Date: 17 June 2011
Operating profit margins in the quarter ending June 30 will be 3 to 6 percentage points less than a year earlier, Chief Financial Officer Ed White said in an interview. The Perrysburg, Ohio-based company had predicted operating margins would match last year’s quarter. The shares dropped in early trading.
Sales of glass bottles have slumped in Australia and New Zealand because strong currencies have made wine exports less competitive and rising interest rates have damped consumer demand, hurting domestic beer consumption, White said.
“Wine exports out of Australia are exceeding their historic price points,” he said. “We sort of go up or down based on our customers’ success. They’re struggling and we’re struggling.”
Owens-Illinois is keeping its annual forecast of 5 percent to 10 percent growth in shipments and free cash flow of $300 million as growth in South America and the U.S. makes up for the slump in the Asia Pacific region, White said. The operating profit margin in the second quarter last year was about 16 percent, the company said.
Still, the cash forecast may have to be adjusted as the company contemplates idling a glass furnace in Australia to make up for lower demand, White said.
“If we’re going to do some capacity realignment, there could be some pressure on that,” he said, referring to the free cash flow forecast.
Read more below.
Add new comment