Long-Term Debt

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Long-Term Debt [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt

H.     Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30,
	2011			2010
Industrial development revenue bonds	$	4,400		$	4,800
Capital lease obligations		1,041			2,085
Subtotal long-term debt and capital lease obligations		5,441			6,885
Less current portion		(1,140	)		(1,683	)
Total long-term debt and capital lease obligations	$	4,301		$	5,202

The annual maturities of long-term debt as of September 30, 2011, were as follows (in thousands):

Year Ending September 30,	Long-Term Debt Maturities
2012	$	1,140
2013		676
2014		425
2015		400
2016		400
Thereafter		2,400
Total long-term debt maturities	$	5,441

US Revolver

In May 2011, we amended our existing credit agreement (Amended Credit Agreement) with a major domestic bank. This amendment to our credit facility was made to expand our US borrowing capacity to provide additional working capital support for the Company, and to terminate the revolving credit facility for the Company’s subsidiaries located in the United Kingdom. The Amended Credit Agreement provides for a $75.0 million revolving credit facility (US Revolver). Obligations are collateralized by the stock of certain of our subsidiaries.

The interest rate for amounts outstanding under the Amended Credit Agreement for the US Revolver is a floating rate based upon the higher of the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.50% or the bank’s prime rate. Once the applicable rate is determined, a margin ranging from negative 0.5% to 1.75%, as determined by our consolidated leverage ratio, is added to the applicable rate.

The US Revolver provides for the issuance of letters of credit which reduce the amounts which may be borrowed under the revolver. The amount available under the US Revolver was reduced by $13.2 million for our outstanding letters of credit at September 30, 2011.

There were no borrowings under the US Revolver as of September 30, 2011. Amounts available under the US Revolver were $61.8 million at September 30, 2011. The US Revolver expires on December 31, 2016.

The Amended Credit Agreement contains certain restrictive and maintenance-type covenants, including restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, as well as restriction on the amount of capital expenditures allowed. It also contains financial covenants defining various financial measures and the levels of these measures with which we must comply, as well as a “material adverse change” clause. A “material adverse change” is defined as a material change in our operations, business, properties, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) or a material impairment of our ability to perform our obligations under our credit agreements.

The Amended Credit Agreement’s principal financial covenants include:

Minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio — The Amended Credit Agreement requires that the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio be greater than 1.25 to 1.00. The consolidated fixed charge calculation is income before interest and income taxes, increased by depreciation and amortization expense (EBITDA) and reduced by income taxes and capital expenditures for the previous 12 months, divided by the sum of payments on long-term debt, excluding the US Revolver and interest expense, during the previous 12 months.

Maximum Leverage Ratio — The Amended Credit Agreement requires that the ratio be less than 2.75 to 1.00. The maximum leverage ratio is the sum of total long-term debt and outstanding letters of credit, less industrial development revenue bonds, divided by the EBITDA for the previous 12 months.

The Amended Credit Agreement is collateralized by a pledge of 100% of the voting capital stock of each of our domestic subsidiaries and 66% of the voting capital stock of each non-domestic subsidiary, excluding Powell Canada. The Amended Credit Agreement provides for customary events of default and carries cross-default provisions with other existing debt agreements. If an event of default (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) occurs and is continuing, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Amended Credit Agreement, amounts outstanding under the Amended Credit Agreement may be accelerated and may become immediately due and payable. As of September 30, 2011, we were in compliance with all of the financial covenants of the Amended Credit Agreement.

Canadian Revolver

On December 15, 2009, we entered into a credit agreement with a major international bank (the Canadian Facility) to finance the $15.1 million debt assumed in the acquisition of Powell Canada, and to provide additional working capital support for our operations in Canada. The Canadian Facility provides for a $20 million CAD (approximately $19.4 million) revolving credit facility (the Canadian Revolver), subject to certain limitations including a limitation on borrowings based upon certain financial ratios, as defined in the credit agreement.

The Canadian Revolver provides for the issuance of letters of credit which reduce the amounts which may be borrowed under the Canadian Revolver. As of September 30, 2011, there were no letters of credit outstanding under the Canadian Revolver.

There were no borrowings outstanding under the Canadian Revolver, and $19.4 million was available at September 30, 2011, subject to a borrowing base calculation. The amount available under the Canadian Revolver was reduced to $16.5 million based upon the available borrowing base as defined in the Canadian Facility. The Canadian Facility expires on February 29, 2012. The interest rate for amounts outstanding under the Canadian Revolver is a floating interest rate based upon either the Canadian Prime Rate, or the lender’s US Bank Rate. Once the applicable rate is determined, a margin of 0.375% to 1.125%, as determined by our consolidated leverage ratio is added to the applicable rate.

The principal financial covenants are consistent with those described in our Amended Credit Agreement. As discussed above, the borrowings under the Canadian Revolver are subject to a borrowing base limitation. The Canadian Facility contains a “material adverse effect” clause. A “material adverse effect” is defined as a material change in the operations of Powell or Powell Canada in relation to our financial condition, property, business operations, expected net cash flows, liabilities or capitalization.

The Canadian Facility is secured by the assets of our Canadian operations and provides for customary events of default and carries cross-default provisions with our existing debt agreements. If an event of default (as defined in the Canadian Facility) occurs and is continuing, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Canadian Facility, amounts outstanding under the Canadian Facility may be accelerated and may become immediately due and payable. As of September 30, 2011, we were in compliance with all of the financial covenants of the Canadian Facility, and no borrowings were outstanding under this facility at September 30, 2011.

Industrial Development Revenue Bonds

We borrowed $8.0 million in October 2001 through a loan agreement funded with proceeds from tax-exempt industrial development revenue bonds (Bonds). These Bonds were issued by the Illinois Development Finance Authority and were used for the completion of our Northlake, Illinois, facility. Pursuant to the Bond issuance, a reimbursement agreement between us and a major domestic bank required an issuance by the bank of an irrevocable direct-pay letter of credit (Bond LC), as collateral, to the Bonds’ trustee to guarantee payment of the Bonds’ principal and interest when due. The Bond LC is subject to both early termination and extension provisions customary to such agreements, as well as various covenants, for which we are in compliance at September 30, 2011. While the Bonds mature in 2021, the reimbursement agreement requires annual redemptions of $400,000 that commenced on October 25, 2002. A sinking fund is used for the redemption of the Bonds. At September 30, 2011, the balance in the restricted sinking fund was approximately $434,000 and was recorded in cash and cash equivalents. The Bonds bear interest at a floating rate determined weekly by the Bonds’ remarketing agent, which was the underwriter for the Bonds and is an affiliate of the bank. This interest rate was 0.51% per year on September 30, 2011.