Rating Rationale
March 21, 2023 | Mumbai
Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works Limited
'CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+' assigned to Bank Debt
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities RatedRs.80 Crore
Long Term RatingCRISIL BBB/Stable (Assigned)
Short Term RatingCRISIL A3+ (Assigned)
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

Detailed rationale

CRISIL Ratings has assigned its CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+ ratings to the bank facilities of Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works Ltd (KMEW).

 

The ratings reflect the extensive experience of the promoters in the shipping industry along with established track record, sound operating efficiency and healthy financial risk profile of KMEW. These strengths are partially offset by modest scale of operations, susceptibility to risks related to the tender-based nature of business and timely execution of orders and dependence on the shipping and maritime industry.

Analytical approach

CRISIL Ratings has consolidated the business and financial risk profiles of KMEW with its subsidiaries -- KMEW offshore Pvt Ltd, Indian Ports Dredging Pvt Ltd and Knowledge Infra Ports Pvt Ltd. That is because these subsidiaries are strategically important to, and have a significant degree of operational integration with, KMEW.

 

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

Key rating drivers and detailed description

Strengths:

  • Extensive experience of promoters along with established track record: The promoter family has been associated with the shipping industry for over 15 years. They have established a strong relationship with port authorities including Kolkata Port Trust, Vishakhapatnam Port Trust, Deendayal Port Trust, and Dredging Corporation of India. Execution capabilities of KMEW, in terms of quality and pace, resulted in a strong reputation. Also, the promoters have strong technical know-how and a healthy track record in shipping ancillary segmentschartering of speed boats and dredging of ports. Established market position should continue to support the business risk profile of the company over the medium term.

 

  • Sound operating efficiency: Operating margins have remained healthy at above 15% over the past three years ended fiscal 2022.  Operating efficiency should remain robust, driven by high economies of scale and in house capabilities to refurbish vessels which provides competitive advantage over other peers. Return on capital employed ratio stood at 46.47% for fiscal 2022 and is estimated to remain around 46-48% for fiscal 2023.  

 

  • Healthy financial risk profile: Networth stood at Rs 49.79 crore as on March 31, 2022, which is further augmented by equity infusion of Rs 39.66 crore in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2023. Low reliance on external funds yielded gearing of 0.53 time and low total outside liabilities to adjusted networth ratio of 0.88 time as on March 31, 2022 (against 0.59 time and 0.76 time, respectively, a year ago). Gearing is expected below 0.2 time over the medium term, aided by steady accretion to reserve. Debt protection metrics were comfortable, with interest coverage ratio at 12.88 times and net cash accrual to adjusted debt ratio of 0.88 time in fiscal 2022; the metrics are estimated to improve to 42-45 times and 2.3-2.5 times, respectively in fiscal 2023 due to better operating profits.

 

Weaknesses:

  • Modest scale of operations: Though revenue ramped up significantly in fiscal 2023, it was modest at Rs 49.59 crore in fiscal 2022. Revenue of Rs 123.11 crore has been generated in the first half of fiscal 2023. Furthermore, it limits pricing power with suppliers and customer, and limits the benefits related to economies of scale. The modest scale of operations will continue to limit operating flexibility. and remain a key monitorable.

 

  • Susceptibility to risks related to the tender-based nature of business and timely execution of orders: The company operates in a tender-based industry, which has predefined criteria with respect to track record and physical infrastructure. Business certainty depends on timely order execution, which in turn relies on various external factors such as customer clearances and any change at their end.

 

  • Dependence on the shipping and maritime industry: The shipping industry handles 95% of the international trade volume and almost 70% of overall traded value of India. Despite being intensely competitive, the industry has improved owing to the recent economic recovery. Better performance of end-user industries prompts customers to invest in modernisation of infrastructure and technology systems. Hence, entities in the segment are dependent on the business outlook of customers.

Liquidity: Adequate

Cash accrual is projected at Rs 43-60 crore per annum in fiscals 2024 and 2025, against the yearly repayment obligation of Rs 8-10 crore. Cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 22.57 crore as on March 31, 2022. The fund-based limit of Rs 1.89 crore remained largely unutilised during the 12 months through January 2023. The surplus cash available in cash accrual and bank lines along with cash and cash equivalents will aid financial flexibility.

Outlook: Stable

KMEW will continue to benefit from the extensive experience of its promoters and their established relationship with clients.

Rating sensitivity factors

Upward factors:

  • Sizeable and sustainable increase in revenue and profitability, led by continuous work orders, leading to cash accrual above Rs 50 crore
  • Improvement in the financial risk profile and liquidity profile  

 

Downward factors:

  • Decline in revenue and/or profitability, resulting in cash accrual below Rs 20 crore
  • Large, debt-funded capital expenditure or a substantial stretch in the working capital cycle

About the company

KMEW, incorporated in 2015, is engaged in providing dredging services, owning & operating marine crafts and repairing and maintaining/refitting marine crafts & marine infrastructure. Its head office is in Mumbai and operations are spread across major ports in the country through branch offices in Kolkatta, Vishakapatnam, Kandla, Vadinar and Sittwe - Myanmar. Mr Saurabh Daswani, Mr Sujay M Kewalramani and Ms Kanak Kewalramani are the promoters.


Key financials: Consolidated

As on / for the period ended

 

H1 FY23

2022

2021

Operating income

Rs crore

123.11

61.20

33.30

Reported profit after tax (PAT)

Rs crore

23.84

19.99

6.65

PAT margin

%

19.36

32.67

19.98

Adjusted debt/adjusted networth

Times

-

0.53

0.59

Interest coverage

Times

38.65

12.88

7.72

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

instrument

Date of allotment

Coupon rate (%)

Maturity

date

Issue size

(Rs crore)

Complexity

level

Rating assigned

with outlook

NA

Bank guarantee

NA

NA

NA

38.5

NA

CRISIL BBB/Stable

NA

Cash credit

NA

NA

NA

2.38

NA

CRISIL BBB/Stable

NA

Proposed cash credit

NA

NA

NA

14.12

NA

CRISIL BBB/Stable

NA

Term loan

NA

NA

Feb-26

25

NA

CRISIL BBB/Stable

Annexure: List of entities consolidated

Names of entities consolidated

Extent of consolidation

Rationale for consolidation

Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works Pvt Ltd

Full

Business linkages

KMEW Offshore Pvt Ltd

Full

Indian Ports Dredging Pvt Ltd

Full

Knowledge Infra Ports Pvt Ltd

Full

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2023 (History) 2022  2021  2020  Start of 2020
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities LT 41.5 CRISIL BBB/Stable   --   --   --   -- --
Non-Fund Based Facilities ST 38.5 CRISIL A3+   --   --   --   -- --
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Bank Guarantee 14.5 Bank of Maharashtra CRISIL A3+
Bank Guarantee 24 CSB Bank Limited CRISIL A3+
Cash Credit 0.5 Bank of Maharashtra CRISIL BBB/Stable
Cash Credit 0.5 CSB Bank Limited CRISIL BBB/Stable
Cash Credit 1.38 HDFC Bank Limited CRISIL BBB/Stable
Proposed Cash Credit Limit 14.12 Not Applicable CRISIL BBB/Stable
Term Loan 25 HDFC Bank Limited CRISIL BBB/Stable

This Annexure has been updated on 21-Mar-2023 in line with the lender-wise facility details as on 20-Mar-2023 received from the rated entity

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
Understanding CRISILs Ratings and Rating Scales
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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