Rating Rationale
June 28, 2024 | Mumbai
 
Balu Forge Industries Limited
Ratings migrated to 'CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+'
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.76 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL BBB/Stable (Migrated from 'CRISIL BB+/Stable ISSUER NOT COOPERATING*')
Short Term Rating CRISIL A3+ (Migrated from 'CRISIL A4+ ISSUER NOT COOPERATING*')
Note: None of the Directors on CRISIL Ratings Limited’s Board are members of rating committee and thus do not participate in discussion or assignment of any ratings. The Board of Directors also does not discuss any ratings at its meetings.
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to Annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
*Issuer did not cooperate; based on best-available information

 

Detailed Rationale

Due to inadequate information and in line with the Securities and Exchange Board of India guidelines, CRISIL Ratings had migrated its ratings on the bank facilities of Balu Forge Industries Limited (BFIL) to ‘CRISIL BB+/Stable/CRISIL A4+ Issuer Not Cooperating’. However, the company’s management has started sharing the information necessary for a comprehensive review of the rating. Consequently, CRISIL Ratings has migrated the ratings on bank facilities of BFIL to ‘CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+’ from ‘CRISIL BB+/Stable/CRISIL A4+ Issuer Not Cooperating’

 

The rating reflects BFIL's established market position in the crankshaft manufacturing industry and above-average financial risk profile and long term association with reputed client base. These strengths are partially offset by susceptibility to volatility in raw material prices and large working capital cycle.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the rating of BFIL, the team has consolidated the business and financial risk profiles of BFIL and its subsidiary Safa Otomotiv FZ LLC which are strategically important to, and have a significant degree of operational integration with BFIL. CRISIL Ratings considers these entities as being strategic to BFIL in view of their strong integration with BFIL’s operations.

 

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: Mr. Chandock has an overall experience of more than 30 years in the same line of business. Over the period, he and other professional qualified staff has helped the company establish its presence across 80 countries. This has enabled the company to diversify its product portfolio thus increasing its operating income to Rs.559 crores in fiscal 2024 from Rs 326 crores in fiscal 2023. The company recorded strong growth in the fiscal 2024 of 71% over Fiscal 2023 mainly driven by ramp up of enhanced capacity and continued product additions. While the volume sales improved due to the better utilization of the manufacturing capacities, realizations has also  improved on account of higher sales of heavy products. With the steady order flow from the existing customers and continuous addition of new customers the scale of operations are expected to sustain and grow over the medium term. BFIL will continue to benefit from its promoters' extensive industry experience and strong product mix over the medium term.

 

  • Long Term association with reputed clientele: The company has a diversified customer base with top 10 customers contributing to around 43% of the total sales in FY 2024 (48% in fiscal 2023 and 50% in fiscal 2022). The company has been associated with these customers for a long period of time. Moreover, no single customer contributes to more than 10% of the total sales. BFIL has low risk related to customer concentration risk with no customer contributing more than 10 percent of revenue.

 

  • Comfortable financial risk profile: Financial risk profile of the company is marked with improved net worth of Rs 520 crores in fiscal 2024 led by the equity infusion and healthy accretion to the reserves. The capital structure of the company has also improved significantly as reflected in the gearing and total outside liability to adjusted net worth ratio of 0.09 times and 0.37 times as on March 31, 2024 (0.31 times and 1.04 times a year ago). Debt protection measures continues to be at comfortable levels due to the moderate interest expenditure and healthy profitability as reflected in the interest cover of around 9 times and NCATD of 1.9 times for fiscal 2024 (5.9 times and 0.78 times a year ago). The overall financial risk profile is expected to improve further over the medium term backed by the healthy accretion to the reserves.

 

Weaknesses:

  • Susceptibility to volatility in raw material costs: Because of volatility in the price of major raw material- steel and aluminum, the operating margin remains susceptible to these volatilities. The ability of players to pass on input cost increases or retain any benefit of lower input costs is constrained due to intense competition. While BFIL is able to pass on price increase to customers, any significant movement in the price of raw material and a lag in passing on price fluctuations to customers can impact profitability.

 

  • Large working capital cycle: The working capital cycle continues to remain large with Gross Current Asset (GCA) of 276 days as on March 31, 2024. The company provides a credit period of above 120 days to its customers due to business requirements and maintains an inventory of 60-80 days due to diversified product portfolio. While the company is in the negotiations with its customers to reduce its credit period offered and hence improving the debtor days, the same remains a monitorable. Operations are expected to remain working capital intensive over the medium term and hence remains key monitorable.

Liquidity: Adequate

BFIL has adequate liquidity driven by expected cash accruals of Rs. 90 to 110 crores in fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026 against repayment obligations of Rs 3.5 to 7 crores. Bank limits utilization was high at around 90% for the last 12 months ended April 2024 on the EPC limits. However, liquidity is supported by strong Cash and cash equivalents of Rs. 90 crores as on March 31,2024 which is unencumbered. CRISIL expects internal accruals, cash & cash equivalents to be sufficient to meet its repayment obligations and incremental working capital requirements.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL Ratings believes BFIL’s business and financial risk profile will continue to  remain stable over the medium term backed by established market position of the company.

Rating Sensitivity factors

Upward factors:

  • Sustained improvement in the scale of operations and sustenance of operating margins leading to higher cash accruals.
  • Improvement in the working capital cycle with GCA below 250 days.

 

Downward factors:

  • Sizeable stretch in working capital cycle, with gross current assets rising above 350 days
  • Deterioration in financial risk profile due to debt funded capex 
  • Significant decline in the scale of operations or decline in the operating margins leading to lower cash accruals.

About the Group

About the Company Balu India was set up in 1989 by Mr. Prehlad Singh Chandock as a proprietary firm. In August 2020 it was acquired by Amaze Intertech Limited and d converted into a listed entity by the name BFIL . It is based in Mumbai and has its manufactures type of crankshaft in a large range of applications namely Automotive, Agricultural, Marine & Industrial in Karnataka. It is listed on Bombay Stock exchange and National Stock Exchange and promoted by Mr Jaspal Singh Chandok , Mr Trimaan Chandok and Mr Jaikaran Chandok who look after overall business operations of the company.

 

Safa Otomotiv FZ LLC (100% owned subsidiary): Focusing on the machining and assembly of products in order to increase localization in the MENA region as well as meeting the product requirements for Agriculture and Oil & Gas industry.

Key Financial Indicators

As on/for the period ended March 31

Unit

2024

2023

Operating income

Rs crore

559.85

326.64

Reported profit after tax

Rs crore

93.67

38.91

PAT margins

%

16.78

11.91

Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Networth

Times

0.09

0.31

Interest coverage

Times

9.21

5.93

Any other information: Not Applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the 'Annexure - Details of Instrument' in this Rating Rationale.

CRISIL Ratings will disclose complexity level for all securities - including those that are yet to be placed - based on available information. The complexity level for instruments may be updated, where required, in the rating rationale published subsequent to the issuance of the instrument when details on such features are available.

For more details on the CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels please visit www.crisilratings.com. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.

Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)

ISIN Name of the
instrument
Date of
Allotment
Coupon
Rate (%)
Maturity
Date
Issue size
(Rs. Crore)
Complexity
Level
Rating assigned
with outlook
NA Packing Credit NA NA NA 19 NA CRISIL BBB/Stable
NA Post Shipment Credit NA NA NA 11 NA CRISIL A3+
NA Post Shipment Credit NA NA NA 46 NA CRISIL A3+

Annexure – List of entities consolidated

Names of Entities Consolidated

Extent of Consolidation

Rationale for Consolidation

Balu Forge Industries Limited

Full

Parent

Safa Otomotiv FZ LLC

Full

Wholly owned subsidiary

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2024 (History) 2023  2022  2021  Start of 2021
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities LT/ST 76.0 CRISIL A3+ / CRISIL BBB/Stable 14-05-24 CRISIL BB+ /Stable / CRISIL A4+ (Issuer Not Cooperating)* 14-02-23 CRISIL BBB-/Stable / CRISIL A3 29-01-22 CRISIL BBB-/Stable / CRISIL A3   -- --
      --   --   -- 07-01-22 CRISIL BBB-/Stable / CRISIL A3   -- --
Non-Fund Based Facilities ST   --   --   -- 07-01-22 CRISIL A3   -- --
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
* - Issuer did not cooperate; based on best-available information
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Packing Credit 19 Union Bank of India CRISIL BBB/Stable
Post Shipment Credit 11 Union Bank of India CRISIL A3+
Post Shipment Credit 46 Union Bank of India CRISIL A3+
Criteria Details
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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