Fletcher Building Annual Report 2009 – The year in full WIDER PERSPECTIVES Laminates & Panels Bringing brand to the surface – page 10 Distribution ‘Know how. Can do.’ for builders and DIY – page 9 Infrastructure At home where the living is easy – page 12 Steel We’re taking hot rods on the road to recycling – page 13 Building Products We’re home and dry with insulation – page 8 Fletcher Building Annual Report 2009 Big picture, small detail Highlights Page 2 At Fletcher Building we have a wider Chairman’s review perspective. Page 3 Chief Executive’s review Page 5 We have a 100-year view of the built Divisional reviews environments we have helped create Page 8 Building Products across Australasia and around the Distribution world. That informs our development Laminates & Panels Laminex of products, materials and services Formica for a new century. Infrastructure We have experienced the impacts Steel Environment and Society of changing economic cycles and Page 14 Board of Directors we manage these by drawing on the Page 18 strengths of market-leading positions Corporate governance and our diverse geographical and Page 20 Financial statements industry base. Page 30 Audit report Page 80 This year we focused on maximising Trend statement our cashflow and restructuring the Page 81 Regulatory disclosures business. Economic recovery is Page 82 Investor information inevitable, and when it comes, we Page 94 Directory expect to be strongly positioned. Page 95 You can obtain an electronic copy of the Annual Annual shareholders’ meeting Report by going to the following website address: The Fletcher Building 2009 annual shareholders’ fletcherbuilding.com/reports/09 meeting is to be held at 10.30 am on Wednesday This report is dated 8 September 2009 and is 11 November 2009 at the Glenroy Auditorium, signed on behalf of the board of Fletcher Building Dunedin Centre, Dunedin, New Zealand. The Limited: notice of meeting, voting form and RSVP card will be mailed to shareholders closer to that time. Roderick Deane Jonathan Ling Chairman of Directors Managing Director Looking at 2009 Highlights 100yrs In 2009 we’re celebrating 100 years since James Fletcher built his first house in New Zealand, founding a tradition of imagination, hard work and entrepreneurship that helped shape a nation. $314m Net earnings after tax before unusual items, on stable revenues of $7,103 million. Unusual items of $360 million were incurred, giving rise to a net loss of $46 million. Operating earnings (earnings before interest and tax) before unusual items were $558 million compared with $768 million in the previous year. 23% Cashflow from operations was up 23 percent to $533 million compared with $434 million in 2008. 15% Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate per million hours (TRIFR) this year was 23.41 compared with 27.76 in 2008, a reduction of 15 percent. Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) was 5.31, compared with 5.74 in 2008. Fletcher Building Annual Report 2009 Chairman’s review A challenging year This has been a very challenging year for While the net loss is disappointing, a number the company as it has faced declining of the unusual items relate to actions which will construction markets around the world and benefit the company over time. In particular, the the after-effects of the global financial crisis. restructuring and capacity reduction initiatives will ensure that the business is well placed to Operating performance benefit from a recovery in markets, with efficient Roderick Deane Chairman For the year ended 30 June 2009, the group appropriately scaled manufacturing operations, recorded net earnings after tax, before unusual and lower unit costs. items, of $314 million. This compares with $467 Much of this work has already been completed million in the previous year. Operating earnings or is well in train. All divisions undertook business (earnings before interest and tax) before unusual rationalisations in response to reductions in View the Chairman’s demand. Manufacturing capacity is being reduced review online: items were $558 million compared with $768 at Laminex and Formica where there is an fletcherbuilding.com/09/ million in the previous year. chairman imbalance with assessed future demand. Projects Cashflow from operations was up strongly at underway are designed to lift product profitability $533 million compared with $434 million in 2008. and reduce customer distribution and service costs, This is a robust performance given the economic while at the same time maintaining service quality. climate during the year. Read further: The result reflects a strong performance from Dividend Financial review the Steel division, which benefited from high prices Pages 28-29 A final dividend of 14.0 cents per share brings and strong demand in the first half of the year, the total dividends for the year to 38.0 cents per although steel prices and volumes eased in the share, compared with 48.5 cents per share in second half. All other divisions recorded lower the previous year. The reduced dividend has operating earnings than the prior year due to the enabled cash to be retained in the business which slowdown in building activity across most markets. the board feels is appropriate in the context of Infrastructure experienced strong growth current market conditions. Future dividend levels in construction activity during the year, more will be determined with reference to earnings than offsetting weaker demand for cement and performance and trading conditions. concrete products in New Zealand. Businesses The final dividend will be paid on 15 October exposed to the New Zealand residential markets 2009. It is partly credited for New Zealand tax saw weaker sales, particularly Distribution and the purposes, having been imputed at a 30 percent plasterboard and panels businesses. Laminates tax rate to the extent of 7 cents per share. The final sales were steady with a stronger performance in dividend is not franked for Australian tax purposes. Asia offsetting weak European markets. Business Further details are available in the Investor performance in Australia was mixed, and there Information section of the annual report. was a marked slowdown in activity in the second half due to weakness in the Queensland and Capital raising Western Australian markets. The company successfully raised $526 million Details of the performance of each of the in new equity in April and May through an businesses are contained in the divisional reviews institutional share placement, a Share Purchase on the following pages. Plan and a Top-Up Offer. The high level of Excluding unusuals the result represents a participation in the capital raising by existing 10.8 percent return on average equity, and an shareholders was especially pleasing. The new 11.9 percent return on average funds employed. equity raised has strengthened considerably This is lower than the previous year and is due the company’s balance sheet. to the cyclical low point in the cycle for building materials. Total shareholder return – the movement People in share price plus pre-tax dividends – was 14.1 This year has been especially challenging for our percent for the year. This is a pleasing turn-around people as they have worked in an environment from the prior year and reflects the efforts of the of lower volumes and at times significant cost group to manage effectively the business through pressures. The restructuring activities that have challenging economic conditions. been undertaken have been necessary and the board is cognisant of the impact these have Unusual items had across the business. It is thus particularly As announced in April 2009, unusual items appropriate to acknowledge formally the of $360 million were incurred for the year, substantial contribution made by all our people giving rise to a net loss of $46 million. Unusual during the year in meeting the demands of such Ralph Waters items comprised charges for restructuring and a difficult trading environment. It is intended that manufacturing capacity reduction initiatives, and It is appropriate to acknowledge our Ralph Waters will the impairment of certain assets. The latter are appreciation of the fact that management assume the position of Chairman on non-cash in nature and represented three percent voluntarily decided to forgo any remuneration 1 April 2010. of the group’s total assets at 30 June 2009. increases for the normal remuneration review 3 Chairman’s review which occurs after the year’s accounts are and continued subdued demand in the residential finalised. Moreover, given the decline in earnings, market. Furthermore, a lag is anticipated until a substantial majority of the senior management the Government’s proposed acceleration of team will not receive any short-term incentive infrastructure work gains traction. payments with respect to the 2009 year. Similarly the insulation business in Australia The company is fortunate to have an and New Zealand will continue to benefit from the experienced senior leadership group. This depth household insulation incentives introduced recently of internal company and industry knowledge, as part of broader economic stimulus measures. together with the strong external experience In Australia, while infrastructure spending of more recent senior appointees presents the is expected to benefit the concrete products company with a rich leadership resource pool business, this will only offset in part the lower for succession purposes. demand for rolled steel products from the commercial sector. The outlook for residential Board changes building is uncertain, but lower levels of activity are Planned succession arrangements saw Paul anticipated in Queensland and Western Australia. Baines and Geoffrey McGrath retire from the Volumes in the North American market are board in June 2009. expected to continue at low levels, particularly Two new directors, Gene Tilbrook and in non-residential, while all segments in Europe Alan Jackson, have been appointed to the board are likely to see volumes at significantly lower with effect from 1 September 2009.