Published:
Tronox Completes Two Land Sales; Provides Second-Quarter Update
OKLAHOMA CITY, July 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tronox Incorporated
(NYSE: TRX, TRX.B) completed the sale of two parcels of 100%-owned property at
the end of June 2008, with net proceeds from the sales totaling approximately
$12 million (pretax). The parcels sold were located inHenderson, Nev., and
Oklahoma City. The company was able to use $3.2 million of the net proceeds
to reduce outstanding debt under its senior secured credit facility at
June 30, 2008, and will use the remainder of the net proceeds to reduce
outstanding debt during the first week of July.
During the second quarter, Tronox continued its efforts to reduce costs
and increase titanium dioxide (TiO2) pricing. Late in the second quarter,
Tronox was able to implement a portion of its announced price increases in all
three regions. However, these actions were not enough to offset the rapid
increases in process chemical, energy and transportation costs and production
difficulties the company experienced in the second quarter, combined with the
impact of the ongoing weak U.S. economy. As Tronox announced previously, its
second-quarter financial results will also be impacted by production
difficulties at its Uerdingen,Germany, and Kwinana,Western Australia,
titanium dioxide facilities, in the range of approximately $10 million to
$12 million (pretax). In addition, higher natural gas costs at Kwinana due to
the ongoing curtailment of natural gas supply resulting from the shutdown of
Apache's natural gas processing facility inWestern Australia are expected to
impact second-quarter results in the range of $1.5 million to $2.5 million
(pretax). As we move into the third quarter, we are continuing to see a trend
of further price increases being implemented in all three regions of the world,
which Tronox believes will help offset continuing TiO2 industry cost increases.
There is no assurance, however, that these pricing trends will offset
continuing cost increases that the company is unable to predict and that
depend on numerous factors beyond its control.
As a result of these unexpected second-quarter impacts, Tronox requested a
waiver to its financial covenants for the 2008 second quarter under its senior
secured credit facility which was approved by the requisite lenders. The
company also is requesting an amendment to its leverage ratio financial
covenant for the remainder of 2008 as a result of the anticipated
second-quarter results. Details of the waiver, the reasons for having to seek
the waiver, and the impact of not receiving an extension of the waiver or
amendment to the credit agreement are provided in the Current Report on Form
8-K filed by Tronox today with the SEC, which is available at
http://www.sec.gov and http://www.tronox.com under the Investor Relations
section. The waiver expires on July 31, 2008.
As a result of the continued cost escalations and compressed margins,
Tronox is evaluating the pigment segment goodwill for impairment in accordance
with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, "Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets." This is an annual assessment conducted in the second
quarter of each year. The company intends to provide additional information
upon completion of its evaluation of this asset. The goodwill balance at
March 31, 2008, was $13.7 million, and the potential non-cash charge, if any,
could be from $0 to $13.7 million.
Total debt at June 30, 2008, was $540.1 million, including $69 million
outstanding on the company's $250 million revolving credit facility.
The company remains focused on reducing costs and increasing prices, with
pricing trending up as increases are being implemented worldwide to help
offset the continuing cost pressure the TiO2 industry faces. As previously
announced, Tronox continues to evaluate all strategic alternatives to improve
the business, including development opportunities, mitigation of legacy
liabilities, capital restructuring and land sales.
Second-Quarter Earnings Release
Tronox expects to release its second-quarter 2008 earnings on Wednesday,
July 30, at 7 a.m. EDT.
About Tronox
Headquartered inOklahoma City, Tronox is the world's third-largest
producer and marketer of titanium dioxide pigment, with an annual production
capacity of 642,000 tonnes. Titanium dioxide pigment is an inorganic white
pigment used in paint, coatings, plastics, paper and many other everyday
products. The company's five pigment plants, which are located inthe United
States,Australia,Germany andthe Netherlands, supply high-performance
products to approximately 1,100 customers in 100 countries. In addition,
Tronox produces electrolytic products, including sodium chlorate, electrolytic
manganese dioxide, boron trichloride, elemental boron and lithium manganese
oxide.
Forward-Looking Statements: Some information in this news release
regarding the company's or management's intentions, beliefs or expectations,
or that otherwise speak to future events, are "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
These forward-looking statements include those statements preceded by,
followed by or that otherwise include the words "believes," "will," "expects,"
"anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "target," "budget," "goal,"
"plans," "objective," "outlook," "should," or similar words. Future results
and developments discussed in these statements may be affected by numerous
factors and risks, such as the accuracy of the assumptions that underlie the
statements, the market value of Tronox's products, demand for consumer
products for which Tronox's businesses supply raw materials, the market for
raw materials that Tronox uses to produce TiO2, its inability to predict the
prices of such raw materials, the financial resources of competitors, the
market for debt and/or equity financing, changes in laws and regulations, the
ability to respond to challenges in international markets, changes in currency
exchange rates, political or economic conditions in areas where Tronox
operates, trade and regulatory matters, general economic conditions, and other
factors and risks identified in the Risk Factors Section of Tronox's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and subsequent
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), and other SEC filings. Actual results and
developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in this
news release. The company does not undertake to update forward-looking
statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after
the date the forward-looking statement was made. Investors are urged to
consider closely the disclosures and risk factors in Tronox's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, available on Tronox's website,
http://www.tronox.com. This also can be obtained from the SEC by calling
1-800-SEC-0330.
Media Contact: Debbie Schramm
Direct: 405-775-5177
Cell: 405-830-6937
debbie.schramm@tronox.com
Investor Contact: Robert Gibney
Direct: 405-775-5105
robert.gibney@tronox.com
SOURCE Tronox Incorporated
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