Rating Rationale
July 31, 2019 | Mumbai
Galaxy Surfactants Limited
Rating outlook revised to 'Positive'; ratings reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.906.33 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL A+/Positive (Outlook revised from 'Stable' and rating reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL A1 (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has revised its outlook on the bank facilities of Galaxy Surfactants Limited (Galaxy; part of the GSL group) to 'Positive' from 'Stable' while reaffirming its ratings at 'CRISIL A+/CRISIL A1'.

The revision in outlook reflects expectation of improvement in GSL's business risk profile aided by increasing proportion of high growth segments and continued healthy financial risk profile. GSL has exposure to high growth segments like baby care, natural care, facial care, men's grooming and premium Sulphate free non-toxic products, where focus is more on safer and better products with benefits derived from reduced chemical ingredients. These segments also provide higher profitability. However, recent moderation in domestic FMCG growth on the back of subdued consumer demand is likely to limit GSL group's growth and the same is a monitorable.

Complementing GSL's strong business performance is its robust financial risk profile. Sustained improvement in operating income over the past couple of years while maintaining its profitability has led to healthy cash generation and decline in leverage. Cash generated from the business has been primarily utilised to repay long term debt, incur capex to debottleneck existing manufacturing facilities and to fund incremental working capital requirements.  As a result, its gearing has improved to 0.29 times in fiscal 2019 from ~0.5 times in fiscal 2018.

The ratings continue to reflect GSL group's established market position, steady demand from end user industry, sustained improvement in the operating performance due to increasing contribution from speciality chemical segments and the group's healthy financial risk profile. These rating strengths are partially offset by the moderately working-capital-intensive operations and vulnerability of its operating margin to volatility in raw material prices.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of Galaxy and its subsidiaries collectively referred to as the GSL group herein, having significant operational synergies and financial linkages.

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 position in Personal and Home Care (PHC) intermediates market: The GSL group has, for over two decades, been engaged in the manufacture and sale of surfactants and specialty chemicals used as intermediates by the PHC industry. The GSL group commands a significant market share in its range of products in India, driven by long-standing customer relationships. It caters to a large client base consisting of reputed FMCG multinationals and domestic customers. CRISIL believes that the GSL group will maintain its established market position in the PHC segments over the medium term, in view of its longstanding association with clients and strong R&D capabilities, and expects the group's revenues to grow at a healthy rate over the medium term due to growth in demand from the end-user segments.

* Sustained improvement in operating performance of its subsidiary: GSL's operating performance was strong in fiscal 2019 driven by healthy volume growth in India and ROW segments which grew by ~12% and 29% respectively but off set marginally by weaker volumes from AMET region which de-grew by 4.7%. Operating profit margin improved by 110 basis points to 12.9% driven by favourable feed stock prices coupled with growing contribution form specialty chemicals business which improved to 37% (of revenues) in fiscal 2019 compared to 35% in fiscal 2018. CRISIL believes that the company will be able to sustain its operating performance with margins of over 12%and expect it to generate net cash accruals of over Rs 200 cr in the medium term.

* Healthy financial risk profile: GSL group's financial risk profile is marked by healthy net worth, improving gearing and strong debt protection metrics. Overall gearing improved to 0.29 times as on March 31, 2019 as compared to 0.49 times as on March 31, 2018 and is expected to remain stable at 0.26-0.29 times in the medium term. Debt protection metrics have improved in line with the improvement in the profitability. Interest coverage ratio and net cash accruals to total debt (NCATD) improved to ~12 times and 84 per cent respectively in fiscal 2019 from 9.7 times and 56 per cent in fiscal 2018; and is further expected to remain stable at about 13-15 times and 71-72 per cent respectively over the medium term. CRISIL believes that GSL group's financial risk profile will remain strong going forward driven by the healthy accretion to reserves.

Weakness
* Working capital intensive operations: GSL group maintains an inventory of 50-60 days. Further, the group has to extend credit of 40-60 days to its customers. Around 40 per cent of these current assets are funded by creditors, and the balance by working capital borrowings. CRISIL believes that while GSL group's working capital requirement would increase on account of the increase in the scale of operations, expectations of healthy cash generation would support the incremental working capital requirement needs. CRISIL also takes comfort from the strong credit profile of the customers which provides the group flexibility to discount debtors to generate liquidity if required.

* Susceptibility of operating performance to volatility in raw material prices: GSL group has a high dependence on Lauryl alcohol (LA) which forms more than 40 per cent of the raw material costs. The group derives majority of its revenue through cost plus model while for balance through non-cost plus model whereby the group derives its revenue on the basis of the prevailing market price. The profitability margin of the group remains susceptible to the significant volatility in the prices of key raw materials only to the extent the non-cost plus portion of the business.
Liquidity

GSL group has strong liquidity reflected by cash and bank balances of nearly Rs 26 cr as of March 31st 2019, low bank limit utilisation (average utilisation of ~27 per cent over last twelve months ended May 2019) and healthy cash generation of over Rs 200 cr per year.

Outlook: Positive

CRISIL believes that the GSL group will continue to benefit over the medium term from its strong market position and established clientele in the domestic and global markets.

Upside Scenario:-
* Sustained strong operating performance thereby leading to healthy cash accruals
* Increased contribution from specialty chemicals segments thereby improving profitability

Downside Scenario:-
* Lower-than-expected revenue and profitability
* Slowdown in domestic FMCG growth on the back of subdued consumer demand impacting overall growth
* Large debt-funded capex or acquisitions, or stretch in working capital cycle, leading to material weakening in its financial risk profile.

About the Company

The GSL group, set up in 1980, manufactures, sells, and distributes surfactants and specialty chemicals, which are used as intermediate raw materials in PHC products.

Galaxy Chemicals (Egypt) SAE, a step-down subsidiary of GSL, has set up a Greenfield project in Suez, 140 km from Cairo in Egypt. Tri-K is based in the US and markets the group's products in that geography and also manufactures proteins for the global cosmetic and personal care industry.

Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the period ended March 31 2019 2018
Revenue Rs crore 2,768 2,434
Profit After Tax (PAT) Rs crore 191 158
PAT Margins % 6.9 6.5
Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Networth Times 0.29 0.49
Interest coverage Times 11.94 9.43

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 Term Loan NA NA Dec-20 62.12 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Term Loan NA NA Jan-19 6.64 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Term Loan NA NA Feb-19 6.64 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Term Loan NA NA Apr-20 9.64 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Term Loan NA NA Mar-21 30.00 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 265.00 CRISIL A+/Positive
NA Factoring/ Forfaiting NA NA NA 85.00 CRISIL A1
NA Letter of Credit & Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 270.40 CRISIL A1
NA Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility NA NA NA 170.89 CRISIL A+/Positive
 
Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated
Name of entities Extent of consolidation Rationale for consolidation
Galaxy Chemicals Inc Full Strong managerial, operational, and financial linkages
Galaxy Holdings (Mauritius) Ltd Full Strong managerial, operational, and financial linkages
Rainbow Holdings GmbH Full Strong managerial, operational, and financial linkages
Galaxy Chemicals (Egypt) S.A.E. Full Strong managerial, operational, and financial linkages
TRI-K Industries Inc. Full Strong managerial, operational, and financial linkages
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
Fixed Deposits  FD    --    --    --  27-07-17  Withdrawal  05-07-16  FA+/Stable  FA/Stable 
                    19-01-16  FA/Stable   
                    14-01-16  FA/Stable   
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  635.93  CRISIL A+/Positive/ CRISIL A1      24-04-18  CRISIL A+/Stable/ CRISIL A1  27-07-17  CRISIL A/Positive/ CRISIL A1  05-07-16  CRISIL A/Stable/ CRISIL A1  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+ 
                    19-01-16  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+   
                    14-01-16  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  270.40  CRISIL A1      24-04-18  CRISIL A1  27-07-17  CRISIL A1  05-07-16  CRISIL A1  CRISIL A2+ 
                    19-01-16  CRISIL A2+   
                    14-01-16  CRISIL A2+   
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
Cash Credit 265 CRISIL A+/Positive Cash Credit 265 CRISIL A+/Stable
Factoring/ Forfaiting 85 CRISIL A1 Factoring/ Forfaiting 85 CRISIL A1
Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 270.4 CRISIL A1 Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 270.4 CRISIL A1
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 170.89 CRISIL A+/Positive Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 170.89 CRISIL A+/Stable
Term Loan 115.04 CRISIL A+/Positive Term Loan 115.04 CRISIL A+/Stable
Total 906.33 -- Total 906.33 --
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 Chemical Industry
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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