Latest Results

Chief Executive's Report

Overview

The Group revenues have grown 38% to £2.47 million compared with H1 of last financial year, reflecting continued growth in both Haydale's nanomaterial based operations in the UK and its US based silicon carbide powder and tooling business. 

Within the nanomaterial operations, we have continued to concentrate on plasma functionalisation for third party clients.  This is initially undertaken through a proven iterative development process to achieve specific performance criteria with successful trials expected to lead to longer term commercial supply arrangements. We have made solid progress in the Period on projects being undertaken for Petronas, who visited our site at Ammanford in November 2023.  We are in discussions with two other large multinational companies to provide similar services. 

We are also progressing positively on the commercialisation of our own strategic products based on our plasma functionalised core products. Of particular note is our energy efficient, graphene based thermal transfer fluid being developed with Hydratech and our underfloor heating application, both of which are supported by the Welsh Government. Likewise our collaboration with Cadent is going well with working prototypes of portable, battery powered shower and water heater units delivered and another initiative under way for an over-the-radiator heating application. 

Our US business has seen lower than anticipated tooling sales offset by strong sales to its established SiC whisker and particulate customers. We have taken action to reinforce sales channels and resource to support its tooling products which we expect to start coming through in H2.

The potential for the business as a whole has been recognised by its acceptance onto the UK Government supported Innovate Edge programme to support the Company with its innovation led scale-up growth journey.

The Group's Adjusted Administrative Expenses have increased by 7.6% to £3.26m (H1 FY23 £3.02m) reflecting inflationary rises, reduction in US production expenditure recovery and a planned reinforcement of the team to deliver the forecast growth. 

The Group's adjusted operating loss for the Period was £1.61 million (H1 FY23 £1.89 million). 

Commercial Operations

Nanomaterials

UK

The UK has made a good start to the financial year with continued growth in the sales of materials and products produced through its proprietary HDPlas plasma functionalisation technology, concentrating on its established product range of inks (heating and sensor), composites and elastomers.

Plasma functionalised powder sales

The value of the Group's HDPlas proprietary and patented technology to plasma functionalise nanomaterials  avoiding alternative, more pollutive wet chemistry methods, is starting to be understood as a driver to help companies reduce their environmental footprint as well as achieve performance benefits, especially in the waste recycling space.  We are seeing continued interest in plasma functionalisation from raw material manufacturers who are looking to extend the effectiveness and range of the applications that their particular material can address.

Following a period of positive iterative development working with our core clients in this area, Petronas (Graphene) and Saint Gobain (Boron Nitride), and their end customers, we have successfully demonstrated that we can functionalise their nano-materials to improve performance, which has led to further work being secured. New opportunities are being explored for similar services with two other multinational companies. Of particular note, following the signing of a 2.5 year collaboration agreement with Petronas in August 2023, we hosted a technical team delegation over a three-week period to demonstrate our processes and explore a number of initiatives where plasma functionalisation could have a material impact on the effectiveness of their material in application.

Plasma functionalised product sales

Heating

Capitalising on the superior thermal properties of graphene and supported by grant funding from the Welsh Government, Haydale is working in collaboration with Liquitherm Technologies Group (trading as Hydratech), a leading specialist company with expertise in the formulation and manufacture of performance thermal transfer fluids.  The target is to develop a graphene based thermal fluid with enhanced heat transfer properties that can be used in domestic and commercial heating and cooling systems and thereby reduce energy bills.

The development of our low power, underfloor heating product is advancing following specialist electrical engineering advice that has now led to an operational prototype system in a demonstration room.  We are in discussions with a number of potential partners who could potentially act as sales channels to help us take the product to market.

Cadent

Our collaborations with Cadent have led to the production of working prototypes of low power, portable shower and water heater units utilising our heater ink, which are now being taken to the next phase of commercial development.  We are also working on the development of a low powered over-the-radiator room heater and discussing a number of other initiatives that can be rolled out to meet Cadent's statutory obligations to its 4 million "at risk" customers in off-gas situations. Once developed, certain of these products will also be made available to the other gas and energy distribution companies who could also adopt our technology to support their vulnerable customers. These products may also have a resonance in the outdoor leisure market.

Sensors

Our biomedical sensor ink is continuing to perform well in longer term tests with a leading manufacturer of glucose and diabetes testing devices and we are exploring other medical applications with other partners. However, the process to secure regulatory approval will take an extended period. The non-medical device testing, initially for chlorine in water, is likewise proceeding with our industry partner and we understand will not require regulatory clearance.

Elastomers

The Group has continued to deliver commercial volumes of plasma functionalised materials to Vittoria for use in their performance bicycle tyres and next stage developments are under discussion.

Composites

Our work with Viritech on using plasma functionalised graphene as a barrier material to potentially use in light weight, hydrogen storage tanks is ongoing with further stages under discussion.  We are also in discussions with a major defence company for a potential project that combines our composite expertise and heating ink capability to create de-icing solutions for a number of end applications.

Asia Pacific

Our presence in the Asia Pacific region has acted as a gateway to a number of key clients including Petronas and Vittoria, serviced out of the UK. We continue to operate those locations as front-end sales offices and are looking for further routes to market in these areas.

Silicon Carbide ("SiC") Powders and Tooling

Revenue at our US SiC and tool manufacturing facility has remained solid with 51% growth recorded against comparable sales in H1 FY23, with sales of powder proving particularly strong over the past six months.

We previously reported our investment in the infrastructure to move up the value chain into the manufacture and sale of SiC and ceramic tooling, and a plan has also been put in place to reinforce our sales capability by strengthening the in-house US sales team in strategic areas.  As previously reported, we have put together a US manufacturer's representative and distributor network with four manufacturer representatives signed in the Period, in addition to the two signed previously and more under negotiation.  This has now been supplemented by a cutting tool catalogue detailing geometries of the parts we can supply and a US operation specific website (www.haydalecuttingtools.com) which went live in January 2024.

We have recently entered into an agreement with a distributor to sell our tooling products on a white labelled basis in the UK and Europe and testing with potential clients is now underway. Initial heads of terms have also been agreed with a potential Asia based partner who can sell our products within China to their existing client base as well as supply us with non-SiC tooling to expand the range of products we are able to offer and provide manufacturing capacity if required.

These initiatives are starting to deliver tooling sales, albeit at a slower pace than we had hoped. However, on the back of these actions, we remain optimistic of the US growth potential and believe the longer-term growth opportunities could be substantial.  

The Company continues to offer CeramycGuard™, a penetrative concrete application containing the Company's silicon carbide, to protect concrete and extend its service life by repelling water.  External testing to date has helped refine the parameters under which the treatment needs to be applied in order to achieve the proven benefits and we are working with other potential clients to prove the product which we anticipate could lead to its adoption for use in certain deregulated markets.

Business Investment

We are still finding new ways to optimise the HT1400 industrial scale plasma reactor to increase efficiency, annual capacity and range of surface chemistry treatments available.   As part of this wider process and to improve efficiency, Haydale has invested in a Scanning Electron Microscope to bolster its capability to analyse the outcome of its functionalisation processes without being dependent on third party support.  

In the US, to support the growth in SiC cutting tools, we have also commenced implementation of an MRP system which will streamline processes, enhance information flow, improve decision making and ease the administrative burden on the team.

In addition to the actions taken in the US to bolster the sales team, as noted above, in the UK we have strengthened our technical teams, specifically in quality control and the sales team in terms of marketing and functional inks.  A significant proportion of the costs associated with these hires have been offset against savings from a planned restructuring of the team.   

Unaudited Financial Results

The Group's recognised commercial income in the Period was £2.47 million (H1 FY23 £1.78 million). 

Adjusted Administrative Expenses increased to £3.26 million (H1 FY23 £3.02 million), as a result of inflationary rises, reduction in US production expenditure recovery and a planned reinforcement of the team to deliver the forecast growth.

The Group's adjusted operating loss was £1.61 million (H1 FY23 £1.89 million) and the Loss before taxation was £2.53 million (H1 FY23 £3.01 million).  Capital expenditure in H1 FY2024 was £0.03 million (H1 FY23: £0.16 million).

The Group's net assets at 31 December 2023 were £9.14 million (30 June 2023: £6.97 million).  The Group's borrowings marginally increased by £0.02 million during the Period to £1.39 million at the Period end (30 June 2023: £1.37 million). Cash at the Period end was £3.30 million (30 June 2023: £1.38 million). Negative operating cash flow before working capital changes was £1.76 million (H1 FY23 £1.84 million). A negative working capital movement of £0.33 million (H1 FY23 £1.28 million) meant that Cash Used in Operations was £(2.08) million (H1 FY23 £(2.70) million).

On 14 September 2023, 138,757,816 warrants issued as part of the prior year fund raise expired.

The Company raised £5.1 million (gross) via the issue of 1,012,609,000 new ordinary shares in October 2023 at an issue price of 0.5 pence each (the "Fund Raise"). As at 31 December 2023, and at the date of this announcement, the Company had 1,798,462,051 ordinary shares in issue.

Outlook

We believe our proprietary plasma functionalisation process, which offers a highly tunable and more environmentally friendly solution to the main issue affecting wider graphene adoption, is gaining traction in the wider nanomaterial market. As next stage adopters start to look for partners, our strategic relationships with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre and similar institutions having access to our reactors give third party reassurance as to the efficacy of our technology.  Our track record of solving clients' problem statements to achieve specific performance goals, and our ability to deliver commercial volumes of plasma functionalised powders, inks and masterbatches, are all proving invaluable in securing new opportunities.

We are pleased to see revenues increase by 38% in the Period.  Whilst US tooling sales for H2 have started slower than planned the actions taken to reinforce sales channels and resource are expected to deliver as we move through the rest of FY24. The Board remains confident in the significant potential for the Group at this time and, whilst the path to commercial success depends on timing of a number of initiatives being realised, the foundations are in place to achieve success.

Keith Broadbent
Chief Executive Officer
12 March 2024