Rating Rationale
December 04, 2018 | Mumbai
Pearl Global Industries Limited
Ratings downgraded to 'CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3'
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.396 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL BBB-/Stable (Downgraded from 'CRISIL BBB/Stable')
Short Term Rating CRISIL A3 (Downgraded from 'CRISIL A3+')
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has downgraded its ratings on the bank facilities of Pearl Global Industries Limited (PGIL; part of the PGIL group) to 'CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3' from 'CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+'.

The downgrade reflects the expected moderation in cushion between accruals and repayments over the medium term.  Higher-than-anticipated debt levels have resulted in significant gearing and moderation in debt protection metrics though financial risk profile still stands moderate. The ratings downgrade also factors in slower-than-expected ramp up in operations at the new manufacturing units in Chennai and Gurgaon, which is expected to constrain the business. The group reported lower-than-expected operating income of Rs 1496.6 crore in fiscal 2018 due to rationalisation of installed capacity at Chennai and Gurgaon plants.

The ratings continue to factor in PGIL's longstanding relationships with key brands and established position in the RMG industry and moderate financial risk profile. These strengths are partially offset by exposure to volatility in raw material prices and susceptibility to risks regarding ramp-up of operations at new facilities.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of PGIL and its subsidiaries: Pearl Apparel Fashions Ltd (erstwhile Lerros Fashions India Ltd), Norp Knit Industries Ltd (Bangladesh), Pearl Global (HK) Ltd (Hong Kong), Pearl Global Fareast Ltd (Hong Kong), Pixel Industries Ltd (India), along with their step down subsidiaries. All these companies are collectively referred to as the PGIL group.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Established position in the readymade garments industry
Benefits from the promoters' near three decades of experience and established relationships with suppliers and customers should support the business. The company supplies readymade garments (RMG) to large established brands such as GAP, Kohl's, Kmart, Esprit and Gerry Weber International among others. Presence in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Vietnam leads to better control on procurement, marketing, and finance and ensures quality of output.

* Moderate financial risk profile
Higher-than-anticipated capex and revamping undertaken in fiscal 2018 led to sizeable debt. Gearing was 0.85 time as on March 31, 2018. Interest coverage was 2 times in fiscal 2018. In the absence of any major capex plans, financial risk profile is expected to improve gradually over the medium term.

Weaknesses
* Exposure to volatility in raw material prices
Cotton yarn (of coarser counts), alone accounts for 60% of the group's operating costs and is the key raw material used for manufacturing fabric by RMG manufacturers. Hence, cotton/cotton yarn prices influence the operating margin of RMG manufacturers. Further, cotton is a seasonal commodity and its availability is dependent on monsoon; timely cotton procurement is critical for players.

* Susceptibility to risks regarding ramp-up of operations at new facilities
Capex programmes have been undertaken at Chennai, Bengaluru and Gurugram in order to increase manufacturing capacity and cater to rising demand. Also, operations of two small units in Chennai are being consolidated into one. All the newly set up units are operational now, however slow ramp up has been exerting pressure on profitability. The stabilisation of operations in the new units and improvement in profitability will remain key rating factors.
Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes PGIL group will benefit from its established position in the RMG industry and moderate financial risk profile. The outlook may be revised to 'Positive' if working capital management is efficient and steady revenue growth and high profitability strengthen cash accrual. The outlook may be revised to 'Negative' if further delay in ramp-up of operations from the new units exert pressure on revenue and profitability, leading to low cash accrual or if any large capex is undertaken.

About the Group

The PGIL group, established in 1989 by Mr Deepak Seth, manufactures RMGs, which are supplied to established global retail brands. PGIL is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange.

Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the period ended March 31 Unit 2018 2017
Revenue Rs crore 1496.5 1538.1
Profit After Tax (PAT) Rs crore 23.1 42.0
PAT Margin % 1.5 2.7
Adjusted debt/Adjusted networth Times 0.85 0.76
Interest coverage Times 2.0 2.2

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.Crore)
Rating assigned  with outlook
NA Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 7.0 CRISIL A3
NA Bills Discounting NA NA NA 17.0 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Export Packing Credit NA NA NA 158.5 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Letter of Credit NA NA NA 138.5 CRISIL A3
NA Long Term loan NA NA Apr-2020 41.72 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Packing Credit NA NA NA 30 CRISIL A3
NA Proposed Fund-Based Bank Limits NA NA NA 3.28 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2018 (History) 2017  2016  2015  Start of 2015
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  250.50  CRISIL BBB-/Stable/ CRISIL A3      09-11-17  CRISIL BBB/Stable/ CRISIL A3+  22-11-16  CRISIL BBB/Positive/ CRISIL A3+  24-08-15  CRISIL BBB/Stable/ CRISIL A3+  CRISIL BBB-/Stable/ CRISIL A3 
                    13-01-15  CRISIL BBB-/Stable/ CRISIL A3   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  145.50  CRISIL A3      09-11-17  CRISIL A3+  22-11-16  CRISIL A3+  24-08-15  CRISIL A3+  CRISIL A3 
                    13-01-15  CRISIL A3   
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
Bank Guarantee 7 CRISIL A3 Bank Guarantee 7 CRISIL A3+
Bill Discounting 17 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Bill Discounting 17 CRISIL BBB/Stable
Export Packing Credit 158.5 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Export Packing Credit* 53.5 CRISIL BBB/Stable
Letter of Credit 138.5 CRISIL A3 Letter of Credit@ 138.5 CRISIL A3+
Long Term Loan 41.72 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Proposed Packing Credit 30 CRISIL A3+
Packing Credit 30 CRISIL A3 Proposed Term Loan 33.8 CRISIL BBB/Stable
Proposed Fund-Based Bank Limits 3.28 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Term Loan 11.2 CRISIL BBB/Stable
      Export Packing Credit# 22.5 CRISIL BBB/Stable
      Export Packing Credit^ 57.5 CRISIL BBB/Stable
      Export Packing Credit& 25 CRISIL BBB/Stable
Total 396 -- Total 396 --
*100% interchangeable with Cash Credit and Working capital demand loan
#100% interchangeable with Cash Credit, Working capital demand loan and Bill Discounting
^100% interchangeable with Cash Credit, Working capital demand loan, Bill Discounting, Letter of Credit and Bank Guarantee
&100% interchangeable with Cash Credit, Working capital demand loan and Bill Discounting
@Interchangeable with Bank Guarantee of upto Rs. 5 crore
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 Cotton Textile Industry
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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