Final Results
12 November 2007
PipeHawk Plc
("PipeHawk", "the Group" or "the Company")
Preliminary Results
for the year ended 30 June 2007
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
The Directors believe that the year to 30 June 2007 was a transitional year
whereby the Company consolidated its achievements in the previous year and
established a solid foundation upon which to grow the business in the short to
medium term.
I am delighted to report the turnover for the year ended 30 June 2007 was £
4,471,000 (2006: £3,312,000), which is an increase of 35 per cent. on the
previous year and that the Group achieved a profit after taxation for the year
of £109,000 (2006: £141,000). This result reflects solid growth in the
Company's core operating units and recognises the considerable investment made
in PipeHawk's core businesses Adien and SUMO. However, this was offset by
isolated issues concerning QM Systems' principal customer.
The trading performances of the Group's four major business areas are set out
below:
Adien
Adien, our high definition underground mapping and planning service has had
another excellent year with a 26 per cent. rise in turnover to £1,624,000
(2006: £1,287,000) and an 87 per cent. increase in operating profits.
During the year Adien introduced a vacuum excavation service and is now able to
offer clients guaranteed levels of accuracy in utility detection through this
service. The benefits of vacuum excavation are that it saves the client time,
money and is safer than traditional hand dug excavations or "trial holes". As
far as the Directors are aware Adien are the only detection and mapping Company
offering this service in the UK, which is used as part of Adien's range of
solutions designed to assist clients in managing the risks associated with
buried utility services.
Adien is a recognised industry contributor to Government sponsored initiatives
(VISTA and Mapping the Underworld) programmes which consider the issues
surrounding the mapping and cataloguing of buried utility services. Adien also
continues to be involved with high visibility clients on major infrastructure
projects such as the building of major new railway connections under central
London and the refurbishment of Ministry of Defence sites across the country.
At some of Adien's client sites it has a full time presence.
Additional teams and custom built vans were added during the year and Adien is
well placed to continue their growth into 2008 when it intends to expand both
geographically and in terms of the services offered.
SUMO
Sumo - a 36 per cent owned joint venture company, which is able to provide
instant mark out services to its customers.
SUMO has also had another good year. It has increased its turnover from £
1,449,000 to £2,401,000, and returned a profit for the year of £197,000 (2006:
£2,000), and has strengthened its position within the utility detection and
mapping marketplace. It now operates a fleet of 22 vehicles nationwide and has
recently moved to larger premises to facilitate its growth plans in 2008 and
beyond.
Substantial investment in a new utility mapping division has significantly
changed the customer profile. While customers continue to enjoy the "rapid
response" lower value sales, SUMO has now proved itself to be a leading utility
mapping service provider and is consistently winning mapping projects with a
value of in excess of £50,000.
During the year, SUMO has been implementing new systems and marketing
initiatives to introduce its unique franchise model to the established
topographic surveying market. This is an exciting business opportunity for land
surveyors to operate their own business under the umbrella of an established
brand. The marketing for this initiative commenced during the latter half of
the year and early indications are that the Company will accelerate its growth
in 2008 from this activity.
Technology Division
PipeHawk Mk3 will be formally launched in Spring 2008 and represents the first
product developed by a new and highly innovative technology generation. Other
products are planned many of which are targeted upon providing Adien with a
market advantage in its sector. The Directors consider the development of new
architectural systems encompassed within these products to be essential to
allow the Group technological steps which are likely to be required for the
significantly delayed MineHawk project.
QM Systems ("QM")
In the second half of the year QM has taken steps to offset the effects of a
slow down in orders for bespoke test solutions of its largest customer which
has been caused primarily as a result of management and other changes. QM has
invested in the development of products for targeted markets and has produced
several designs leveraged on equipment designed for high power testing within
the aerospace market. The Directors are encouraged by the inclusion of a QM
single sourced product within Airbus' end user supply catalogue. Early sales
and encouraging prospects for testing units for lightning strike protection and
configurable production control systems underpin the Board's confidence in this
division. QM will continue its development of a series of configurable products
which address environmental testing and production workflow management, which
are common requirements across a broad range of industries.
Strategy and Outlook
Our strategy remains as before "to remain at the forefront of applied GPR and
non-invasive testing technologies, delivering high quality value added services
and products which play a vital role in the safety and protection of people
worldwide".
The difficulties with QM's principal customer has adversely impacted trading in
the first quarter of the current year, nevertheless the Group's core GPR
business continues to go from strength to strength. The many initiatives
implemented during the year leave the Group well placed to achieve sustainable
and evolutionary business growth.
Gordon Watt
Chairman
12 November 2007
Consolidated Profit and Loss Account
For the year ended 30 June 2007
Note 2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Turnover
Group and share of joint venture 4,471 3,312
Less: share of joint venture turnover (865) (529)
Group turnover - total continuing activities 3,606 2,783
Group operating costs (3,576) (2,690)
Group operating profit 30 93
Share of operating profit 71 19
Profit on ordinary activities before interest and 101 112
taxation
Group interest receivable and similar income 3 4
Group interest payable and similar charges (81) (44)
Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 23 72
Tax credit on profit on ordinary activities 5 86 69
Transfer to reserves 109 141
2007 2006
p p
Earnings per share
Basic 3 0.4 0.6
Diluted 3 0.3 0.4
There are no recognised gains or losses other than those reported above.
Consolidated Balance Sheet
As at 30 June 2007
2007 2007 2006 2006
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Fixed assets
Intangible assets 1,499 1,121
Tangible assets 287 354
Investment in joint venture:
Share of gross assets 163 70
Share of gross liabilities (77) (55)
86 15
86 15
1,872 1,490
Current assets
Stocks 279 757
Debtors 741 969
Cash at bank - 221
1,020 1,947
Creditors: amounts falling due (1,444) (2,088)
within one year
Net current liabilities (424) (141)
Total assets less current 1,448 1,349
liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due (563) (602)
after more than one year
Net assets 885 747
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 269 267
Share premium account 4,842 4,815
Profit and loss account (4,226) (4,335)
Equity shareholders' funds 885 747
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement
For the year ended 30 June 2007
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Net cash inflow from operating activities 525 133
Returns on investments and servicing of finance
Interest received 3 4
Interest element of finance lease rentals (77) (3)
Interest paid (4) (41)
(78) 93
Corporation tax received 86 77
Capital expenditure and financial investment
Payments for tangible fixed assets (37) (96)
Payments for intangible fixed assets (438) -
Receipts from sale of tangible fixed assets 2 -
Acquisitions and disposals
Cash acquired through purchase of subsidiary - 221
Costs of acquisition - (51)
Cash inflow before use of liquid resources and 60 244
financing
Financing
Issue of ordinary share capital 29 -
New loans 29 -
Repayment of loans (80) (110)
Capital element of finance lease and hire (34) (21)
purchase payments
(56) (131)
Increase in cash 4 113
Notes to the Cash Flow Statement
A. Reconciliation of Operating (Loss) to Net Cash Outflow from Operating
Activities
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Operating profit 30 93
Amortisation of intangible assets 60 27
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 164 169
Working capital movements
Stock and work in progress 478 65
Debtors 228 (323)
Creditors (435) 102
Net cash inflow from operating activities 525 133
B. Reconciliation of Net Cash Flow to Movement of Net Debt
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Increase in cash 4 113
Increase in debt and finance lease agreements 85 (171)
Decrease/(Increase) in net debt from cash flows 89 (58)
New finance leases (63) -
Debt acquired with subsidiary - (10)
Reduction/(Increase) in net debt 26 (68)
Opening net debt (794) (726)
Closing net debt (768) (794)
C. Analysis of changes in net debt
1 July 2006 Cashflow 30 June 2007
£'000 £'000 £'000
Cash at bank and in hand 221 221 -
Bank overdraft (258) 225 (33)
Cash (37) 4 (33)
Loans (655) 51 (604)
Finance leases (102) (29) (131)
Borrowings (757) 22 (735)
Net debt (794) 26 (768)
Notes to the preliminary statements
1. Publication of non-statutory accounts
The financial information set out in this preliminary announcement does not
constitute statutory accounts as defined in Section 240 of the Companies Act
1985.
The consolidated balance sheet at 30 June 2007, and the consolidated profit and
loss account, consolidated cash flow statement and associated notes for the
period then ended have been extracted from the Group's financial statements.
Those financial statements have not yet been delivered to the Registrar of
Companies.
2. Going concern
The Group continues to develop its range of products and source new buyers and
is optimistic about the positive market reaction to these new products and the
award of significant new contracts within the near future. However at the
balance sheet date the group has net current liabilities of £424,000. The
directors have reviewed the group's funding requirements and the Executive
Chairman, G G Watt, has pledged to provide ongoing financial support for a
period of at least twelve months from the approval date of the group balance
sheet. It is on this basis that the directors consider it appropriate to adopt
the going concern basis of preparation within these financial statements.
3. Earnings per share
This has been calculated on profits of £109,000 (2006: profit £141,000) and the
number of shares used was 26,917,330 (2006: 24,245,068) being the weighted
average number of shares in issue during the year. For the fully diluted
calculations the number of shares used for the calculation was 34,667,952.
4. Dividend
The Directors are not proposing the payment of a dividend in respect of the
year ended 30 June, 2007.
5. Taxation
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
United Kingdom Corporation Tax
Current taxation (80) (70)
Adjustments in respect of prior years (6) 1
(86) (69)
Deferred taxation - -
Tax on loss on ordinary activities (86) (69)
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before 23 72
taxation
Theoretical tax at UK corporation tax rate 7 21
30 per cent.
Effects of:
- losses brought forward (8) (93)
- joint ventures' losses unrelieved - (6)
- timing differences (131) -
- R&D tax credit adjustments 16 15
- other expenditure that is not tax 1 2
deductible
- adjustments in respect of prior years (6) 12
- accelerated capital allowances 19 (3)
- losses carried forward 19 15
- short term timing differences (3) (32)
Actual current taxation charge (86) (69)
6. Report and Accounts
Copies of the Report and Accounts will be sent to shareholders in due course
and will be available from the Company's registered office, Systems House, Mill
Lane, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2QG
Further Enquiries:
PipeHawk Plc
Gordon Watt, Chairman Tel: 01420 590990
John East & Partners Limited
Simon Clements Tel: 020 7628
2200
J M Finn
Sam Smith/Charles Cunningham Tel: 020 7628
9688