FFHL Fuwei Films Holdings Company Ltd

BEIJING, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fuwei Films (Holdings) Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: FFHL) ("Fuwei Films" or the "Company"), a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality BOPET plastic films in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2013 ended March 31, 2013.

Highlights

• Revenues were RMB76.6 million (US$12.3 million), compared with RMB91.0 million in the same period of 2012.
• Net cash used in operating activities was RMB3.3 million (US$0.5 million), compared with net cash provided by operating activities of RMB45.9 million in the same period of 2012.
• Basic and diluted net loss per share was RMB1.38 (US$0.22), compared with basic and diluted net loss per share of RMB1.16 in the same period of 2012.
• Our third production line is still under trial operation. Although the products from this production line have yet to meet the specifications and quality standards specified in the client's orders on a consistent basis, it has produced some commodity thick films of thickness from 38μm to 250μm, and we are producing some sample diffusion films (a type of TFT-LCD optical film) at 188μm at the request of our clients. We will continue to conduct commissioning and testing to address any possible issues and develop new products during the trial operation.

Mr. Xiaoan He, Chairman and CEO of Fuwei Films, said, "We are still facing strong competition arising from increased supply over demand in the market which is impacting our quarterly results. However, I am pleased to report that our progress with the third production line is on track. We hope we can increase our revenue by accelerating R & D of low-end and high-end TFT-LCD optical films on the third production line."

First Quarter of 2013 Results

Net sales during the first quarter ended March 31, 2013 were RMB76.6 million (US$12.3 million), compared to RMB91.0 million, during the same period in 2012, representing a decrease of RMB14.4 million or 15.8%, mainly due to the reduction of average sales price by 1.3% arising from stronger competition in China and decrease of total sales volumes by 14.8%.

Overseas sales were RMB12.6 million or US$2.0 million, or 16.5% of total revenues, compared with RMB16.3 million or 17.9% of total revenues in the first quarter of 2012. The increase of average sales price caused an increase of RMB0.5 million and the decrease in sales volume resulted in a decrease of RMB4.2 million. The decrease in overseas sales was mainly due to the lower demand from international markets and enhanced competition as well as anti-dumping measures taken by the USA and South Korea, which led to a decrease in orders from the overseas markets compared to the same period of 2012.

The following is a breakdown of domestic versus overseas sales for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 (amounts in thousands except percentages):

Gross loss was RMB1.2 million (US$0.2 million) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013, representing a gross margin of negative 1.6%, as compared to a gross margin of negative 3.3% for the same period in 2012. Correspondingly, gross profit rate increased by 1.7 percentage points compared to the same period in 2012. Our average product sales prices decreased by 1.3% compared to the same period last year while the average cost of goods sold decreased by 17.3% compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the decrease in cost of goods sold largely exceeded that in sales revenue during the first quarter ended March 31, 2013 compared with the same period in 2012, which contributed to the increase in our gross profit margin.

Operating expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013 were RMB13.7 million (US$2.2 million), which was RMB3.3 million, or 31.7% higher than the same period in 2012. This increase was mainly due to increased R&D expenditure in the first quarter ended March 31, 2013.

Net loss attributable to the Company during the first quarter ended March 31, 2013 was RMB18.1 million (US$2.9 million) compared to net loss attributable to the Company of RMB15.1 million during the same period in 2012, representing an increase of RMB3.0 million.

Basic and diluted net loss per share was RMB1.38 (US$0.22), compared with basic and diluted net loss per share of RMB1.16 in the first quarter of 2012.

Total shareholders' equity was RMB501.2 million (US$80.7 million) as of March 31, 2013, compared with RMB519.2 million as of December 31, 2012.

As of March 31, 2013, the Company had 13,062,500 basic and diluted total ordinary shares outstanding.

Conference Call Information

The Company will host a teleconference on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 p.m. Beijing time to discuss the financial results. To participate in the call, please dial +1-877-407-9205 in North America, or +1-201-689-8054 internationally, approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

A replay of the call can also be accessed via telephone by calling +1-877-660-6853 in North America, or +1-201-612-7415 internationally, and entering the following Conference ID: 41461. The replay will be available until June 22, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

About Fuwei Films

Fuwei Films conducts its business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Fuwei Films (Shandong) Co., Ltd. ("Fuwei Shandong"). Fuwei Shandong develops, manufactures and distributes high-quality plastic films using the biaxial oriented stretch technique, otherwise known as BOPET film (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate). Fuwei's BOPET film is widely used to package food, medicine, cosmetics, tobacco, and alcohol, as well as in the imaging, electronics, and magnetic products industries.

Safe Harbor

This press release contains information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks. Risk factors that could contribute to such differences include those matters more fully disclosed in the Company's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which, among other things, include both the short and long-term effects of the global financial crisis on the Company and the BOPET film industry; competition in the BOPET film industry; growth of, and risks inherent in, the BOPET film industry in China; uncertainty as to future profitability and our ability to obtain adequate financing for our planned capital expenditure requirements; uncertainty as to our ability to continuously develop new BOPET film products and keep up with changes in BOPET film technology; risks associated with possible defects and errors in our products; uncertainty as to our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; uncertainty as to our ability to attract and retain qualified executives and personnel; and uncertainty in acquiring raw materials on time and on acceptable terms, particularly in view of the volatility in the prices of petroleum products in recent years. The forward-looking information provided herein represents the Company's estimates as of the date of the press release, and subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's estimates to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking information in the future. Therefore, this forward-looking information should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates of its future financial performance as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Actual results of our operations may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors.

For more information, please contact:

In China:

Miss Lysander Lee
Investor Relations Officer
Phone: +86-133-615-59266
Email: fuweiIR@fuweifilms.com

In the U.S.:

Ms. Leslie Wolf-Creutzfeldt
Investor Relations
Grayling
Phone: +1-646-284-9472
Email: leslie.wolf-creutzfeldt@grayling.com

Financial Tables to Follow

SOURCE Fuwei Films