In Move Up Value Chain, BMWs and Laptops Offer Respite After Years of Toil

Aluminium Company of Malaysia Berhad (ALCOM) MD Sachin Satpute discusses:

- Current business - update;
- Contrast - business profile - 60 percent owner: Atlanta, Georgia-based Novelis;
- Capex spendng - higher quality products - higher prices - update - move up the value chain;
- New markets - South Korea, India, Taiwan and Japan - update;
- R&D - importance - update;
- Raw materials - costs - energy - a fifth of opex;
- Respite: government tariff hike deferment;
- Alcom's plea - government - manufacturing economy - distinction from Singapore;
- Whether potential - pass - increases - customers - efforts - cutting energy use;
- Liberalisation - China - challenges;
- Currency - fluctuations - effects;
- Novelis - parent - link - benefits;
- Commentary - prospects - outlook;
- Bright spots: Thailand recovering - Mandatory Quality Standards on Aluminum Rolled Products - Government decision defer proposed energy rate hike from - effective - December 2011;
- Outstanding share capital - small - virtually no liquidity - valuation 42 percent discount to NTA - plans to address this;
- No debt - 40 million ringgit of cash - whether utilise - move up value chain - margin expansion;
- Novelis - owned by Hidalco - owned by the $35 billion Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group - potential linkages.