10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K Form 10-K
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

x   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

       For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006

 

OR

 

¨   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

       For the transition period from              to             

 

Commission file number 1-1070

OLIN CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Virginia   13-1872319

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

  (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1530, Clayton, MO

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

63105-3443

(Zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (314) 480-1400

 


 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class


 

Name of each exchange

on which registered


Common Stock,

par value $1 per share

 

New York Stock Exchange

Chicago Stock Exchange

 


 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes    x    No    ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes    ¨    No    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes    x    No    ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large Accelerated Filer x Accelerated Filer ¨ Non-accelerated Filer    ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes    ¨ No    x

 

As of June 30, 2006, the aggregate market value of registrant’s common stock, par value $1 per share, held by non-affiliates of registrant was approximately $1,296,497,600 based on the closing sale price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

As of January 31, 2007, 73,487,596 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the following document are incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K

as indicated herein:

 

Document


 

Part of 10-K into which incorporated


Proxy Statement relating to Olin’s 2007

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

to be held on April 26, 2007

  Part II, Part III


Table of Contents

PART I

 

Item 1. BUSINESS

 

GENERAL

 

Olin Corporation is a Virginia corporation, incorporated in 1892, having its principal executive offices in Clayton, MO. We are a manufacturer concentrated in three business segments: Chlor Alkali Products, Metals and Winchester®. Chlor Alkali Products manufactures and sells chlorine and caustic soda, sodium hydrosulfite, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, bleach products and potassium hydroxide, which represent 21% of 2006 sales. Metals products, which represent 67% of 2006 sales, include copper and copper alloy sheet, strip, foil, rod, welded tube, fabricated parts and stainless steel and aluminum strip. Winchester products, which represent 12% of 2006 sales, include sporting ammunition, canister powder, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges. See our discussion of our segment disclosures contained in Item 7—“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

GOVERNANCE

 

We maintain an Internet website at www.olin.com. Our reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 8-K, as well as amendments to those reports, are available free of charge on our website, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file the reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Additionally, a copy of our SEC filings can be obtained at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Also, a copy of our electronically filed materials can be obtained at www.sec.gov. Our Principles of Corporate Governance, Committee Charters and Code of Business Conduct are available in the Corporate Governance section of the Investor section of our website at www.olin.com or from the Company by writing to: George Pain, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Olin Corporation, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1530, Clayton, MO 63105.

 

In May 2006, our Chief Executive Officer executed the annual Section 303A.12(a) CEO Certification required by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), certifying that he was not aware of any violation of the NYSE’s corporate governance listing standards by Olin. Additionally, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer executed the required Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) Sections 302 and 906 certifications relating to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are filed with the SEC as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND STRATEGIES

 

Chlor Alkali Products

 

Products and Services

 

We have been involved in the U.S. chlor alkali industry for more than 100 years and are a major participant in the U.S. chlor alkali market. Chlorine and caustic soda are co-produced commercially primarily by the electrolysis of salt. These co-products are produced simultaneously, and in a fixed ratio of 1.0 ton of chlorine to 1.1 tons of caustic soda. The industry refers to this as an Electrochemical Unit or ECU. With a demonstrated capacity as of the end of 2006 of 1.23 million ECUs per year, including 50% of the production from our partnership with PolyOne Corporation, which we refer to as our SunBelt joint venture, we are the fourth largest chlor alkali producer in the United States, according to data from Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI). CMAI is a global petrochemical, plastics and fibers consulting firm established in 1979. According to CMAI data, we are the largest producer measured by production volume of chlorine and caustic soda in the eastern United States, with facilities located in McIntosh, AL, Charleston, TN, Augusta, GA, and Niagara Falls, NY. Since transportation costs can be a significant part of the final cost of the product to the customer, our close proximity to our caustic customers is an advantage. Approximately 60% of our caustic soda production is high purity membrane and rayon grade, which, according to CMAI data, normally commands a premium selling price in the market.

 

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Our manufacturing facilities in Augusta, McIntosh, Charleston, and a portion of our facility in Niagara Falls are ISO 9001:2000 certified. ISO 9000 (which includes ISO 9001 and ISO 9002) and ISO 14000 (which includes ISO 14001) are sets of related international standards on quality assurance and environmental management developed by the International Organization for Standardization to help companies effectively document the quality and environmental management system elements to be implemented to maintain effective quality and environmental management systems. All four of these manufacturing facilities have also achieved Star status in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA’s VPP is a program in which companies voluntarily participate that recognizes facilities for their exemplary safety and health programs. In 2006, Chlor Alkali successfully completed the effort to obtain accreditation under the RC 14001 Responsible Care® standard. All of our Chlor Alkali manufacturing sites and the division headquarters are certified to this comprehensive integrated management system. Supported by the chemical industry and recognized by government and regulatory agencies, RC14001 establishes requirements for the management of safety, health, environmental, security, transportation, product stewardship, and stakeholder engagement activities for the business.

 

Chlorine is used as a raw material in the production of thousands of products, but a significant portion of U.S. chlorine production is consumed in the manufacture of ethylene dichloride, or EDC, a precursor for polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is a plastic used in applications such as vinyl siding, plumbing and automotive parts. Other U.S. end-uses for chlorine include chlorinated intermediates, isocyanates and water treatment. While much of the chlorine produced in the U.S. is consumed by the producing company to make downstream products, we sell most of the chlorine we produce to third parties in the merchant market.

 

Caustic soda has a wide variety of end-use applications, the largest of which is in the pulp and paper industry. Caustic soda is also used in the production of detergents and soaps, alumina and a variety of other inorganic and organic chemicals.

 

The chlor alkali industry is cyclical, both as a result of changes in demand for each of the co-products and as a result of the large increments in which new capacity is added. Because chlorine and caustic are produced in a fixed ratio, the supply of one product can be constrained both by the physical capacity of the production facilities and/or by the ability to sell the co-product. Prices for both products respond rapidly to changes in supply and demand. Our ECU netbacks (defined as gross selling price less freight and discounts) averaged approximately $575 per ECU in the first half of 2006 and then decreased, with fourth quarter 2006 netbacks averaging approximately $520 per ECU.

 

Electricity and salt are the major purchased raw materials for our Chlor Alkali Products segment. Raw materials represent approximately 50% of the total cost of producing an ECU. Electricity is the single largest raw material component in the production of chlor alkali products. During the past three years, we experienced an increase in the cost of electricity from our suppliers due primarily to energy cost increases and regulatory requirements. We are supplied by utilities that primarily utilize coal, hydroelectric and nuclear power and have relatively minor exposure to natural gas. The majority of the salt used in our Chlor Alkali Products segment is produced from internal resources but we do purchase salt in the merchant market. The commodity nature of this industry places an added emphasis on cost management and we believe that we have managed our manufacturing costs in a manner that makes us one of the low cost producers in the industry. In addition, if market demand grows in the future, we believe the design of the SunBelt joint venture plant will enable us to expand capacity cost-effectively.

 

We also manufacture and sell other chlor alkali-related products and we recently invested in capacity and product upgrades in some of these areas. These products include hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and potassium hydroxide. We also sell sodium hydrosulfite to paper, textile and clay bleaching customers.

 

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The following table lists products of our Chlor Alkali Products business, with principal products on the basis of annual sales highlighted in bold face.

 

Products & Services

  

Major End Uses


 

Plants & Facilities


 

Major Raw Materials

& Components for

Products/Services


Chlorine/caustic soda    Pulp & paper processing, chemical manufacturing, water purification, manufacture of vinyl chloride, bleach, swimming pool chemicals & urethane chemicals  

Augusta, GA

Charleston, TN

McIntosh, AL

Niagara Falls, NY

  salt, electricity

Sodium hydrosulfite

   Paper, textile & clay bleaching  

Augusta, GA

Charleston, TN

  caustic soda, sulfur dioxide

Sodium hypochlorite

   Household cleaners, laundry bleaching, swimming pool sanitizers, semiconductors, water treatment, textiles, pulp & paper and food processing  

Augusta, GA

Charleston, TN

McIntosh, AL

Niagara Falls, NY

  chlorine, caustic soda

Hydrochloric acid

   Steel, oil & gas, plastics, organic chemical synthesis, water and wastewater treatment, brine treatment, artificial sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, food processing and ore and mineral processing  

Augusta, GA

Charleston, TN

Niagara Falls, NY

  chlorine, hydrogen

Potassium hydroxide

   Fertilizer manufacturing, soaps, detergents and cleaners, battery manufacturing, food processing chemicals and deicers   Charleston, TN   potassium chloride, electricity

 

Strategies

 

Continued Role as a Preferred Supplier to Merchant Market Customers.    Based on our market research, we believe our Chlor Alkali Products business is viewed as a preferred supplier by our merchant market customers. We will continue to focus on providing quality customer service support and developing relationships with our valued customers.

 

Pursue Incremental Expansion Opportunities.    We have invested in capacity and product upgrades in our chemically processed salt, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hydroxide and hydrogen businesses. These expansions increase our captive use of chlorine while increasing the sales of these co-products. These niche businesses provide opportunities to upgrade chlorine and caustic to higher value-added applications. We also have the opportunity, when business conditions permit, to pursue incremental expansion through our SunBelt joint venture.

 

Metals

 

Products and Services

 

We have been in the Metals business for 90 years. Based on Copper Development Association Inc. (CDA) data, we are a leading manufacturer of copper and copper alloy sheet, strip, plate, foil and brass rod in the United States. CDA acts as the central authoritative source of data and information pertaining to the U.S. copper and brass industry. While primarily processing copper and copper alloys, we also reroll and form other metals, such as aluminum and stainless steel. We believe we hold leading positions for premium priced, high performance alloys in the United States. We also supply high performance alloys to non-U.S. customers through exports, technology licensing, joint ventures and local distribution. Participants in the copper and copper alloy sheet and strip industry include integrated mills, reroll mills and distributors, with many participants engaging in multiple roles. We believe that we are the largest U.S. participant in each of these categories. We believe that our status as the largest U.S. participant affords us a favorable industry position. We also believe we are one of the lowest cost producers, a quality and service leader and a specialty product innovator.

 

All of our copper and copper alloy sheet and strip mills are ISO 9001:2000 certified covering the design and manufacture of copper-based alloys in strip form. Our brass rod mill is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

 

We maintain advantages over our competition through our patent-protected technologies. We believe our high performance alloys provide superior strength, conductivity and formability to customers in the automotive, electrical, electronic and telecommunications industries. We currently hold 37 U.S. patents associated with high performance alloys and 40 other U.S. patents related to various proprietary processing and technical capabilities, many of which are also registered in foreign

 

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jurisdictions. To further our global presence, we established a joint venture with Yamaha Corporation in Japan to produce high performance alloys, formed a technical alliance with Wieland-Werke A.G. of Germany under which we jointly develop new high performance alloys and participate in an alloy licensing arrangement and formed a joint venture with Luoyang Copper (Group) Ltd. in China to operate a metals service center to supply the growing Chinese demand. These relationships provide us with greater global reach and enable us to provide high performance alloys in Asia and Europe.

 

In addition, through sales of our clad metal, produced by a proprietary cladding process, we believe we are a major supplier of coinage metal to the U.S. Mint. We also supply coinage metal to other world governments. Our Metals segment produces ammunition cartridge cups for use captively in the manufacture of our Winchester sporting ammunition, which constitutes a small portion of our total Metals segment output. We also sell cartridge brass to other ammunition makers. This relationship with Winchester, along with our fabrication business, provides us with a captive customer base.

 

Brass and other copper alloys are manufactured by melting copper together with various combinations of zinc, lead or other metals. The resulting product goes through a series of processes, including casting, hot rolling, milling, cold rolling, annealing, cleaning and slitting to produce sheet and strip. A similar process is followed for the production of rod. The principal end-uses for sheet and strip products include: automotive (connectors and radiators); electronics (lead frames, connectors, wiring and telecommunications applications); ammunition; coinage; and other applications such as builder’s hardware, plumbing supplies and welded tube for utility condensers and industrial heat exchangers. Brass rod is used to produce a variety of products, such as faucets, plumbing fittings, heating and air conditioning components, industrial valves, automotive parts and numerous hardware components.

 

The major raw materials used in our metals business are brass scrap, copper, zinc, and other non-ferrous metals, purchased from merchants, dealers, and customers at market prices.

 

Historically, demand for copper and copper alloy sheet and strip and rod has exhibited growth consistent with the growth in the U.S. gross domestic product. In the late 1990’s and in 2000, demand expanded at a rapid pace principally due to the strength in the electronics segment and the introduction of the state quarter program by the U.S. Mint. From 1997 to 2000, sheet and strip demand grew at an annualized growth rate of 8%. Since 2001, strip and rod demand has been unchanged at levels approximately 10% and 20%, respectively, below that of the late 1990’s.

 

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The following table lists products and services of our Metals business, with principal products highlighted in bold face.

 

Products and Services


  

Major End Uses


  

Plants & Facilities*


  

Major Raw Materials &
Components for

Products/Services


Copper & copper alloy sheet & strip (standard & high performance)

   Electronic connectors, lead frames, electrical components, communications, automotive, builders’ hardware, coinage, ammunition   

Bryan, OH

East Alton, IL

Seymour, CT**

Waterbury, CT***

Iwata, Japan

(Yamaha-Olin

Metal Corporation)

   copper, zinc &
other nonferrous metals

Network of metals service centers

   Electronic connectors, electrical components, communications, automotive, builders’ hardware, household products   

Allentown, PA

Alliance, OH

Caguas, PR

Carol Stream, IL

Suwanee, GA

Warwick, RI

Watertown, CT

Yorba Linda, CA Guangzhou, China Queretaro, Mexico

   copper & copper alloy sheet, strip, rod, tube & steel & aluminum strip

Posit-bond® clad metal

   Coinage strip & blanks    East Alton, IL    cupronickel, copper & aluminum

Rolled copper foil, Copperbond® foil, stainless steel strip

   Printed circuit boards, electrical & electronic, automotive    Waterbury, CT   

copper & copper

alloy sheet, strip

and foil and

stainless steel strip

Copper alloy welded tube

   Utility condensers, industrial heat exchangers, refrigeration & air conditioning, builders’ hardware, automotive    Cuba, MO    copper alloy strip

Fabricated products

   Builders’ hardware, plumbing, automotive and ammunition components    East Alton, IL    copper and copper alloy, and stainless steel strip

Shaped brass rod

   Plumbing, consumer durable goods, industrial machinery and equipment, and electrical and electronic parts   

Montpelier, OH

Los Angeles, CA

(distribution center)

   brass scrap

 

*   If site is not operated by Olin or a majority-owned, direct or indirect subsidiary, name of joint venture, affiliate or operator is indicated.
**   In November 2006, we announced our decision to close the New Haven Copper facility in Seymour, CT, which we expect to be completed in the second quarter of 2007. In conjunction with this action, we will consolidate these product activities into our other locations.
***   In June 2006, we substantially completed the closure of the Waterbury Rolling Mills facility in Waterbury, CT.

 

Strategies

 

Continue Profitable Growth Globally.    Our goal is to be a leading worldwide supplier of specialty copper-based products and related engineered materials. We intend to achieve this goal by building our high performance alloys business on a global basis. In 2004 and continuing through 2006, we took a number of steps to continue to grow our global presence including the start-up of our joint venture service center in Guangzhou, China, the development of new business opportunities in Europe and the acquisition and integration of the aluminum strip distribution assets of Metal Foils LLC in the United States.

 

Maintain Premier Specialty Product Innovator Position.    We believe that we manufacture more high performance alloys than any other competitor, and we continue to allocate resources to maximize this product line. Our specialty products include proprietary high performance alloys and materials that meet strength, gauge, formability, and conductivity requirements for applications in our customers’ industries.

 

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Increase Cost Efficiencies.    We plan to continue to focus on achieving economies of scale, improved manufacturing processes, and innovation in pursuit of cost reductions. We strive for profit improvements primarily through yield improvements, increased equipment utilization and capacity enhancements.

 

Continue Our Quality Leadership.    We maintain ISO 9000, QS 9000, and ISO 14001 certifications. For example, our East Alton, IL mill carries the distinctive certifications of ISO 9001, due to its extensive design work, and ISO 14001, a prominent environmental standard. We believe that these certifications demonstrate a quality advantage not possessed by our key U.S. competitors. We also continue to maintain preferred supplier positions with some of the largest or most respected companies in segments where quality is essential, such as automotive and electronics.

 

Leverage Our Service and Distribution Leadership for Growth.    We believe that we are a service and distribution leader in the copper-based metals industry. Our A.J. Oster distribution system extends throughout the United States and also includes facilities in Puerto Rico and Mexico. We sell directly from the mill to large volume customers, and to small and medium size customers through A.J. Oster and other licensed distributors. We intend to leverage our service leadership and our distribution network to improve our just-in-time delivery services and our customized order capabilities.

 

Winchester

 

Products and Services

 

Winchester is in its 140th year of operation and its 76th year as part of Olin. Winchester is a premier developer and manufacturer of small caliber ammunition for sale to domestic and international retailers, law enforcement agencies and domestic and international militaries. We believe we are a leading U.S. producer of ammunition for recreational shooters, hunters, law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Armed Forces. Our legendary Winchester product line includes all major gauges and calibers of shotgun shells, rimfire and centerfire ammunition for pistols and rifles, canister powder, reloading components and industrial cartridges. We believe we are the leading U.S. supplier of small caliber commercial ammunition. As part of our continuous improvement initiatives, our manufacturing facilities located in East Alton, IL achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2006.

 

Winchester has strong relationships throughout the sales and distribution chain and strong ties to traditional dealers and distributors. Winchester has built its business with key high volume mass merchants and specialty sporting goods retailers. We have consistently developed industry-leading ammunition. In 2006, Winchester’s Supreme Elite XP3 cartridge and Supreme Elite Xtended Range® Hi-Density waterfowl loads were awarded “2006 Best of the Best” awards from Field and Stream magazine. In addition, Winchester’s WinLite® low recoil shotgun target and hunting loads won “Best in Show” at the 2006 Shot Show.

 

Winchester purchases raw materials such as lead from vendors at market prices as posted on exchanges such as the Commodity Exchange, or COMEX, and London Metals Exchange, or LME. Winchester also purchases copper-based strip and cups from our Metals segment. Winchester’s other main raw material is propellant, which is purchased predominantly from one of the United States’ largest propellant suppliers.

 

The following table lists products and services of our Winchester business, with principal products on the basis of annual sales highlighted in bold face.

 

Products & Services


 

Major End Uses


 

Plants & Facilities


 

Major Raw Materials &
Components for Products/
Services


Winchester® sporting ammunition (shot-shells, small caliber centerfire & rimfire ammunition)

  Hunters & recreational shooters, law enforcement agencies  

East Alton, IL

Oxford, MS

Geelong, Australia

  brass, lead, steel, plastic, propellant, explosives

Small caliber military ammunition

  Infantry and mounted weapons   East Alton, IL   brass, lead, propellant, explosives

Industrial products (8 gauge loads & powder-actuated tool loads)

  Maintenance applications in power & concrete industries, powder-actuated tools in construction industry  

East Alton, IL

Oxford, MS

Geelong, Australia

  brass, lead, plastic, propellant, explosives

 

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Strategies

 

Leverage Existing Strengths.    Winchester plans to focus on seeking new opportunities to leverage the legendary Winchester brand name and will continue to offer a full line of ammunition products to the markets we serve, with specific focus on investments that lower our costs and that make Winchester ammunition the retail brand of choice.

 

Focus on Product Line Growth.    With a long record of pioneering new product offerings, Winchester has built a strong reputation as an industry innovator. This includes the introduction of reduced-lead and non-lead products, which are growing in popularity for use in indoor shooting ranges and for outdoor hunting.

 

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

 

We have sales offices and subsidiaries in various countries which support the worldwide export of products from the United States as well as overseas production facilities.

 

Yamaha-Olin Metal Corporation, of which we are a 50% owner, manufactures high-performance copper alloys in Japan for sale to the electronics industry throughout the Far East. Our subsidiary, Olin Australia Limited, loads and packs sporting and industrial ammunition in Australia. We entered into an agreement with Luoyang Copper (Group) Ltd. to jointly construct and operate a metals service center in Guangzhou, China, which became operational in the first quarter of 2004. See the Note “Segment Information” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, for geographic segment data. We are incorporating our segment information from that Note into this section of our Form 10-K.

 

CUSTOMERS AND DISTRIBUTION

 

During 2006, no single customer accounted for more than 4% of consolidated sales. Sales to all U.S. government agencies and sales under U.S. government contracting activities in total accounted for approximately 9% of consolidated sales in 2006. Products we sell to industrial or commercial users or distributors for use in the production of other products constitute a major part of our total sales. We sell some of our products, such as caustic soda, sporting ammunition, and metals products, to a large number of users or distributors, while we sell others, such as chlorine, in substantial quantities to a relatively small number of industrial users. We discuss the customers for each of our three businesses in more detail above under “Products and Services.”

 

We market most of our products and services primarily through our sales force and sell directly to various industrial customers, wholesalers, other distributors, and the U.S. Government and its prime contractors.

 

Because we engage in some government contracting activities and make sales to the U.S. Government, we are subject to extensive and complex U.S. Government procurement laws and regulations. These laws and regulations provide for ongoing government audits and reviews of contract procurement, performance and administration. Failure to comply, even inadvertently, with these laws and regulations and with laws governing the export of munitions and other controlled products and commodities could subject us or one or more of our businesses to civil and criminal penalties, and under certain circumstances, suspension and debarment from future government contracts and the exporting of products for a specified period of time.

 

COMPETITION

 

We are in active competition with businesses producing the same or similar products, as well as, in some instances, with businesses producing different products designed for the same uses. We are among the largest manufacturers or distributors in the United States of ammunition, copper based strip, rod, and certain chlor alkali products based on data provided by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI), CDA and CMAI, respectively. Founded in 1926, SAAMI is an association of the nation’s leading manufacturers of sporting firearms, ammunition and components. Many factors influence our ability to compete successfully, including price, delivery, service, performance, product innovation and product recognition and quality, depending on the product involved.

 

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EMPLOYEES

 

As of December 31, 2006, we had approximately 6,000 employees, with 5,900 working in the United States and 100 working in foreign countries. Various labor unions represent a majority of our hourly-paid employees for collective bargaining purposes.

 

Our labor contract with 203 employees at our Metals facility in Montpelier, OH is scheduled to expire in June of 2007.

 

While we believe our relations with our employees and their various representatives are generally satisfactory, we cannot assure that we can conclude these labor contracts or any other labor agreements without work stoppages and cannot assure that any work stoppages will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES; PATENTS

 

Our research activities are conducted on a product-group basis at a number of facilities. Company-sponsored research expenditures were $4.5 million in 2006, $4.2 million in 2005, and $3.9 million in 2004.

 

We own or license a number of patents, patent applications and trade secrets covering our products and processes, particularly for use in our Metals segment. We believe that, in the aggregate, the rights under our patents and licenses are important to our operations, but we do not consider any individual patent or license or group of patents and licenses related to a specific process or product to be of material importance to our total business.

 

RAW MATERIALS AND ENERGY

 

We purchase the major portion of our raw material requirements. The principal basic raw materials for our production of chlor alkali products are salt, electricity, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen. The majority of the salt used in our Chlor Alkali Products segment is produced from internal resources. Copper, zinc, various other nonferrous metals and brass scrap are required for the Metals business. Lead, brass, and propellant are the principal raw materials used in the Winchester business. We typically purchase our electricity, salt, sulfur dioxide, and propellants pursuant to multi-year contracts. In the manufacture of ammunition, we use a substantial percentage of our own output of cartridge brass. We provide additional information with respect to specific raw materials in the tables above under “Products and Services.”

 

Electricity is the predominant energy source for our manufacturing facilities. Most of our facilities are served by utilities which generate electricity principally from coal, hydroelectric and nuclear power.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROLS

 

The establishment and implementation of federal, state and local standards to regulate air, water and land quality have affected and will continue to affect substantially all of our manufacturing locations. Federal legislation providing for regulation of the manufacture, transportation, use and disposal of hazardous and toxic substances has imposed additional regulatory requirements on industry, particularly the chemicals industry. In addition, implementation of environmental laws, such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Air Act, has required and will continue to require new capital expenditures and will increase operating costs. We employ waste minimization and pollution prevention programs at our manufacturing sites and we are a party to various governmental and private environmental actions associated with waste disposal sites and manufacturing facilities. Charges or credits to income for investigatory and remedial efforts were material to operating results in the past three years and may be material to net income in future years.

 

See our discussion of our environmental matters in Item 3, “Legal Proceedings” below, the Note “Environmental” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

In addition to the other information in this Form 10-K, the following factors should be considered in evaluating Olin and our business. All of our forward-looking statements should be considered in light of these factors. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of or that we currently deem immaterial also may become important factors that affect us.

 

Sensitivity to Global Economic Conditions and Cyclicality—Our operating results could be negatively affected during economic downturns.

 

The business of most of our customers, particularly our vinyl, urethanes, pulp and paper, automotive, coinage, electrical connectors, telecommunications and housing customers, are, to varying degrees, cyclical and have historically experienced periodic downturns. These economic and industry downturns have been characterized by diminished product demand, excess manufacturing capacity and, in some cases, lower average selling prices. Therefore, any significant downturn in our customers’ businesses or in global economic conditions could result in a reduction in demand for our products and could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. As a result of the depressed economic conditions beginning in the fourth quarter of 2000 and continuing through the first half of 2002, our vinyls, urethanes and pulp and paper customers had lower demand for our chlor alkali products. During the period 2000-2003, demand for Chlor Alkali Products was low enough to lead to plant shutdowns within the industry which resulted in about 12% of capacity being removed from North American production. When demand improved in early 2004, the operating rates increased to the mid to high 90% range, resulting in a tight supply/demand balance which resulted in increasing pricing. Lower demand in our Metals segment has adversely affected our business and results of operations since 2001. The rod industry has been negatively affected by customers’ migration to lower-cost, offshore locations and by continued reductions in capital spending in the industrial machinery segment and reduced demand for building and household products as a result of declines in commercial construction. In 2006, Metals U.S. demand was up approximately 3% from 2005. Metals demand in the automotive and building products segments was down in 2006, while ammunition, coinage, and electronics segment shipments all experienced increases over 2005.

 

Although we do not generally sell a large percentage of our products directly to customers abroad, a large part of our financial performance is dependent upon a healthy economy beyond the United States. Our customers sell their products abroad. As a result, our business is affected by general economic conditions and other factors in Western Europe and most of East Asia, particularly China and Japan, including fluctuations in interest rates, customer demand, labor costs and other factors beyond our control. The demand for our customers’ products, and therefore, our products, is directly affected by such fluctuations. In addition, our customers could decide to move some or all of their production to lower cost, offshore locations, and this could reduce demand in the United States for our products. We cannot assure you that events having an adverse effect on the industries in which we operate will not occur or continue, such as a further downturn in the Western European, Asian or world economies, increases in interest rates, unfavorable currency fluctuations or a prolonged slowdown in the coinage, electronic or telecommunications industries.

 

Cyclical Pricing Pressure—Our profitability could be reduced by declines in average selling prices of our products, particularly declines in the ECU netback for chlorine and caustic.

 

Our historical operating results reflect the cyclical and sometimes volatile nature of the chemical, metals and ammunition industries. We experience cycles of fluctuating supply and demand in each of our business segments, particularly in Chlor Alkali Products, which results in changes in selling prices. Periods of high demand, tight supply and increasing operating margins tend to result in increases in capacity and production until supply exceeds demand, generally followed by periods of oversupply and declining prices. The industry build cycle, and its impact on industry pricing, has been most pronounced in our Chlor Alkali Products segment. For example, in 1995 and 1996, the chlor alkali industry was profitable due to a tight supply/demand balance, which resulted in both higher operating rates and higher ECU prices. Higher profits led to reinvestment to expand capacity. This new capacity became operational in 1998 and 1999, resulting in industry over-capacity. This imbalance was exacerbated by falling demand as a result of the Asian financial crisis. The supply/demand imbalance resulted in both lower operating rates and lower ECU prices, and in 1999, many chlor alkali producers had operating losses. The supply/demand balance improved due to improved economic conditions in 2000 compared to 1999, and ECU prices increased in 2000 compared to 1999. As the U.S.

 

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and world economies deteriorated in 2001 and through the first half of 2002, the chlor alkali industry again experienced a period of oversupply because of lower industry demand for both chlorine and caustic. During the 2000-2003 timeframe about 12% of North American production capacity was shut down which caused operating rates to improve without much improvement in demand. In late 2003 and early 2004, chlorine demand began to strengthen and operating rates increased to the mid to high 90% range. Caustic demand began to strengthen by mid year 2004 and supplies of both products remained in balance through 2005; however, during the fourth quarter 2005 and first quarter 2006, supply and demand were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, no new significant capacity became available during 2005/2006, and this, along with improved economic conditions, resulted in price increase initiatives. In October 2006, Dow closed its Fort Saskatchewan Chlor Alkali facility in Western Canada. It is believed the closure of this plant will have limited impact on Olin, and customers in this area will be served mainly from offshore, particularly Asia. Overall, this will serve as a logical destination for the excess capacity coming on-stream in Asia. New capacity is expected to come on line in the U.S. during the fourth quarter 2007, and it is expected this will have a negative effect on pricing for the North American Chlor Alkali industry. Another factor influencing demand for chlorine and caustic soda is the price of natural gas. Higher natural gas prices increase our customers’ manufacturing costs, and depending on the ratio of crude oil to gas prices, could make them less than competitive in world markets; and therefore, may result in reduced demand for our products. Continued expansion offshore, particularly in Asia, will continue to have an impact on the ECU values as imported caustic soda replaces some capacity in the U.S.

 

Price in the chlor alkali industry is a major supplier selection criterion. We have little or no ability to influence prices in this large commodity market. Decreases in the average selling prices of our products could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. For example, assuming all other costs remain constant and internal consumption remains approximately the same, a $10 per ECU selling price change equates to an approximate $11.0 million annual change in our revenues and pretax profit when we are operating at full capacity. While we strive to maintain or increase our profitability by reducing costs through improving production efficiency, emphasizing higher margin products, and by controlling transportation, selling, and administration expenses, we cannot assure you that these efforts will be sufficient to offset fully the effect of changes in pricing on operating results.

 

Because of the cyclical nature of our businesses, we cannot assure you that pricing or profitability in the future will be comparable to any particular historical period, including the most recent period shown in our operating results. We cannot assure you that the chlor alkali industry will not experience adverse trends in the future, or that our operating results and/or financial condition will not be adversely affected by them.

 

Our Metals and Winchester segments are also subject to changes in operating results as a result of cyclical pricing pressures, but to a lesser extent than the Chlor Alkali Products segment. We generally pass changes in prices for copper and other metals along to our customers as part of the negotiated price of the finished product in most of our Metals segment product lines. However, our Metals segment experiences pricing pressure with respect to its conversion charges, and we cannot assure you that adverse trends in pricing and margins will not affect operating results in the future. Changes in global supply/demand for copper and copper alloys may affect our ability to obtain raw materials under reasonable terms and conditions which may materially adversely affect our operating results. Similarly, selling prices of ammunition are affected by changes in raw material costs and availability and customer demand, and declines in average selling prices of our Winchester segment could adversely affect our profitability.

 

Imbalance in Demand for Our Chlor Alkali Products—A loss of a substantial customer for our chlorine or caustic soda could cause an imbalance in demand for these products, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Chlorine and caustic soda are produced simultaneously and in a fixed ratio of 1.0 ton of chlorine to 1.1 tons of caustic soda. The loss of a substantial chlorine or caustic soda customer could cause an imbalance in demand for our chlorine and caustic soda products. An imbalance in demand may require us to reduce production of both chlorine and caustic soda or take other steps to correct the imbalance. Since we cannot store chlorine, we may not be able to respond to an imbalance in demand for these products as quickly or efficiently as some of our competitors. If a substantial imbalance occurred, we would need to reduce prices or take other actions that could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Pension Plans—The impact of declines in global equity markets on asset values and any declines in interest rates used to value the liabilities in our pension plan may result in higher pension costs and the need to fund the pension plan in future years in material amounts.

 

In September 2006, we made a voluntary pension plan contribution of $80.0 million. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 87, “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions,” we recorded an after-tax credit of $54.5 million ($89.2 million pretax) to Shareholders’ Equity as a result of a decrease in the accumulated pension benefit obligation, which primarily resulted from a 25-basis point increase in the plan discount rate, combined with an increase in the value of the plan assets from favorable plan performance and the contribution. In September 2005, we made a voluntary pension plan contribution of $6.1 million in order to maintain a 90% funded level under the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA) criteria used to determine funding levels. In 2005, a 25-basis point decline in interest rates and the cost impact of contractual pension plan changes more than offset the increase in the value of the plan assets. Therefore, we recorded in December 2005 an after-tax charge of $29.2 million ($47.8 million pretax) as a result of an increase in the accumulated pension benefit obligation. In 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 158, “Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans,” which requires us to record a net liability or asset to report the funded status of our defined benefit pensions and postretirement plans on our balance sheet. As a result, we recorded an after-tax charge of $39.7 million and $33.6 million, respectively ($65.0 million and $55.0 million pretax, respectively). The non-cash charges to Shareholders’ Equity does not affect our ability to borrow under our revolving credit agreement.

 

The determinations of pension expense and pension funding are based on a variety of rules and regulations. Changes in these rules and regulations could impact the calculation of pension plan liabilities and the valuation of pension plan assets. They may also result in higher pension costs, additional financial statement disclosure, and accelerate and increase the need to fully fund the pension plan. During the third quarter of 2006, the “Pension Protection Act of 2006” became law. Among the stated objectives of the law are the protection of both pension beneficiaries and the financial health of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). To accomplish these objectives, the new law requires sponsors to fund defined benefit pension plans earlier than previous requirements and to pay increased PBGC premiums. The impact of the law cannot be fully assessed until all the implementation rules are published, but the law does require defined benefit plans to be fully funded in 2011. This will accelerate and potentially increase our pension plan funding requirements.

 

In addition, the impact of declines in global equity and bond markets on asset values may result in higher pension costs and may increase and accelerate the need to fund the pension in future years. For example, holding all other assumptions constant, a 100-basis point decrease or increase in the assumed rate of return on plan assets would have increased or decreased, respectively, the 2006 qualified pension plan cost by approximately $12.4 million.

 

Holding all other assumptions constant, a 50-basis point decrease in the discount rate used to calculate pension costs for 2006 and the projected benefit obligation as of December 31, 2006 would have increased pension costs by $5.0 million and the projected benefit obligation by $86.4 million. A 50-basis point increase in the discount rate used to calculate pension costs for 2006 and the projected benefit obligation as of December 31, 2006 would have decreased pension costs by $5.9 million and the projected benefit obligation by $87.3 million.

 

Environmental Costs—We have ongoing environmental costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

The nature of our operations and products, including the raw materials we handle, exposes us to the risk of liabilities or claims with respect to environmental matters. We have incurred, and expect to incur, significant costs and capital expenditures in complying with environmental laws and regulations.

 

The ultimate costs and timing of environmental liabilities are difficult to predict. Liability under environmental laws relating to contaminated sites can be imposed retroactively and on a joint and several basis. One liable party could be held responsible for all costs at a site, regardless of fault, percentage of contribution to the site or the legality of the original disposal. We could incur significant costs, including cleanup costs, natural resources damages, civil or criminal fines and sanctions and third-party lawsuits claiming, for example, personal injury and/or property damage, as a result of past or future violations of, or liabilities under, environmental or other laws.

 

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In addition, future events, such as changes to or more rigorous enforcement of environmental laws, could require us to make additional expenditures, modify or curtail our operations and/or install pollution control equipment.

 

Accordingly, it is possible that some of the matters in which we are involved or may become involved may be resolved unfavorably to us, which could materially adversely affect our financial position or results of operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Environmental Matters.”

 

Cost Control—Our profitability could be reduced if we experience higher-than-expected raw material, utility, transportation or logistics costs, or if we fail to achieve our targeted cost reductions.

 

Our operating results and profitability are dependent upon our continued ability to control, and in some cases further reduce, our costs. If we are unable to do so, or if costs outside of our control, particularly our costs of raw materials, utilities, transportation and similar costs, increase beyond anticipated levels, our profitability will decline.

 

Litigation and Claims—We are subject to litigation and other claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses.

 

We are a defendant in a number of pending legal proceedings relating to our present and former operations. These include proceedings alleging injurious exposure of plaintiffs to various chemicals and other substances (including proceedings based on alleged exposures to asbestos). Frequently, such proceedings involve claims made by numerous plaintiffs against many defendants. However, because of the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we are unable to predict the outcome of these proceedings and therefore cannot determine whether the financial impact, if any, will be material to our financial position or results of operations.

 

Production Hazards—Our facilities are subject to operating hazards, which may disrupt our business.

 

We are dependent upon the continued safe operation of our production facilities. Our production facilities are subject to hazards associated with the manufacture, handling, storage and transportation of chemical materials and products and ammunition, including leaks and ruptures, explosions, fires, inclement weather and natural disasters, unexpected utility disruptions or outages, unscheduled downtime and environmental hazards. From time to time in the past, we have had incidents that have temporarily shut down or otherwise disrupted our manufacturing, causing production delays and resulting in liability for workplace injuries and fatalities. Some of our products involve the manufacture and/or handling of a variety of explosive and flammable materials. Use of these products by our customers could also result in liability if an explosion, fire, spill or other accident were to occur. We cannot assure you that we will not experience these types of incidents in the future or that these incidents will not result in production delays or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Security and Chemicals Transportation—New regulations on the transportation of hazardous chemicals and/or the security of chemical manufacturing facilities and public policy changes related to transportation safety could result in significantly higher operating costs.

 

The chemical industry, including the chlor alkali industry, has proactively responded to the issues related to national security and environmental concerns by starting new initiatives relating to the security of chemicals industry facilities and the transportation of hazardous chemicals in the United States. Government at the local, state, and federal levels also has begun regulatory processes which could lead to new regulations that would impact the security of chemical plant locations and the transportation of hazardous chemicals. Our Chlor Alkali business could be adversely impacted by the cost of complying with any new regulations. Our business also could be adversely affected because of an incident at one of our facilities or while transporting product. The extent of the impact would depend on the requirements of future regulations and the nature of an incident, which are unknown at this time.

 

Indebtedness—Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and limit our ability to grow and compete, which could prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness.

 

As of December 31, 2006, we had $253.9 million of indebtedness outstanding, including $3.6 million representing the fair value related to $101.6 million of interest rate swaps in effect at December 31, 2006 and excluding our guarantee of $67.0 million of indebtedness of our SunBelt joint venture. This does not include our

 

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$160.0 million senior credit facility on which we had $120.2 million available on that date because we had issued $39.8 million of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2006, our indebtedness represented 32% of our total capitalization.

 

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and limit our ability to grow and compete, which in turn could prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness. Despite our level of indebtedness, the terms of our senior credit facility and our existing indentures permit us to borrow additional money. If we borrow more money, the risks related to our indebtedness could increase significantly.

 

Debt Service—We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service our debt, which may require us to refinance our indebtedness or default on our scheduled debt payments.

 

Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make scheduled payments on our debt depends on a range of economic, competitive and business factors, many of which are outside our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations. If we are unable to meet our expenses and debt obligations, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity, sell assets or raise equity. We cannot assure you that we would be able to refinance any of our indebtedness, sell assets or raise equity on commercially reasonable terms or at all, which could cause us to default on our obligations and impair our liquidity. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations on commercially reasonable terms, would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as on our ability to satisfy our debt obligations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

At December 31, 2006, we had interest rate swaps of $101.6 million, which convert a portion of our fixed rate debt to a variable rate. As a result, 42% of our indebtedness bears interest at variable rates that are linked to short-term interest rates. If interest rates rise, our costs relative to those obligations would also rise. See Item 7A—“Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” and “Liquidity and Other Financing Arrangements.”

 

Labor Matters—We cannot assure you that we can conclude future labor contracts or any other labor agreements without work stoppages.

 

Various labor unions represent a majority of our hourly-paid employees for collective bargaining purposes. Our labor contract with 203 employees at our Metals facility in Montpelier, OH is scheduled to expire in June of 2007.

 

While we believe our relations with our employees and their various representatives are generally satisfactory, we cannot assure that we can conclude future labor contracts or any other labor agreements without work stoppages and cannot assure that any work stoppages will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2. PROPERTIES

 

We have manufacturing sites at 20 separate locations in 12 states and Puerto Rico, and two manufacturing sites and two metal service centers in four foreign countries, including the Yamaha-Olin Metal Corporation joint venture facility. The metals service center in China became operational in the first quarter of 2004. Most manufacturing sites are owned although a number of small sites are leased. We listed the locations at or from which our products and services are manufactured, distributed, or marketed in the tables set forth under the caption “Products and Services.”

 

We lease warehouses, terminals and distribution offices and space for executive and branch sales offices and service departments throughout the world.

 

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Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We have completed all work in connection with remediation of mercury contamination at the site of our former mercury cell chlor alkali plant in Saltville, VA required to date. In mid-2003, the Trustees for natural resources in the North Fork Holston River, the Main Stem Holston River, and associated floodplains, located in Smyth and Washington Counties in Virginia and in Sullivan and Hawkins Counties in Tennessee notified us of, and invited our participation in, an assessment of alleged injuries to natural resources resulting from the release of mercury. The Trustees also notified us that they have made a preliminary determination that we are potentially liable for natural resource damages in said rivers and floodplains. We have agreed to participate in the assessment. In light of the early stage, and inherent uncertainties, of the assessment, we cannot at this time determine whether the financial impact, if any, of this matter will be material to our financial position or results of operations. See “Environmental Matters” contained in Item 7—“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

As part of the continuing environmental investigation by federal, state and local governments of waste disposal sites, we have entered into a number of settlement agreements requiring us to participate in the investigation and cleanup of a number of sites. Under the terms of such settlements and related agreements, we may be required to manage or perform one or more elements of a site cleanup, or to manage the entire remediation activity for a number of parties, and subsequently seek recovery of some or all of such costs from other Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs). In many cases, we do not know the ultimate costs of our settlement obligations at the time of entering into particular settlement agreements, and our liability accruals for our obligations under those agreements are often subject to significant management judgment on an ongoing basis. Those cost accruals are provided for in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and our accounting policies set forth in the environmental matters section in Item 7—“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

We and our subsidiaries are defendants in various other legal actions (including proceedings based on alleged exposures to asbestos) incidental to our past and current business activities. While we believe that none of these legal actions will materially impact our financial position, in light of the inherent uncertainties of the litigation concerning alleged exposures, we cannot at this time determine whether the financial impact, if any, of these matters will be material to our results of operations.

 

Item 4.   SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

We did not submit any matter to a vote of security holders during the three months ended December 31, 2006.

 

Executive Officers of the Registrant as of February 27, 2007

 

Name and Age


  

Office


   Served as an
Olin Officer
Since


Joseph D. Rupp (56)

   Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer    1996

Stephen C. Curley (55)

   Vice President and Treasurer    2005

John E. Fischer (51)

   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    2004

G. Bruce Greer, Jr. (46)

   Vice President, Strategic Planning    2005

Jeffrey J. Haferkamp (52)

   Vice President and President, Olin Brass    2005

Richard M. Hammett (60)

   Vice President and President, Winchester Division    2005

Dennis R. McGough (58)

   Vice President, Human Resources    2005

John L. McIntosh (52)

   Vice President and President, Chlor Alkali Products Division    1999

George H. Pain (56)

   Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary    2002

Todd A. Slater (43)

   Vice President and Controller    2005

 

No family relationship exists between any of the above named executive officers or between any of them and any of our directors. Such officers were elected to serve, subject to the By-laws, until their respective successors are chosen.

 

J. D. Rupp, J. L. McIntosh, and G. H. Pain have served as executive officers for not less than the past five years.

 

Stephen C. Curley re-joined Olin on August 18, 2003 as Chief Tax Counsel. He was elected Vice President and Treasurer effective January 1, 2005. From 1997-2001, he served as Vice President and Treasurer of Primex Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer and provider of ordnance and aerospace products and services, which was spun off from Olin in 1996.

 

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John E. Fischer re-joined Olin on January 2, 2004 as Vice President, Finance. On June 24, 2004, he was elected Vice President, Finance and Controller, and effective May 27, 2005, he was elected Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From 1997-2001, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Primex Technologies, Inc. During 2002 and 2003, Mr. Fischer did independent consulting for several companies including Olin.

 

G. Bruce Greer, Jr. joined Olin on May 2, 2005 as Vice President, Strategic Planning. Prior to joining Olin and since 1997, Mr. Greer was employed by Solutia, Inc., an applied chemicals company. From 2003 to April 2005, he served as President of Pharma Services, a Division of Solutia and Chairman of Flexsys, an international rubber chemicals company which was a joint venture partially owned by Solutia and Akzo Nobel. Prior to that, Mr. Greer served as a Vice President of Corporate Development, Technology, and Information Technology for Solutia.

 

Jeffrey J. Haferkamp was elected Vice President and President, Olin Brass effective January 1, 2005. Prior to that time and since October 2002, he served as President, Rolled Products. From April 2001 to September 2002, he served as Vice President, International for the Brass Division (currently part of the Metals Group). Prior to April 2001, he served as Vice President, Business Planning for the Brass Division.

 

Richard M. Hammett was elected Vice President and President, Winchester Division effective January 1, 2005. Prior to that time and since September 2002, he served as President, Winchester Division. From November 1998 until September 2002, he served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales for the Winchester Division.

 

Dennis R. McGough was elected Vice President, Human Resources effective January 1, 2005. Prior to that time and since 1999, he served as Corporate Vice President, Human Resources.

 

Todd A. Slater was elected Vice President and Controller, effective May 27, 2005. From April 2004 until May 2005, he served as Operations Controller. From January 2003 until April 2004, he served as Vice President and Financial Officer for Olin’s Metals Group. Prior to 2003, Mr. Slater served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary for Chase Industries Inc. (which was merged into Olin on September 27, 2002).

 

PART II

 

Item 5.   MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

As of January 31, 2007, we had 5,673 record holders of our common stock.

 

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Chicago Stock Exchange.

 

The high and low sales prices of our common stock during each quarterly period in 2006 and 2005 are listed below. A dividend of $0.20 per common share was paid during each of the four quarters in 2006 and 2005.

 

2006


  

First

Quarter


  

Second

Quarter


  

Third

Quarter


  

Fourth

Quarter


Market price of common stock per New York Stock Exchange composite transactions

                     

High

   $ 22.00    22.65    18.32    17.70

Low

     19.47    16.39    14.22    15.20

2005


                   

Market price of common stock per New York Stock Exchange composite transactions

                     

High

   $ 25.35    23.79    20.00    20.15

Low

     20.22    17.09    17.51    16.65

 

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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Period


   Total Number of Shares
(or Units) Purchased


   Average Price Paid per
Share (or Unit)


  

Total Number of Shares

(or Units) Purchased as

Part of Publicly
Announced Plans or
Programs


  

Maximum Number of

Shares (or Units) that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs


 

October 1-31, 2006

   —      N/A    —         

November 1-30, 2006

   —      N/A    —         

December 1-31, 2006

   —      N/A    —         

Total

                  154,076 (1)

(1)   On April 30, 1998, we announced a share repurchase program approved by our board of directors for the purchase of up to 5 million shares of common stock. Through December 31, 2006, 4,845,924 shares had been repurchased, and 154,076 shares remain available for purchase under that program, which has no termination date.

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

     (a)

    (b)

    (c)

 

Plan Category


  

Number of securities to

be issued upon

exercise of outstanding

options, warrants and

rights (1)


   

Weighted-average

exercise price

of outstanding
options, warrants and
rights


   

Number of securities

remaining available for

future issuance under

equity compensation

plans (excluding securities

reflected in column (a)(1)


 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(2)

   3,016,900 (3)   $ 19.16 (3)   3,725,548  

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(4)

   N/A (4)     N/A (4)   N/A (4)
    

         

Total

   3,016,900     $ 19.16 (3,4)   3,725,548  
    

         


(1)   Number of shares is subject to adjustment for changes in capitalization for stock splits and stock dividends and similar events.
(2)   Consists of the 2000 Long Term Incentive Plan, the 2003 Long Term Incentive Plan, the 2006 Long Term Incentive Plan and the 1997 Stock Plan for Non-employee Directors. Does not include information about the equity compensation plans listed in the table below, which have expired. No additional awards may be granted under those expired plans. As of December 31, 2006:

 

Plan Name


   Expiration
Date


  

Number of Securities

Issuable Under

Outstanding Options


   Weighted Average
Exercise Price


  

Weighted Average

Remaining Term


1988 Stock Option Plan for Key Employees of Olin Corporation and Subsidiaries

   4/30/98    18,400    $ 27.17    1.1 years

Olin 1991 Long Term Incentive Plan

   4/30/01    689,490    $ 18.97    2.0 years

1996 Stock Option Plan for Key Employees of Olin Corporation and Subsidiaries

   1/25/06    2,378,520    $ 21.03    2.5 years

 

(3)   Includes:

 

   

2,471,696 shares issuable upon exercise of options with a weighted average exercise price of $19.16, and a weighted average remaining term of 7.4 years, (which include 854,000 shares subject to performance accelerated vesting options, that vest on the earlier of December 27, 2009, or the tenth day in any 30 calendar day period upon which the average of the high and low per share sales prices of Olin’s common stock as reported on the consolidated transaction system for New York Stock Exchange issues is at or above $28.00),

   

77,100 shares issuable under restricted stock unit grants, with a weighted average remaining term of 1.3 years,

   

301,903 shares issuable in connection with outstanding performance share awards, with a weighted average term of 1.2 years remaining in the performance measurement period, and

   

150,268 shares under the 1997 Stock Plan for Non-employee Directors which represent stock grants for retainers, other board and committee fees, and dividends on deferred stock under the plan.

 

(4)   Does not include information about equity compensation plans assumed in connection with the acquisition of Chase Industries Inc. in September 2002 by merger. No additional awards may be granted under those assumed plans. As of December 31, 2006, options for a total of 166,201 shares, with a weighted average exercise price of $21.91 per share, and a weighted average remaining term of 1.7 years, were outstanding under the various plans assumed in connection with that acquisition.

 

       Does not include a total of 339,422 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options under the Arch Chemicals, Inc. 1999 Long Term Incentive Plan, with a weighted average exercise price of $26.09, and a weighted average remaining term of 0.7 years. No additional options or other awards may be issued under that plan.

 

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Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

ELEVEN-YEAR SUMMARY

 

($ and shares in millions, except per share data)   2006

    2005

    2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

    1999

    1998

    1997

    1996

 

Operations

                                                                                       

Sales

  $ 3,152     $ 2,357     $ 1,997     $ 1,557     $ 1,272     $ 1,232     $ 1,496     $ 1,395     $ 1,504     $ 1,572     $ 1,817  

Cost of Goods Sold

    2,797       1,999       1,765       1,382       1,155       1,091       1,240       1,215       1,239       1,276       1,455  

Selling and Administration

    177       176       141       127       112       111       121       122       123       132       155  

Research and Development

    4       4       4       5       5       5       5       7       10       8       20  

Gain (Loss) on Sales and Restructuring of Businesses and Spin-off costs

    (18 )     —         (10 )     (31 )     —         (39 )     —         —         (63 )     —         179  

Other Operating Income

    7       9       6       —         —         6       —         —         —         —         7  

Earnings (Loss) of Non-consolidated Affiliates

    46       38       10       8       (7 )     (8 )     2       (11 )     —         1       2  

Interest Expense

    20       20       20       20       26       17       16       16       17       24       27  

Interest and Other Income

    13       20       6       4       6       17       5       3       7       14       4  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (Loss) before Taxes from Continuing Operations

    202       225       79       4       (27 )     (16 )     121       27       59       147       352  

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

    52       86       28       4       4       (5 )     46       10       21       50       125  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations

    150       139       51       —         (31 )     (11 )     75       17       38       97       227  

Discontinued Operations, Net

    —         —         4       1       —         2       6       4       40       56       53  

Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change, Net

    —         (6 )     —         (25 )     —         —         —         —         —         —         —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net Income (Loss)

  $ 150     $ 133     $ 55     $ (24 )   $ (31 )   $ (9 )   $ 81     $ 21     $ 78     $ 153     $ 280  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Financial Position

                                                                                       

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

  $ 276     $ 304     $ 147     $ 190     $ 136     $ 202     $ 82     $ 46     $ 75     $ 185     $ 605  

Working Capital, excluding Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

    235       203       244       174       240       68       161       206       150       88       (220 )

Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

    487       482       478       495       545       469       475       468       475       517       400  

Total Assets

    1,637       1,797       1,618       1,432       1,413       1,207       1,107       1,063       1,589       1,707       2,118  

Capitalization:

                                                                                       

Short-Term Debt

    2       1       52       27       2       102       1       1       1       8       137  

Long-Term Debt

    252       257       261       314       346       330       228       229       230       262       271  

Shareholders’ Equity

    543       427       356       176       231       271       329       309       790       879       946  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total Capitalization

  $ 797     $ 685     $ 669     $ 517     $ 579     $ 703     $ 558     $ 539     $ 1,021     $ 1,149     $ 1,354  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Per Share Data

                                                                                       

Net Income (Loss)

                                                                                       

Basic:

                                                                                       

Continuing Operations(1)

  $ 2.06     $ 1.96     $ 0.74     $ 0.01     $ (0.63 )   $ (0.26 )   $ 1.66     $ 0.36     $ 0.79     $ 1.91     $ 4.30  

Discontinued Operations, Net

    —         —         0.06       0.01       —         0.04       0.14       0.09       0.85       1.11       1.04  

Accounting Change, Net

    —         (0.09 )     —         (0.44 )     —         —         —         —         —         —         —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net Income (Loss)

    2.06       1.87       0.80       (0.42 )     (0.63 )     (0.22 )     1.80       0.45       1.64       3.02       5.34  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Diluted:

                                                                                       

Continuing Operations(1)

    2.06       1.95       0.74       0.01       (0.63 )     (0.26 )     1.66       0.36       0.79       1.90       4.26  

Discontinued Operations, Net

    —         —         0.06       0.01       —         0.04       0.14       0.09       0.84       1.10       1.01  

Accounting Change, Net

    —         (0.09 )     —         (0.44 )     —         —         —         —         —         —         —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net Income (Loss)

    2.06       1.86       0.80       (0.42 )     (0.63 )     (0.22 )     1.80       0.45       1.63       3.00       5.27  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash Dividends

                                                                                       

Common (historical)

    0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.90       1.20       1.20       1.20  

Common (continuing operations)

    0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80       0.80  

ESOP Preferred (annual rate)

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         5.97  

Market Price of Common Stock:

                                                                                       

High

    22.65       25.35       22.99       20.53       22.60       22.75       23.19       19.88       49.31       51.38       48.00  

Low

    14.22       16.65       15.20       14.97       13.85       12.05       14.19       9.50       23.88       35.38       34.88  

Year End

    16.52       19.68       22.02       20.06       15.55       16.14       22.13       19.81       28.31       46.88       37.63  

Other

                                                                                       

Capital Expenditures

  $ 81     $ 81     $ 55     $ 54     $ 41     $ 64     $ 93     $ 73     $ 78     $ 76     $ 74  

Depreciation

    72       72       72       80       85       84       78       78       76       76       84  

Common Dividends Paid

    58       57       56       47       39       35       36       41       58       61       60  

Purchases of Common Stock

    —         —         —         —         3       14       20       11       112       163       —    

Current Ratio

    2.3       2.4       2.2       2.2       2.5       1.8       1.9       2.0       1.8       1.8       1.6  

Total Debt to Total Capitalization(2)

    31.8 %     37.7 %     46.8 %     65.9 %     60.0 %     61.5 %     41.1 %     42.7 %     22.6 %     23.5 %     30.1 %

Effective Tax Rate

    25.7 %     38.1 %     35.8 %     76.5 %     n/a       30.9 %     38.1 %     37.0 %     35.6 %     34.0 %     35.5 %

Average Common Shares Outstanding

    72.8       71.6       68.4       58.3       49.4       43.6       45.0       45.4       47.9       50.5       50.0  

Shareholders

    5,700       6,100       6,400       6,800       7,200       7,500       8,000       8,600       9,200       10,600       11,300  

Employees(3)

    6,000       5,900       5,800       5,500       5,900       5,600       6,300       6,700       6,400       6,600       6,200  

Our Selected Financial Data reflects the following businesses as discontinued operations: Olin Aegis in 2004, the spin off of Arch Chemicals, Inc. (our specialty chemicals business) in 1999 and Primex Technologies, Inc. (our Ordnance and Aerospace businesses) in 1996.

(1)   Includes gain of $2.20 on sale of the isocyanates business in 1996.
(2)   Excluding reduction to equity for the Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 1996.
(3)   Employee data exclude employees who worked at government-owned/contractor-operated facilities.

 

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

BUSINESS BACKGROUND

 

Our manufacturing operations are concentrated in three business segments: Chlor Alkali Products, Metals, and Winchester. All three are capital intensive manufacturing businesses with operating rates closely tied to the general economy. Each segment has a commodity element to it, and therefore, our ability to influence pricing is quite limited on the portion of the segment’s business that is strictly commodity. Our Chlor Alkali Products business is a commodity business where all supplier products are similar and price is the major supplier selection criterion. We have little or no ability to influence prices in this large, global commodity market. Cyclical price swings, driven by changes in supply/demand, can be abrupt and significant and, given capacity in our Chlor Alkali Products business, can lead to very significant changes in our overall profitability. While a majority of Metals sales are of a commodity nature, this business has a significant volume of specialty engineered products targeted for specific end-uses. In these applications, technical capability and performance differentiate the product and play a role in product selection and thus price is not the only selection criterion. Winchester also has a commodity element to its business, but a majority of Winchester ammunition is sold as a branded consumer product where there are opportunities to differentiate certain offerings through innovative new product development and enhanced product performance. While competitive pricing versus other branded ammunition products is important, it is not the only factor in product selection.

 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

 

2006 Year

 

On February 1, 2006, we announced that, in connection with the ongoing cost reduction efforts of our Metals business, we decided to close our Waterbury Rolling Mills brass manufacturing facility in Waterbury, CT (“Waterbury facility”) and consolidate those production activities into our East Alton, IL mill. In addition, on March 14, 2006, we decided to reduce the utilization of one of our Metals service center facilities by consolidating certain activities into another service center facility, and make overhead reductions in the Metals business affecting approximately 20 employees. We based our decision on our evaluation of the size, location, and capability of our facilities and staffing in light of anticipated business needs. We substantially completed these activities by June 30, 2006. As a result of these cost reduction efforts, we recorded a pretax restructuring charge of $15.7 million in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, primarily as a result of realizing more proceeds from equipment sales than expected, we reduced our previously established restructuring reserve related to the Waterbury facility by $1.6 million. The net restructuring charge of $14.1 million primarily included lease and other contract termination costs ($8.0 million), write-off of equipment and facility costs ($2.8 million), and employee severance and related benefit costs ($3.3 million). We expect to incur cash expenditures of $10.3 million related to this restructuring charge. These actions are expected to generate $9.0 million to $10.0 million of annual pretax savings, and the implementation of these actions was cash neutral in 2006. The impact of this restructuring charge was substantially offset by a last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory liquidation gain of $13.5 million realized related to the closure of our Waterbury facility.

 

On November 27, 2006, we announced that, in connection with the ongoing cost reduction efforts of our Metals business, we decided to close our New Haven Copper Company facility in Seymour, CT (“Seymour facility”) and consolidate some of those production activities into other Olin locations. We currently expect to complete the closing of the Seymour facility during the second quarter of 2007. We based our decision on our evaluation of the size, location, and capability of our facilities and staffing in light of anticipated business needs. We recorded a one-time pretax restructuring charge of $3.5 million in the fourth quarter. This restructuring charge included facility costs and equipment write-offs ($2.4 million), employee severance and related benefit costs ($0.9 million), and other contract termination costs ($0.2 million). We expect to incur cash expenditures of $1.6 million related to this restructuring. These actions are expected to generate $2.0 million of annual pretax savings. The impact of this restructuring charge was more than offset by a LIFO inventory liquidation gain of $10.4 million realized related to the closure of our Seymour facility.

 

Our total restructuring charge for 2006 was $17.6 million. It is expected that an additional restructuring charge of approximately $2.0 million will be recorded in 2007 associated with these Metals restructuring actions.

 

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In April 2006, we reached an agreement in principle and expected a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on certain outstanding federal tax exposures. On July 10, 2006, the settlement was finalized. This settlement, which includes the periods 1996 to 2002, relates primarily to the tax treatment of capital losses generated in 1997. We made payments of $46.7 million and expect to make additional payments of approximately $2.0 million in 2007 to the IRS and various state and local jurisdictions, which was less than the amount previously reserved. As a result, income tax expense in 2006 was reduced by $21.6 million associated with the settlement and other tax matters.

 

On June 26, 2006, we commenced an offer to exchange a new series of notes due in 2016 and cash for up to $125.0 million of the $200.0 million 9.125% senior notes due in 2011 (2011 Notes). On July 11, 2006, we announced that approximately $160.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2011 Notes had been validly tendered for exchange. Since more than $125.0 million of the 2011 Notes had been tendered, the new notes were issued on a pro rata basis in accordance with the terms of the exchange offer. On July 28, 2006, we issued $125.0 million of 6.75% senior notes due in 2016 (2016 Notes) and paid a premium of $18.8 million to the existing note holders in exchange for $125.0 million of 2011 Notes. We expensed $1.2 million of third party fees associated with the exchange.

 

During the fourth quarter of 2006, we recorded a $6.0 million insurance recovery for Hurricane Katrina business interruption experienced in our Chlor Alkali Products operations in 2005 and early 2006. In the second quarter of 2006, we recorded a $2.3 million gain from the settlement of an insurance claim related to the 2004 fire that occurred in the electrical control room at the hot mill located in East Alton, IL.

 

2005 Year

 

During 2005, we received a total of $9.4 million from real estate dispositions, including interest of $0.3 million. The first disposition in March represented the settlement of a condemnation award relating to land associated with a former warehousing facility. The other two transactions represented the disposition of land associated with former manufacturing plants.

 

During 2005, we recovered environmental costs incurred and expensed in prior periods and related interest of $49.9 million from third parties, which relate primarily to remedial and investigatory activities associated with former waste sites and past operations. The first recovery in April was for $1.5 million. The second occurred in September and was for $18.0 million. The last occurred in November and was for $30.4 million, which included $11.4 million in interest.

 

During the third quarter of 2005, both supply and demand in the Chlor Alkali industry were interrupted by three hurricanes, which caused customer outages and disruptions to the transportation system. Although none of our facilities were damaged, these factors reduced our operating rate during the third and fourth quarters of 2005.

 

On December 31, 2005, we recorded an after-tax charge of $6.4 million ($10.5 million pretax) in connection with the adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation No. 47, “Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations” (FIN No. 47), an interpretation of SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations” (SFAS No. 143). FIN No. 47 clarifies when sufficient information is available to estimate an asset retirement obligation. In conjunction with this adoption, $6.4 million was recorded as a cumulative effect of an accounting change. This charge is principally related to asset retirement obligations for production technology and building materials.

 

2004 Year

 

On January 29, 2004, we announced that our board of directors approved plans to relocate our corporate offices for organizational, strategic and economic reasons. By the end of 2004, we had completed the relocation of a portion of our corporate services personnel from Norwalk, CT to our Main Office Building in East Alton, IL. We also established our new corporate headquarters in Clayton, which is in St. Louis County, MO, for logistical and other reasons. The relocation of the corporate offices was accompanied by a downsized corporate structure more appropriate for us in today’s competitive business environment. The headquarters relocation was completed by the end of 2004. The majority of the corporate personnel have been co-located with the Brass and Winchester businesses resulting in

 

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corporate headcount being reduced by approximately forty percent, generating total projected annual savings of approximately $6.0 million in 2006. As a result of the relocation, we incurred costs of $10.1 million in 2004 and incurred an additional $0.3 million of costs in 2005. This restructuring charge included primarily employee severance and related benefit costs, relocation expense, pension curtailment expense and the incurred cost for outplacement services for all affected employees. The sale of the Indianapolis facility in November 2004 resulted in a reduction of a previously established reserve related to our Indianapolis restructuring of $0.5 million, which reduced the total 2004 restructuring charge to $9.6 million.

 

On February 3, 2004, we issued and sold 10 million shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. Net proceeds from the sale were $177.8 million and were used to make a voluntary contribution of $125.0 million to our pension plan. In March 2004, we used $17.5 million from the proceeds of the stock offering to repay the Illinois Industrial Pollution Control Revenue Bond, which became due in March of 2004. The remaining balance ($35.3 million) of the proceeds was used in April 2004 to pay a portion of federal income taxes related to prior periods.

 

In 2003, we were accepted to participate in the IRS settlement initiative pertaining to tax issues related to our benefits liability management company. In addition, we settled with the IRS relative to our Company Owned Life Insurance (COLI) program. In the third quarter of 2004, a final settlement agreement was reached with the IRS on these and certain other outstanding issues related to tax audits covering the 1992 through 2000 tax years. In connection with these settlements we made payments in the second quarter of 2004 of $40.8 million. These payments resolved all open issues regarding our benefits liability management company and our COLI program. These tax issues had been recorded as a liability prior to 2002. In the third quarter of 2004, the income tax provision included a $2.3 million reduction in income tax expense associated with the finalization, in the third quarter of 2004, of the settlement of certain issues related to income tax audits for the years 1992 through 2000.

 

On April 29, 2004, a fire occurred in the electrical control room for the hot mill located in East Alton, IL. The hot mill was returned to full operation in mid-May. The full-year costs relative to the fire were incurred by the Metals segment in the second quarter and were $4.7 million pretax.

 

In June 2004, we sold our Olin Aegis business to HCC Industries Inc. Olin Aegis, headquartered in New Bedford, MA, is a manufacturer of high performance, high reliability, hermetic metal packages for the microelectronics industry. Olin Aegis employed 250 people. The sale of our Olin Aegis business resulted in a pretax gain of $5.8 million and generated proceeds of $17.1 million. For Olin Aegis, the financial data is classified in our financial statements as discontinued operations for the periods presented prior to 2005.

 

On July 30, 2004, we entered into a $160.0 million five-year senior revolving credit facility that replaced the $140.0 million senior revolving credit facility. This credit facility expires on July 30, 2009. Borrowing options, restrictive covenants and the letter of credit subfacility are similar to or better than those of the previous senior revolving credit facility.

 

In September 2004, we were impacted by equipment problems and a hurricane at our McIntosh, AL chlor alkali facility. We invoked the force majeure clause in the chlorine contracts with our customers due to equipment problems and invoked the force majeure clause in the chlorine, caustic soda, hydrogen, salt and sodium hypochlorite contracts with our customers due to the effects of the hurricane. The negative impact of these issues was several million dollars. The plant returned to full operation in late September.

 

In September 2004, Winchester announced that it would relocate its East Alton rimfire manufacturing operation to Oxford, MS to allow Winchester the ability to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, better utilize existing technology and achieve improved profitability in the product line. This move was completed in the second quarter 2005. This relocation impacted approximately 150 salaried and hourly employees, but did not impact the shotshell, centerfire rifle, and pistol manufacturing operations, which are located in East Alton, IL.

 

In November 2004, we purchased certain business assets of Metal Foils LLC for $3.2 million. Metal Foils LLC is a distributor of aluminum, stainless steel, and copper products located in Willoughby, OH. We relocated the purchased assets to our A.J. Oster facility in Alliance, OH in the fourth quarter of 2004.

 

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PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

 

Under SFAS No. 87, we recorded a $220.0 million after-tax charge ($360.0 million pretax) to Shareholders’ Equity as of December 31, 2002, reflecting an accumulated pension benefit obligation in excess of the year-end market value of assets of our pension plan. In 2003, the decline in interest rates more than offset a significant rebound in the value of the plan’s assets, which necessitated the recording of an additional after-tax charge of $19.5 million ($32.2 million pretax). On February 6, 2004, we made a voluntary contribution of $125.0 million to the pension plan with the proceeds from the issuance of common stock. In September 2004, we made a second voluntary contribution of $43.0 million to the pension plan. These 2004 voluntary contributions improved the funded status of the pension plan. In addition, the 2004 contributions eliminated a PBGC variable rate premium of $3.0 million that would have otherwise become payable from the pension plan assets in 2004. In 2004, the decline in interest rates resulted in a 25-basis point discount rate reduction that more than offset the increases in the value of the plan’s assets. Therefore, we recorded in December 2004 an additional after-tax charge of $23.7 million ($38.8 million pretax) as a result of an increase in the accumulated pension benefit obligation. In September 2005, we made a voluntary pension plan contribution of $6.1 million in order to maintain a 90% funded level under the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA) criteria used to determine funding levels. In 2005, an additional 25-basis point decline in interest rates and the cost impact of contractual pension plan changes more than offset the increase in the value of the plan assets. Therefore, we recorded in December 2005 an additional after-tax charge of $29.2 million ($47.8 million pretax) as a result of an increase in the accumulated pension benefit obligation.

 

In September 2006, we made a voluntary pension plan contribution of $80.0 million. In 2006, we recorded an after-tax credit of $54.5 million ($89.2 million pretax) to Shareholders’ Equity as a result of a decrease in the accumulated pension benefit obligation, which primarily resulted from a 25-basis point increase in the plan discount rate, combined with an increase in the value of the plan assets from favorable plan performance and the contribution. In 2006 we adopted SFAS No. 158, which required us to record a net liability to report the funded status of our defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans on our balance sheet. As a result, we recorded after-tax charges to Shareholders’ Equity of $39.7 million and $33.6 million for the pension and other postretirement plans, respectively, ($65.0 million and $55.0 million pretax, respectively). The non-cash charges to Shareholders’ Equity do not affect our ability to borrow under our revolving credit agreement.

 

Based on revised assumptions and estimates, we believe no mandatory contributions will be required until 2009. We may elect to make selective voluntary contributions, when appropriate. During the third quarter of 2006, the “Pension Protection Act of 2006” became law. Among the stated objectives of the law are the protection of both pension beneficiaries and the financial health of the PBGC. To accomplish these objectives, the new law requires sponsors to fund defined benefit pension plans earlier than previous requirements and to pay increased PBGC premiums. The impact of the law cannot be fully assessed until all the implementation rules are published but the law does require defined benefit plans to be fully funded in 2011. This will accelerate and potentially increase our pension plan funding requirements.

 

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CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

     2006

   2005

     2004

     ($ in millions, except per share amounts)

Sales

   $ 3,151.8    $ 2,357.7      $ 1,996.8

Cost of Goods Sold (exclusive of the LIFO inventory liquidation gains shown below)

     2,823.0      1,999.7        1,765.2

LIFO Inventory Liquidation Gains

     25.9      0.9        0.3
    

  


  

Gross Margin

     354.7      358.9        231.9

Selling and Administration

     176.9      176.3        141.0

Research and Development

     4.5      4.2        3.9

Restructuring Charges

     17.6      0.3        9.6

Other Operating Income

     6.7      9.1        5.5
    

  


  

Operating Income

     162.4      187.2        82.9

Earnings of Non-consolidated Affiliates

     46.0      38.5        10.1

Interest Expense

     20.3      19.9        20.2

Interest Income

     11.8      18.3        1.9

Other Income

     1.5      1.5        4.5
    

  


  

Income from Continuing Operations before Taxes and Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

     201.4      225.6        79.2

Income Tax Provision

     51.7      85.9        28.5
    

  


  

Income from Continuing Operations before Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

     149.7      139.7        50.7

Discontinued Operations:

                      

Income from Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          0.6

Gain on Disposal of Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          3.5
    

  


  

Income before Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

     149.7      139.7        54.8

Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change, Net

     —        (6.4 )      —  
    

  


  

Net Income

   $ 149.7    $ 133.3      $ 54.8
    

  


  

Basic Income per Common Share:

                      

Income from Continuing Operations before Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

   $ 2.06    $ 1.96      $ 0.74

Income from Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          0.01

Gain on Disposal of Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          0.05

Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change, Net

     —        (0.09 )      —  
    

  


  

Net Income

   $ 2.06    $ 1.87      $ 0.80
    

  


  

Diluted Income per Common Share:

                      

Income from Continuing Operations before Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

   $ 2.06    $ 1.95      $ 0.74

Income from Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          0.01

Gain on Disposal of Discontinued Operations, Net

     —        —          0.05

Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change, Net

     —        (0.09 )      —  
    

  


  

Net Income

   $ 2.06    $ 1.86      $ 0.80
    

  


  

 

2006 Compared to 2005

 

For 2006, total company sales were $3,151.8 million compared with $2,357.7 million last year, an increase of $794.1 million, or 34%. Chlor Alkali Products sales increased by $55.9 million, or 9%, from last year due to higher ECU prices, which increased approximately 8%. Chlor Alkali Products shipment volumes decreased slightly from the prior year. In the Metals segment, sales increased by $709.4 million, or 51%, over 2005. The increase in Metals segment sales was primarily the result of increased metal prices. Average copper and zinc prices increased 84% and 137%, respectively, during 2006. Winchester sales increased by $28.8 million, or 8%, from 2005 primarily due to increased selling prices and shipments to commercial customers.

 

Gross margin decreased $4.2 million, or 1%, from 2005, primarily as a result of higher pension costs and higher environmental costs offset by higher ECU selling prices for Chlor Alkali Products and $25.9 million of LIFO inventory liquidation gains primarily associated with the closure of the Waterbury and Seymour facilities as part of

 

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the 2006 Metals restructuring program. Gross margin was also impacted by recoveries from third parties of environmental costs incurred and expensed in prior periods of $1.2 million in 2006 compared to $38.5 million in 2005. Gross margin as a percentage of sales decreased to 11% in 2006 from 15% in 2005. This margin percentage decrease reflects higher Metals sales resulting from increased metal values, higher pension costs, which includes a $5.4 million pension curtailment charge resulting from the transition of a portion of the Metals and Winchester hourly workforce from a defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution pension plan, higher environmental costs, offset in part by the higher ECU selling prices, and the LIFO inventory liquidation gains.

 

Selling and administration expenses as a percentage of sales were 6% in 2006 and 7% in 2005. Selling and administration expenses in 2006 were higher by $0.6 million than 2005 primarily due to increased pension expenses ($5.1 million), higher stock option compensation expense as a result of adopting SFAS No. 123R, which now requires share-based compensation to be expensed ($2.9 million), increased salary costs ($3.0 million) primarily resulting from normal escalation, third party fees associated with the July 2006 debt exchange ($1.2 million), higher consulting fees ($2.8 million), and increased incentive compensation ($0.8 million). These increases were substantially offset by a lower level of legal and legal-related settlement expenses ($11.4 million), which were higher in the prior year due to costs associated with legacy environmental issues, lower bad debt expense ($1.4 million), decreased rent charges ($1.2 million) primarily due to the relocation of our corporate office in Connecticut, and reduced insurance costs ($1.1 million).

 

Restructuring charges of $17.6 million for 2006 related to the closure of the Waterbury and Seymour facilities in the Metals segment, and primarily included lease and other contract termination costs, facility costs and equipment write-offs, and employee severance and related benefit costs. Restructuring charges of $0.3 million for 2005 were for the corporate office relocation, and included primarily employee severance and related benefit costs.

 

Other operating income for 2006 included a $6.0 million insurance recovery for Hurricane Katrina business interruption experienced in 2005 and early 2006 in our Chlor Alkali Products operations and a gain of $0.7 million on the disposition of a former manufacturing plant. Other operating income for 2005 included the gains on the disposition of three real estate properties. The first disposition represented the settlement of a contested condemnation award relating to land associated with a former warehousing facility. The other two transactions represented the disposition of land associated with former manufacturing plants.

 

The earnings of non-consolidated affiliates were $46.0 million for 2006, an increase of $7.5 million from 2005, primarily due to higher ECU selling prices and increased volumes at the SunBelt joint venture.

 

Interest expense increased by $0.4 million, or 2%, in 2006, due to the effect of higher short-term interest rates, offset in part by a lower level of outstanding debt.

 

Interest income for 2006 decreased by $6.5 million compared to 2005. The 2005 interest income included interest of $11.4 million associated with the recoveries from third parties of environmental costs incurred and expensed in prior periods and $0.3 million of interest received from the disposition of real estate. These items were partially offset in 2006 by increased interest income for investments on short-term marketable securities which improved returns, higher short-term interest rates, and higher average cash balances.

 

The effective tax rate for 2006 included a $21.6 million reduction in income tax expense associated with the settlement of certain audit issues related to the audits for the years 1996 to 2002, principally the tax treatment of capital losses generated in 1997 and other tax matters. The effective tax rate for 2006 of 36.4%, which was offset by the $21.6 million reduction, is higher than the 35% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes offset in part by the domestic manufacturing deduction and utilization of certain state tax credits. The effective tax rate of 38.1% for 2005 included a $1.2 million reduction in income tax expense (0.6% reduction in effective tax rate) resulting from the refunds of interest paid in connection with the 2004 settlement of certain tax issues related to prior years. The effective tax rate for 2005 was higher than the 35% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes and the accrual of interest on taxes which may become payable in the future.

 

2005 Compared to 2004

 

For 2005, total company sales were $2,357.7 million compared with $1,996.8 million in 2004, an increase of $360.9 million, or 18%. Chlor Alkali Products sales increased from 2004 by $162.0 million due to higher ECU

 

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selling prices, which increased by 52% from 2004 and were offset in part by 6% lower volumes. In the Metals segment, sales increased $172.6 million, or 14%, over 2004. The increase in the Metals segment sales was the result of higher metal prices offset in part by lower shipment volumes. Average copper prices increased 30% during 2005. Winchester sales increased by $26.3 million, or 8%, from 2004 due to increased demand from the U.S. military and law enforcement customers and a slight increase in domestic commercial sales due to higher selling prices.

 

Gross margin increased $127.0 million, or 55%, over 2004 primarily as a result of higher ECU selling prices for chlor alkali products. Gross margin as a percentage of sales increased to 15% in 2005 from 12% in 2004. The gross margin dollar increase of $127.0 million reflected the higher ECU prices. The resulting margin percentage increase also reflects the higher ECU selling prices and was offset in part by higher metals sales resulting from increased metal values and by lower gross margins in the Metals and Winchester segments. Gross margin and gross margin as a percentage of sales were also positively impacted by recoveries from third parties of $38.5 million of environmental costs incurred and expensed in prior periods.

 

Selling and administration expenses as a percentage of sales were 7% in 2005 and 2004. Selling and administration expenses in 2005 were $35.3 million higher than in 2004 primarily due to a higher level of legal expenses primarily associated with legacy environmental matters, including recovery actions for environmental costs previously incurred and expensed ($16.5 million) and third-party legal-related settlement costs ($7.8 million), pension expense ($7.8 million), and bad debt expense ($2.3 million). These costs more than offset cost savings of $3.5 million generated from the corporate office relocation.

 

Restructuring charges for 2005 of $0.3 million compared to $9.6 million for 2004. These restructuring charges were for the corporate office relocation and included primarily employee severance and related benefit costs, relocation expense, pension curtailment expense and the incurred cost for outplacement services.

 

Other operating income of $9.1 million for 2005 included the gains on the disposition of three real estate properties. The first disposition represented the settlement of a contested condemnation award relating to land associated with a former warehousing facility. The other two transactions represented the disposition of land associated with former manufacturing plants. Other operating income for 2004 included a non-recurring gain of $5.5 million related to a settlement of a contract matter with an outside third party.

 

The earnings of non-consolidated affiliates were $38.5 million for 2005, an increase of $28.4 million from $10.1 million for 2004, primarily due to higher ECU selling prices at the SunBelt joint venture.

 

Interest expense decreased by $0.3 million, or 1%, in 2005 because of the favorable impact on interest expense from a lower level of outstanding net debt and was offset by higher short-term interest rates. During 2005, $52.0 million of debt was repaid.

 

Interest income for 2005 increased by $16.4 million from 2004. The 2005 interest income included interest of $11.4 million associated with the recoveries from third parties of environmental costs incurred and expensed in prior periods and $0.3 million of interest received from the disposition of real estate. Also, interest income increased as the result of higher average cash balances and increased short-term interest rates.

 

Other income decreased by $3.0 million from 2004 primarily due to a $2.0 million gain on the sale of our equity interest in an insurance investment in 2004.

 

The effective tax rate of 38.1% for 2005 included a $1.2 million reduction in income tax expense (0.6% reduction in effective tax rate) resulting from the refunds of interest paid in connection with the 2004 settlement of certain tax issues related to prior years. The 2005 effective tax rate is higher than the 35% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes and the accrual of interest on taxes which may become payable in the future. The effective tax rate of 35.8% for 2004 included a $2.3 million reduction in income tax expense (2.9% reduction in effective tax rate) associated with the settlement of certain issues related to income tax audits for the years 1992 through 2000. The 2004 effective tax rate was higher than the 35% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes and income in certain foreign jurisdictions being taxed at higher rates.

 

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On December 31, 2005, we adopted FIN No. 47 and recorded an after-tax charge of $6.4 million ($10.5 million pretax) as a cumulative effect of an accounting change. FIN No. 47 clarifies when sufficient information is available to estimate an asset retirement obligation. This charge is principally related to asset retirement obligations for production technology and building materials.

 

SEGMENT RESULTS

 

We define segment results as income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, other income, and income taxes and include the results of non-consolidated affiliates. Consistent with the guidance in SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures About Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information,” we have determined it is appropriate to include the operating results of non-consolidated affiliates in the relevant segment financial results. Our management considers the SunBelt Chlor Alkali Partnership to be an integral component of the Chlor Alkali Products segment and Yamaha-Olin Metal Corporation to be an integral component of the Metals segment. Each is engaged in the same business activity as the segment, including joint or overlapping marketing, management, manufacturing, and technology development functions. Inter-segment sales of $69.1 million, $47.7 million and $37.3 million for the years 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively, representing the sale of ammunition cartridge cups to Winchester from Metals, at prices that approximate market, have been eliminated from Metals segment sales.

 

    2006

    2005

    2004

 
    ($ in millions)  

Sales:

       

Chlor Alkali Products

  $ 666.1     $ 610.2     $ 448.2  

Metals

    2,112.1       1,402.7       1,230.1  

Winchester

    373.6       344.8       318.5  
   


 


 


Total Sales

  $ 3,151.8     $ 2,357.7     $ 1,996.8  
   


 


 


Income from Continuing Operations before Taxes and Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change:

                       

Chlor Alkali Products(1)

  $ 256.3     $ 237.0     $ 83.0  

Metals(1)

    58.2       34.0       50.5  

Winchester

    15.8       7.8       21.9  

Corporate/Other:

                       

Pension (Expense) Income(2)

    (19.2 )     (2.0 )     11.3  

Environmental (Provision) Credit

    (22.6 )     15.8       (23.4 )

Other Corporate and Unallocated Costs

    (69.2 )     (75.7 )     (46.2 )

Restructuring Charges

    (17.6 )     (0.3 )     (9.6 )

Other Operating Income

    6.7       9.1       5.5  

Interest Expense

    (20.3 )     (19.9 )     (20.2 )

Interest Income

    11.8       18.3       1.9  

Other Income

    1.5       1.5       4.5  
   


 


 


Income from Continuing Operations before Taxes and Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change

  $ 201.4     $ 225.6     $ 79.2  
   


 


 


(1)   Earnings of non-consolidated affiliates are included in the segment results consistent with management’s monitoring of the operating segments. The earnings from non-consolidated affiliates, by segment, are as follows:

 

     2006

   2005

   2004

Chlor Alkali Products

   $ 45.3    $ 37.8    $ 9.0

Metals

     0.7      0.7      1.1
    

  

  

Earnings of non-consolidated affiliates

   $ 46.0    $ 38.5    $ 10.1
    

  

  

 

(2)   The service cost and the amortization of prior service cost components of pension expense related to the employees of the operating segments are allocated to the operating segments based on their respective estimated census data. All other components of pension costs are included in Corporate/Other and include items such as the expected return on plan assets, interest cost and recognized actuarial gains and losses. The 2006 curtailment charge is included in Corporate/Other and represents the accelerated recognition of prior service costs. The summary of pension costs is allocated as follows:

 

     2006

   2005

   2004

 

Service cost and prior service cost

   $ 24.9    $ 24.2    $ 22.0  

Other components of pension costs

     13.8      2.0      (11.3 )
    

  

  


Subtotal

     38.7      26.2      10.7  

Curtailment charge

     5.4      —        1.2  
    

  

  


Net periodic benefit cost

   $ 44.1    $ 26.2    $ 11.9