Rating Rationale
December 23, 2019 | Mumbai
Alicon Castalloy Limited
Ratings Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.300 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL A/Negative (Reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL A1 (Reaffirmed)
 
Rs.100 Crore Commercial Paper CRISIL A1 (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL A/Negative/CRISIL A1' ratings on the bank facilities and commercial paper of Alicon Castalloy Limited (ACL).
 
Operating performance in fiscal 2020 is expected to be lower than earlier expectations due to weak automobile (auto) demand. However, the impact is expected to be lower than industry levels, with the expected revenue decline of 7-8% year-on-year compared to the drop of 14-15% in auto demand during fiscal 2020. Despite decline in scale, the operating margin is expected to remain steady at 11-12% during fiscal 2020; hence, cash accrual may reduce to Rs 65-70 crore from Rs 81 crore in fiscal 2019.
 
ACL is likely to undertake debt-funded capital expenditure (capex) of about Rs 220 crore during fiscals 2020 to 2022, funded 50-60% through long-term debt and remaining via cash accrual; capex has been reduced as compared to earlier expectation of Rs 300 crore during the same period. Furthermore, sanctioning of long-term loans are expected to ease out bank limit utilisation, which increased to 96% during the six months ended December 31, 2018, and dropped to 90% during January-October 2019. A part of this new term loan would be reimbursement of capex done earlier. The management is taking steps to reduce the receivables cycle in the exports segment. Prudent working capital management, resulting in better cushion in bank limit utilisation, will be a key rating monitorable.
 
The ratings continue to reflect ACL's established market position in the aluminium die-casting auto components sector, driven by a diverse clientele and longstanding customer relationship. The ratings also factor in an above-average financial risk profile because of adequate gearing and debt protection metrics. These strengths are partially offset by susceptibility to high bank limit utilisation reflecting constrained liquidity, volatility in demand in the two-wheeler and passenger car segments, and moderately large working capital requirement due to increasing exports.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of ACL and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Austria-based Illichmann Castalloy GmbH and Slovakia-based Illichmann Castalloy s.r.o. That is because all the entities, collectively referred as ACL, have significant operational linkages and are under a common management.

Please refer Annexure - Details of Consolidation, which captures the list of entities considered and their analytical treatment of consolidation.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Established market position in aluminium casting auto-component sector
ACL has a diversified product profile in the aluminium casting business, including cylinder heads, intake manifolds, engine support brackets, and compressor housings. It has an established market position in the aluminium casting auto component sector, driven by established client relationship and operations in India, Austria, and Slovakia. Clientele includes major auto original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Hero Motor Corp Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd ('CRISIL AAA/FAAA/Stable/CRISIL A1+'), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ('CRISIL AAA/Stable/CRISIL A1+'), and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd ('CRISIL AAA/Stable/CRISIL A1+'). Increase in business from new customers in the auto and non-auto segments over the past three years further improved customer diversity, with the top five customers contributing about 30% in fiscal 2019 against 61% in fiscal 2011; contribution from the new business may also increase in the coming years.
 
Recently, ACL has also received a contract for Rs 810 crore from global OEMs to be executed over the next five years.  With increasing share of business from new customers, contribution from new products, readiness of products for electric vehicles segment and improving exports, revenue is likely to grow by 6-7% over the medium term. The operating margin, is expected to remain stable at 11-12% with cost control initiatives and increasing share of higher-margin exports.
 
* Comfortable financial risk profile
Debt protection metrics remain healthy comfortable, with interest coverage and net cash accrual to total debt ratios of 3.53 times and 21%, respectively, projected in fiscal 2020. Debt/earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization is expected at 2.47 times in fiscal 2020 and may decline to 2.25 times in fiscal 2021. Cash accrual is expected to steadily increase from Rs 65 crore in fiscal 2020 due to steady profitability, despite muted growth. With stable increase in cash accrual, the financial risk profile may remain comfortable over the medium term.
 
Weaknesses
* Large working capital requirement, led by increasing exports and growth in new business
While cash generation from operations is steady at about Rs 75 crore annually, delay in enhancing working capital limit in an attempt to enforce greater discipline over collection cycle and delay in accessing long-term debt for capex in fiscal 2019 resulted in weakened liquidity. The situation has improved over the last few months, with receipt of new long-term debt and focus on reducing debtors. Improvement in liquidity, backed by lower dependence on short-term borrowing, will be closely monitored. Operations have been working capital intensive, reflected in gross current assets, receivables and inventory all sizeable at about 149 days, 109 days, and 42 days, respectively, as on March 31, 2019. The working capital requirement may further rise, with scaling up of operations.
 
* Susceptibility to demand in the two-wheeler and passenger car segments
High focus on research and development, wide product portfolio and faster adoption of new technologies are expected to increase the share of business with customers over the medium term. Largest customer for ACL contributes about 12% of total revenue, indicating healthy customer diversity for ACL. While the revenue profile benefits from good customer diversity, it remains exposed to risks related to cyclical demand patterns inherent to the auto industry, and ability of the OEMs to sustain their market share in the domestic and overseas markets. For instance, the revenues of ACL will be impacted to certain extent with the expected decline in demand for two wheelers by 12-14% and passenger cars by 14-16% in fiscal 2020.
Liquidity Adequate

Average bank limit utilisation was 89% over the six months through November 2019. Utilisation increased in 2019 due to increase in receivables and delay in sanction of long-term debt for capex. The utilisation may come down as the company has got sanction of a Rs 20 crore working capital limit along with a term loan of Rs 80 crore. Going forward, cash accrual is projected at Rs 65-85 crore, as against yearly maturing debt of Rs 28-30 crore from fiscals 2020 to 2022. ACL is likely to incur capex of around Rs 60 crore in fiscal 2020 that is expected to be funded from long-term debt and internal accrual.

Outlook: Negative

CRISIL believe ACL's business risk profile will benefit further from an established market presence, and improving revenue diversity, resulting in sustained increase in cash generation. The financial risk profile is expected to remain restricted by the increased receivables due to focus on exports, and debt-funded capex plan.

Rating sensitivity factors
Upward Factors
*Prudent working capital management, resulting in bank limit utilisation of below 85% on a sustained basis
*Substantial scale up in operations, driven by improving diversity and sustained profitability
*Improvement in debt protection metrics, for instance gearing improving below one time on a sustained basis

Downward Factors
*Continued high bank limit utilisation (above 90%), constraining liquidity
*Sharp decline in operating performance, leading to margin below 10%
*More-than-anticipated, debt-funded capex/acquisitions, or increase in working capital requirement, increasing the total outside liabilities to tangible networth ratio and deteriorating the debt protection metrics.

About the Company

ACL was established as Enkei Castalloy Ltd (Enkei Castalloy), a joint venture between Pegasus Castalloy Ltd (an Indian company that manufactures cast-aluminium automotive components since 1990) and Enkei Corporation (in Japan; one of the largest manufacturers of alloy wheels in the world). Owing to sustained losses in the alloy wheels division, the promoters hived it off as a separate company, Enkei Wheels Ltd, and retained the casting business with effect from April 1, 2009. Enkei Castalloy was renamed as ACL on December 27, 2010.
 
ACL manufactures aluminium castings including cylinder heads, support brackets, intake manifolds, crankshafts, and engine brackets, for use in the auto industry. Clients include key Indian auto OEMs as well as auto and engineering OEMs in the European market through its subsidiaries. ACL has manufacturing units in Pune (Maharashtra) and Binola (Haryana).
 
For the first six months in fiscal 2020, ACL reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 14 crore on operating income of Rs 533 crore as compared to Rs 26 crore and Rs 604 crore, respectively, in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars for period ended March 31 Unit 2019 2018
Revenue Rs crore 1190 1019
Profit After Tax (PAT) Rs crore 53 39
PAT Margins % 4.5 3.8
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times 1.02 1.08
Interest coverage Times 4.3 4.0

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon rate (%) Maturity Date Issue size
(Rs.Cr)
Rating Assigned
with Outlook
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 200 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 19.2 CRISIL A1
NA Proposed Long Term
Bank Loan Facility
NA NA NA 5.9 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Term Loan NA NA Dec-19 11.8 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Term Loan NA NA Mar-20 7.3 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Term Loan NA NA Oct-23 29.4 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Term Loan NA NA Apr-21 26.4 CRISIL A/Negative
NA Commercial Paper NA NA 7-365 days 100 CRISIL A1
 
Annexure - List of entities consolidated
Names of Entities Consolidated Extent of Consolidation Rationale for Consolidation
Illichmann Castalloy GmbH Full Subsidiary
Illichmann Castalloy s.r.o. Full Subsidiary
Alicon Holding GmbH Full Subsidiary
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2019 (History) 2018  2017  2016  Start of 2016
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Commercial Paper  ST  100.00  CRISIL A1  13-02-19  CRISIL A1  19-01-18  CRISIL A1    --    --  -- 
        31-01-19  CRISIL A1               
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  280.80  CRISIL A/Negative  13-02-19  CRISIL A/Negative  19-01-18  CRISIL A/Stable  14-11-17  CRISIL A/Stable  21-12-16  CRISIL A-/Positive/ CRISIL A2+  CRISIL A-/Stable 
        31-01-19  CRISIL A/Negative      29-05-17  CRISIL A-/Positive/ CRISIL A2+       
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  19.20  CRISIL A1  13-02-19  CRISIL A1  19-01-18  CRISIL A1  14-11-17  CRISIL A1  21-12-16  CRISIL A2+  CRISIL A2+ 
        31-01-19  CRISIL A1      29-05-17  CRISIL A2+       
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of various bank facilities
Current facilities Previous facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating
Cash Credit 200 CRISIL A/Negative Cash Credit 200 CRISIL A/Negative
Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 19.2 CRISIL A1 Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 19.2 CRISIL A1
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 5.9 CRISIL A/Negative Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 5.9 CRISIL A/Negative
Term Loan 74.9 CRISIL A/Negative Term Loan 74.9 CRISIL A/Negative
Total 300 -- Total 300 --
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
Rating Criteria for Auto Component Suppliers
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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