Aluminum Extrusions First-quarter sales in Aluminum Extrusions were flat at $84.5 million while operating profit excluding unusual items declined to $1.2 million, down 78% from $5.4 million in 2002. Volume for the quarter was 54 million pounds, down 4% from 56 million pounds in 2002. The company said industry conditions have yet to show signs of recovery, making it increasingly difficult to operate efficiently at low volume levels. Significantly higher energy and insurance costs were also major factors in the profit decline. The company said it is exploring all opportunities to make substantial reductions in its cost structure and improve near-term performance. First-quarter capital expenditures were $2.8 million and are expected to be approximately $15 million for the year. THERICS The first-quarter operating loss at Therics excluding unusual items was $3.3 million compared to a loss of $3.7 million in 2002. Tredegar has suspended efforts to sell Therics pending a reassessment of strategic options. Thomas S. Stribling has joined Therics as president. Stribling has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare field. He has served in chief executive and other senior management roles at a variety of companies, including turnarounds and other situations that resulted in successful sales to larger pharmaceutical companies. James E. Wavle, Jr., Therics’ former president, has retired and continues to serve as a consultant to the company. On March 26, Therics received FDA clearance to market TheriRidge™, a bone graft substitute for use in the surgical restoration of the jaw and other oral defects. On March 31, the subsidiary filed for FDA clearance of a new bone void filler for use in orthopedic applications. Scher said: “Our efforts to divest Therics have been unsuccessful, but we continue to make good progress in developing its technology, and we’re beginning to attract interest from potential marketing partners. Over the next few months, Therics will focus on eliminating operating losses by generating near-term revenues and reducing costs. We expect to provide an update on the status of our strategic review when we report third-quarter earnings. Our ultimate goal of realizing value from this unique manufacturing technology has not changed.” TREDEGAR INVESTMENTS On March 7, the company announced that Tredegar Investments had reached definitive agreements to sell substantially all of its venture capital investment portfolio. The divestitures were completed by April 17. The company expects to receive approximately $75 million in cash after taxes, including a tax refund of $54.4 million in mid-2004 related to the carry-back of 2003 capital losses against gains generated by the portfolio in 2000. Results for Tredegar Investments are reported as discontinued operations.
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