Officer (who is the Corporation’s principal executive officer and a director) who also acts in the capacity as Board Chairman, without a designated independent lead director. This structure creates efficiency in the preparation of the meeting agendas and related Board materials as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer works more directly with those preparing the necessary Board materials and is more connected to the overall daily operations of the Company. Agendas are also prepared with the permitted input of the full Board of Directors allowing for any concerns or risks of any individual director to be discussed as deemed appropriate. Given the Company’s relatively small size (both in terms of number of employees and in scope of operational activities directly conducted by the Company), its corporate strategy and its focus on research and development, this structure is deemed to be appropriate and allows for efficient oversight. However, in order to improve corporate governance, the Board has authorized the establishment of a sub-committee composed of the independent directors, the Company’s SOX 404 compliance consultant and a U.S. securities counsel to the Company to examine the responsibilities and duties of the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, and further evaluate this structure.
Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who own more than 10% of any class of our securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based on our review of copies of such reports, we believe that there was compliance with all filing requirements of Section 16(a) applicable to our officers, directors and 10% stockholders during fiscal 2010.
Code of ethics
The Company has always encouraged its employees, including officers and directors to conduct business in an honest and ethical manner. Additionally, it has always been our policy to comply with all applicable laws and provide accurate and timely disclosure.
We have always encouraged our employees, including officers and directors to conduct business in an honest and ethical manner. Additionally, it has always been our policy to comply with all applicable laws and provide accurate and timely disclosure. Due to our lack of operations and small employee base prior to the Share Exchange, we did not maintain a formal written code of ethics. However, as a result of the Share Exchange, we decided to adopt formal written codes of ethics for our executive officers, our directors and our employees.
Our codes of ethics are designed to deter wrongdoing and promote honest and ethical conduct and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. These codes also incorporate our expectations of our executives that enable us to provide accurate and timely disclosure in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and other public communications. Our codes of ethics are attached as exhibits to the Current Report on Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on July 7, 2010 and are available on our website, http://ir.stockpr.com/keyuanpetrochemicals/governance-documents. Any future changes or amendments to our code of ethics, and any waiver of our codes of ethics will also be posted on our website when applicable.
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Board Independence and Committees
Since our stock start started trading on Nasdaq in September 2010, we were required to comply with the director independence requirements of the Nasdaq rules. Since that time, , in determining whether our directors are independent, we have complied and plan to continue to comply with the Nasdaq rules although our common stock is currently trading on Pink Sheets. The Board of Directors will also consult with counsel to ensure that the Boards of Director’s determinations are consistent with those rules and all relevant securities and other laws and regulations regarding the independence of directors, including those adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with respect to the independence of Audit Committee members. The Nasdaq listing standards define an “independent director” generally as a person, other than an officer of a company, who does not have a relationship with the company that would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment. Our two directors, Mr. Shen and Mr. Xiang are “independent” as that term is defined by Nasdaq Rule 4200(a)(15). We are planning to add additional one or two bilingual Chinese-speaking independent directors to facilitate the Board oversight and augment the efforts of the current independent directors.
Audit Committee and Financial Expert
Our Audit Committee consists of Mr. Yuxin Xiang and Mr. Dishen Shen, each of whom is independent. The Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors oversight of (i) the integrity of the our financial statements, (ii) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (iii) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (iv) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditor, and prepares the report that the Securities and Exchange Commission requires to be included in our annual proxy statement. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter. Mr. Xiang is the Chairman of our Audit Committee.
The Board of Directors determined that Mr. Xiang possesses accounting or related financial management experience that qualifies him as financially sophisticated within the meaning of Rule 4350(d)(2)(A) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules and that he is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing and, as appropriate, making recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the annual salaries and other compensation of our executive officers and general employees and other policies, and for providing assistance and recommendations with respect to our compensation policies and practices. Each of Mr. Yuxin Xiang and Mr. Dishen Shen are members of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter. Mr. Xiang is the Chairman of Compensation Committee.
Nominating Committee and Corporate Governance Committee
The purpose of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is to assist the Board of Directors in identifying qualified individuals to become members of our Board of Directors, in determining the composition of the Board of Directors and in monitoring the process to assess Board effectiveness. Each of Mr. Yuxin Xiang and Mr. Dishen Shen are members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates under a written charter.
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Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table of Named Executive Officers
The following table sets forth all cash compensation paid by us, as well as certain other compensation paid or accrued, in 2012, 2011 and 2010 to each of the following named executive officers. The total amount was $133,755 in 2012, $361,519 in 2011, $462,138 in 2010 respectively.
Name and Principal Position | Fiscal Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | Option Awards ($) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chunfeng Tao | 2012 | 57,132 | 57,132 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(President, Chief Executive) | 2011 | 28,116 | 90,772 | 118,888 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 27,836 | 53,174 | 55,788 | 136,825 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aichun Li(2) | 2012 | Nil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Former Chief Financial Officer) | 2011 | 125,000 | 125,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 97,581 | 42,771 | 140,352 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fan Zhang (3) | 2012 | 28,566 | 4,414 | 32,980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Acting Chief Financial Officer) | 2011 | 14,079 | 13,822 | 27,902 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jingtao Ma (1) | 2012 | 28,566 | 15,077 | 43,643 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Vice President) | 2011 | 25,435 | 48,555 | 73,990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 23,602 | 27,982 | 42,771 | 94,355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weifeng Xue(1) | 2012 | Nil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Former VP of Accounting) | 2011 | 15,739 | 15,739 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 23,843 | 27,711 | 39,052 | 90,606 |
(1) | Although they are not executive officers, based on upon the compensation received, Mr. Ma and Mr. Xue qualify as named executive officers for purposes of this table. Mr. Xue no longer has any further responsibility or authority with regard to the accounting or finance of the Company since August 20, 2011. Mr. Xue remained available to assist the Company with the transition for a period of up to two months. |
(2) | On October 12, 2011, Ms. Li resigned her position as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Ms. Li was a consultant retained by the Company until December 12, 2011. |
(3) | Mr. Zhang was appointed as Acting Chief Financial Officer after Ms. Li resigned her position as the CFO of the Company in October 2011. |
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Pension Benefits
We do not sponsor any qualified or non-qualified defined benefit plans.
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
We do not maintain any non-qualified defined contribution or deferred compensation plans.
Retirement/Resignation Plans
We do not have any plans or arrangements in place regarding the payment to any of our executive officers following such person’s retirement, resignation, constructive termination or change in control transaction.
Employment Agreements
We have entered into employment agreements with each of the PRC subsidiary’s employees, officers and directors.
On May 1, 2007, Ningbo Keyuan entered into a non-fixed term employment agreement with Mr. Chunfeng Tao, pursuant to which, Ningbo Keyuan hired Mr. Tao as its general manager effective May 1, 2007. The compensation in connection with this employment shall be commensurate with Mr. Tao’s duties and responsibility as the general manager and is subject to mutual agreement between Mr. Tao and Ningbo Keyuan. On May 10, 2007, Keyaun Plastics entered into a similar employment agreement with Dr. Jingtao Ma to hire Dr. Ma as its vice executive general manager, effective May 10, 2007. On the same day, Keyuan Plastics entered into a similar employment agreement with Mr. Weifeng Xue to hire Mr. Xue as its vice general manager. On February 2, 2009, Keyaun Plastics entered into another similar agreement with Mr. Mingliang Liu to hire him as vice general manager. On October 21, 2009, Mr. Shifa Wang was hired by Ningbo Keyuan as a vice technical general manager and chief engineer and a similar employment agreement was signed between Ningbo Keyuan and Mr. Wang.
On May 1, 2007, Ningbo Keyuan also entered into a confidentiality and non-compete agreement with Mr. Tao, pursuant to which, Mr. Tao agreed, among other things, (i) that he will keep in confidence all Ningbo Keyuan confidential information obtained in connection with such employment; (ii) that Ningbo Keyuan has the sole ownership right to all Ningbo Keyuan intellectual properties, either developed by Mr. Tao individually or collectively with other parties during his employment term or within one (1) year following the termination of his employment; and (iii) that within two (2) years following the termination of his employment, he will not, directly or indirectly, engage in any business or other activities related to Ningbo Keyuan confidential information that he obtained during his last five (5) years of employment (or such less term) with Ningbo Keyuan. On May 10, 2007, similar confidentiality and non-compete agreements were entered into between Ningbo Keyuan and Mr. Jingtao Ma and also between Ningbo Keyuan and Mr. Weifeng Xue. In addition, using the same form of the agreement, Ningbo Keyuan entered into confidentiality and non-compete agreements with Mr. Mingliang Liu and Mr. Shifa Wang respectively on February 2, 2009 and October 21, 2009.
On May 7, 2010, we entered into a one-year employment agreement with Aichun Li, our Chief Financial Officer. The agreement was effective as of May 7, 2010, at a base salary of $150,000 subject to adjustment by the Board, plus the right, at the Board’s discretion, to participate in all management bonuses and incentive plans, and the right to participate in all employee benefit plans, to the extent maintained by the Company. The employment agreement also contained standard provisions concerning confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation. On October 12, 2011, Ms. Aichun Li resigned her position as our Chief Financial Officer.
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On May 23, 2011, Ningbo Keyuan Plastics entered into an open-term employment agreement with Mr. Fan Zhang as its PRC Chief Financial Officer. The agreement was effective as of May 23, 2011. On August 20, 2011, Mr. Fan Zhang was appointed as Vice President of Accounting by the Board of Directors to replace Mr. Weifeng Xue, and Mr. Zhang assumed the responsibilities of our Acting Chief Financial Officer after Ms. Li’s resignation as our Chief Financial Officer.
Compensation of Directors
Our directors are reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in connection with attending Board of Directors’ meetings. When deciding the compensation paid to each director, we consider each director’s expertise and contribution to the Board and the Company at the time of their appointment. The following table sets forth all cash compensation paid by us, as well as certain other compensation paid or accrued, in 2012, to each of the following named directors.
Name | Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | Stock awards ($) | Option awards ($) | Non-equity incentive plan compensation ($) | Nonqualified deferred compensation earnings ($) | All other compensation ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||
Yuxin Xiang | 8,000 | 8,000 | |||||||||||||||
Dishen Shen | 20,460 | 20,460 | |||||||||||||||
Xin Yue* | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Chunfeng Tao * | 0 | 0 |
* Mr Tao and Mr Yue have waived their compensation as directors.
ITEM 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS. |
We have not entered into any transaction during the last two fiscal years with any director, executive officer, director nominee, 5% or more shareholder, nor have we entered into transaction with any member of the immediate families of the foregoing person (including spouse, parents, children, siblings, and in-laws) or is any such transaction proposed, except as follows:
(A) Related Party Transactions
The Company considers all transactions with the following parties to be related party transactions.
Name of parties | Relationship | |
Mr. Chunfeng Tao | Majority stockholder | |
Mr. Jicun Wang | Principal stockholder | |
Mr. Peijun Chen | Principal stockholder | |
Ms. Sumei Chen | Member of the Company’s Board of Supervisors and spouse of Mr. Wang | |
Ms. Yushui Huang | Vice President of Administration, Ningbo Keyuan | |
Mr. Weifeng Xue | Vice President of Accounting, Ningbo Keyuan through August 2011 | |
Mr. Hengfeng Shou | Former Vice President of Sales, Ningbo Keyuan Petrochemical though November 2011 | |
Ningbo Kewei Investment Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Kewei) | A company controlled by Mr. Chunfeng Tao | |
Ningbo Pacific Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Pacific) | 100% ownership by Mr. Jicun Wang | |
Ningbo Hengfa Metal Product Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Hengfa, former name "Ningbo Tenglong") | 100% ownership by Mr. Peijun Chen | |
Shandong Tengda Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. (Shandong Tengda) | 100% ownership by Mr. Peijun Chen | |
Ningbo Xinhe Logistic Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Xinhe) | 10% ownership by Ms. Yushui Huang | |
Ningbo Kunde Petrochemical Co, Ltd. (Ningbo Kunde) | Mr. Tao’s mother was a 65% nominee shareholder for Mr. Hu, a third party through September 2011 | |
Ningbo Jiangdong Jihe Construction Materials Store (Jiangdong Jihe) | Controlled by Mr. Xue’s Brother-in-law | |
Ningbo Wanze Chemical Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Wanze) | Mr. Tao’s sister-in-law is the legal representative | |
Ningbo Zhenhai Jinchi Petroleum Chemical Co., Ltd. (Zhenhai Jinchi) | Controlled by Mr. Shou |
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Related party transactions and amounts outstanding with the related parties as of and for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, are summarized as follows; Transactions with Ningbo Kunde and Ningbo Kewei are through the date the related party relationship ceased at which time transactions with these parties are included in details of transactions with certain other parties (Note (b))
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||
Sales of products (a) | $ | - | $ | 92,772 | ||||
Purchase of raw material (b) | $ | - | $ | 7,151 | ||||
Purchase of transportation services (c) | $ | 2,813 | $ | 3,059 | ||||
Credit line of guarantee provision for bank borrowings (d) | $ | 49,499 | $ | 142,563 | ||||
Loan guarantee fee (d) | $ | 391 | $ | 1,300 | ||||
Short-term financing from related parties (e) | $ | - | $ | 13,303 | ||||
Short-term financing to related parties (e) | $ | - | $ | 13,188 |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||
Amount due from related parties (f) | $ | 40 | $ | 39 | ||||
Amount due to related parties (g) | $ | 477 | $ | 621 |
(a) | The Group sold finished products of approximately $92.7 million to Ningbo Kunde during the year ended December 31, 2011. Sales to Zhenhai Jinchi for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were nil and less than $0.1 million, respectively. |
(b) | The Group purchased raw materials of approximately $7.2 million from Ningbo Kunde during the year ended December 31, 2011. |
(c) | The Group purchased transportation services of approximately $2.8 million and $3.0 million from Ningbo Xinhe during each of the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, and amounts owed to Ningbo Xinhe as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 in respect of these purchase transactions was approximately $0.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively. |
(d) | Guarantees for Bank Loans |
Guarantee provided during | Bank Loans Guaranteed | |||||||||||||||
the year ended December 31 | as of December 31 | |||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||||||||
Mr. Tao | $ | - | $ | 12,397 | $ | - | $ | 34,628 | ||||||||
Jicun Wang and Sumei Chen | $ | 49,499 | $ | 30,992 | $ | 13,054 | $ | 1,984 | ||||||||
Ningbo Kewei | $ | - | $ | 34,091 | $ | - | $ | 29,700 | ||||||||
Ningbo Pacific | $ | - | $ | 65,083 | $ | 25,426 | $ | 27,918 | ||||||||
Ningbo Hengfa | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 14,796 | ||||||||
Shangdong Tengda | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 944 |
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Beginning in 2011, loan guarantee fees of 0.3% of the loan principal guaranteed are to be paid quarterly. In the year ended December 31, 2012, loan guarantee fees were approximately $0.1 million and $0.3 million for Ningbo Hengfa and Ningbo Pacific, respectively. In 2011, loan guarantee fees were approximately $0.3 million, $0.6 million and $0.4 million for Ningbo Hengfa, Ningbo Pacific and Ningbo Kewei, respectively.
(e) | Short-term financing transactions with related parties |
Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
From (i) | To(i) | Balance(ii) | From(i) | To(i) | Balance(ii) | |||||||||||||||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||||||||||||||
Shandong Tengda | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||||
Ningbo Kewei | - | - | - | 5,424 | (5,424 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
Ningbo Kunde | - | - | - | 5,424 | (5,424 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
Jiangdong Jihe | - | - | - | 2,456 | (2,341 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 13,303 | $ | (13,188 | ) | $ | - |
(i) Transactions during the year are translated at average exchange rates.
(ii) Balances at year end are translated at the balance sheet exchange rate.
(f) | Amounts due from related parties consist of amounts due from Mr. Tao for advances made for business expenses. These amounts are unsecured, interest free and due on demand. |
(g) | At December 31,2012 and 2011, amounts due to related parties consist of balances due to Ningbo Xinhe for services. |
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(B) Relationships and transactions with certain other parties
The group has the following relationships and transactions with certain other parties:
Name of parties | Relationship | |
Ningbo Litong Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Litong) | Former 12.75% nominee shareholder of Ningbo Keyuan through September 2011 | |
Ningbo Jiangdong Haikai Construction Materials Store (Jiangdong Haikai) | Controlled by cousin of Mr. Weifeng Xue, former Vice President of Accounting | |
Ningbo Jiangdong Deze Chemical Co., Ltd. (Jiangdong Deze) | Controlled by cousin of Mr. Weifeng Xue, former Vice President of Accounting | |
Ningbo Anqi Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Anqi) | Controlled by cousin of Mr. Weifeng Xue, former Vice President of Accounting | |
Ningbo Kewei Investment Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Kewei) | A related party through September 2011 when control transferred | |
Ningbo Kunde Petrochemical Co, Ltd. (Ningbo Kunde) | A related party through September 2011 when control transferred |
Transactions and amounts outstanding with these parties for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 are summarized as follows:
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||
Sales of products (h) | $ | 146,761 | $ | 29,637 | ||||
Purchase of raw material (i) | $ | 41,312 | $ | 20,254 | ||||
Credit line of guarantee for bank borrowings (j) | $ | 365,184 | $ | 81,137 | ||||
Loan guarantee fees (j) | $ | 1,411 | $ | 1,243 | ||||
Short-term financing from these parties (k) | $ | - | $ | 49,874 | ||||
Short-term financing to these parties (k) | $ | - | $ | 47,608 | ||||
Amounts due to these parties (l) | $ | - | $ | 2,741 | ||||
Amounts due from these parties (m) | $ | 28,028 | $ | - | ||||
Advances from these parties for sales (n) | $ | - | $ | 130 |
(h) | The Group sold finished products of approximately $46.6 million and $7.4 million to Ningbo Litong for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Group sold finished products of approximately $98.4 million and $22.2 million to Ningbo Kunde for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.The Group sold finished products for approximately $3.1 million to Ningbo Kewei for the year ended December 31, 2012, respectively. |
(i) | The Group purchased raw materials of approximately $26.0 million and $11.6 from Ningbo Litong and Ningbo Kunde during the year ended December 31, 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Group purchased raw materials of approximately $20.3 million from Ningbo Litong. Amounts payable to Ningbo Litong were nil and approximately $ 2.7 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Group purchased raw materials of approximately $3.7 million from Ningbo Kewei during the year ended December 31, 2012 |
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(j) | Guarantees for Bank Loans |
Guarantee provided | Bank Loans Guaranteed | |||||||||||||||
during the year ended December 31, | as of December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||
Ningbo Litong | $ | 103,805 | $ | 81,137 | $ | 30,710 | $ | 61,632 | ||||||||
Ningbo Kewei | $ | 261,379 | $ | - | $ | 122,651 | $ | - |
Beginning in January 2011, loan guarantee fees of approximately 0.3% of the loan principal guaranteed after January 2011 are to be paid quarterly. Guarantee fees paid to Ningbo Litong and Ningbo Kewei (as a certain other party) were approximately $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. Guarantee fees paid to Ningbo Litong and Ningbo Kewei were approximately $1.0 million and $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, respectively.
(k) | Short-term financing transactions |
Historically the Group and these parties have provided each other with short-term financing, typically in the form of cash, bills receivable and bills payable.
Short-term financing with these parties is as follows:
Year Ended December 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
From(i) | To(i) | Balance(ii) | From(i) | To(i) | Balance(ii) | |||||||||||||||||||
($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | ($’000) | |||||||||||||||||||
Ningbo Litong | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 36,366 | $ | (34,100 | ) | $ | - | |||||||||||
Jiangdong Haikai | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Jiangdong Deze | - | - | - | 2,634 | (2,634 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
Ningbo Anqi | - | - | - | 10,874 | (10,874 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 49,874 | $ | (47,608 | ) | $ | - |
(i) Transactions during the year are translated at average exchange rates.
(ii) Balances at year end are translated at the balance sheet exchange rate.
(l) | Amounts due to certain other parties were nil at December 31, 2012 and $2.7 million due to Litong at December 31, 2011. |
(m) | At December 31, 2012, amounts due from certain other parties consist of amounts due from Litong, Kunde and Kewei of $15.3 million, $3.7 million, and $9 million, respectively. |
(n) | Advances from certain other parties for sales is nil at December 31, 2012 and advance $0.1 million from Kunde at December 31, 2011. |
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2.1 | Share Exchange Agreement dated April 22, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
2.2 | Agreement and Plan of Merger (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2010) |
3.1 | Amended Articles of Incorporation of Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. (f/k/a Silver Pearls, Inc.), filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on December 29, 2010). |
3.2 | Articles of Merger (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2010) |
3.3 | Amended Bylaws of Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. dated June 29, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on July 7, 2010) |
4.1 | Certificate of Designation of Rights and Preferences of Series A Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
4.2 | Certificate of Designation of Rights and Preferences of Series M Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
4.3 | Certificate of Designation of Rights and Preference of Series B Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.1 | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.2 | Registration Rights Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.3 | Form of Securities Escrow Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.4 | Lock-up Agreement with Delight Reward Limited dated April 22, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.5 | Form of Series A Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.6 | Form of Series B Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.7 | Share Transfer Agreement between Brian Pak-Lun Mok and Chunfeng Tao, dated April 2, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.8 | Share Transfer Agreement between O. Wing Po and Jicun Wang, dated April 2, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.9 | Share Transfer Agreement between Lo Kan Kwan and Peijun Chen, dated April 2, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.10 | Share Transfer Agreement between Brian Pak-Lun Mok and Xin Yue, dated April 2, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.11 | Share Transfer Agreement between Brian Pak-Lun Mok and Xin Yue, dated April 2, 2010. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.12 | Employment Agreement by and between Chunfeng Tao and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated May 1, 2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.13 | Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement by and between Chunfeng Tao and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated May 1, 2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2010) |
10.14 | Employment Agreement by and between Jingtao Ma and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd.,, dated May 10,2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.15 | Employment Agreement by and between Weifeng Xue and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated May 10, 2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.16 | Employment Agreement by and between Mingliang Liu and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated February 2, 2009 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.17 | Employment Agreement by and between Shifa Wang and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated October 21,2009 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010).. |
10.18 | Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement by and between Shifa Wang and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated October 21, 2009 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.19 | Employment Agreement by and between Aichun Li and Silver Pearl Enterprises, Inc, dated May 7, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010).. |
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10.20 | Placement Agent Agreement by and between Tripoint Global Equities, LLC., and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated March 18, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.21 | Independent Director Agreement of Gerry Goldberg, dated July 1, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.22 | Independent Director Agreement of Michael Rosenberg, dated July 1, 2010(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.23 | Independent Director Agreement of Dishen Shen, dated July 1, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.24 | Amendment to Independent Director Agreement of Dishen Shen, dated September 30, 2011 Director Agreement of Yin Xue, dated July 1, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.25 | Land use right transfer agreement by and between Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc and Ningbo Municipal Bureau of National Land and Resources, dated August 18, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.26 | Land use right transfer agreement by and between Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc and Ningbo Municipal Bureau of National Land and Resources, dated August 18, 2010(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.27 | Land use right transfer agreement by and between Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc and Ningbo Municipal Bureau of National Land and Resources, dated August 18, 2010(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.28 | Land use right transfer agreement by and between Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc and Ningbo Municipal Bureau of National Land and Resources, dated August 18, 2010(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010) |
10.29 | Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement by and between Jingtao Ma and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated May 10, 2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.34 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.30 | Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement by and between Weifeng Xue and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated May 10, 2007 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.35 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.31 | Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement by and between Mingliang Liu and Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd., dated February 2, 2009 (English translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.36 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on November 3, 2010). |
10.32 | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of September 28, 2010 by and among the Company and the investors in September 2010 private placement (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.33 | Form of Registration Rights Agreement dated as of September 28, 2010 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.34 | Form of Securities Escrow Agreement dated as September 28, 2010 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.3 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.35 | Form of Lock-up Agreement dated as of September 28, 2010 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.4 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.36 | Form of Voting Agreement dated as of September 28, 2010 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.5 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.37 | Form of Series C Warrant (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.6 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.38 | Form of Series D Warrants (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.7 of the Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on September 30, 2010) |
10.39 | Employment Agreement dated as of May 23, 2011 by and among Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Fan Zhang (English Translation) (incorporated by references at to Exhibit 10.39 of the Registrant’s Form 10-K filed on April 13, 2012). |
10.40 | Translation copy of Right pledge contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Agriculture bank of China co.ltd beilun economic zone branch dated November 29, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.40 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.41 | Translation copy of Maximum Guarantee Agreement by and between Litong Petrochemical Co.ltd Ningbo and Bank of Shanghai, Ningbo branch dated November 28, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.41 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.42 | Translation copy of pledge contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and China Merchants Bank,Ningbo branch dated December 19, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.42 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.43 | Translation copy of right pledge contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and China Construction bank stock co.ltd Ningbo Beilun Branch dated November 15, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.43 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.44 | Translation copy of Trust receipt loan contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and China Construction bank stock co.ltd Ningbo Beilun Branch dated November 15, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.44 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.45 | Translation copy of General agreement on Maximum amount of Import and Export Financing by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Bank of Ningbo co.ltd, Baizhang branch (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.45 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.46 | Translation copy of Right pledge contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Shanghai Pudong development Bank, Ningbo Ximen Branch dated December 21, 2012 (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.46 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.47 | Translation copy of The Maximum Mortgage contract of Rights to Maritime Space by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Shanghai Pudong development Bank, Ningbo Ximen Branch (incorporated by reference as to the Exhibit 10.47 of the Registrant’s Form S-1 filed on June 5, 2013) |
10.48 | Form of Fuel Oil Purchase and Sale Contract by and between Ningbo Keyuan Plastics Co., Ltd and Mercuria Energy Trading PTE Ltd. (Filed herewith.) |
31.1 | Certifications of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (Filed herewith.) |
31.2 | Certifications of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (Filed herewith.) |
32.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (Filed herewith.) |
32.2 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (Filed herewith.) |
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Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: August 29, 2013
Keyuan Petrochemicals, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Chunfeng Tao | ||
Chunfeng Tao CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | |||
By: | /s/Fan Zhang | ||
Fan Zhang | |||
Vice Preident of Accounting / Acting Chief Financial Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Chunfeng Tao | Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director | August 29, 2013 | ||
Chunfeng Tao | ||||
/s/Fan Zhang | Vice President of Accounting/ Acting Chief Financial Officer | August 29, 2013 | ||
Fan Zhang | ||||
/s/Yuxin Xiang | Director, Audit Committee Chairman and Compensation Committee Chairman | August 29, 2013 | ||
Yuxin Xiang | ||||
/s/ Dishen Shen | Director | August 29, 2013 | ||
Dishen Shen | ||||
/s/Xin Yue | Director | August 29, 2013 | ||
Xin Yue |
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