Compagnie Plastic Omnium S.A. Business Report FY ended Dec. 2015

Financial Overview

(in million EUR)
FY ended Dec. 31, 2015 FY ended Dec. 31, 2014 Rate of change (%) Factors
Overall
Consolidated Sales 5,009.9 4,437.2 12.9 1)
Net Income 262.8 229.5 14.5 -
Automotive Division
Sales 4,624.1 4,048.1 14.2 2)


Factors
1) Consolidated Sales
-In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, the Company’s consolidated revenue was EUR 5,009.9 million, an increase of 12.9% from the previous year. The increase in sales was driven by growth in Europe and North America. In addition, changes in currency exchange rates created a positive effect of EUR 405 million during the fiscal year.

2) Automotive Division Sales
-Sales from the Company’s Automotive Division increased by 14.2% over the previous year to EUR 4,624.1 million in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. The growth in sales occurred as a result of new plant investments and new products. Countries including France, the UK, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, India, and the U.S. were drivers of growth for the Company.

Acquisitions

-July 2016, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of the Faurecia's Exterior Systems business for an enterprise value of EUR 665 million. (From a press release on July 29, 2016)

-December 2015, the Company announced that it signed a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Faurecia S.A. to acquire its Automotive Exteriors business (bumpers and front-end modules). The composite business, the Faurecia plant for smart in Hambach, France and the two joint ventures in Brazil and China are not included in the deal. (From a press release on December 14, 2015)

Joint Ventures

-The Changsha Plant of Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd., a joint venture between HUAYU Automotive Systems Company Limited and the Company, held a ceremony to celebrate the release of its first bumper off its production line. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on January 19, 2015)

-The Company has two major joint ventures:

  • HBPO: The joint venture is owned in equal proportions by the Company, Hella and Mahle-Behr. HBPO is a leading manufacturer of front-end modules and has a network of 21 assembly plants.
  • Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems (YFPO): The joint venture is 49.95%-owned by the Company. YFPO is China's leading manufacturer of auto exterior components. YFPO employs approximately 3,400 people in its development center and 17 plants in China.

Recent Developments

-The Company announced that it does not deliver any SCR depollution system on the Volkswagen Group vehicles concerned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report. The Company is currently partnering with 13 worldwide car manufacturers to equip diesel vehicles with depollution systems. The Company provides the urea tank and the dosing pump for these systems. (From a press release on September 22, 2015)

Contracts

-Supply agreements awarded in 2015 for major new products include the following:

  • Tailgates and spoilers: Ten programs for six different automakers
  • Parts for hybrid models: Two orders for pressurized fuel tanks
  • SCR systems: Six programs for six different automakers


-In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, the Company had 132 successful product launches. The Company expects to have 155 launches in the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

Number of programs launched
Region FY ended Dec. 31, 2016 (forecast) FY ended Dec. 31, 2015
Western Europe 48 52
North America 22 13
South America 11 4
Asia 74 63
Total 155 132


-The Company began the production of SCR systems for the Volkswagen Group's new MLBevo platform in early 2015. Following the production of systems for the Audi Q7, which started in February, production of SCR systems for the Audi A4 begun in the Polish plant in Lublin. The Audi A5, Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne will be equipped with the system from 2016 and 2017. A total of 2 million SCR systems will be provided to the Volkswagen Group over the lifetime of this platform. The Company confirms that its SCR technology is now adopted by nine global manufacturers: Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Renault, Nissan, and Toyota. The Company’s production volume, which totaled 300,000 units in 2014, is expected to grow to 2.2 million units in 2018, representing a global market share of 35%. (From a press release on June 19, 2015)

-In the wake of its major success in Europe with its new range of lighter tailgates, the Company launched production of three tailgates made from composite materials for the Capsa DS6, Volvo XC60 and Land Rover Evoque in mid-2014. The first all-thermoplastic tailgate for the DPCA 308 will be delivered in 2015. The Ningbo plant in Zhejiang Province will produce Twin Sheet Blow-Molding (TSBM) tanks for SAIC GM in mid-2015. The Group recently won its first hybrid vehicle order from Volvo-Geely, which will be produced in 2017. (From a press release on April 17, 2015)

-The Company has developed a front impact beam for Hyundai Motor Europe that is 43%, or 3.7 kilograms lighter than the same part made of sheet steel. A new technology combining a pultruded fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement overmolded with a thermoplastic resin makes it possible to achieve high levels of performance at a competitive price. The Company aims to equip a Hyundai vehicle with this new impact beam by 2017. (From a press release on March 9, 2015)

Awards

-The Company announced that it has received the Superior Quality Performance Award from Toyota. The Company won the trophy in the Body Parts category for the supply of fuel systems. Starting in 2015, the Company will supply Toyota in Japan with its first SCR systems for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions control systems for diesel engines. (From a press release on March 2, 2015)

R&D Expenditures

(in million EUR)
FY ended Dec. 31, 2015 FY ended Dec. 31, 2014 FY ended Dec. 31, 2013
Overall 295.4 256.8 247.4

R&D Structure

-As of December 31, 2015, the Company has 2,000 engineers working across 21 research and development centers around the world.

R&D Facilities

-The Company opened a new Tokyo development center for its automotive business in Japan, and held an opening ceremony on November 20, 2015. The development center will have 80 employees. It will develop automotive plastic components and modules, fuel systems and emission control systems, and propose new technologies to Japanese automakers. With the new development center in Japan, the Company aims to expand its business further in Japan. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on November 27, 2015)

Technological Alliance

-The Company and PSA Peugeot Citroen have developed a solution replacing the traditional steel underbody with a self-supporting thermosetting resin floor reinforced with fiberglass. This notably reduces the number of parts to be assembled from more than 30 to just 4 main components and reduces the weight of a mid-range model by 8 kilograms. This technology is compatible with the systems used to assemble car bodies and can be used for a multi-material approach with steel. PSA equipped the Peugeot 208 Hybrid Air and Citroen C4 Cactus Concept Airflow prototypes showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October 2014 with the front floor. (From a press release on March 9, 2015)

R&D Activities

-The Company is focusing its research on solutions that reduce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions through either systems that directly affect emissions, or by making components lighter and more aerodynamic.

Patents

-The Company filed 142 patents in 2015 and manages a total of over 3,500 patents.

Capital Expenditure

(in million EUR)
FY ended Dec. 31, 2015 FY ended Dec. 31, 2014 FY ended Dec. 31, 2013
Automotive Division 242.6 191.3 219.2
Environment Division 14.0 13.2 11.6
Other 12.7 49.3 28.8
Adjustments - - (24.0)
Overall 269.3 253.7 235.6

-Details on the Company’s EUR 1.7 billion five-year investment plan that was announced in December 2014 have been revealed:

  • EUR 900 million will be invested into 20 new plants divided as follows: 12 in Asia, 5 in North America, and 3 in Europe.
  • EUR 200 million will be invested in maintenance of existing plants.
  • EUR 600 million will be used for research and development.

Investments outside France

-In 2015, the Company launched nine new plants.

Location Start of production Products Customers
South Korea, Pyeontaek January 2015 Front-end modules Ssangyong
China, Wuhan Jiangxia January 2015 Bumpers SAIC GM
China, Beijing March 2015 Front-end modules Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC)
China, Chongqing March 2015 Bumpers Chery, Ford
Germany, Regensburg March 2015 Front-end modules BMW
China, Changsha May 2015 Bumpers SAIC VW, GAC-Fiat
U.S., Tennessee, Chattanooga August 2015 Bumpers VW
Russia, St-Petersburg September 2015 Fuel systems Nissan, Ford, Toyota
U.S., Kansas, Fairfax November 2015 Fuel systems GM



-The Company announced that the Group will launch four new production units in China in 2015-2016, thereby increasing its industrial network in China to 25 plants. The Company is now established in seven major Chinese production areas: Shenyang, Beijing, Yantai, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Chongqing. The Group recently expanded its portfolio through new contracts with Volvo-Geely, FCA Group, and Daimler. (From a press release on April 17, 2015)


-The Company completed construction of a manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the spring of 2015. The plant will produce exterior body parts for Volkswagen and is expected to have approximately 180 employees. A total EUR 46.2 million was invested in the plant's development.

-In the fall of 2015, the Company completed construction of the plant in Fairfax, Kansas. As part of the Auto Inergy Division, the plant will produce fuel systems for GM. The plant is expected to employ 50 people. As the plant was financed by GM, the Company had only invested a total of EUR 3.6 million in the plant's development.


-The Company started construction of a new plant in Warrington in the first half of 2015, which is expected to be finished in 2016. A total of EUR 60.9 million has been invested in the plant so far.

-The Company plans to develop the following new manufacturing facilities in the future:

Location Start of production Products Customers
Mexico, San Jose Chiapa Early 2016 Front-end modules Audi
UK, Warrington Mid-2016 Bumpers JLR
Mexico, Leon Late 2016 Fuel systems Daimler
Mexico, San Luis Potosi Early 2017 Bumpers GM
China, Chongqing Late 2017 Fuel systems Honda
Inida, Hansalpur Late 2018 Fuel systems Suzuki