Rating Rationale
June 28, 2019 | Mumbai
Star Cement Limited
Rating Reaffirmed 
 
Rating Action
Rs.30 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 A1+' rating on the commercial paper program of Star Cement Limited (SCL).
 
The ratings reflects the company's leadership position in the north-eastern region, healthy operating profitability, and a robust financial risk profile.  These strengths are partially offset by volatility in raw material prices, the commoditised nature of product, and cyclicality in the cement industry.
 
On June 21, 2019 the company had announced a buyback of Rs 102 crore representing 9.76% of the paid up capital of the company. The buyback is likely to be funded through internal accruals and liquid surplus available with SCL. CRISIL believes that, despite the buyback, SCL's financial risk profile remains strong with healthy net worth and strong debt protection metrics.   

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of SCL and its subsidiaries, Star Cement Meghalaya Ltd (SCML), Meghalaya Power Ltd (MPL), and Megha Technical and Engineers Pvt Ltd (MTEPL). This is because all these companies, collectively referred to as the Star Cement group, have a common management and intra-corporate transactions.

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

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Established market position and brand in north-east region, while diversifying its revenue base in the eastern region:

The group is a leading cement player in the north-eastern region, supported by its strong brand, Star Cement, with a market share of 24% in the region as on March 31, 2019. The group is also diversifying its revenue in the eastern region (primarily West Bengal and Bihar), which contributed over 21-22% to total revenue in fiscal 2019.

* Healthy operating profitability
Operating profitability is healthy with EBITDA/ton of Rs 1579/ton in fiscal 2019. The same was aided by higher realisations, proximity to raw material sources, and fiscal incentives. The group has access to captive limestone mines. Power requirement for the Meghalaya units is met from a captive power plant of 51 megawatt (MW). The group also benefits from the healthy demand growth in NER, expected at 7-8% per annum over the medium term.

As part of the government's North Eastern Investment Policy, the group is entitled to receive goods and service tax (GST) subsidies. GST subsidy is available till fiscal 2023 for the plant in Guwahati & Clinker unit at Meghalaya and till fiscal 2027 for the intergrated plant in Lumshnong, Meghalaya. Operating profitability is expected to remain healthy as the group has changed its sales mix to target areas with higher realisations and lower freight costs.

* Robust financial risk profile marked by comfortable capital structure and healthy debt protection metrics:
The company has become largely debt free and total debt of the company has come down to Rs 75 crores as of March 2019. SCL has received further subsidies from the government in the initial months of fiscal 2020. As a result, company had net cash position (gross debt ' liquid surplus) of over Rs. 300 crores by May 2019. 

Weakness
* Volatility in raw material prices adversely affecting profitability:

The company remains exposed to high raw material and power prices and freight costs, which constitute around 60% of cement's cost of production. Any rising input price may impact the profitability of SCL.

* Commoditised nature of product with cyclicality in the cement industry:
Capacity additions in the cement business take three to four years to become operational and stabilise; also, capacity expansions are lumpy, with most players setting up capacities simultaneously, in anticipation of demand growth. This lumpiness in capacity addition and the fact that setting up small capacities is not viable often lead to oversupply in the initial years after the capacities become operational. Thus, the domestic cement industry faces excess supply every three to four years.

The Star Cement group is a regional player, making it more vulnerable to regional demand and supply patterns. Because of the limited product differentiation leading to limited pricing power, the group is not likely be able to entirely pass on any significant increase in input prices. This was reflected in the sharp decline in operating margin during 2016. Cyclicality in the industry, with low pricing power, may also put pressure on the group's margin.
Liquidity

SCL has strong liquidity driven by expected cash accruals of more than Rs 350 crore per annum in fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2021 as against term debt obligations of around Rs 20-25 crore. Further, SCL has access to unutilised bank lines. CRISIL expects internal accruals, liquid surplus and unutilized bank lines to be sufficient to meet its repayment obligations as well as incremental working capital requirements.

About the Group

Based in Lumshnong (Meghalaya), SCL (formerly known as Cement Manufacturing Company Ltd) was earlier a subsidiary of Century Plyboard (India) Ltd. It commenced operations in December 2004. After a demerger in April 2012, CPIL transferred its cement, ferroalloy, and power divisions to Star Ferro and Cement Ltd (SFCL), which held 70.5% in SCL. In March 2015, the businesses were further demerged. The ferroalloy and 13.8 MW power businesses were transferred to Shyam Century Ferrous Ltd (SCFL) and the cement business and 51 MW Power business to SFCL. SCL got its present name in June 2016. In August 2016, the board approved reverse merger of SFCL into SCL, which was completed in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, post which SCL, the operating company has become the listed parent company. The Star Cement group has a combined cement manufacturing capacity of 4.40 million tonne per annum (mtpa; including 0.73 mtpa at its hired unit), clinker manufacturing capacity of 2.59 mtpa, and a captive power plant with a capacity of 51 megawatt.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2019 2018
Revenue Rs Cr 1831 1614
Profit After Tax (PAT) Rs Cr 298 330
PAT Margin % 16.27 20.44
Adjusted Debt/ Adjusted Networth Times 0.04 0.29
Interest Coverage Times 24.28 7.77

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 Commercial Paper NA NA 7-365 days 30 CRISIL A1+

Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated
Names of Entities
Star Cement Meghalaya Ltd
Meghalaya Power Ltd
Megha Technical and Engineers Pvt Ltd.
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  30.00  CRISIL A1+      27-09-18  CRISIL A1+    --    --  -- 
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST    --    --    --  21-11-17  Withdrawn/ Withdrawn     CRISIL A/Positive 
                31-01-17  CRISIL A/Stable/ CRISIL A1       
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST    --    --    --  21-11-17  Withdrawn      CRISIL A1 
                31-01-17  CRISIL A1       
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
 
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 Cement Industry
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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