08:09 Jun 19, 2013  

Kesoram Industries Ltd

HSL Code: KESIND   |   BSE Code: 502937  |   NSE Symbol: KESORAMIND  |   ISIN: INE087A01019
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KESORAM INDUSTRIES LIMITED

ANNUAL REPORT 2011-2012

DIRECTOR`S REPORT

The  Board  presents  its  Ninety-third  Annual  Report  and  the   Audited 
Statements of Accounts of the Company for the year ended 31st March, 2012.

FINANCIAL RESULTS                                                Rs./crore
Particulars                                      31st March,   31st March,
                                                        2012          2011

Total Revenue                                        6004.86       5559.49

Total Expenses                                       6018.78       5175.69

Profit/(Loss) before interest, depreciation, 
tax and amortisation ["EBIDTA"]                      (13.92)        383.80

Less:

Depreciation and Amortisation Expenses                297.40        272.58
(Net of transfer from Revaluation Reserve)

Finance Costs                                         410.15        263.57

Exceptional item - Income                            (11.22)           Nil

Tax Expenses - Net                                  (330.51)         57.86

                                                      365.82        594.01

Loss for the year                                     379.74        210.21

Balance at the beginning of the year                  948.51       1126.75

Add: Loss for the year                              (379.74)      (210.21)

Amount transferred from Debenture 
Redemption Reserve (Net)                               65.00         61.25

Amount available for appropriation                    633.77        977.79

Appropriations:

(i) Proposed Dividend                                   4.57         14.87
(ii) Tax on Proposed Dividend                           0.74          2.41
(iii) Interim Dividend                                     -         10.29
(iv) Tax on Interim Dividend                               -          1.71
(v) Balance Carried Forward                           628.46        948.51

                                                      633.77        977.79

DIVIDEND

The  Board  recommends a dividend of  Rs.1 (Rupee One  only)  per  Ordinary 
Share of  Rs. 10 in respect of the year under review as against a  dividend 
of Rs.5.50 per Ordinary Share of  Rs. 10 in respect of the previous year.

GENERAL REVIEW

Total  Revenues  of the Company during the year under review  increased  by 
about  8%  to   Rs. 6005 Crore. Both major businesses,  Tyres  and  Cement, 
recorded   revenue   growth.  Operating  margins,   however,   came   under 
considerable  pressure  owing to spiralling input costs.  These,  in  turn, 
impacted  financing  costs, which too showed a steep  increase  during  the 
year.

Brief  commentaries on the performance of the Tyres, Cement and  the  Rayon 
businesses are appended: 

Tyres

The year under review was pervaded by several challenges making it  perhaps 
the Tyre Business`s most difficult year since inception.

Revenues  grew  by 9% to  Rs. 3922 Crore. However, inordinate  pressure  on 
margins   forced   the   Business`s  EBIDTA   to   decline   significantly. 
Consequently, negative EBIDTA stood at  Rs. 428 crore during the year under 
review  as compared to a negative EBIDTA of  Rs. 15 crore in  the  previous 
year.

Margin pressure was exerted on the Business during the year as a result  of 
sharp  volatility in raw material prices and energy costs. Although  prices 
of  finished  products  (i.e. Tyres) moved up,  these  increases  were  not 
entirely  commensurate  with  the higher input  costs.  Moreover,  given  a 
stagnant  demand situation, price enhancements and productivity gains  that 
the  Business strived for during the year were insufficient to  offset  the 
sharp increases in input costs.

The  Tyre  Business  focusses  essentially  on  the  Truck  and  Bus   Tyre 
categories.  This market remained flat during the year. The  previous  year 
had seen a 23% increase in industry wide production of Truck and Bus  Tyres 
from 12.8 Million in 2009-10 to 15.6 Million in 2010-11. During 2011-12, on 
the other hand, this category rose by only 2.5% to 16.1 Million. In view of 
the  stagnant  demand during 2011-12, sales to the  profitable  replacement 
market segment also remained flat.

To stem the decline, the Tyre Business put in place several key initiatives 
during  the second half of the year under review. The more  significant  of 
these were as follows :

* calibrated changes were made to the sales mix so as to increase sales  of 
the  more  profitable products. For instance, increased focus  was  put  on 
marketing of two and three wheeler tyres.

*  a  number of measures were taken for raising productivity  on  the  shop 
floor as well as in product development.

*  the  Passenger  Car  Radial Tyre Project at  Balasore  with  a  per  day 
production of 80MT is currently under implementation.

*  the Business continues its focus on quality and has the  distinction  of 
being certified for ISO 9001, TS-16949, ISO 14001, SA-8000, OSHAS-18001 and 
TPM.

A  new management team has been in place beginning the second half  of  the 
year  under review. This team is aggressively spearheading EBIDTA  positive 
initiatives  and will take ownership for the structural changes  that  such 
measures would bring in their wake.

The  first signs of these initiatives bearing fruit have showed through  in 
the  fourth  quarter of the year under review with  EBIDTA  margins  rising 
almost 4% as the table below shows :

Particulars   April, 2011 to  July, 2011 to  October, 2011 to January,2012-
               June, 2011    September,2011   December, 2011   March, 2012

Sales 
(Rs./crore)       1057             820              1071           974 

EBIDTA 
(Rs./crore)        -80            -127              -135           -86

EBIDTA 
Margin%           -7.6           -15.5             -12.6          -8.8

Going forward, EBIDTA margins are expected to improve further and the  Tyre 
Business looks to the future with confidence.

The  Auditors,  in  their Report, have referred to the need  for  the  Tyre 
Business  to  improve its internal control systems. The Board  states  that 
several  effective  measures  have been taken during the  year  to  further 
strengthen  internal controls in this Business and fully address  over-ride 
related  issues. These include an eventual roll out of  Standard  Operating 
Procedures  across  the  Business and finally  amalgamating  these  with  a 
structured ERP system.

Cement

Production  during  the  year under review as compared  with  that  of  the 
previous year was as follows:

                                                                (lakh/MT)
                  Vasavadatta          Kesoram               Total
               2011-12  2010-11   2011-12   2010-11   2011-12   2010-11

Clinker          31.74    39.21      8.20      8.94     39.94     48.15
Cement           38.83    42.78     10.74     11.50     49.57     54.28

A  number of factors combined to contribute to the lower production  during 
the year viz slowdown in the housing and infrastructure sector, substantial 
capacity additions in the recent past, the prolonged monsoon and  generally 
tight  liquidity conditions in the economy. These constraints were  further 
exacerbated  by  the innate volatility in input costs and  major  logistics 
issues,  particularly  the  shortage  of  railway  wagons  for   evacuating 
production.  To partially overcome the logistics related  impediments,  the 
Business  has begun setting up packing facilities near its key markets  and 
entered into contract manufacturing.

Financially,  the  Business continued to be intrinsically  profitable  with 
EBIDTA  at  Rs. 543 crore during the year under review as against  Rs.  376 
crore  in the previous year. Superior product mix, established  brand  name 
and  initiation  of  strategic marketing policies  combined  to  make  this 
possible.

The Cement Business considers captive power generation to be a major thrust 
area. During the year under review, both plants met virtually their  entire 
power  requirements from captive generation. Additionally, some  power  was 
sold  to  the  local grid. The Vasavadatta Cement  Plant  is  preparing  to 
commission  its  fifth  captive power unit during  the  current  year.  Co-
incineration  of  materials, like used tyres,  municipal  and  agricultural 
waste etc. will also be taken up during the current year. This will help in 
further  reducing  coal  consumption  for  generating  captive  power.  The 
petition challenging the vires of imposition of duty @ 25 paise per unit on 
captive  power  generation  by  the  State  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh 
continues to be pending before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.

The  Cement  Business`s prospects for the current  year  are  satisfactory. 
Barring unforeseen circumstances, EBIDTA is expected to improve further.

As  is  usual for a mature business, the Cement Business continued  to  win 
awards and accolades during the year. Two significant awards have been  the 
National  Award for Mines Safety and the Karnataka State Pollution  Control 
Board`s Environmental Excellence Award.

Rayon

Revenues  from the Rayon Business during the year under review at  Rs.  283 
crore  was  marginally  higher than that of  the  previous  year.  However, 
performance was impacted by a number of adverse factors including:

*  significant  softening of fibre prices in view of the sharp  decline  in 
cotton prices.

* high imports from China resulted in flattened demand and lower prices  of 
viscose filament yarn ("VFY") produced domestically.

* high industry inventories of VFY What was 11 days in March, 2011 went  up 
to 28 days in March, 2012.

A difficult situation was aggravated further by margin pressure  consequent 
upon  steep  rise  in cost of inputs. Particularly  severe  was  the  sharp 
increase  in the prices of coal and the consistent weakening of  the  Rupee 
against the US Dollar.

The Business signed a satisfactory wage settlement with its workmen  during 
the  year  under  review.  The  settlement  has  removed  several   working 
constraints faced by the manufacturing facility.

The  Business is working strongly to further widen its market reach  during 
the  current  year,  a measure that will considerably  improve  unit  price 
realisations.  This  is  being combined  with  significant  improvement  in 
quality standards to include fine denier material. It has also  represented 
to the authorities for levying anti-dumping duty on cheap imports.

Spun Pipes and Heavy Chemicals

Kesoram Spun Pipes and Foundries and Hindusthan Heavy Chemicals  facilities 
continued  to  be  under suspension of work since 2nd  May,  2008  and  8th 
December,  2010 respectively. Barricades put up by a section of workmen  do 
not  permit  ingress/egress to or from these facilities. In  view  of  this 
position,  finished  goods  and other materials could not  be  accessed  at 
either facility. This situation also explains the reference by the Auditors 
in their Report to the Company`s inability to conduct physical verification 
of fixed assets and inventories at these locations.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Company is committed to the fulfillment of its social responsibility to 
society  in general and those living in the vicinity of its  facilities  in 
particular. It regards this as a thrust activity area.

Numerous welfare programmes designed to cater to the needs of the  populace 
around  its  facilities  were undertaken during the year. A  few  such  key 
initiatives were as follows :

*  medical camps including conducting comprehensive health checks on  local 
villagers;

*   installation   of  facilities  for  water   purification   to   improve 
accessibility to potable water ;

* provision of street lights on certain arterial roads in adopted villages;

* training villagers in water conservation methodologies ;

* animal husbandry camps including setting up of model dairy farms;

* participation in the Government mid day meal schemes through  procurement 
and distribution of utensils;

* arrangements for mass weddings;

* afforestation programmes ;

*  imparting  of vocational training spanning sections  of  the  population 
around  most  facilities of the Company. These programmes  are  enabling  a 
large  number  of  unemployed  or  underemployed  beneficiaries   transform 
themselves  into self respecting earning family members. Tailoring,  stitch 
craft  and  needlework training, imparting computer  literacy,  pickle  and 
papad   making,  feature  prominently  amongst  the   vocational   training 
initiatives taken.

Going  forward, welfare programmes will be further accelerated  to  benefit 
larger sections of the community.

In  the urban areas, the Company has begun working closely with  the  local 
traffic  police to promote road safety. With this in mind, it has taken  up 
several  activities  in the public domain to enable mould  the  mindset  of 
young adults to the need for scrupulously observing road safety norms.

DIRECTORS` RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Pursuant  to  Section 217(2AA) of the Companies Act, 1956 and,  based  upon 
representations  from  the  management,  the Board,  to  the  best  of  its 
knowledge and belief, confirms that:

*  in  the  preparation  of  the  Annual  Accounts,  applicable  Accounting 
Standards have been followed and there are no material depatures ;

*  it has selected such Accounting Policies and applied  them  consistently 
and  made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as  to 
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st 
March, 2012 and of the loss of the Company for the Financial Year ended  on 
that date;

* proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequate 
accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Companies  Act, 
1956  for  safeguarding the assets of the Company and  for  preventing  and 
detecting fraud and other irregularities; and

* the annual accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.

MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

A  Management  Discussion & Analysis and a Report on  Corporate  Governance 
together with the corresponding Compliance Certificate are attached as part 
of this Annual Report.

DIRECTORS

Shri  Vinay Sah joined the Board during the year under review as a  nominee 
of  the Life Insurance Corporation of India. He replaced Shri G. B.  Pande, 
who resigned during the previous year. Shri Sah was appointed an Additional 
Director under Section 260 of the Companies Act, 1956 to hold office up  to 
the date of the forthcoming Annual General Meeting and being eligible,  has 
offered himself for re-appointment.

The Board expresses its profound sorrow at the sad demise on 20th February, 
2012  of B. P. Bajoria, colleague and an eminent Industrialist. He  was  on 
the  Board  for nearly three decades and his contributions to  the  Board`s 
deliberations were always distinctive. The Board places on record its  deep 
appreciation  of his sagacious advice and wise counsel during  his  tenure. 
Shri Kashi Prasad Khandelwal joined the Board, effective 10th April,  2012, 
in the casual vacancy caused by his demise. B P Bajoria would have, in  the 
normal  course,  retired  by rotation at  the  forthcoming  Annual  General 
Meeting. Shri Khandelwal, being eligible, has therefore offered himself for 
re-appointment.

Shri  K  C Jain`s appointment as a Whole-time Director  was  determined  by 
mutual consent as at the close of business hours on 31st March, 2012.  Shri 
Jain has been re-appointed a Whole-time Director effective 1st April,  2012 
on  revised  remuneration. An appropriate Resolution has,  therefore,  been 
proposed  in the Notice convening the Ninety-third Annual  General  Meeting 
for approval of Shri Jain`s re-appointment and remuneration.

Smt.  Manjushree  Khaitan retires by rotation and, being  eligible,  offers 
herself for re-appointment. 

AUDITORS

Price  Waterhouse, Chartered Accountants, ("PW") Auditors of  the  Company, 
retire  at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting and offer themselves  for 
re-appointment. The Company has received the requisite Certificate pursuant 
to  Section 224(1B) of the Companies Act, 1956. PW has also confirmed  that 
it  complies with the ongoing cycle of the peer review process as  required 
under the Regulations of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

AUDITOR`S REPORT

In response to the Auditor`s observations in their Report, the Board wishes 
to state as follows :

* Paragraph 4(a) and Paragraph 21 of the Annexure to the Report:

-  Note  No.31 of the Financial Statements is self explanatory and  do  not 
call for any further comment.

* Paragraph 4(b):

-  As  stated in Note No.24 of the Financial Statements, it  is  reiterated 
that the principles of prudence have been duly considered by the Company in 
recognising the income referred to by the Auditors in their Report.

COST AUDIT

As  per  directives  of the Central Government under Section  233B  of  the 
Companies  Act, 1956, the Company has appointed qualified Cost Auditors  to 
conduct  compliance  reporting and cost audit on such of  its  products  in 
which audit has been ordered by the Central Government.

PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES

The  information required under Section 217(2A) of the Companies Act,  1956 
read  together with the Companies (Particulars of Employees)  Rules,  1975, 
forms a part of this Report. However, based upon the provisions of  Section 
219(1)(b)(iv) of the Act, the Report and Accounts that are being circulated 
to  Members do not include the Statement of Particulars of Employees  under 
Section 217(2A). Any Member interested in obtaining a copy may write to the 
Company  Secretary  at  the Registered Office and a copy  thereof  will  be 
forwarded by post.

CONSERVATION  OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION, FOREIGN  EXCHANGE  EARNINGS 
AND OUTGO

A  Statement  containing the information, as required under  the  Companies 
(Disclosure  of  Particulars in the Report of Board  of  Directors)  Rules, 
1988, is annexed.

APPRECIATION

The Board gratefully acknowledges the understanding and support received by 
the Company from its employees. It also places on record its deep gratitude 
for  the  unstinted  support  the Company  has  received  from  the  Banks, 
Institutions, the Central Government, the various State Governments and the 
local authorities during the year.

Specific acknowledgement is also made for the confidence and  understanding 
shown by the Members in the Company.

                                                  B.K. Birla   
                                                  Chairman

                                                  K.G. Maheshwari 
                                                  P.K. Choksey 
                                                  Amitabha Ghosh 
K.C. Jain                                         P.K. Mallik 
Whole-time Director                               Manjushree Khaitan
                                                  Vinay Sah
Place: Kolkata           Gautam Ganguli           K.P. Khandelwal
Date : 28th April, 2012  Company Secretary        Director

MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Industry Structure and Developments 

Tyre

The Indian Tyre Industry is dominated by five major Indian manufacturers  - 
Apollo  Tyres,  Birla Tyres, Ceat Tyres, JK Tyres and MRF  -  who  together 
account  for  more  than 85% of the industry  turnover.  The  major  market 
segments  of  business are replacement, institutional  (Original  Equipment 
Manufacturers-  ["OEM"] and State Transport Undertakings) and  exports.  In 
terms of products, the market is split into two broad segments - Commercial 
Vehicle  Tyres (trucks & buses, light commercial vehicles, agriculture  and 
specialty  vehicles)  and  Personal Vehicle Tyres  (car,  SUV,  motorcycle, 
scooter and moped).

Commercial vehicle tyres continue to constitute the largest segment of  the 
Indian  market. A few years back, these tyres constituted more than 80%  of 
the market. Over the last few years, however, the Indian passenger  vehicle 
industry (cars as well as two wheelers) has grown at a pace that  outstrips 
growth  of commercial vehicle sales, driven by greater disposable  incomes, 
the  rising aspirations of a burgeoning middle class, and the  presence  of 
almost every international vehicle manufacturer in India. Growing passenger 
vehicle sales in the country has meant the proportion of commercial vehicle 
tyres  in  the total tyre industry has dropped to a little  more  than  60% 
today.

A key trend in the Indian market is the shift away from the old  technology 
cross-ply  tyres  to radials. While radialisation is greater  than  95%  in 
passenger  vehicles  today, in commercial vehicle tyres it is  still  below 
25%.  This is, however, picking up and India should soon catch up with  the 
world  on  this  parameter. Growing preference for  radials  by  fleets  on 
account of their better performance, increasing fitment of radials by  OEMs 
and massive investments in increasing capacities for truck and bus  radials 
by  industry players seems to be driving this change. Radialisation in  the 
truck and bus segment is forecast to cross 40% in the next few years.

The  automotive  market  has a direct correlation with the  growth  of  the 
Indian  economy. The deceleration in the Indian economy has had a  negative 
impact on the automotive industry as a whole. Declining growth of  economic 
activity slows the demand for commercial vehicles something that is evident 
in  India  today.  Consequently, the overall domestic truck  and  bus  tyre 
market  also  saw stagnation in 2011-12 as compared to the  previous  year, 
which had seen a growth of over 20%.Sales of passenger vehicles suffered  a 
mid-year  slump resulting in lower offtake of tyres by  OEMs.  Nonetheless, 
towards the end of the Financial Year 2011-12, indications were that  sales 
were beginning to look up once again.

On the cost front, volatility in raw material prices, especially of natural 
rubber,  has been a major factor impacting the fortunes of the Indian  Tyre 
Industry  in  the previous year. Volatile raw material prices  continue  to 
pose the biggest risk for the tyre business.

Cement

China  continues  to  be the world`s largest cement  producer  followed  by 
India.  India  has  the facilities and technology to  produce  world  class 
cement.

The  cement industry in India is estimated to have recorded a growth of  6% 
during  the  Financial Year 2011-12 as against a growth of  5%  during  the 
previous  year.  This was achieved despite a perceptible slow down  in  the 
housing and infrastructure space, the major cement consumer.

Cement  capacity utilisation in India during the Financial Year 2011-12  is 
estimated  to have been around 75%. New capacities are  being  continuously 
added  much ahead of the increase in demand. Such additions have tended  to 
impact higher capacity utilisations.

The  capacity  utilisation  in the country`s  Southern  Region,  where  the 
Company`s  cement  plants are located, is estimated to have been  only  61% 
during the Financial Year 2011-12 as against 65% during the previous  year. 
Moreover,  a  de-growth of 3% in the consumption of cement is  reported  to 
have been also recorded in this Region during Financial Year 2011-12.

Rayon

The  demand  for Viscose Filament Yarn (VFY) was subdued  during  Financial 
Year  2011-12 owing to severe competition from other competing fibres.  The 
inventory  of  the  industry increased substantially  as  compared  to  the 
previous  year. Consequently, the unit price realisations for the  industry 
as a whole came under intense pressure.

Opportunities, Threats, Risks and Concerns

Tyre

Although  growth might have temporarily slowed, the trend rate  of  India`s 
economic  growth  remains  intact at a healthy level.  This,  coupled  with 
increased  investments  in  infrastructure  should  result  in  a   rapidly 
expanding   automotive  market  in  India,  and  provide  numerous   growth 
opportunities  for the tyre business. In the near term, however,  there  is 
some  concern whether the automotive segment would grow as aggressively  as 
in the past owing to a slowing economy.

Increased  competition  from global majors like Michelin,  Bridgestone  and 
Continental  who are putting up or expanding capacities could emerge  as  a 
challenge for domestic manufacturers.

The  industry`s large installed capacities in commercial vehicle cross  ply 
tyres at a time of advancing radialisation could be another concern.

Cement

The  cement  industry has been augmenting capacity progressively  over  the 
years. Cement production is reported to have already surpassed the Eleventh 
Five  Year  Plan target. The Central Government has now  set  a  production 
target of 479 Million Tonnes of cement by the end of the Twelfth Five  Year 
Plan  i.e.  2017.  There is therefore hope of  increased  spending  by  the 
Government on infrastructure.

Power is a major input for cement. Much of the power output in India  today 
is  thermal. Quality Power output quality is dependent critically  on  coal 
availability and its pricing. There is some concern in the industry on both 
issues. As a controlled commodity, coal is not always readily available  in 
quantities  that  the  industry would like it to  be  made  available.  For 
instance, coal quantities under the linkage system is frequently subject to 
uncertainty.  Consequently, the industry has to either purchase  coal  from 
the  open market through e-auctions or alternatively import the  commodity. 
These  have  to  be  done at prices that  are  not  always  economical.  In 
addition,  logistics  constraints like, for instance,  non-availability  of 
railway  wagons for evacuating the cement produced and for inward  movement 
of raw materials are a concern.

Rayon

Spiralling input costs, stiff competition from China, substitution of rayon 
by  cheaper fibres are concerns. In an environment of increasing costs  and 
subdued demand, the recent increase of excise duty on rayon products in the 
Union Budget could prove to be another dampener.

Outlook Tyre

Despite  concerns of a slowing economy in the near term and the  consequent 
impact on the automotive sector, the overall outlook for the tyre  industry 
is  positive.  Infrastructure investments in roads, growing income  of  the 
country`s  middle  class, increasing mechanisation of agriculture  and  the 
continued  ready availability of loan finance for vehicles will act  as  an 
impetus to tyre sales.

Cement

The  near term outlook is expected to be bright. This country`s per  capita 
cement  consumption is only about 180 kg. against the world average of  447 
kg. . Moreover, infrastructure growth in the country is still considered to 
be in a state of infancy. It is a given that infrastructure growth will  be 
dependent  on  sufficient  availability of cement and  this  will  in  turn 
further boost cement demand in the country.

Rayon

The  demand for VFY is likely to improve due to expected change in  fashion 
trends  leading to increased consumption of VFY value added  products.  The 
price of pulp, a major raw material, is also likely to reduce.

Internal Control System and their adequacy

The Company has robust internal control systems and continues to seek  ways 
to  further  strengthen  these.  The functioning  of  the  control  systems 
operating in the Company are reviewed and reassessed by the management on a 
continuous basis to ensure their efficacy. During the Financial Year  2011-
12,  for  instance,  several measures were initiated  to  further  tone  up 
control systems in the tyre business. These include an eventual roll out of 
Standard  Operating Procedures and finally amalgamating these with  an  ERP 
system.

The Company as a whole had 16,695 persons on its rolls as on 31.03.2012. 

Caution Statement

Statements in this report on Management Discussion and Analysis  describing 
the   Company`s   objectives,  projections,  estimates,   expectations   or 
predictions  may  be  forward  looking statements  within  the  meaning  of 
applicable  laws  or  regulations. These statements are  based  on  certain 
assumptions  and  reasonable expectation of future events.  Actual  results 
could,  however,  differ  materially  from  those  expressed  or   implied. 
Important factors that could make a difference to the Company`s  operations 
include  global  and  domestic  demand-supply  conditions,  finished  goods 
prices,   raw  materials  cost  &  availability,  changes   in   Government 
regulations  and tax structure, economic developments within India and  the 
countries  with which the Company has business contacts and  other  factors 
such as litigation and industrial relations.

Thus, the Company should and need not be held responsible, if, which is not 
unlikely, the future turns out to be something quite different. Subject  to 
this management disclaimer, this discussion and analysis should be perused.


                                                  B.K. Birla   
                                                  Chairman

                                                  K.G. Maheshwari 
                                                  P.K. Choksey 
                                                  Amitabha Ghosh 
                         K.C. Jain                P.K. Mallik 
                         Whole-time Director      Manjushree Khaitan
                                                  Vinay Sah
Place: Kolkata           Gautam Ganguli           K.P. Khandelwal
Date : 28th April, 2012  Company Secretary        Director

INFORMATION  AS  REQUIRED  UNDER  SECTION  217(1)(e)  READ  WITH  COMPANIES 
(DISCLOSURE OF PARTICULARS IN RESPECT OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS) RULES, 1988

I. CONSERVATION OF ENERGY:

(a) Energy conservation measures taken:

i) Installation of energy efficient pumps.

ii) Installation of VFD motors at various locations.

iii)  Redesigning  of  chilled  water systems to  make  these  more  energy 
efficient.

(b)  Additional  investment  proposals,  if  any,  being  implemented   for 
reduction of consumption of energy:

i) Replacement of sodium vapour lights by LEDs.

ii) Increased use of VFD motors in identified areas.

iii) Redesigning of hot and cold water operating systems.

iv) Energy audit of manufacturing operations.

(c)  Impact  of  measures  at  (a) & (b)  above  for  reduction  of  energy 
consumption and consequent impact on the cost of production of goods:

There  has been a reduction in the consumption of coal and electricity  per 
unit of production in certain business areas.

(d) Total energy consumption and energy consumption per unit of  production 
as per Form "A" is appended.

FORM `A`

FORM FOR DISCLOSURE OF PARTICULARS WITH RESPECT TO CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

(A) Power and Fuel Consumption                Current Year   Previous Year

(1) Electricity

(a) Purchased Units (in lac)                       1112.57         1419.95
Total Amount (Rs./crore)                             58.26           68.99
Rate/Unit (Rs.)                                       5.24            4.86

(b) Own Generation

(i) Through Diesel Generator

Units (in lac)                                       44.41          107.21
Units per Ltr. of diesel oil                          3.52            3.54
Cost/Unit (Rs)                                       10.07            9.41

(ii) Through Steam Turbine/ Generator

Units (in lac)                                     6216.59         7160.01
Unit per Kg. of Coal                                  1.00            1.01
Cost/Unit (Rs.)                                       3.86            2.95

(2) Coal (Grade B, C, D, E, F, Steam/                14.55           17.16
Slack, ROM, Lignite and Grade-A
Steam Coal used in Boiler Houses, 
calcining of raw meals, firing of 
Kiln and gas plant)
Quantity (MT/lac)

Total Cost (Rs./crore)                              671.01          581.09

Average Rate/MT (Rs.)                              4613.28         3385.97

(3) Furnace Oil

Quantity (K.Ltrs.)                                  772.07         3016.09
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                3.31            9.27
Average Rate/Ltr. (Rs.)                              42.92           30.73

(4) Others

i) HSD Oil

Quantity (K.Ltrs.)                                  274.02          291.72
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                1.05            1.03
Rate/Ltr. (Rs.)                                      38.45           35.44

ii) Gas

Quantity (MT/lac)                                     .027            .026
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                               15.83           12.92
Rate/Ltr. (Rs.)                                      57.24           50.47

iii) Diesel Oil

Quantity (K.Ltrs.)                                 1255.94         3000.78
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                4.45            9.97
Rate/Ltr. (Rs.)                                      35.46           33.21

iv) Bagasse

Quantity (MT/lac)                                     0.02               -
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                0.47               -
Rate/Kg. (Rs.)                                        2.15               -

v) Wood Chip

Quantity (MT/lac)                                     0.01               -
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                0.16               -
Rate/Kg. (Rs.)                                        1.83               -

vi) Rice Husk

Quantity (MT)                                       167.00               -
Total Cost (Rs./crore)                                0.08               -
Rate/Kg. (Rs.)                                        4.64               -

(B) Consumption per Unit of Production   

                         Production     Standards    Current      Previous
                         Unit           if any          Year          Year

1. Electricity (kwh)

Vis. Filament Rayon Yarn M.T.           -               4257      4188

(b) Transparent Paper
(Cellulose Film)         M.T.           -               2079      2167 (a)

Sulphuric Acid           M.T.           -                 41        40 (b)

Caustic Soda             M.T.           -                 -       3903

Purified Hydrogen Gas    M3             -                 -       0.42

Sodium Hypochloride      M.T.           -                 -         45

Carbon-di-Sulphide       M.T.           -              1077       1071 (c)

Sodium Sulphate          M.T.           -               105         97 (b)

Sodium Sulphide          M.T.           -               285        285

Cement                   M.T.           -                77         79 (a)

Tyres, Tubes & Flaps     M.T.           -              1328       1180 (f)

2. Coal

Vis. Filament Rayon Yarn M.T.           -              4.13       3.95 (d)

Transparent Paper
(Cellulose Film)         M.T.           -              7.18       6.94 (d)

Carbon-di-Sulphide       M.T.           -              0.49       0.35 (d)

Sodium Sulphate          M.T.           -              0.46       0.45 (d)

Cement                   M.T.           -              0.13       0.15 (a)

Tyres, Tubes & Flaps     M.T.           -              1.13       0.97 (f)

3. Furnace Oil

Tyres, Tubes & Flaps     K.L.           -             0.005      0.016 (e)

4. Others

i) Gas

Tyres, Tubes & Flaps     M.T.           -             0.017      0.014 (f)

Reasons of variation:

(a) energy conservation measures taken.
(b) lower production.
(c) difference considered normal.
(d) inferior quality of coal.
(e) lesser use.
(f) due to variety in product mix.

Note: Previous year`s figures have been re-arranged, where necessary.

II. TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION:

Efforts made in technology absorption disclosed as per Form B appended.

FORM `B`

1. Research & Development (R&D)

(a)  Specific areas in which R&D carried out:

Viscose preheating to control ripening index. Reduction of agitation  speed 
in  viscose tanks and trial of polycarbonate funnels in spinning  machines. 
Increased  utilisation of fly ash in PPC production and grinding aids  used 
to increase output of Cement. Development of truck radial (tubeless)  tyres 
and  new  products in the existing range of truck radial  and  two  wheeler 
tyres.

(b) Benefits derived as a result of above R&D:

Improved yarn quality by reducing broken filaments. Improvement in  quality 
of Cement.

(c) Future Plan of Action:

Modifications  in  textile machines and tensioner  adjustment  for  uniform 
tension  and oil pick up. Installation of Waste Heat Recovery  Systems  and 
utilisation of alternative fuels for Kiln. Introduction of passenger radial 
tyres,  two wheeler (tubeless) tyres. Development of cost  effective  truck 
radial tyres specially for export markets.

d) Expenditure on R&D         (Rs./crore)

(i) Capital                        0.82
(ii) Recurring                     2.74
(iii) Total                        3.56

(iv) Total R&D expenditure as a percentage of total turnover:

The  Cement  Business has incurred the above expenditure. In  addition,   a 
Cess  @   Rs.  0.75  per  tonne of cement  despatched  is  payable  to  the 
Development  Commissioner for Cement Industry, Government of India, who  in 
turn  financially  assists  the  National  Council  of  Cement  &  Building 
Materials  to  carry out Research & Development Programmes for  the  Cement 
Industry.  During  the Financial Year 2011-12, the Company paid   Rs.  0.37 
crore on this account.

2. Technology Absorption, Adaptation and Innovation

(a)  Efforts, in brief, made towards technology absorption, adaptation  and 
innovation 

Motor  less vane type exhaust fan and `D` canter type centrifuge  in  place 
of  bucket centrifuge. Replacement of existing Cement Mill-3 ESP Bag  House 
and automisation of 1 & 2 fly ash feeding arrangements for Cement Mills.

(b)  Benefits  derived  as  a result of  the  above  efforts  e.g.  product 
improvement, cost reduction, product development, import substitution etc.:

Improvement  in  the  quality  of yarn.  Reduction  in  power  consumption, 
improvement in quality & optimum capacity utilisation.

3.  In case of imported technology (imported during last 5  years  reckoned 
from  the  beginning of the financial year), following information  may  be 
furnished :

(i) Technology imported                   }
(ii) Year of import                       }  Not Applicable.
(iii) Has technology been fully absorbed? }

III. FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS & OUTGO:

1.  Activities relating to exports, initiatives taken to increase  exports, 
development of new export markets for products and export plans:

Exports  were  focused on value added products of  VFY   Transparent  Paper 
exports  to  regular  countries were  maintained and  new  markets  in  New 
Zealand,  Portugal, U.K., Yemen etc. are being explored. Tyre Exports  were 
made  to  several countries during the year and efforts are being  made  to 
increase volume of exports by exploring new markets.

2. Total Foreign Exchange used and earned:-

Used                                    Rs. 1067.04 crore
Earned (on F.O.B. realisation basis)    Rs.  511.87 crore

                                                  B.K. Birla   
                                                  Chairman

                                                  K.G. Maheshwari 
                                                  P.K. Choksey 
                                                  Amitabha Ghosh 
                         K.C. Jain                P.K. Mallik 
                         Whole-time Director      Manjushree Khaitan
                                                  Vinay Sah
Place: Kolkata           Gautam Ganguli           K.P. Khandelwal
Date : 28th April, 2012  Company Secretary        Director
 
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