Tata Steel today said it had fully written down its loss-making European long-products division, taking a hit of Rs 5,000 crore on its balance sheet.
The decision comes at a time the company is in selloff talks for the unit with Geneva-based Klesch Group even as workers in the UK are threatening to go on a strike.
The write-down is in addition to the non-cash impairment charge of Rs 1,577 crore undertaken by the company in the first quarter of 2014-15 towards its investment in the Mozambique coal project.
“The total impairment charge for FY 2014-15 would be around Rs 6,500 crore in the consolidated financial results,” Tata Steel said in a filing with the BSE.
The board of Tata Steel will meet on May 20 to announce the fourth-quarter and full-year results, taking into account the impairment charges.
Given the non-cash nature of the write-down, the liquidity position as well as financial covenants of the company would remain unaffected, the company said in the statement.
According to Tata Steel, the review took into account the external economic environment and the economic conditions in each geography of its operations.
It also factored in the underlying demand-supply imbalance in the global steel industry, significant volatility in iron ore and coal prices in the last twelve months and the current view of long-term forecast of steel and raw material prices.
The statement said the company expected to recognise a non-cash write-down of the goodwill and assets in the consolidated financial results in the fourth quarter for the year ended March 31, 2015, of around Rs 5,000 crore, mainly relating to the long products UK business in Tata Steel Europe.
The impairment also includes a writedown of investments in overseas raw materials projects in Ivory Coast and Taconite in Canada as the economic viability of these projects remained uncertain at the current level of commodity prices.
Tata Steel had ventured into these projects soon after acquiring Tata Steel Europe, erstwhile Corus, in search of raw materials to sustain the business.
Industry observers said the company had made its intention clear by fully writing down the long-products division even as the unions were opposed to the move.
A consultant hired by the unions had advised Tata Steel to continue the business and make further investments.
The workers are also up in arms against the Tata management over a decision to curtail pension benefits and are threatening to go on a strike.
Today’s decision reflects the difficult environment faced by the Tatas after buying Corus at the height of the commodity boom and failing to make a sustainable operation thereafter.
In October last year, Tata Steel had said it was looking to sell the long-products division, signing a memorandum of understanding with Klesch Group, owned by billionaire Gary Klesch.
The long-products business comprises facilities at Scunthorpe and Teesside in England, and Dalzell and Clydebridge in Scotland. It also encompasses an engineering workshop at Workington, a rail consultancy in York and operations in France and German
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