10-Q 1 amcol10q.htm AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 10-Q amcol10q.htm
 


 
 
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
          Washington, D.C.  20549          
FORM 10-Q
 
(Mark One)
( x )                      QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                                             SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 

 
 For the quarterly period ended                                                                                                                    September 30, 2010 
              
 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                                                                                                                                 1-14447
 
                                                                      
 AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 
 (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 
 Delaware      36-0724340   
 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)     (IRS Employer Identification No.)
 
 
 2870 Forbs Avenue, Hoffman Estates, IL       60192
(Address of principal executive offices)       (Zip Code)

 
 (847) 851-1500
 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be fied 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 o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).     Yes o   No  o


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Large accelerated filer  o                                                     Accelerated filer  x                                                    Non-accelerated filer  o
Smaller reporting company o
 
 
 
1

 

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

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
 
 
 Class    Outstanding at October 22, 2010  
 (Common stock, $.01 par value)     31,114,231 Shares
 
 
 
 
2

 

 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

INDEX
 
 
     Page No.
 Part I - Financial Information  
     
 Item 1:  Financial Statements  
   Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets –  
   September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009  4
     
   Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations –  
   three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009  6
     
   Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income –  
   three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009  7
     
   Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity –  
   three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009  8
     
   Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows –  
   nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009  9
     
   Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements  10
     
 Item 2:  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial  
   Condition and Results of Operations  19
     
 Item 3:  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk  36
     
 Item 4:  Controls and Procedures  36
     
 Part II - Other Information  
     
 Item 5:  Other Information  37
     
 Item 6:  Exhibits  38
 
 
 
 
3

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
 
Item 1:  Financial Statements
 
    September 30,    
December 31,
 
  ASSETS  
2010
   
2009
 
   
(unaudited)
     *  
Current assets:
             
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 20,326     $ 27,669  
Accounts receivable, net
    201,092       148,260  
Inventories
    105,469       96,173  
Prepaid expenses
    12,938       12,509  
Deferred income taxes
    7,706       6,525  
Income tax receivable
    9,158       2,431  
Other
    5,979       463  
                 
Total current assets
    362,668       294,030  
                 
Noncurrent assets:
               
Property, plant, equipment, and mineral rights and reserves:
               
Land and mineral rights
    60,523       57,898  
Depreciable assets
    448,494       414,617  
                 
      509,017       472,515  
Less: accumulated depreciation and depletion
    253,018       236,269  
                 
      255,999       236,246  
                 
Goodwill
    71,260       71,156  
Intangible assets, net
    44,370       47,185  
Investment in and advances to affiliates and joint ventures
    33,544       32,228  
Available-for-sale securities
    17,917       25,563  
Other assets
    27,041       27,852  
                 
Total noncurrent assets
    450,131       440,230  
    $ 812,799     $ 734,260  
                 

Continued…
 
 
 
4

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)

 
 
    September 30,    
December 31,
 
  LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  
2010
   
2009
 
   
(unaudited)
      *  
Current liabilities:
             
Accounts payable
  $ 61,830     $ 40,335  
Accrued liabilities
    62,029       49,981  
                 
Total current liabilities
    123,859       90,316  
                 
Noncurrent liabilities:
               
Long-term debt
    229,690       207,017  
Pension liabilities
    21,420       20,403  
Deferred compensation
    7,980       7,544  
Other long-term liabilities
    19,691       29,208  
                 
Total noncurrent liabilities
    278,781       264,172  
                 
Equity:
               
Common stock
    320       320  
Additional paid in capital
    91,666       84,830  
Retained earnings
    298,149       275,200  
Accumulated other comprehensive income
    29,378       32,174  
                 
      419,513       392,524  
Treasury stock
    (10,608 )     (14,377 )
                 
Total AMCOL shareholders' equity
    408,905       378,147  
                 
Noncontrolling interest
    1,254       1,625  
                 
Total equity
    410,159       379,772  
    $ 812,799     $ 734,260  
                 

*Condensed from audited financial statements.

  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
 
 
5

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
 
 
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
 
    September 30,     September 30,  
      2010      
2009
     
2010
     
2009
 
Net sales
  $ 629,115     $ 526,539     $ 233,451     $ 190,920  
Cost of sales
    465,304       382,320       174,962       137,069  
Gross profit
    163,811       144,219       58,489       53,851  
General, selling and administrative expenses
    106,785       101,047       35,967       34,626  
Operating profit
    57,026       43,172       22,522       19,225  
Other income (expense):
                               
Interest expense, net
    (7,092 )     (9,399 )     (2,542 )     (2,833 )
Other, net
    2,066       (2,595 )     2,183       119  
      (5,026 )     (11,994 )     (359 )     (2,714 )
Income before income taxes and income (loss) from
                               
affiliates and joint ventures
    52,000       31,178       22,163       16,511  
Income tax expense
    12,894       6,388       5,193       3,271  
Income before income (loss) from affiliates and
                               
joint ventures
    39,106       24,790       16,970       13,240  
Income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    266       (921 )     337       721  
Net income (loss)
    39,372       23,869       17,307       13,961  
                                 
Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
    (322 )     296       (110 )     661  
                                 
Net income (loss) attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 39,694     $ 23,573     $ 17,417     $ 13,300  
                                 
Weighted average common shares outstanding
    31,137       30,735       31,225       30,766  
                                 
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares outstanding
    31,498       30,973       31,565       31,061  
                                 
Basic earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 1.27     $ 0.77     $ 0.56     $ 0.43  
                                 
Diluted earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 1.26     $ 0.76     $ 0.55     $ 0.43  
                                 
Dividends declared per share
  $ 0.54     $ 0.54     $ 0.18     $ 0.18  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 
 
6

 
 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 
 
 
   
Total
   
AMCOL
Shareholders
   
Noncontrolling
Interest
 
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Nine Months Ended
 
    September 30,     September 30,     September 30,  
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net income (loss)
  $ 39,372     $ 23,869     $ 39,694     $ 23,573     $ (322 )   $ 296  
Other comprehensive income (loss):
                                               
Foreign currency translation adjustment
    5,606       12,775       5,655       12,389       (49 )     386  
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax
    (4,883 )     -       (4,883 )     -       -       -  
Unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate swap agreements, net of tax
    (3,662 )     975       (3,662 )     975       -       -  
Other, net of tax
    94       106       94       106       -       -  
                                                 
Comprehensive income (loss)
  $ 36,527     $ 37,725     $ 36,898     $ 37,043     $ (371 )   $ 682  


 
   
Total
   
AMCOL
Shareholders
   
Noncontrolling
 Interest
 
   
Three Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
 
    September 30,     September 30,     September 30,  
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
      2010       2009  
Net income (loss)
  $ 17,307     $ 13,961     $ 17,417     $ 13,300     $ (110 )   $ 661  
Other comprehensive income (loss):
                                               
Foreign currency translation adjustment
    18,508       8,270       18,493       8,181       15       89  
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax
    (4,215 )     -       (4,215 )     -       -       -  
Unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate swap agreements, net of tax
    (1,288 )     (344 )     (1,288 )     (344 )     -       -  
Other, net of tax
    30       372       30       372       -       -  
                                                 
Comprehensive income (loss)
  $ 30,342     $ 22,259     $ 30,437     $ 21,509     $ (95 )   $ 750  


 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.


 
7

 

AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)


            AMCOL Shareholders        
                                           
   
Total
Equity
   
 Retained
 Earnings
    Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)      
Common
Stock
     
Treasury
Stock
     
Paid-in
Capital
     
Noncontrolling Interest
 
                                           
Balance at December 31, 2008
  $ 328,355     $ 262,453     $ (4,721 )   $ 320     $ (18,196 )   $ 86,350     $ 2,149  
Net income (loss)
    23,869       23,573                                       296  
Cash dividends
    (16,526 )     (16,526 )                                        
Purchase of treasury shares
    (304 )                             (304 )                
Issuance of treasury shares pursuant to
                                                       
employee stock compensation plans
    1,342                               2,548       (1,206 )        
Tax benefit from employee stock
                                                       
compensation plans
    551                                       551          
Vesting of common stock in connection
                                                       
with employee stock compensation
                                                       
plans
    2,127                                       2,127          
Purchase of noncontrolling interest's shares
    (5,528 )                                     (4,538 )     (990 )
Other comprehensive income (loss)
    13,856               13,470                               386  
                                                         
Balance at September 30, 2009
    347,742       269,500       8,749       320       (15,952 )     83,284       1,841  
                                                         
Balance at December 31, 2009
  $ 379,772     $ 275,200     $ 32,174     $ 320     $ (14,377 )   $ 84,830     $ 1,625  
Net income (loss)
    39,372       39,694                                       (322 )
Cash dividends
    (16,745 )     (16,745 )                                        
Issuance of treasury shares pursuant to
                                                       
employee stock compensation plans
    5,099                               3,769       1,330          
Tax benefit from employee stock
                                                       
compensation plans
    343                                       343          
Vesting of common stock in connection
                                                       
with employee stock compensation
                                                       
plans
    2,462                                       2,462          
Purchase of noncontrolling interest's shares
    2,701                                       2,701          
Other comprehensive income (loss)
    (2,845 )             (2,796 )                             (49 )
                                                         
Balance at September 30, 2010
    410,159       298,149       29,378       320       (10,608 )     91,666       1,254  

 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.



 
8

 


AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

      Nine Months Ended  
      September 30,  
     2010       2009  
Cash flow from operating activities:
           
Net income
  $ 39,372     $ 23,869  
Adjustments to reconcile from net income (loss) to net cash
               
provided by (used in) operating activities:
               
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization
    26,470       26,781  
Other non-cash charges
    3,174       9,023  
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
               
Decrease (increase) in current assets
    (69,385 )     35,096  
Decrease (increase) in noncurrent assets
    (2,298 )     (1,257 )
Increase (decrease) in current liabilities
    34,832       (7,480 )
Increase  (decrease) in noncurrent liabilities
    2,999       4,586  
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
    35,164       90,618  
Cash flow from investing activities:
               
Capital expenditures
    (37,944 )     (39,637 )
Capital expenditures - corporate building
    -       (9,651 )
Proceeds from sale of depreciable assets - corporate building
    -       9,651  
Receipts from Chrome Corp
    -       6,000  
Investments in and advances to affiliates and joint ventures
    (2,047 )     (2,647 )
Other
    1,210       2,384  
Net cash used in investing activities
    (38,781 )     (33,900 )
Cash flow from financing activities:
               
Net change in outstanding debt
    21,004       (42,467 )
Purchase of noncontrolling interest
    (11,873 )     -  
Proceeds from sales of treasury stock
    3,252       1,005  
Purchases of treasury stock
    -       (165 )
Dividends
    (16,745 )     (16,526 )
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation
    394       464  
                 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
    (3,968 )     (57,689 )
Effect of foreign currency rate changes on cash
    242       897  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    (7,343 )     (74 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
    27,669       19,441  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
  $ 20,326     $ 19,367  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 
 
9

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 
 
Note 1:                      SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Company Operations

We, AMCOL International Corporation (the “Company”), operate in five segments:  minerals and materials, environmental, oilfield services, transportation and corporate.  Our minerals and materials segment mines, processes and distributes minerals and products with similar applications for use in various industrial and consumer markets, including metalcasting, pet care, detergents, iron ore pelletizing, and drilling industries. Our environmental segment manufactures and distributes products and related services for use as a moisture barrier in commercial construction, landfill liners and a variety of other industrial and commercial applications. Our oilfield services segment provides both onshore and offshore water treatment filtration, pipeline separation, waste fluid treatment, nitrogen, rental tools, coil tubing and well testing data services for the oil and natural gas industry.  Our transportation segment includes both a long-haul trucking business and a freight brokerage business for our domestic subsidiaries as well as third parties. Our corporate segment includes the elimination of intersegment shipping revenues as well as certain expenses associated with research and development, management, employee benefits and information technology activities for our Company.  The composition of our revenues by segment is as follows:

     Nine Months Ended
     September 30,
      2010   2009
Minerals and materials
 
50%
46%
Environmental
 
28%
31%
Oilfield services
 
18%
18%
Transportation
 
6%
7%
Intersegment shipping
 
-2%
-2%
   
100%
100%
 
Further discussion of segment information is included in Note 4, “Business Segment Information.”

Basis of Presentation

The financial information included herein has been prepared by management, and other than the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2009, is unaudited.  The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2009 has been derived from, but does not include all of the disclosures contained in, the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009.  The information furnished herein includes all adjustments that are, in our opinion, necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, and our financial position as of September 30, 2010, and all such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature.  The accompanying condensed consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
 
 
 
10

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 
Certain items in the prior year’s condensed consolidated financial statements contained herein and notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the condensed consolidated financial statement presentation for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010.  These reclassifications did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results may differ from those estimates.

The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year for a variety of reasons, including the seasonality of our environmental segment, which varies due to the seasonal nature of the construction industry, and our oilfield services segment, which varies due to seasonal weather patterns in its various markets.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

   In June 2009, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued guidance codified in ASC Topic 810, which amends consolidation guidance applicable to variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and requires additional disclosures concerning an enterprise’s continual involvement with VIEs.  The adoption of this guidance on January 1, 2010 did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In January 2010, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC Topic 820, which requires separate disclosure and justification for transferring fair value measurements between Level 1 and Level 2.  The adoption of this guidance on January 1, 2010 relating to new disclosures for Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements did not have a material impact on our financial statements.


Note 2:                      EARNINGS PER SHARE

   The table below provides further share information used in computing our earnings per share for the periods presented herein.  Basic earnings per share was computed by dividing net income attributable to AMCOL shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period.  Diluted earnings per share was computed by dividing net income attributable to AMCOL shareholders by the weighted average common shares outstanding after consideration of the dilutive effect of stock based compensation outstanding during each period.
 
 
 
 
11

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 

 
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
 
    September 30,     September 30,  
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding
    31,136,740       30,734,996       31,225,430       30,765,700  
Dilutive impact of stock based compensation
    361,286       238,091       339,698       295,740  
Weighted average number of common and common equivalent
                               
  shares outstanding for the period
    31,498,026       30,973,087       31,565,128       31,061,440  
Number of common shares outstanding at the end of the period
    31,100,692       30,637,887       31,100,692       30,637,887  
                                 
Weighted average number of anti-dilutive shares excluded from
   the computation of diluted earnings per share
    570,259       1,442,016       511,792       936,612  


Note 3:                      ADDITIONAL BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION

Our inventories at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 are comprised of the following components:

    September 30,      December 31,  
   
2010
   
2009
 
Crude stockpile inventories
  $ 34,663     $ 30,510  
In-process and finished goods inventories
    44,779       40,368  
Other raw material, container, and supplies inventories
    26,027       25,295  
    $ 105,469     $ 96,173  


We mine various minerals using a surface mining process that requires the removal of overburden.  Under various governmental regulations, we are obligated to restore the land comprising each mining site to its original condition at the completion of mining activity.  The obligation is adjusted to reflect the passage of time and changes in estimated future cash outflows.  A reconciliation of the activity within our reclamation obligation is as follows:

    Nine Months Ended  
    September 30,  
   
2010
   
2009
 
Balance at beginning of period
  $ 6,584     $ 5,649  
Settlement of obligations
    (1,182 )     (930 )
Liabilities incurred and accretion expense
    1,813       1,342  
Acquisition of mining claims
    -       474  
Foreign currency
    56       174  
                 
Balance at end of period
  $ 7,271     $ 6,709  

 
 
 
12

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

Note 4:                      BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION

As previously mentioned, we operate in five segments.  Our segments are fairly diverse with respect to the products and services they offer as well as the customers they serve. Accordingly, we organize our segments based on the products and industries they serve.  We measure segment performance based on operating profit, which is defined as net sales less cost of sales and general, selling and administrative expenses related to a segment’s operations.  The costs deducted to arrive at operating profit do not include several items, such as net interest expense or income taxes.  Segment assets are those assets used in the operations of that segment.  Corporate assets include cash and cash equivalents, corporate leasehold improvements, and other miscellaneous equipment.

The following summaries set forth certain financial information by business segment:
 
 
 
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net sales:
                       
Minerals and materials
  $ 314,417     $ 244,657     $ 110,332     $ 89,021  
Environmental
    175,707       164,096       72,373       64,493  
Oilfield services
    111,052       93,140       41,204       29,109  
Transportation
    39,987       35,336       14,284       12,487  
Intersegment shipping
    (12,048 )     (10,690 )     (4,742 )     (4,190 )
Total
  $ 629,115     $ 526,539     $ 233,451     $ 190,920  
                                 
Operating profit (loss):
                               
Minerals and materials
  $ 42,973     $ 23,863     $ 12,341     $ 10,472  
Environmental
    16,348       21,603       8,551       10,755  
Oilfield services
    9,860       12,463       4,079       3,096  
Transportation
    1,964       1,683       754       693  
Corporate
    (14,119 )     (16,440 )     (3,203 )     (5,791 )
Total
  $ 57,026     $ 43,172     $ 22,522     $ 19,225  
                                 
   
As of Sep. 30, 2010
   
As of Dec. 31, 2009
                 
Assets:
                               
Minerals and materials
  $ 416,316     $ 384,896                  
Environmental
    168,344       151,265                  
Oilfield services
    165,125       145,981                  
Transportation
    3,976       3,552                  
Corporate
    59,038       48,566                  
Total
  $ 812,799     $ 734,260                  

 
 
13

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 
   
Nine Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Depreciation, depletion and amortization:
                       
Minerals and materials
  $ 12,316     $ 12,030     $ 4,544     $ 3,917  
Environmental
    4,017       4,607       1,438       1,604  
Oilfield services
    8,807       8,815       3,028       2,928  
Transportation
    31       30       11       9  
Corporate
    1,299       1,299       427       448  
Total
  $ 26,470     $ 26,781     $ 9,448     $ 8,906  
                                 
Capital expenditures:
                               
Minerals and materials
  $ 24,367     $ 27,473     $ 5,297     $ 3,826  
Environmental
    2,051       1,684       1,096       589  
Oilfield services
    10,264       8,924       5,358       2,459  
Transportation
    52       27       14       27  
Corporate
    1,210       11,180       240       3,541  
Total
  $ 37,944     $ 49,288     $ 12,005     $ 10,442  
                                 
Research and development (income) expense:
                               
Minerals and materials
  $ 4,331     $ 3,976     $ 1,572     $ 1,278  
Environmental
    1,870       1,716       596       643  
Oilfield services
    510       503       188       168  
Corporate
    (11 )     155       (51 )     28  
Total
  $ 6,700     $ 6,350     $ 2,305     $ 2,117  

Note 5:                      EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Our net periodic benefit cost for our defined benefit pension plan was as follows:

    Nine Months Ended     Three Months Ended  
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Service cost
  $ 1,050     $ 1,235     $ 350     $ 411  
Interest cost
    1,869       1,954       623       651  
Expected return on plan assets
    (1,962 )     (1,609 )     (654 )     (536 )
Amortization of acturial (gain) / loss
    -       320       -       107  
Amortization of prior service cost
    48       47       16       16  
                                 
Net periodic benefit cost
  $ 1,005     $ 1,947     $ 335     $ 649  

 
As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, we expected to contribute up to $1,500 to our pension plan in 2010, of which $500 was contributed in the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 and $1,000 in October 2010.
 
 
 
14

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

 
Note 6:                      INCOME TAXES

Our effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 was 24.8% and 20.5%, respectively. For both periods, the rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35.0% largely due to depletion deductions and differences in local tax rates on the income from our foreign subsidiaries.
 
In the normal course of business, we are subject to examination by taxing authorities throughout the world.  With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to income tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2004.  The United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has examined our federal income tax returns for all open years through 2007.


Note 7:                      DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITES

As a multinational corporation with operations throughout the world, we are subject to certain market risks. We use a variety of practices to manage these market risks, including, when considered appropriate, derivative financial instruments. We use derivative financial instruments only for risk management and not for trading or speculative purposes.

The following table sets forth the fair values of our derivative instruments and where they are recorded within our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet:

 Liability Derivatives    
Fair Value as of
    Balance Sheet Location September 30, 2010   December 31, 2009
       
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
     
       
Interest rate swaps
Other long-term liabilities
 $                         8,834
 $                 3,082


Cash flow hedges

   
  Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other
Comprehensive Income on Derivatives
 Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships     (Effective Portion)
   
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   
  Three Months Ended
 September 30,
      2010       2009       2010       2009
                       
Interest rate swaps, net of tax
 
 $           (3,662)
   
 $      975
   
 $     (1,288)
   
 $              (344)

 
 
15

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
 
We use interest rate swaps to manage floating interest rate risk on debt securities.  Interest rate differentials are paid or received on these arrangements over the life of the agreements.  As of September 30, 2010 and 2009, we had an interest rate swap outstanding which effectively hedges the variable interest rate on $30,000 of our senior notes to a fixed rate of 5.6% per annum.  As of September 30, 2010, we also had two other interest rate swaps outstanding which effectively hedge the variable interest rate on $33,000 of our borrowings under our revolving credit agreement to a fixed rate of 3.3% per annum plus credit spread.

Other

We are exposed to potential gains or losses from foreign currency fluctuations affecting net investments and earnings denominated in foreign currencies.  Our primary U.S. dollar exposures are to fluctuations in Euro, British pound and Polish zloty.  We also have significant exposure to fluctuations in exchange rates between the British pound and the Euro as well as between the Polish zloty and the Euro.  We enter into foreign exchange derivative contracts to mitigate the risk of currency fluctuations on these exposures.

We have not designated these contracts for hedge accounting treatment and therefore, changes in fair value of these contracts are recorded in earnings as follows:

 
 Location of Gain
or (Loss)
 
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in
Income on Derivatives
 
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments
   Recognized in
Income on
 
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   
Three Months Ended
September 30,
 
 
  Derivatives
 
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
                           
Foreign currency exchange contracts
Other, net
  $ (347 )   $ (4,709 )   $ (158 )   $ 83  

We did not have any significant foreign exchange derivative instruments outstanding as of September 30, 2010 or December 31, 2009.


Note 8:                      FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.  Our calculation of the fair value of derivative instruments includes several assumptions.  The fair value hierarchy prioritizes these input assumptions in the following three broad levels:

Level 1 – Valuation is based on quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities we have the ability to access at the measurement date.
 
 
 
16

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

Level 2 – Valuation is based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active and model based valuations for which all significant inputs are observable in the market.

Level 3 – Valuation is based on model based techniques that use unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. These inputs reflect our own assumption about the assumption market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The following tables categorize our fair value instruments, measured on a recurring basis, according to the assumptions used to calculate those values:

         
Fair Value Measurements Using
 
 
Description
 
Balance at
   
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets
   
Significant Other Observable Inputs
   
Significant Unobservable Inputs
 
   
9/30/2010
   
(Level 1)
   
(Level 2)
   
(Level 3)
 
                         
Interest rate swaps
  $ 8,834     $ -     $ 8,834     $ -  
                                 
Available-for-sale securities
    17,917       17,917       -       -  
                                 
Deferred compensation plan assets
    7,533       -       7,533       -  
                                 
Supplementary pension plan assets
    6,773       -       6,773       -  


          Fair Value Measurements Using  
 
Description
 
Balance at
   
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets
   
Significant Other Observable Inputs
   
Significant Unobservable Inputs
 
   
12/31/2009
   
(Level 1)
   
(Level 2)
   
(Level 3)
 
                         
Interest rate swaps
  $ 3,082     $ -     $ 3,082     $ -  
                                 
Available-for-sale securities
    25,563       25,563       -       -  
                                 
Deferred compensation plan assets
    7,285       -       7,285       -  
                                 
Supplementary pension plan assets
    5,885       -       5,885       -  

Interest rate swaps are valued using discounted cash flows.  The key input used is the LIBOR swap rate, which is observable at commonly quoted intervals for the full term of the swap.  Available-for-sale securities are valued using quoted market prices.  Deferred compensation and supplementary pension plan assets are valued using quoted prices for similar assets in active markets.
 
 
 
17

 
 
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

We did not have any significant assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as of September 30, 2010 or December 31, 2009.


Note 9:                      ASSET IMPAIRMENT CHARGE

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, our minerals and materials segment recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $1,980 to write down certain fixed assets to their estimated fair values based on a third party appraisal (Level 2 inputs).  The impairment charge is related to the closing of a plant within our minerals and materials segment due to reduced demand.  This impairment charge is recorded within cost of sales within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. In addition, we increased our inventory reserve by $293 (also recorded within cost of sales) to record the excess of cost over net realizable value of the inventory located at this plant, bringing the total expense associated with this write-off to $2,273.
 

Note 10:                      DEBT

On April 29, 2010, we issued and sold an aggregate of $50 million of senior notes (the "Notes") to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to a note purchase agreement (the "Note Purchase Agreement").  The Notes bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 5.46%, payable semi-annually in arrears on April 29th and October 29th of each year, beginning on October 29, 2010.  The principal amount of the Notes is due at maturity on April 29, 2020, subject to acceleration upon an event of default (also subject in certain cases to customary grace and cure periods), including nonpayment of principal, interest or make-whole amounts, breach of covenants or other agreements in the Note Purchase Agreement and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency.  Generally, if an event of a default occurs, a holder may accelerate payment of the Notes.  The Notes will accelerate automatically if certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency occur.  Our obligations under the Note Purchase Agreement are guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries pursuant to a Subsidiary Guaranty Agreement dated as of April 29, 2010 by such subsidiaries in favor of the purchasers of the Notes.


Note 11:                      CONTINGENCIES

We are party to a number of lawsuits arising in the normal course of business.   We do not believe that any pending litigation will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.

 
 
 
18

 

 
Item 2:  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

From time to time, certain statements we make, including statements in this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section, constitute "forward-looking statements" made in reliance upon the safe harbor contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to our Company or our operations that are preceded by terms such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends" and similar expressions, and statements relating to anticipated growth and levels of capital expenditures. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results, performance or achievements expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including without limitation the following: actual performance in our various markets; conditions in the metalcasting and construction markets; oil and gas prices and conditions in those industries; operating costs; seasonality of our environmental and oilfield services segments; competition; currency exchange rates and devaluations; delays in development, production and marketing of new products; integration of acquired businesses; and other factors set forth from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  We undertake no duty to update any forward looking statements to actual results or changes in our expectations.

Overview

We are a global company focused on long term profitability growth through the development and application of minerals and technology products and services to various industrial and consumer markets.  The majority of our revenue growth has been achieved by sustaining our products’ technological advantages, developing new products and applying them in innovative ways, and bringing additional products and services to markets we already serve.  We focus our research and development activities in areas where we can either leverage our current customer relationships and mineral reserves or enhance existing or related products and services.

The principal mineral that we utilize to generate revenues is bentonite.  We own or lease bentonite reserves in the U.S., Australia, China and Turkey.  Additionally, through our affiliates and joint ventures, we have access to bentonite reserves in Egypt, India, Russia, Azerbaijan and Mexico.

Bentonite is surface mined when it is commercially feasible to have it shipped to a plant for further processing, including crushing, drying, milling, and packaging.  Bentonite deposits have varying physical properties which require us to identify which markets our reserves can serve.  Nicknamed the mineral of a thousand uses, bentonite has several unique characteristics including its ability to bind, swell, adsorb, control rheology, soften fabrics, and have its surface modified through chemical and physical reactions.  Our research and development activities, including our understanding of bentonite properties, mining methods, processing and application to markets are core components of our longevity and future prospects.
 
 
 
19

 

 
We operate in five segments:  minerals and materials, environmental, oilfield services, transportation and corporate.  Both our minerals and materials and environmental segments operate manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.  Our minerals and materials segment also owns and operates a chrome mine in South Africa.  Our oilfield services segment principally operates in North America’s Gulf of Mexico and surrounding states and also has a growing presence in South America, Africa and Asia.  Additionally, we have a transportation segment that performs trucking services for our domestic minerals and materials and environmental businesses as well as third parties.

Our customers are engaged in various end-markets and geographic regions. Customers in the minerals and materials segment range from foundries that produce castings for automotive, industrial, and transportation equipment, including heavy-duty trucks and railroad cars, to producers of consumer goods, including cat litter box filler, cosmetics and detergents.  Customers in our environmental segment include construction contractors, engineering contractors and government agencies.  The oilfield services segment’s customer base is primarily comprised of oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) companies.  A significant portion of our products have been used in the same applications for decades and have experienced minimal technological obsolescence.  A majority of our sales are made pursuant to short-term agreements; therefore, terms of sale, such as pricing and volume, can change within our fiscal year.

A majority of our revenues are generated in the Americas, principally North America.  Consequently, the state of the U.S. economy, and especially the metalcasting and industrial construction industries, impacts our revenues.

Sustainable, long-term profit growth is our primary objective.  We employ a number of strategic initiatives to achieve this goal:

·  
Organic growth:  The central component of our growth strategy is expansion of our product lines and market presence.  We have a history of commitment to research and development activities directed at bringing innovative products to market.  We believe this approach to growth offers the best probability of achieving our long-term goals at the lowest risk.

·  
Globalization:  As we have done for decades, we continue to expand our manufacturing and marketing organizations into emerging geographic markets.  We see significant opportunities in the Asia-Pacific and Eastern European regions for expanding our revenues and earnings over the long-term as a number of markets we serve, such as metalcasting, contracting services, and lining technologies, are expected to grow in these areas.  We expect to take advantage of these growth areas, either through our wholly-owned subsidiaries or investments in affiliates and joint ventures.
 
 
 
20

 
 

 
·  
Mineral development: Bentonite is a component in a majority of the products we supply.  Since it is a natural material, we must continually expand our reserve base to maintain a long-term business.  Our goal is to add new reserves to replace the bentonite mined each year.  Furthermore, we need to assure that new reserves meet the physical property requirements for our diverse product lines and are economical to mine.  Our organization is committed to developing its global reserve base to meet these requirements.

·  
Acquisitions: We continually seek to acquire complementary businesses, as appropriate, when we believe those businesses are fairly valued and fit into our growth strategy.  However, the global economic and credit crisis that existed as we began fiscal 2010 continues to make it more challenging for us to do this than in periods prior to the crisis.

A number of risks will challenge us in meeting these long-term objectives, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve success in implementing any one or more of them.  We describe certain risks throughout this report as well as under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.  In general, the significance of these risks has not materially changed since our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2009.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations describes relevant aspects of our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  We evaluate the accounting policies and estimates used to prepare the financial statements on an ongoing basis.  We consider the accounting policies used in preparing our financial statements to be critical accounting policies when they are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations, and require us to make estimates, complex judgments, and assumptions, including with respect to events which are inherently uncertain.  As a result, actual results could differ from these estimates.  For more information on our critical accounting policies, please read our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Analysis of Results of Operations
 
Following is a discussion and analysis that describes certain factors that have affected, and may continue to affect, our financial position and operating results.  This discussion should be read with the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

The following consolidated income statement review and segment analysis discuss the results for the three and nine months period ended September 30, 2010 and the comparable results in the prior year.  In each section, a discussion of our consolidated results is presented first, followed by more detailed discussion of performance within our segments.
 
 
 
21

 

 
Three months ended September 30, 2010 vs. September 30, 2009

Consolidated Income Statement Review

The table below compares our operating results for the quarters ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.  The comments in this section discuss our results overall and are followed with a more detailed discussion of each segment’s key operating results.
 
 
   
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
 Consolidated  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
 
                   
Net sales
  $ 233,451     $ 190,920       22.3 %
Cost of sales
    174,962       137,069          
Gross profit
    58,489       53,851       8.6 %
margin %
    25.1 %     28.2 %        
General, selling and
                       
administrative expenses
    35,967       34,626       3.9 %
Operating profit
    22,522       19,225       17.1 %
margin %
    9.6 %     10.1 %        
Other income (expense):
                       
Interest expense, net
    (2,542 )     (2,833 )     -10.3 %
Other, net
    2,183       119       1734.5 %
      (359 )     (2,714 )        
                         
Income before income taxes and income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    22,163       16,511          
Income tax expense
    5,193       3,271       58.8 %
effective tax rate
    23.4 %     19.8 %        
                         
Income before income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    16,970       13,240          
Income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    337       721       -53.3 %
                         
Net income (loss)
    17,307       13,961          
                         
Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
    (110 )     661       -116.6 %
                         
Net income (loss) attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 17,417     $ 13,300       31.0 %
                         
Basic earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 0.56     $ 0.43       30.2 %
                         
Diluted earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 0.55     $ 0.43       27.9 %

 
22

 

 
We measure sales fluctuations by the relevant components: organic, acquisitions, and foreign currency exchange. Fluctuation due to foreign currency exchange is measured as the change in revenues resulting from differences in currency exchange rates between periods. Fluctuation due to acquisitions is measured as the changes in revenues resulting from acquired businesses within the first year (twelve consecutive months) we own them. Any remaining fluctuation is due to organic components. The following table details the consolidated sales fluctuations by components over the prior year’s comparable period:
 
   
Organic
 
   
Acquisitions
 
   
Foreign Exchange
 
   
Total
 
 
Minerals and materials
    11.0 %     0.0 %     0.2 %     11.2 %
Environmental
    4.3 %     0.2 %     -0.4 %     4.1 %
Oilfield services
    5.9 %     0.0 %     0.4 %     6.3 %
Transportation & intersegment shipping
    0.7 %     0.0 %     0.0 %     0.7 %
Total
    21.9 %     0.2 %     0.2 %     22.3 %
% of change
    97.8 %     0.9 %     1.3 %     100.0 %
 
 
The following table shows the distribution of sales across our three principal geographic regions (Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific) and the comparable total from the prior year’s period:
 
   
Americas
 
   
EMEA
 
   
Asia Pacific
 
   
Total
 
 
Minerals and materials
    29.6 %     8.1 %     9.6 %     47.3 %
Environmental
    14.9 %     13.7 %     2.4 %     31.0 %
Oilfield services
    14.2 %     0.6 %     2.8 %     17.6 %
Transportation
    4.1 %     0.0 %     0.0 %     4.1 %
                                 
Total - current year's period
    62.8 %     22.4 %     14.8 %     100.0 %
Total from prior year's comparable period
    64.0 %     25.1 %     10.9 %     100.0 %

 
Net sales:

Net sales increased largely due to organic growth in all segments, with minerals and materials contributing the most to the growth.  The majority of our revenues have grown from organic business growth as currency rates have not changed significantly and we have not acquired a significant business in the last twelve months.  Sales in our Asia Pacific region have increased as a percentage of total sales as the Asian minerals and materials businesses have increased revenues significantly, largely in the metalcasting markets, due to economic growth in that region.

Gross profit:

Overall gross profit increased due to the increase in sales mentioned above, and gross margins decreased due to decreases in profitability of our environmental and oilfield services segments.
 
 
 
23

 

 
General, selling & administrative expenses (GS&A):

GS&A expenses increased overall due to increases in employee compensation and benefit costs.

Operating profit:

Operating profit increased due to the increase in gross profit mentioned earlier, partially offset by the overall increase in GS&A expenses.  Our overall operating margin did not decrease as significantly as our gross margin did due to the high fixed cost nature of the oilfield services business and the decrease in revenues that occurred in some of the larger product lines within in that business.

Interest expense, net:

Net interest expense decreased due to decreased average interest rates.  The majority of our long-term debt has had a variable rate of interest which is primarily influenced by changes in LIBOR rates, which have decreased as compared to the prior year period.

Other, net:

Other expense primarily represents foreign currency transaction gains and losses, which includes gains and losses on transactions as well as foreign currency derivative instruments used to manage the risks of those transaction exposures.  In the 2010 period, we experienced gains on USD denominated debts in our Thai, South African, and British subsidiaries.

Income tax expense:

Our effective tax rate increased due to less income being concentrated in our lower rate jurisdictions, primarily our foreign operations.  These are somewhat offset by tax refunds we have claimed in tax returns filed in the quarter.

Diluted earnings per share:                                                      

Diluted EPS increased commensurate with the increase in net income.  The change in weighted average shares outstanding did not have a material effect on diluted earnings per share.
 
 
 
24

 

 
Quarterly Review of Each Segment’s Results

Following is a review of operating results for each of our five reporting segments:

Minerals and Materials Segment

      Three Months Ended September 30,  
  Minerals and Materials  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 110,332       100.0 %   $ 89,021       100.0 %   $ 21,311       23.9 %
Cost of sales
    86,383       78.3 %     69,232       77.8 %                
Gross profit
    23,949       21.7 %     19,789       22.2 %     4,160       21.0 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    11,608       10.5 %     9,317       10.5 %     2,291       24.6 %
Operating profit
    12,341       11.2 %     10,472       11.7 %     1,869       17.8 %


      Three Months Ended September 30,  
 Minerals and Materials Product Line Sales   2010     2009    
% change
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Metalcasting
  $ 53,632     $ 38,097       40.8 %
Specialty materials
    27,211       26,661       2.1 %
Pet products
    15,848       16,959       -6.6 %
Basic minerals
    12,015       6,348       89.3 %
Other product lines
    1,626       956       *  
                         
Total
    110,332       89,021       23.9 %
                         
* Not meaningful.
                       

 
Increased volumes in our domestic and Asian operations accounted for 91% of the increase in revenues over the prior year quarter.  Both geographic regions increased sales of metalcasting products in response to increased demand for castings for automobiles and heavy equipment.  Our basic minerals revenues also increased due to greater demand for oil and gas drilling products.

Our gross margins decreased in the current period due to the start up of our operations in South Africa; in addition, we experienced some operational issues in our personal care products group which led to increased costs in this business.  These decreases overshadowed the increased operating leverage gained through our increased volumes.  We believe we have addressed the issues within our personal care business and do not expect similar charges going forward.

GS&A expenses increased due to employee compensation and related benefits expenses.  They also increased as a result of our ramping up our South African operations in 2010 as the chrome sand processing plant was not operational in 2009.  Operating profits increased due to the significant increase in gross profits mentioned previously as well as due to greater operational leverage of our management and sales support structures.
 
 
 
25

 
 

 
Environmental Segment

      Three Months Ended September 30,  
  Environmental  
2010
 
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
     (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 72,373       100.0 %   $ 64,493       100.0 %   $ 7,880       12.2 %
Cost of sales
    51,418       71.0 %     41,603       64.5 %                
Gross profit
    20,955       29.0 %     22,890       35.5 %     (1,935 )     -8.5 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    12,404       17.1 %     12,135       18.8 %     269       2.2 %
Operating profit
    8,551       11.9 %     10,755       16.7 %     (2,204 )     -20.5 %

 
      Three Months Ended September 30,  
  Environmental Product Line Sales  
2010
   
2009
   
% change
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Lining technologies
  $ 33,407     $ 33,484       -0.2 %
Building materials
    15,822       14,227       11.2 %
Contracting services
    16,148       11,243       43.6 %
Drilling products
    6,996       5,539       26.3 %
                         
Total
    72,373       64,493       12.2 %

 
Organic demand for our environmental products increased over the prior year, when the recession was more pronounced in the commercial construction market.  Our European contracting services business continues to grow in 2010 and experienced significant growth this quarter.  Domestically, our construction drilling and building materials businesses also increased their sales as compared to the depressed 2009 levels of activity.

Although sales improved, gross profits decreased in response to increased competition for our lining technologies products.  Our gross margins decreased not only as a result of the decreased profitability of our lining technologies products but also due to the fact that our revenues are more concentrated in our lower margin, contracting services business.

Overall operating profits and margins followed the trends in gross profits and margins.

Oilfield Services Segment

      Three Months Ended September 30,  
  Oilfield Services  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 41,204       100.0 %   $ 29,109       100.0 %   $ 12,095       41.6 %
Cost of sales
    29,249       71.0 %     19,491       67.0 %                
Gross profit
    11,955       29.0 %     9,618       33.0 %     2,337       24.3 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    7,876       19.1 %     6,522       22.4 %     1,354       20.8 %
Operating profit
    4,079       9.9 %     3,096       10.6 %     983       31.8 %

 
 
 
26

 
 
 

 
Revenue growth was split between our domestic (52%) and international operations (48%).  Our domestic growth was driven largely by our coil tubing services due to the realignment of our equipment into more productive geographic markets, an effort which we began in the second quarter of 2010.  Our Australian operations contributed the majority of our international growth due to contracts in that market which began to wind down this quarter.

Gross profits increased due to increases in sales mentioned above.  However, our gross margins suffered as two of our domestic product lines (well testing and pipeline) experienced significant decreases in profitability.  Demand for our offshore well test services has decreased partly due to the drilling moratorium.  This has caused us to sell more of our well test services for on-shore applications, resulting in the revenues being comprised more of lower margin, third party rental and labor revenues.  Demand to maintain pipelines has also decreased as less maintenance activities occur during these more challenging economic times, resulting in decreased sales of our pipeline services.  Given the higher fixed cost nature of our pipeline services, this has negatively impacted margins.

GS&A expenses increased due to increased compensation and personnel costs, some of which relates to increased headcounts to drive our growth in domestic sales.  The changes in operating profits and related margin followed from the changes in gross profits and gross profit margin.

Transportation Segment

      Three Months Ended September 30,  
  Transportation  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 14,284       100.0 %   $ 12,487       100.0 %   $ 1,797       14.4 %
Cost of sales
    12,654       88.6 %     10,933       87.6 %                
Gross profit
    1,630       11.4 %     1,554       12.4 %     76       4.9 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    876       6.1 %     861       6.9 %     15       1.7 %
Operating profit
    754       5.3 %     693       5.5 %     61       8.8 %

 
Fuel surcharges, the number of shipments, and increased pricing all contributed to the increase in revenues.  However, cost pressures within our logistics services, as opposed to our brokerage services, have increased, leading to a decrease in profitability.  Operating profits increased commensurate with gross profits.

Corporate Segment

      Three Months Ended September 30,  
Corporate  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Intersegment shipping sales
  $ (4,742 )   $ (4,190 )     (552 )      
Intersegment shipping costs
    (4,742 )     (4,190 )              
Gross profit
    -       -       -        
General, selling
                             
and administrative expenses
    3,203       5,791       (2,588 )     -44.7 %
Operating loss
    3,203       5,791       (2,588 )     -44.7 %

 
27

 

Intersegment shipping revenues and costs reflect billings for services from our transportation segment to its domestic minerals and materials and environmental segment sister companies.  These services are invoiced at arms-length rates and those costs are subsequently charged to customers.  Intersegment sales and costs reported above reflect the elimination of these transactions.

Corporate GS&A expenses decreased due to decreased employee benefit expenses.  In addition, the third quarter of 2009 included increased fees associated with certain government filings.

Nine months ended September 30, 2010 vs. September 30, 2009

Consolidated Income Statement Review

The table below compares our operating results for the period ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.
 
     Nine Months Ended September 30,  
 
Consolidated
 
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
 
Net sales
  $ 629,115     $ 526,539       19.5 %
Cost of sales
    465,304       382,320          
Gross profit
    163,811       144,219       13.6 %
margin %
    26.0 %     27.4 %        
General, selling and
                       
administrative expenses
    106,785       101,047       5.7 %
Operating profit
    57,026       43,172       32.1 %
margin %
    9.1 %     8.2 %        
Other income (expense):
                       
Interest expense, net
    (7,092 )     (9,399 )     -24.5 %
Other, net
    2,066       (2,595 )     -179.6 %
      (5,026 )     (11,994 )        
                         
Income before income taxes and income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    52,000       31,178          
Income tax expense
    12,894       6,388       101.8 %
effective tax rate
    24.8 %     20.5 %        
                         
Income before income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    39,106       24,790          
Income (loss) from affiliates and joint ventures
    266       (921 )     -128.9 %
                         
Net income (loss)
    39,372       23,869          
                         
Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
    (322 )     296       -208.8 %
                         
Net income (loss) attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 39,694     $ 23,573       68.4 %
                         
Basic earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 1.27     $ 0.77       64.9 %
                         
Diluted earnings per share attributable to AMCOL shareholders
  $ 1.26     $ 0.76       65.8 %


 
 
28

 
 
The following table details the consolidated sales fluctuations by components over the prior year’s comparable period:

   
Organic
   
Acquisitions
   
Foreign
Exchange
   
Total
 
Minerals and materials
    12.4 %     0.0 %     0.8 %     13.2 %
Environmental
    1.5 %     0.2 %     0.5 %     2.2 %
Oilfield services
    2.9 %     0.0 %     0.5 %     3.4 %
Transportation
    0.6 %     0.0 %     0.0 %     0.6 %
                                 
    Total
    17.4 %     0.2 %     1.8 %     19.4 %
    % of growth
    89.3 %     1.0 %     9.7 %     100.0 %

In addition, the following table shows the distribution of sales across our three principal geographic regions and the comparable total from the prior year’s period:

 
   
Americas
   
EMEA
   
Asia Pacific
   
Total
 
Minerals and materials
    31.6 %     8.6 %     9.8 %     50.0 %
Environmental
    13.4 %     12.0 %     2.5 %     27.9 %
Oilfield services
    14.7 %     0.6 %     2.4 %     17.7 %
Transportation
    4.4 %     0.0 %     0.0 %     4.4 %
                                 
Total - current year's period
    64.1 %     21.2 %     14.7 %     100.0 %
Total from prior year's comparable period
    65.9 %     23.5 %     10.6 %     100.0 %

Net sales:

Although all segments contributed to the increase in net sales, our minerals and materials segment was overwhelmingly the largest contributor with 68% of the increase.  The majority of our revenues have grown from organic business growth as currency rates have not changed significantly and we have not acquired a significant business in the last twelve months.  Sales in our Asia Pacific region have increased as a percentage of total sales as the Asian minerals and materials businesses have increased revenues significantly, largely in the metalcasting markets, due to improved economic growth in that region and our concerted efforts to diversify our geographic revenue base.

Gross profit:

Overall gross profit increased due to the increase in sales mentioned above.  Our minerals and materials segment has increased its gross margins whereas all other segments have experienced a decrease.  Significant fluctuations occurred within each segment and are discussed later herein.

General, selling & administrative expenses (GS&A):

Although each segment experienced fluctuations in their GS&A expenses, employee and employee related expenses are the leading factors as to why GS&A expenses increased in total.
 
 
 
29

 

 
Operating profit:

The increase in operating profit follows the increase in gross profit.  In addition, operating profit margin increased as we gained leverage in incremental sales within the minerals and materials segment being generated without the need for proportional increase in expenses to support these activities.  However, our environmental and oilfield services segments experienced significant decreases in operating profits and operating margins.

Interest expense, net:

Net interest expense decreased due to decreased average debt and interest rate levels.
The majority of our long-term debt has a variable rate of interest which is primarily influenced by changes in LIBOR rates, which have also decreased as compared to the prior year period.  We decreased our debt levels throughout 2009 as our working capital levels decreased and as we curtailed discretionary capital expenditures in response to the economic recession occurring at that time.  Thus, we began fiscal 2010 with debt levels significantly less than those that existed in the comparable 2009 period, and these factors explain why our debt levels in 2010 are less than the comparable prior year’s period on average.  In 2010, we expect our debt levels to fluctuate with the seasonal nature of our businesses, our level of capital expenditures and the working capital needs of our businesses.

Other, net:

Other expense primarily represents foreign currency transaction gains and losses, which includes gains and losses on transactions as well as foreign currency derivative instruments used to manage the risks of those transaction exposures.  In the 2010 period, we have benefitted from favorable foreign currency movements between the USD and currencies within our Thai, British and South African subsidiaries and also between the Euro and British pound.  In addition, we have improved the effectiveness of our foreign currency hedging programs.

Income tax expense:

Income tax expense increased as a result of incremental profits.  Our effective tax rate increased due to a greater concentration of income in domestic operations, which are typically subject to greater income tax rates than our foreign subsidiaries.

Diluted earnings per share:                                                      

Diluted EPS increased commensurate with the increase in net income.  The change in weighted average shares outstanding did not have a material effect on diluted earnings per share.
 
 
 
30

 

 
Review of Each Segment’s Results

Following is a review of operating results for each of our five reporting segments:

Minerals and Materials Segment
 
      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Minerals and Materials  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 314,417       100.0 %   $ 244,657       100.0 %   $ 69,760       28.5 %
Cost of sales
    238,918       76.0 %     193,774       79.2 %     45,144       23.3 %
Gross profit
    75,499       24.0 %     50,883       20.8 %     24,616       48.4 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    32,526       10.3 %     27,020       11.0 %     5,506       20.4 %
Operating profit
    42,973       13.7 %     23,863       9.8 %     19,110       80.1 %

      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Minerals and Materials Product Line Sales  
2010
   
2009
   
% change
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Metalcasting
  $ 147,829     $ 100,592       47.0 %
Specialty materials
    80,074       71,330       12.3 %
Pet products
    46,739       49,729       -6.0 %
Basic minerals
    34,790       20,288       71.5 %
Other product lines
    4,985       2,718       *  
                         
Total
    314,417       244,657       28.5 %
                         
* Not meaningful.
                       

 
Increased volumes, primarily in our domestic and Asian businesses, drove the increase in revenues over the prior year period.  Approximately 32% of the increase occurred in Asia Pacific and 62% within our domestic minerals business, most of which occurred in our metalcasting product line. Both geographic regions experienced strong demand for castings for automobiles and heavy equipment.  These increases in volumes also accounted for the increase in gross profit and gross margins.  We have made significant improvements in our operations, especially domestically, which have allowed us to capitalize on increased volumes without commensurate increases in cost of goods sold.

GS&A expenses increased due to employee compensation and related benefit expenses.  We also experienced start up costs arising from our South African operations.  However, these GS&A costs did not increase commensurate with sales as we gained significant operating leverage, which led to the increase in operating profits and operating profit margins.
 
 
 
31

 

 
Environmental Segment

      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Environmental  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 175,707       100.0 %   $ 164,096       100.0 %   $ 11,611       7.1 %
Cost of sales
    123,634       70.4 %     107,580       65.6 %                
Gross profit
    52,073       29.6 %     56,516       34.4 %     (4,443 )     -7.9 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    35,725       20.3 %     34,913       21.3 %     812       2.3 %
Operating profit
    16,348       9.3 %     21,603       13.1 %     (5,255 )     -24.3 %


   
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
  Environmental Product Line Sales  
2010
   
2009
   
% change
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Lining technologies
  $ 84,994     $ 78,768       7.9 %
Building materials
    41,863       41,704       0.4 %
Contracting services
    30,787       27,382       12.4 %
Drilling products
    18,063       16,242       11.2 %
                         
Total
    175,707       164,096       7.1 %
 
Approximately 66% of the revenue growth in the 2010 period arose from organic sales increases.  Most of this occurred in our lining technologies business due to some large, domestic sales in the mining industry as well as our Asian operations which experienced moderate organic growth.  Our concerted efforts to grow our contracting services business have continued to result in positive improvements from this product line, especially in Europe which drove the revenue growth in this product line.

Gross profits decreased due to a change in mix of our revenues between product lines as well as increased competition in those product lines. For example, a greater portion of our revenues are now generated in contracting services, which generally have a higher cost structure due to the nature of the installation business. In addition, our contracting services are also experiencing increased competition during this slow down in construction activity, resulting in a more pronounced effect on gross profits. Gross margins decreased due to these same effects.
 
Overall operating profits and margins followed the decrease in gross profits and margins.
 
 
Oilfield Services Segment
      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Oilfield Services  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 111,052       100.0 %   $ 93,140       100.0 %   $ 17,912       19.2 %
Cost of sales
    79,313       71.4 %     60,554       65.0 %                
Gross profit
    31,739       28.6 %     32,586       35.0 %     (847 )     -2.6 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    21,879       19.7 %     20,123       21.6 %     1,756       8.7 %
Operating profit
    9,860       8.9 %     12,463       13.4 %     (2,603 )     -20.9 %

 
32

 

In line with our efforts to diversify our geographic revenue base, our international operations have grown substantially in 2010.  In the year-to-date period, our international operations have increased revenues by 89% and comprise 63% of the overall increase in revenues for this segment.  This has most notably taken place in our Malaysian and Australian subsidiaries which have been successful in winning large contracts.  Our domestic operations also grew their revenues, most notably in our coil tubing operations which experienced a 118% increase in revenues and comprise 22% of the revenues in the year-to-date period.  Our coil tubing operations have benefitted from increased demand and improved management while our filtration and pipeline businesses have lagged as 2010 revenues are comprised of smaller contract jobs rather than longer and more profitable large jobs.

With respect to year to date gross profits, our domestic operations account for the decrease in gross profits given the revenue trends discussed above but also due to the fact that less work is occurring offshore, which has historically been more profitable for some of our larger service offerings.  Gross profit margins decreased due to these same factors and also due to increased employee and employee related expenses, some of which has changed due to changes in job requirements.

GS&A expenses increased due to increased bad debt expenses and employee compensation and benefit expenses, such as those associated with growing our coil tubing operations. The decrease in operating profits and related margin followed from the decrease in gross profit and related margin.

Transportation Segment

      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Transportation  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Net sales
  $ 39,987       100.0 %   $ 35,336       100.0 %   $ 4,651       13.2 %
Cost of sales
    35,487       88.7 %     31,102       88.0 %                
Gross profit
    4,500       11.3 %     4,234       12.0 %     266       6.3 %
General, selling and
                                               
administrative expenses
    2,536       6.3 %     2,551       7.2 %     (15 )     -0.6 %
Operating profit
    1,964       5.0 %     1,683       4.8 %     281       16.7 %
 
Fuel surcharges drove the increase in revenues along with price increases.  As cost pressures within our logistics services, as opposed to our brokerage services, have increased, gross profit margins have decreased slightly.  Operating profits have increased commensurate with increased gross profits; we have been effective in generating operating leverage, leading to an increase in operating profit margins.

Corporate Segment

      Nine Months Ended September 30,  
  Corporate  
2010
   
2009
   
2010 vs. 2009
 
      (Dollars in Thousands)  
Intersegment shipping sales
  $ (12,048 )   $ (10,690 )     (1,358 )      
Intersegment shipping costs
    (12,048 )     (10,690 )              
Gross profit
    -       -       -        
General, selling
                             
and administrative expenses
    14,119       16,440       (2,321 )     -14.1 %
Operating loss
    (14,119 )     (16,440 )     2,321       -14.1 %

 
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Intersegment shipping revenues and costs reflect billings for services from our transportation segment to its domestic minerals and materials and environmental segment sister companies.  These services are invoiced at arms-length rates and those costs are subsequently charged to customers.  Intersegment sales and costs reported above reflect the elimination of these transactions.

Corporate GS&A expenses decreased due to decreased employee benefit expenses.

Balance Sheet Review

In the first nine months of 2010, we have increased our overall investments in working capital, especially accounts receivable, in response to the growth in sales that we have generated.  We have also increased our investments in property, plant and equipment, most notably for a new chromite ore processing facility in South Africa.  We have funded these investments partly through increased cash utilization and increased debt levels.

In addition, in the second quarter of 2010, we issued and sold an aggregate of $50 million of senior notes to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to a note purchase agreement dated April 29, 2010 (the "Notes").  The Notes bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 5.46% and mature April 29, 2020.  Please see the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash flows from operations, an ability to issue new debt instruments, and borrowings from our revolving credit facility have been our sources of funds to provide working capital, make capital expenditures, acquire businesses, repurchase common stock, and pay dividends to shareholders.  We believe cash flows from operations and borrowings from our unused and committed credit facility will be adequate to support our current business needs for the foreseeable future.  Should the need arise or should we choose to, we may issue additional equity or debt instruments on a publicly traded securities exchange via a shelf registration which became effective with the SEC in January 2010.

We may need additional debt or equity facilities in order to pursue acquisitions, when and if these opportunities become available, and we may or may not be able to obtain such facilities on terms substantially similar to our current facilities as discussed in Item 1A – Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for 2009.  Terms of any new facilities, especially interest rates or covenants, may be significantly different from those we currently have.

On April 29, 2010, we issued and sold an aggregate of $50 million of senior notes to a qualified institutional buyer pursuant to a note purchase agreement dated April 29, 2010.  Please see the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
 
 
 
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Following is a discussion and analysis of our cash flow activities as presented in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows presented within Part 1, Item 1 of this report.

    Nine Months Ended  
  Cash Flows    September 30,  
  ($ in millions)   2010     2009  
Net cash provided by operating activities
  $ 35.2     $ 90.6  
Net cash used in investing activities
  $ (38.8 )   $ (33.9 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
  $ (4.0 )   $ (57.7 )

Cash flows from operating activities were not as large as the prior-year comparable period as the change in our working capital levels did not decrease in 2010 as they did in 2009.  As the recession got underway in 2009, our working capital levels decreased significantly and allowed us to harvest a large amount of cash through these reductions.  In 2010, as our business levels increased rather than decreased as they had in the prior-year period, we generated positive cash flows from operations through the profitability of our business and other non-cash charges rather than by harvesting working capital as in 2009.  Historically, working capital levels increase in the early and middle parts of the year and then decrease later in the year in conjunction with the seasonality of our business; we do not see a reason why this trend would not continue.

Excluding our corporate building and receipts from Chrome Corp., our capital expenditure levels in 2010 are not significantly different from those of 2009.  Our largest expenditures within both years relate to our investments in South Africa, not only the chrome mine itself but also the related processing facility.  In the 2010 period, we made certain payments to Chrome Corp. in relation to the purchase of the remaining interest in the chrome mine in South Africa.  These payments are reported in cash flows from financing activities as Purchase of noncontrolling interest.

Given the differences in the changes in working capital levels mentioned previously between 2009 and 2010, we required additional debt to fund our operations in 2010 as opposed to paying down debt as we did in 2009.  Year-to-date dividends were $0.54 per share in both periods.
 
 
    As at  
  Financial Position   September 30,     December 31,  
  ($ in millions)   2010     2009  
Working capital
  $ 238.8     $ 203.7  
Goodwill & intangible assets
  $ 115.6     $ 118.3  
Total assets
  $ 812.8     $ 734.3  
                 
Long-term debt
  $ 229.7     $ 207.0  
Other long-term obligations
  $ 49.1     $ 57.2  
Total equity
  $ 410.2     $ 379.8  
 
 
Working capital at September 30, 2010 increased over the amount at December 31, 2009 due to increases in accounts receivable due to the increased sales levels and the reclassification of certain loan receivables which come due in January 2011.  Given the seasonality of our environmental and oilfield services segments as well as the project nature of some of our services provided in the oilfield services segment, working capital needs are typically greater in the second and third quarters of the year.

 
 
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Long-term debt increased as we needed more cash to fund increased working capital levels and purchase equipment, resulting in an increase in long-term debt relative to total capitalization to 35.9% at September 30, 2010 versus 35.3% at December 31, 2009.  We have approximately $142.8 million of borrowing capacity available from our revolving credit facility at September 30, 2010.  We are in compliance with financial covenants related to the revolving credit facility as of the period covered by this report.

Since the mid 1980’s, we have been named as one of a number of defendants in product liability lawsuits relating to the minor free-silica content within our bentonite products used in the metalcasting industry.  The plaintiffs in these lawsuits are primarily employees of our former and current customers.  To date, we have not incurred significant costs in defending these matters.  We believe we have adequate insurance coverage and do not believe the litigation will have a material adverse impact on our financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2009 discloses our contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements.  There were no material changes in our contractual obligations and off-balance sheet arrangements.


Item 3:                      Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

There were no material changes in our market risk from the disclosures made in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 other than those discussed in Part 1, Item 2 of this report.


Item 4:                      Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, they concluded that, as of the end of such period, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in recording, processing, summarizing, and reporting, on a timely basis, information we are required to disclose in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
 
 
 
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 5:                      Other Information

 
Dodd-Frank Act Disclosure of Mine Safety and Health Administration Safety Data
 

 
We have in place health and safety programs that include extensive employee training, accident prevention, workplace inspection, emergency response, accident investigation, regulatory compliance and program auditing.  The objectives of our health and safety programs are to eliminate workplace incidents, comply with all mining-related regulations and improve mine safety.
 
The operation of our domestic mines is subject to regulation by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA") under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the "Mine Act").  MSHA inspects our mines on a regular basis and issues various citations and orders when it believes a violation has occurred under the Mine Act.  We present information below regarding certain mining safety and health citations which MSHA has issued with respect to our mining operations.

For the three-month period ended September 30, 2010, none of our mining operations received written notice from MSHA of (i) an order issued under section 104(b) of the Mine Act; (ii) a citation or order for unwarrantable failure to comply with mandatory health or safety standards under section 104 (d) of the Mine Act; (iii) a flagrant violation under section 110(b)(2) of the Mine Act; (iv) an imminent danger order under section 107(a) of the Mine Act; (v) a pattern of violations of mandatory health or safety standards that are of such nature as could have significantly and substantially contributed to the cause and effect of our mine health or safety hazards under section 104(e) of the Mine Act; or (vi) the potential to have such a pattern.  For the three-month period ended September 30, 2010, we experienced no fatalities.

 
The table below sets forth by mining complex the total number of citations and/or orders issued during the three-month period ended September 30, 2010 by MSHA to AMCOL and its subsidiaries under the indicated provisions of the Mine Act, together with the total dollar value of proposed MSHA assessments (dollar amounts are actual, not thousands).
 
 
 
Mine
Section
104  (1)
Proposed MSHA
 Assessments (2)
Gascoyne Mine & Mill
-
$108
Belle Fourche Mill
-
-
Lovell Mill
-
6,052
Colony West Mill
-
1,400
Colony East Mill
-
-
Yellowtail Mine
-
-
Belle/Colony Mine
-
-
Sandy Ridge Mill
4
4,649
 
 
 
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1.  
Total number of violations of mandatory health or safety standards that could significantly and substantially contribute to the cause and effect of a mine safety or health hazard under section 104 of the Mine Act for which AMCOL and its subsidiaries received a citation from MSHA
2.  
Total dollar amount of proposed assessments received from MSHA on or before September 30, 2010, for citations and orders occurring during the three-month period ended September 30, 2010.

As of September 30, 2010, we have a total of 9 matters pending before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.  This includes legal actions that were initiated prior to the three-month period ended September 30, 2010 and which do not necessarily relate to the citations, orders or proposed assessments issued by MSHA during such three month period.

 
In evaluating this information, consideration should be given to factors such as: (i) the number of citations and orders will vary depending on the size of the mine, (ii) the number of citations issued will vary from inspector to inspector and mine to mine, and (iii) citations and orders can be contested and appealed, and in that process, are often reduced in severity and amount, and are sometimes dismissed.
 


Item 6:                      Exhibits

Exhibit
Number

Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)
Certification of Periodic Financial Report Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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SIGNATURES
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
   AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION  
 

 
 Date:                      November 2, 2010       /s/ Lawrence E. Washow 
   Lawrence E. Washow
   President and Chief Executive Officer
 

 
 Date:                      November 2, 2010      /s/ Donald W. Pearson 
   Donald W. Pearson
   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS


Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)+
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)+
Certification of Periodic Financial Report Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350+
+ Filed herewith.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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