Superior
Global Presence
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Autoliv
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TRW
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TAKATA
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SB
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AB
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SW
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EL
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SB
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AB
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SW
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EL
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SB
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AB
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SW
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EL
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North
America
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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Europe
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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Japan
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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Asia
other
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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South
America
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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n
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SB = Seatbelts, AB
= Airbags, SW = Steering wheels, EL = Safety electronics
Highest-Value
System Solutions
Providing our
customers with the highest-value system solutions means delivering the most
advanced products with flawless quality (see page 19 in the Annual Report) and
low environmental impact (page 23 in the Annual Report) at competitive
prices.
Safety
– A Sales Driver for Our Customers
Safety, together
with low fuel consumption, is one of the strongest sales drivers for new cars.
In virtually all inquiries about what consumers want in their next vehicle, new
safety products rank very high or at the top of their priority
lists.
By staying at the
forefront of technology, crash-testing more vehicles than any other safety
company and working as a development partner for new vehicles, Autoliv has not
only assisted vehicle manufacturers in meeting these evolving safety trends but
also enabled them to capitalize on our experience to become the leaders of
several safety trends. Over the years, we have contributed to:
·
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Volvo
becoming the first company in the world to introduce side airbags (in
1994).
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·
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KIA becoming
the first company with knee airbags (in
1995).
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·
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BMW becoming
the first company with side airbags for head protection (in
1997).
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·
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Volvo and
Mercedes becoming the first companies with side curtain airbags (in
1998).
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·
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Renault
becoming the first company to receive the highest rating (i.e. five stars)
in Euro NCAP’s crash tests (the Laguna in
2002).
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·
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BMW becoming
the first company with seatbelts with adaptive load limiters (in
2002).
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·
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Jaguar
becoming the first company with a pedestrian protection pop-up hood (in
2005).
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·
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BMW becoming
the first company with a night vision system with pedestrian detection and
warning (in 2008).
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·
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Renault
Megane becoming the first modern car with a recyclable thermoplastic
steering wheel (in 2008).
|
Higher
Safety Value per Vehicle
By continuously
developing new higher value solutions, we can increase the average safety
content per vehicle and thereby grow the automotive safety market and our
company faster than the underlying light vehicle production. Consequently
Autoliv’s sales have increased at an average annual rate of 6% since 1997
compared to 5% for our market and 2% for light vehicle production.
Market
by Product Line
Autoliv’s superior
growth is partly a reflection of the fact that curtain airbags and other side
airbags, where Autoliv commands a market share of approximately 40%, are the
fastest growing product lines in the market. These products now account for 28%
of the $18 billion global occupant restraint market.
Additionally,
Autoliv has been at the technological forefront for seatbelts by introducing
pretensioners and load limiters. As a result of this and our global presence, we
now have approximately 40% of the global seatbelt market which accounts for 28%
of the global market.
The market value
for frontal airbags has, on the other hand, remained at around $5 billion during
the last five years despite increasing volumes. The stagnation is a reflection
of pricing pressure. For Autoliv, these products represent less than 20% of 2008
revenues.
Safety electronics
have grown in line with the general market and continue to account for close to
20% of the market. However, in this product line, Autoliv has more than doubled
its market share to 18% in 2008 from 8% in 1997. This has been achieved both
through a major acquisition of Visteon Restraints Electronics and by customers
taking full advantage of our highest-value safety system solutions by sourcing
electronics and airbags from the same supplier.
Technology
Technological
Leadership
In our quest to
reduce traffic accidents, fatalities and injuries, Autoliv continues to research
automotive
safety problems
beyond the existing regulatory and rating requirements around the world. These
initiatives allow us to sustain our technical leadership
position.
Strong
Position in Patents
Our commitment to
technological leadership is evidenced by our strong position in patent
statistics. According to the latest year with official statistics, i.e. 2005,
Autoliv accounted for 4% of all new automotive safety filings, and for 7% of all
subsequent filings. Subsequent filings are a good indication of the patents’
quality since it means that the patent owner has deemed it worthwhile to seek a
broader market protection.
Autoliv holds more
than 4,800 patents covering a wide range of innovations and products in
automotive safety and key technologies.
Global
Technical Presence
With our eleven
technical centers worldwide we have one of the best global footprints in the
industry to support our customers’ development of new vehicles.
We are also the
only safety supplier with dedicated resources for crash testing of complete
vehicles rather than just vehicle bodies in sled tests. Autoliv has eight crash
tracks for full-scale tests (in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden
and the U.S.). The experience our experts gather from these full scale tests
gives Autoliv a unique capability to work as a “safety consultant” to develop
partnerships with the vehicle manufacturers.
Corporate research
is conducted by some 30 technical specialists at our Swedish safety center,
while most of the corporate development projects are assigned to our technical
centers in France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the U.S. Application engineering
projects are completed locally in each major subsidiary.
In 2008, Autoliv
started the construction of a new larger technical center in Shanghai, China.
This facility is expected to be completed by early 2009 and will eventually host
over 200 engineers.
In total, we have
4,000 engineers and related support people in R,D&E. This corresponds to
more than 10% of total headcount.
Investment
in R, D & E
During 2008, gross
expenditures for Research, Development and Application Engineering (R,D&E)
amounted to $513 million which corresponds to 7.9% of sales, compared to 7.6% in
2007 and 8.2% in 2006.
Of the amounts,
$146 million in 2008, $116 million in 2007 and $106 million in 2006 were related
to customer-funded engineering projects and crash tests.
Net of this
income, R,D&E expenditures declined by 7% to $367 million compared to $396
million in 2007, and declined slightly to 5.7%, in relation to sales, from 5.8%
in 2007.
Of the $367
million in 2008, 80% was for projects and programs for which we have customer
orders, typically related to vehicle models in development. The remaining 20% is
not only for completely new innovations but also for improvement of existing
products, standardization and cost reduction projects.
In 2008, we
started a series of R&D projects to support our customers’ efforts to make
small cars as safe as bigger ones (see page 17 in the Annual
Report).
Today’s
Best Growth Driver
The curtain airbag
for head protection in side impacts is the fastest growing product on the
market. One reason for this strong demand is the fact that these airbags will be
mandated by a new federal law for all new light vehicles sold in the United
States. The regulation will be phased in during a three-year period starting in
2010.
Curtain airbags
are approximately twice as efficient in side impacts as frontal airbags are in
frontal crashes. As a result, there is a strong market demand for these products
not only in the U.S., but all over the world.
Product
with Long-term Potential
Market demand for
knee airbags is growing due to new crash-test requirements and the fact that
lower leg injuries are receiving much more attention now as more people survive
frontal crashes thanks to airbags and seatbelts.
Complete
System Capabilities
Autoliv is now
looking to further reduce accidents, injuries and fatalities by developing new
and complementary active safety products and systems. As a market leader in
airbags and seatbelts, we have a competitive edge when integrating such passive
safety technologies with active technologies into complete safety
systems.
Integration
of Electronics
In 2008, Autoliv
became the first company in the world to produce an airbag electronic control
unit (ECU) with integrated stability control sensing (ESC). By integrating such
sensing features, our customer estimates that they will save almost 50% of the
cost for one of these control units. As a result, we have received additional
contracts. Since Autoliv was not previously producing any products for the ESC
market, our sales will increase due to the higher value provided by integrating
ESC sensors into our airbag ECU.
This could be a
first step in a radical redesign of electronic safety control architecture in
vehicles. Over time, we expect that an increasing number of safety functions
will be migrated into the airbag ECU from other ECUs, making more electronic
components redundant and providing additional savings for the vehicle
manufacturers and more sales for Autoliv.
Active
Safety Systems
Thanks to passive
safety systems such as seatbelt pretensioners and airbags, vehicle safety has
substantially improved over the recent decades. The next step to further reduce
road traffic accidents could be active safety and driver assistance systems
based on infrared sensors, radars or vision systems. We now have
business or firm contracts for all three of these sensor
technologies.
Night
Vision
Studies have shown
that the risk for fatal pedestrian accidents is almost four times higher at
night than during the day. Our Night Vision system, first introduced in 2005,
displays an image of the road scene ahead. The system is sensitive to the
infrared (IR) light (i.e. heat emission) from objects and living beings. The
driver’s field of vision is therefore not dependent on or limited to the beam of
the headlights.
The second
generation Night Vision, launched in 2008, can detect pedestrians up to two
times further than the typical headlight range. The system analyzes the scene
content and vehicle dynamics to determine if a pedestrian is at risk of being
hit by the vehicle. The driver is then alerted to give him or her approximately
four seconds to react and avoid an accident.
Radar
Autoliv’s short
and medium range radar system provides all-weather object detection and tracking
to improve safety and to provide assistance to the driver. For instance, the
radar could be used for blind spot detection, lane change assist, adaptive
cruise control, collision mitigation by braking as well as for back-up and park
assist functions. The radar could also provide front and side pre-crash sensing
that scans up to 30 meters around the vehicle to provide an advanced warning of
an imminent collision. This additional time could be used to prime airbags,
active seatbelts or for other injury mitigation strategies. Autoliv is already
in production with radar sensors for eight vehicles and three different
customers (and has additional contracts for two new customers that will go into
production within the next few years).
Vision
systems
Using one or two
forward-looking cameras, Autoliv’s vision system is continuously checking the
road ahead for visible and potentially dangerous objects.
Vision systems can
also be used for many driver-assist systems such as lane change assist and
parking aid and are less expensive than infrared systems and radars (but are
more affected by weather and require daylight conditions). Production is
estimated to start in 2011.
Active
Seatbelts
An example of our
capability to integrate airbags and seatbelts with new active safety
technologies is active seatbelts. These seatbelts make use of the information
available in active safety systems such as radar, cameras and/or the electronic
stability control (ESC) system to warn and restrain the occupant.
An active seatbelt
has an electrically driven pretensioner that tightens the belt as a precaution
in hazardous situations. The belt system then releases some webbing if the
driver manages to avoid the traffic hazard. This function could also be used to
warn the driver by letting the pretensioner vibrate the seatbelt
webbing.
Already, Autoliv
delivers active seatbelts to four premium brand vehicle models for three
different customers.
Enhanced
Safety for Small Vehicles
With the
increasing demand for lower CO
2
emissions and
improved fuel economy, smaller and lighter
vehicle designs
are becoming increasingly more important to our customers and the car buying
public.
Field data from
both the U.S. and Western Europe indicate that small cars have at least twice
the fatality rate of large cars. Consequently, there is a risk that the current
vehicle consumer trend could result in a reversal in the automotive safety
improvements achieved over the past 20 years. In order to prevent this from
happening, we now devote approximately 30% of Autoliv’s research budget to
enhancing the safety of small vehicles for both the traditional and emerging
markets.
“Virtual
Crash Zone”
Today, it can be
very difficult to manage the shorter “crush zones” of small vehicles. However,
by using our 24GHz radar this deficiency could be overcome, especially if the
radar is combined with active seatbelts, pre-crash airbags and active vehicle
structures. By using powerful gas generators from airbags, active structures
could stiffen those parts of the vehicle body that are hit in a crash and
prevent the occupant compartment from collapsing. Active structures could also
be used to distribute the crash forces in a more efficient manner, thereby
lowering the crash load on the occupants.
More
Airbags Needed
If there is less
space for the occupants as in a small vehicle, the risk for injuries to the
vehicle occupants increases. Consequently, there is an evident need for products
such as knee airbags.
Also, the risk of
an occupant hitting one of the front-window pillars in offset front crashes is
higher in smaller vehicles than larger vehicles. This is due to the lower weight
of smaller vehicles which makes them rotate more easily and faster when only one
of their front corners is engaged in the crash. To reduce this risk, we have
developed “super-coupling” airbags that “catch” the occupant more efficiently
than traditional airbags. We are also exploring a new improved “anti-rotation”
seatbelt system for the occupants.
Smaller,
Lighter and Safer
In 2008, Autoliv
introduced two unique airbags that offer significant (up to 60%) weight
reductions over existing designs. In our new “light-pack” passenger airbag, the
metal or plastic container that houses the airbag components has been replaced
with a lighter sewn textile container. Our new anti-sliding airbag design also
replaces metal components with textiles. In addition, by utilizing our latest
airbag inflator design, side curtains can be made smaller and 5%
lighter.
Cost
Control
Efficient
Manufacturing and Purchasing
Through our
effective total cost management in manufacturing and purchasing we create
customer and shareholder value.
Targets
Our main targets
for cost efficiency are to:
·
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Reduce
direct material costs at the same rate as our market prices decline, i.e.
by at least 3% annually.
|
·
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Consolidate
90% of purchased components to our long-term strategic suppliers and 50%
to low-cost countries (LCC) before
2010.
|
·
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Move
manufacturing to LCC at a rate of 1,000 jobs per
year.
|
·
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Improve
labor productivity by at least 5% per
year.
|
Reduce
Impact of Raw Material Prices
Approximately half
of our revenues are spent on direct materials (DM) from external suppliers. The
raw material content in these components currently represents approximately 42%
of the direct material cost, while the other 58% represents the value added by
our supply base (for more details on dependence on raw materials and components,
see page 37 in the Annual Report).
The raw material
value portion in our costs for components has increased from 16% of net sales in
2004 to 22% in 2008, primarily due to increasing raw material prices. Even if
these prices start to drop, this percentage is likely to remain on a relatively
high level due to shifts in our purchasing mix. By shifting sourcing of
components to LCC, we reduce labor and the cost for the value-added by our
suppliers, but the raw material cost is unaffected by these shifts since raw
material prices are global. Our strategy to consolidate purchasing volumes to
fewer suppliers has a similar effect on this ratio since it affects the
value-added portion of component costs but not the raw material portion since
these prices are set at a global market that neither Autoliv nor our suppliers
can impact.
The most efficient
cost-reduction method is replacing existing designs and components with new,
standardized and more cost-efficient ones. We particularly focus on reducing
material content. For instance, our latest passenger airbag, which was
introduced in 2008, has 25% less weight than the previous product generation
which, in turn, was 30% lighter than its predecessor.
Fewer components
also simplify the manufacturing and purchasing process, thereby reducing costs
even more.
Supplier
Consolidation
Another tool aimed
at reducing direct material cost is our strategy to consolidate purchases to
fewer suppliers in order to give them higher volumes, thereby helping them
reduce costs as well as their prices to us.
In 2004, when this
strategy was adopted, 35% of our component sourcing was with the long-term
strategic suppliers. At the end of 2008, this ratio had been increased to 70%.
Our target is to reach at least 90% before the end of 2010.
Sourcing
in Low-Cost Countries
We are also
actively increasing our level of component sourcing in LCC. During 2008,
sourcing in these countries rose as a portion of total direct material costs by
10 percentage points to nearly 40% from less than 15% in 2004 when this program
was initiated. Our target is to reach 50% before 2010 and reach towards 60%
before 2011.
Through the
above-mentioned strategies we have met our direct material cost reduction target
of at least 3% since 1997, except in 2005 and in 2008 when, in particular, steel
prices sky-rocketed. We estimate the reduction in 2008 to have been 0.4
percentage points below our target but almost 1.4 percentage points above the
target excluding raw material prices. In 2009, we expect to exceed our target
thanks to the reversal in raw material price trends.
Productivity
Improvements
The second most
important cost is wages, salaries and other labor costs. These costs correspond
to a quarter of our net sales.
LCC also offer
attractive savings possibilities for these costs. In addition, by moving and
building capacity in emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific,
Autoliv becomes well-positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities in
these markets.
During 2008,
headcount in HCC was reduced by 3,400, and headcount in LCC by 1,200 to 55% of
total headcount, compared to only 29% five years ago.
Through automation
of our manufacturing processes, we can also achieve productivity improvements in
HCC and thereby continue to support our customers with manufacturing close to
their assembly plants in North America, Western Europe and Japan.
Thanks to these
measures, we have met our target to improve direct labor productivity (measured
as a reduction of labor minutes per unit) by at least 5% per year. In 2008, the
improvement was 5.7% despite the sharp drop in LVP.
Quality
Excellence
Quality
excellence is a key to our financial performance, since it is critical for
winning new orders and it affects our scrap rates and therefore our
profitability and cash flow.
Our products never
get a second chance. Superior quality is therefore a “must” for a reliable,
world-class supplier of safety systems. We must always deliver flawless products
and still meet the tough price conditions in the automotive
industry.
Zero
Defect Principle
In this pursuit of
excellence we have, for many years, applied a zero defect principle that
emphasizes proactive methods aimed at eliminating root causes, rather than
screening out non-conforming products at the end of the manufacturing
line.
·
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Autoliv’s
Product Development System (APDS) ensures that all new products pass five
mandatory checkpoints: 1) project planning, 2) concept definition, 3)
product and process development, 4) product and process validation, and 5)
product launch. In this way, we proactively prevent problems and ensure we
deliver only the best designs to the
market.
|
·
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Autoliv’s
Supplier Manual (ASM) focuses on preventing bad parts from entering our
plants, and helps eliminate bad intermediate products as early as possible
in our assembly lines.
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·
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Equally
important is the training of our employees. Through the Autoliv Production
System (APS), emphasis is placed on ensuring that all Autoliv associates
are aware of and understand the critical connection between themselves and
our lifesaving products.
|
·
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Through the
Autoliv Quality System (AQS) we equip manufacturing lines with sensors,
cameras and other instruments, at selected critical stations, for
detecting errors as early as possible, and ultimately for preventing us
from shipping bad
products.
|
We also maintain
an advanced product traceability system capable of tracing a product down to a
specific vehicle provided the vehicle manufacturer has an equally efficient
traceability system.
This increases the
confidence people place in our safety systems and contributes positively to our
net sales.
Flawless
Products and Deliveries
We register all
customer deviations and include them in our quality measure. Reported quality
deviations very rarely affect the performance of our products. Virtually all
deviations are, instead, due to other requirements, such as flawless labeling,
precise delivery of the right parts at the right moment, as well as correct
color nuance and surface texture on steering wheels and other products where the
look and feel is important to the car buyer.
All deviations are
registered in our quality measure PPM (parts per million). Our target is zero
PPM, in accordance with the zero defect principle. Over the last five-year
period, we have successfully reduced our PPM levels by a factor of
six.
ISO
Certifications
At the end of
2008, all of Autoliv’s manufacturing facilities were certified to the automotive
quality standard ISO/TS 16949.
Employees
Dedicated
and Motivated Employees
Our people are the
foundation of our success. To find, develop and retain people with the right
skills and talents for the right positions is therefore a top priority for us.
Consequently, our Human Resource activities contribute to our Company’s overall
long-term profitability.
Attracting
and Promoting People
The Company’s
principal assets – talented people – do not appear on the balance sheet. The
creativity and ingenuity of our employees is critical to our Company’s
success.
Autoliv is
therefore committed to be an employer of choice. We provide challenging
high-tech career opportunities in an international environment while
contributing to saving lives and preventing injuries.
In addition to
external recruiting, we have a system of identifying and promoting internal
candidates including our vast pool of temporaries. We also have close
cooperation with universities providing opportunities to recruit the right
specialists. By balancing external and internal recruitment, we have maintained
a healthy mix of new talent and long-term experience in our
industry.
Developing
People
We are convinced
that people – on all levels in a company – want to do their best and have
“untapped” potential that could – and should – be realized and further
developed. By providing opportunities and encouraging our employees to grow, we
also grow our business. Consequently, we are committed to continually developing
their skills, knowledge and talents.
All of our
training and development programs are aimed at enhancing mobility, flexibility
and diversity to strengthen our Company’s competitive position in a rapidly
changing, challenging and increasingly global business. We place special
priorities on selecting talented female professionals for our training programs
to achieve balance and diversity in our workforce and management.
For all senior and
mid-level managers, we have a corporate succession planning program, which is
monitored by our Board of Directors. During 2008, we successfully identified a
substantial number of high-potential employees, including some who could qualify
as successors for senior positions.
The Company has
several leadership training programs, all based on our five leadership
behaviors. During 2008, we launched two new global programs customized to meet
the needs of our global specialists and global project leaders.
Better utilization
of internal trainers helped us to substantially reduce training expenses and
still maintain a high level of activity and quality.
We continued
offering employees international assignments and during the year we had some 200
expatriates across the globe.
Retaining
People
There are many
factors that contribute to whether an employee chooses to remain with
their current employer. Financial compensation is a key factor for retaining the
right people in every company. At Autoliv, we use the international IPE
benchmark system for most manager positions globally. This ensures that our
remuneration packages are competitive and comparable to similar positions in
other companies.
Another important
factor is the opportunity for career and personal development. We therefore
place an emphasis on internal recruitment and training programs. We strongly
promote equal opportunity in the workplace by offering open job positions to the
best candidates irrespective of, for instance, age, gender, and race. Thanks to
our comprehensive research and development resources, technological leadership
and our advanced manufacturing processes, we can also offer many interesting and
meaningful job duties for highly qualified professionals. Our close relationship
with leading vehicle companies and our global presence also makes Autoliv an
attractive employer and helps retaining people.
It is important to
not only focus on retaining managers. Rather, it is important that all of our
employees understand that they are contributing to our Company’s success. That
is why Employee Involvement is one “main-pillar” in the Autoliv Production
System (APS) and why we encourage employees to submit proposals for our
continuous improvement activities. This is also why feedback is continuously
provided to our employees of key performance indicators (KPI) and shown at each
assembly line, office and warehouse, etc. All of these measures foster a culture
of trust, creativity, teamwork and accountability, which is highly motivating.
This has also made it possible for us to exceed, during many years, our
productivity target of at least 5% per year (see page 18 in the Annual
Report).
For our employees
it is also highly motivating that they are contributing to saving more than
20,000 lives annually and preventing ten times as many severe
injuries.
Health
and Safety
Another important
factor for retaining people is their health and well-being. We have therefore
placed the injury levels in our plants at the top of our list of key performance
indicators. We also closely monitor absenteeism levels.
Even if our injury
levels are extremely low, we have not yet reached our target of zero injuries.
Consequently, we are continuously seeking new ways to reduce the levels. For
instance, we try to design our machines to better match the body’s natural
movements, eliminate repetitive motions, reduce weight of materials, and
eliminate awkward postures. In 2008, our leadership in this area was recognized
when Autoliv was selected to participate in a prestigious study on ergonomics
sponsored by the U.S. government. Our general policy on Workplace Health and
Safety is part of our global ethical code. Compliance guidance is also global,
while the implementation of the policy is a local responsibility for each
facility. This makes it possible to adapt the policy to various national
regulatory frameworks.
Current
Challenges
The economic
downturn had a sweeping impact on the automotive industry in 2008, causing our
customers to substantially lower their production volume. Autoliv was forced to
rapidly realign capacity. As a result, headcount has been reduced by almost
6,000 associates since July. The reductions were made across the board,
affecting all regions, countries and functions.
From past
experience our employees know that the automotive industry is cyclical, and that
the more vehicle sales drop, the stronger the recovery will be. They also know
that a rapid realignment to lower volumes is necessary to save costs; both to
enable us to endure the recession and also to have the financial strength to
continue to invest for the future, for instance, in small car safety solutions
and environmentally compatible technologies. This should ensure that our Company
comes out of the recession stronger than our competitors which is another
driving and motivating factor for our employees.
Society
Social
Responsibility
For a company that
makes products that save lives and reduce traffic injuries, Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) is not new. It has been our core business for more than 50
years.
Every year, our
products save 20,000 lives and help prevent at least ten times as many severe
injuries and save tens of billions of dollars for societies. This is the most
important contribution from Autoliv to CSR.
We also assume
social responsibility in several other ways, for instance, through our ethical
codes, sustainable environmental development and our core values. Other examples
are our support and cooperation with universities, authorities, traffic rescue
organizations and insurance companies.
Autoliv’s
Core Corporate Values:
·
|
Life
–
we have a passion for saving
lives.
|
·
|
Customers
– we are dedicated to providing satisfaction for our customers and value
for the driving
public.
|
·
|
Innovation
– we are driven for innovation and continuous
improvement.
|
·
|
Employees
– we are committed to the development of our employees’ skills, knowledge
and creative
potential.
|
·
|
Ethics
–
we adhere to the highest level of ethical and social
behavior.
|
·
|
Culture
– we are founded on global thinking and local
actions.
|
Ethical
Code
We adhere to the
highest level of ethical and social behavior. The standards and rules are set in
our “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics” which can be downloaded from
www.autoliv.com. The Code applies to all operations and all employees worldwide.
The local Autoliv president in each country is responsible for communicating the
code to the employees in that country.
Autoliv’s ethical
code draws on universal standards such as the “Global Sullivan Principles of
Social Responsibilities” and on the UN’s “Global Compact”. As a result,
we:
·
|
Express our
support for universal human rights and, particularly within our sphere of
influence, the communities within which we operate and parties with whom
we do business.
|
·
|
Promote
equal opportunity for our employees at all levels of the Company with
respect to issues such as color, race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual
orientation or religious beliefs, and do not tolerate unacceptable worker
treatment such as the exploitation of children, physical punishment,
female abuse, involuntary servitude, or other forms of
abuse.
|
·
|
Respect our
employees’ voluntary freedom of
association.
|
·
|
Compensate
our employees to enable them to, at least, meet their basic needs and
provide the opportunity to improve their skills and capability in order to
raise their social and economic
opportunities.
|
·
|
Provide a
safe and healthy workplace, protect human health and the environment and
promote sustainable development.
|
·
|
Promote fair
competition, uphold the highest standard in business ethics and integrity
and not offer, pay or accept
bribes.
|
Our code is also
an integrated part of the Autoliv Supplier Manual (ASM). All new and existing
suppliers are required to sign an acknowledgement letter where they confirm that
they will comply with the ASM requirements, including the code.
Compliance
Monitoring
Each regional
president, business director and certain other managers are obliged to report
violations of regulations and our codes as a requirement in their monthly
letters to the Autoliv CEO.
In addition, our
employees are encouraged to report any violation of law or Autoliv codes. It can
be done anonymously by using a special hotline number in each
country.
In 2006, we
initiated a social responsibility self-assessment review of Autoliv facilities.
This study assessed the compliance with and the standards for working
conditions, work hours, work rules, work practices, health & safety status,
union representation, wages & salaries, benefits and insurance
coverage.
We started this
social responsibility assessment in the Asian countries where Autoliv operates,
since every second Autoliv associate works in a low-cost country and since we
will continue to expand operations in these countries. The assessments show that
all of our plants in these emerging markets maintain good overall standards and
practices. In 2007, we continued the assessment in Eastern Europe, with
similarly good results.
Our leading
suppliers are monitored as part of our regular quality audits.
Sustainable
Development
We actively
contribute to a sustainable society through continuous improvements of the
environmental impact of our operations and products.
A
Competitive Tool
Autoliv’s
environmental management goes beyond the legal requirements, since recyclable
and environmentally friendly products have become a competitive tool in the
automotive industry.
Most of our
products are produced from steel and other metals, or plastics and other
oil-based materials. The products are installed in vehicles where their weight
will affect the fuel consumption and emissions during the entire life of the
vehicle. Our products could also affect the environment when the vehicle is
scrapped if careful attention is not paid to the material
selection.
As a result, we
consider all phases of a product’s life in a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) rather
than just the manufacturing phase that has in our case the least environmental
impact.
Before
Manufacturing
The most
significant contribution to the environment Autoliv can make before
manufacturing starts is to design products that minimize the use of raw
materials and resources, thereby limiting the environmental impact from steel
mills and other manufacturers in our supply chain.
We also work
closely with our suppliers in several other respects and encourage them to
implement an international environmental management standard, preferably ISO
14001. We also require them to adhere to our environmental policy.
Internal
Improvements
It is our policy
that every Autoliv facility should be certified according to ISO 14001. The few
remaining non-certified plants are essentially new manufacturing facilities that
have not yet been certified.
We continuously
monitor a number of other environmental indicators such as energy and water
consumption and emissions. Because all indications point to our efficient use of
these resources, we can focus on other improvements such as reducing freight and
packaging materials where we have the highest savings potential.
Carbon
Dioxide (CO
2
)
Emissions
The emission level
(measured in relation to sales) of the “greenhouse” gas CO
2
from our production
is four to five times less than for an average engineering industry company
making our level comparable to a
bank or a service
company.
The most important
contribution we can make to the environment is therefore to continue to design
and develop low-weight environmentally friendly safety systems similar to the
new innovative products launched during 2008.
For instance, the
passenger airbag design launched in 2008 reduces weight by up to 25%. This is
accomplished by using a unique fabric container for the folded airbag, instead
of a conventional steel or plastic housing. Such weight savings will help car
companies meet the stringent CO
2
and CAFE (Corporate
Average Fuel Economy) requirements.
After
Delivery
For our customers,
our products contribute to the environment through lower weight that generates
fuel and emission savings throughout the entire life of a vehicle.
We actively
support our customers in their environmental programs. We are, for instance,
represented in the Ford Supplier Sustainability Forum together with ten other
leading Ford suppliers who have a track record of being at the forefront of
environmental management.
End
of Life of Vehicle
Since 2006, the
European directive End of Life of Vehicle (ELV) requires that 85% of all
material in new vehicle models must be recoverable. The level will be raised to
95% by 2015.
Although ELV only
specifies recovery levels for the whole vehicle and not for individual
components, we make sure that our products meet or exceed the legal
requirements. This is part of our strategy for sustainable development which
also gives us a competitive advantage.
In 2008, for
instance, we introduced a new recyclable material that can replace polyurethane
as covering material for steering wheels.
Shareholders
Value-Creating
Cash Flow
By creating
customer satisfaction, maintaining tight cost control and developing new
products with our dedicated and motivated employees, we generate cash for
long-term growth, competitive returns to shareholders and financial
stability.
Cash
Flow Generation
During the last
five years, Autoliv’s average operating cash generation has been $623 million
per year with the highest level in 2007 of $781 million and the lowest in 2005
of $479 million. Operating cash flow has always exceeded capital expenditures,
even during the earlier market slow-down in 2000 and 2001.
Autoliv’s strong
cash flow reflects both the Company’s earnings performance as well as
improvements in capital efficiency. This is illustrated by the fact that we have
been able to grow sales faster than capital employed. As a result, our capital
turnover rate (i.e. sales in relation to capital employed) has improved from 1.3
times in 1997 when the Company started operations to 1.9 times for 2008. This
improvement is in spite of the sudden drop in light vehicle production in 2008
that led to lower plant utilizations.
The improvement in
capital efficiency reflects a number of initiatives such as plant
consolidations, outsourcing, simplification of manufacturing processes by
product redesign and moving to low-cost countries where less capital-intensive
manufacturing processes can be utilized. Furthermore, growth has been achieved
without any major acquisitions. As a result, goodwill and other intangibles now
correspond to 27% of net sales as compared to 52% when the Company started
operations. It is possible that this ratio could continue to improve long-term,
because our total market is forecast to grow long term (including cyclical
swings) driven by global light vehicle production and safer vehicles.
Consequently, acquisitions should not be required to grow Autoliv’s sales,
although they can be beneficial as a means of accelerating growth (see
“Acquisitions” below).
Our
Cash Flow Model
When analyzing how
to best use our operating cash flow ($614 million in 2008), the Autoliv Board
uses the model on page 25 in the Annual Report to create shareholder value. The
model takes all important variables into account such as the cost of marginal
borrowing, the return on marginal investments and the price of the Autoliv
shares. When evaluating the various uses of cash, the Company weighs these
decisions against the need for financing stability due to the cyclical nature of
the automotive industry.
Investing
in Operations
To create
long-term value for shareholders, cash flow from operations should only be used
to finance investments in operations until the point when the return on
investment no longer exceeds the cost of capital. Autoliv’s return on capital
employed has during the last six years, except for 2008, exceeded 12% and
therefore exceeded the Company’s estimated cost of capital.
During the last
five years, this approach has resulted in an average cash generation after
capital expenditures of $309 million per year with the highest level in 2007 of
$457 million and the lowest of $164 million in 2005. This cash flow measure has
been affected by significant capacity expansions during 2004-07 when capital
expenditures exceeded depreciation and amortization and corresponded to around
5% of sales. However, in 2008, these expenditures were $68 million less than
depreciation and amortization, and corresponded to 4% of sales. We expect
capital expenditure to continue at this lower level due to the low vehicle
production volumes expected. Therefore, we will benefit from this favorable cash
flow effect during the next few years, although cash flow in 2009 will be
negatively impacted by lower sales, restructuring costs, low accounts receivable
at the start of the year and cash outlays for provisions made in 2008 for the
action program.
In addition, we
expect to continue to meet our target of operating working capital by not
exceeding 10% of sales. At the end of 2008, this ratio was unusually low at
8.0%.
Acquisitions
Autoliv also
invests in operations through acquisitions. In recent years, our focus has been
on acquisitions in Asia and in the fast growing segment of active safety and
safety electronics.
During 2008,
Autoliv acquired the automotive radar business of Tyco Electronics to become a
market leader in this segment of active safety systems. In 2008, the Company
paid $49 million for acquisitions (including a $7 million cash outlay from
2007).
Share
Buybacks
Share repurchases
are a more flexible way to return funds to shareholders than quarterly
dividends. For instance, when the credit markets are tight and the preservation
of cash is prudent, having the flexibility to reduce or suspend the share
buybacks contributes to a company’s financial strength and
stability.
Consequently,
during 2006 when cash flow from operations amounted to $560 million, we returned
$221 million to shareholders through share repurchases. In 2007, when the cash
flow increased to $781 million, we raised the return through share buybacks to
$380 million, while in 2008, we reduced the buyback return to $174 million when
operating cash flow was $614 million. In this way, Autoliv can achieve high
financial stability even in the cyclical automotive industry and adjust to even
sudden changes in the credit market as we did during the autumn of
2008.
Autoliv tries to
buy back shares opportunistically, i.e. more shares when there is deemed to be a
dip in the share price and fewer shares when the share price is higher, because
stock repurchases only create value if the share is undervalued.
Since the
inception of the repurchase program in 2000, 34 million shares have been
repurchased for $1.5 billion at an average cost of $42.93 per share. Although
this is more than the share price of $21.46 at the end of 2008, due to the
general plummeting of stock prices, management believes that the returns will be
favorable over a business cycle.
Dividend
In 2008, Autoliv
increased the dividend from 39 cents per share for the second quarter to 41
cents per share for the third and fourth quarters, resulting in a total amount
of $115 million for the year. The total cash dividends during 2008 of $1.60 per
share represented a 3.9% return on the average share price during the year of
$41.27.
In December, the
Autoliv Board decided to reduce the dividend for the first quarter 2009 to 21
cents per share and in February to suspend further dividend payments
to preserve cash in response to the deteriorating vehicle production
outlook for 2009, continued constraints on the credit market, and the increased
risk of customer and supplier defaults.
Dividend
Policy
Since Autoliv uses
both dividend payments and share buybacks to create shareholder value, the
Company has no set dividend policy. Instead, the Board of Directors regularly
analyzes which method is most efficient, at a given time, to create shareholder
value. Management believes that such recurring analyses have the potential to
generate more value for Autoliv’s shareholders than a pre-defined dividend
policy.
Optimal
Capital Structure
The final element
in our shareholder value creation model is to ensure that Autoliv’s capital
structure is optimal, especially for the Company’s owners. Autoliv’s leverage
ratio was 1.5 at the beginning of 2008 and the Company’s interest coverage ratio
was 9.8, compared to our “Debt Policy” targets of significantly below 3.0 and
significantly above 2.75, respectively.
Until the Lehman
Brothers bankruptcy in September, when the interest rate on the Company’s
marginal debt was around 5% or not even half of Autoliv’s long-term return on
equity of at least 12%, it was still profitable to increase leverage. Hence, net
debt was increased modestly or by 8% or $97 million to $1,279 million at the end
of September but then net debt was decreased by $84 million during just one
quarter. The fact that net debt during the full year did not increase more
despite dividends, share buybacks and acquisitions totalling $336 million
creates a debt protection buffer for the Company going
forward.
Total
Funds Returned to Shareholders
In 2008, the use
of our Shareholder Value Creation Model resulted in a total return to the
Autoliv shareholders of $289 million. This corresponds to a total yield of 9.8%,
i.e. total returns in relation to Autoliv’s average market capitalization during
2008.
Share
Price Performance
As a result of
these value creating strategies, the Autoliv stock has outperformed most of its
automotive industry peers on the New York Stock Exchange.
Share
Performance and Shareholder Information
Share
Performance
Over the past five
years the Autoliv stock has outperformed its industry peers in the S&P 1500
Auto Components index.
New
York
Between the
beginning of 2004 and until the end of 2008, the Autoliv share declined by 43%
to $21.46 on the primary market for the Autoliv securities, i.e. the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE). However, the S&P 1500 Auto Components Index dropped
by 55%. The S&P 500 index decreased by 19% during the same
period.
During 2008, the
S&P 500 fell by 38%, and the S&P 1500 Auto Components Index by 54% while
the Autoliv stock declined by 60%.
The average daily
trading volume in Autoliv shares was 387,152 in New York (compared to 340,566 in
2007).
Stockholm
In Stockholm, the
price of the Autoliv Swedish Depository Receipt (SDR) declined by 42% to 158 SEK
during the five-year period 2004 through 2008. Compared to the new automotive
index that was commenced at the end of 2006, Autoliv's SDR has declined in line
with its peers in Sweden.
The average daily
trading volume in Stockholm was 200,200 during 2008 compared to 219,238 during
2007.
In 2008, the
Autoliv SDR was the 43rd most traded security in Stockholm, accounting for 0.3%
of the trading compared to 0.3% during 2007. In Stockholm, Autoliv’s SDRs are
traded on the stock exchange’s list for large market capitalization
companies.
Number
of Shares
Due to Autoliv’s
share repurchase program the number of shares outstanding, net of treasury
shares, decreased during 2008 by 8% to 70.3 million from 73.8 million on
December 31, 2007.
The weighted
average numbers of shares outstanding (assuming dilution) was 72.1 million
during 2008 and 78.3 million during 2007. During 2008, the Company repurchased
3,709,460 shares for $174 million corresponding to an average cost per share of
$46.77.
Stock options and
granted Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) could, if exercised, increase the number
of shares outstanding by 1,213,977 and 234,259 respectively (see Note 15). This
would increase the total number of shares by 2.0% to 73.5 million.
In November 2007,
the Board of Directors authorized a fourth Share Repurchase Program for up to
7.5 million of the Company’s shares. On December 31, 2008, 3.2 million shares
remained of this mandate for repurchases.
Number
of Shareholders
Autoliv estimates
that the total number of beneficial Autoliv owners on December 31, 2008,
exceeded 70,000 and that approximately 80% of the Autoliv securities were held
in the U.S. and approximately 5% in Sweden. Most of the remaining Autoliv
securities were held in the U.K. and Central Europe.
On December 31,
2008, Autoliv’s U.S. stock registrar had nearly 3,500 holders of Autoliv stock,
and according to our soliciting agent, there were over 60,000 beneficial holders
that held Autoliv shares in a “street name” through a bank, broker or other
nominee.
According to the
depository bank in Sweden, there were 3,000 record holders of the Autoliv SDRs
and according to the Swedish soliciting agent nearly 6,000 “street holders” of
the SDRs. Many of these holders are nominees for other, non-Swedish
nominees.
The largest
shareholders known to the Company are shown in the table.
Stock
Incentive Plan
Under the Autoliv,
Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan adopted by the Shareholders and as further
amended, awards have been made to selected executive officers of the Company and
other key employees in the form of:
·
|
Restricted
Stock Units (RSUs)
|
All options are
granted for ten-year terms, have an exercise price equal to the fair market
value of the share at the date of the grant, and become exercisable after one
year of continued employment following the grant date.
Each RSU
represents a promise to transfer one of the Company’s shares to the employee
after three years of service following the date of grant or upon retirement (see
Note 1 and Note 15).
Dividends
If possible,
quarterly dividends are paid on the first Thursday in the last month of each
quarter. The record date is usually one month earlier and the ex date (when the
stock trades without the right to the dividend) is typically two days before the
record date. Quarterly dividends are declared separately by the Board, announced
in press releases and published on Autoliv’s corporate website.
The dividends paid
in the first two quarters of 2008 were 39 cents per share and in the other two
quarters 41 cents. Total cash dividends of $115 million were paid in 2008, a
decrease of 4.5% compared to 2007 due to the share repurchase
program.
On December 16,
2008, the Company declared a dividend of 21 cents per share for the first
quarter 2009 and on February 17, 2009, suspended further dividend
payments due to the financial turmoil and market uncertainty.
Annual
General Meeting
Autoliv’s next
Annual General Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009,
at The Four Seasons Hotel, 120 East Delaware Place, Chicago, Illinois, 60611
USA.
Shareholders are
urged to vote on the Internet whether or not they plan to attend the
meeting.
Public
Information Disclosure
We report
significant events to shareholders, analysts, media and interested members of
the public in a timely and transparent manner and give all constituencies the
information simultaneously. All relevant public information is reported
objectively. Information given by Investor Relations is authorized by the
Management.
Financial
Calendar
|
|
|
April 21,
2009
|
Q1
Report
|
|
May 6,
2009
|
Shareholders
AGM
|
|
July 21,
2009
|
Q2
Report
|
|
October 20,
2009
|
Q3
Report
|
|
|
|
|
Key Stock
Price Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
New
York
|
Price
($)
|
Date
|
Opening
|
53.07
|
Jan 2,
2008
|
Year
high
|
62.63
|
May 1,
2008
|
Year
low
|
14.49
|
Nov 21,
2008
|
Closing
|
21.46
|
Dec 31,
2008
|
All-time
high
|
65.09
|
Oct 19,
2007
|
All-time
low
|
13.25
|
Sep 21,
2001
|
|
|
|
Stockholm
|
Price
(SEK)
|
Date
|
Opening
|
345.50
|
Jan 2,
2008
|
Year
high
|
374.00
|
May 2,
2008
|
Year
low
|
122.75
|
Nov 20,
2008
|
Closing
|
158.00
|
Dec 30,
2008
|
All-time
high
|
451.00
|
Mar 24,
2006
|
All-time
low
|
122.75
|
Nov 20,
2008
|
|
|
|
The Largest Shareh
olders
1)
|
|
|
|
%
|
No. of
Shares
|
Holder
Name
|
12.2
|
8,541,816
|
Alliance
Bernstein LP
|
6.4
|
4,482,525
|
Lord Abbett
& Co. LLC
|
5.4
|
3,810,100
|
|
5.1
|
3,560,206
|
Morgan
Stanley
|
4.4
|
3,070,722
|
Barclays
Global Investors NA
|
0.9
|
906,751
|
Management/Directors as a group
2,
3)
|
100
|
70,302,000
|
Total
December 31,
2008
|
1) Known to the
Company, out of more than 70,000 shareholders 2) As of February
20, 2009. 3) Includes 413,545 shares issuable upon exercise of options that are
exercisable within 60 days.
Analysts
ABG SUNDAL
COLLIER
Erik
Pettersson
R.W.
BAIRD
David
Leiker
Joseph
Amaturo
CARNEGIE
Björn
Enarson
CHEUVREUX
Patrik
Sjöblom
DANSKE
Carl
Holmquist
DEUTSCHE
BANK
Rod
Lache
ENSKILDA
SECURITIES
Anders
Trapp
EVLI
Michael
Anderson
GOLDMAN
SACHS
Stefan
Burgstaller
HAGSTRÖMER &
QVIBERG
Patric
Lindqvist
HANDELSBANKEN
Hampus
Engellau
J
P MORGAN
Himanshu
Patel
KEY
BANC
Brett
Hoselton
MERRILL
LYNCH
Thomas
Besson
MONNES, CRESPI,
HARDT & CO
Nick
Pantazis
MORGAN
STANLEY
David
Cramer
NOMURA
Dorothee
Helmuth
ÖHMAN
Fredrik
Nilhov
PENSER
Kenneth
Toll
SIDOTI &
CO
Adam
Brooks
SOCIÉTÉ
GÉNÉRALE
Eric
Michelis
STANDARD &
POOR'S
Poors
Marnie
SWEDBANK
Anders
Bruzelius
Share
Price and Dividends
|
|
|
New York
(US$)
|
|
|
Stockholm
(SEK)
|
|
|
Dividend
|
|
|
Dividend
|
|
Period
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
Close
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
Close
|
|
|
Declared
|
|
|
Paid
|
|
Q1
2008
|
|
|
|
$53.77
|
|
|
|
$44.00
|
|
|
|
$50.20
|
|
|
|
346
|
|
|
|
279
|
|
|
|
296.5
|
|
|
|
$0.39
|
|
|
|
$0.39
|
|
Q2
2008
|
|
|
|
62.63
|
|
|
|
46.45
|
|
|
|
46.62
|
|
|
|
374
|
|
|
|
280
|
|
|
|
282.5
|
|
|
|
0.41
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
Q3
2008
|
|
|
|
47.03
|
|
|
|
32.91
|
|
|
|
33.75
|
|
|
|
286
|
|
|
|
219.5
|
|
|
|
231.5
|
|
|
|
0.41
|
|
|
|
0.41
|
|
Q4
2008
|
|
|
|
33.19
|
|
|
|
14.50
|
|
|
|
21.46
|
|
|
|
232.5
|
|
|
|
122.75
|
|
|
|
158
|
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.41
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q1
2007
|
|
|
|
62.12
|
|
|
|
55.50
|
|
|
|
57.11
|
|
|
|
438
|
|
|
|
385
|
|
|
|
399
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
|
|
0.37
|
|
Q2
2007
|
|
|
|
61.83
|
|
|
|
56.04
|
|
|
|
56.87
|
|
|
|
417
|
|
|
|
379
|
|
|
|
391
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
Q3
2007
|
|
|
|
60.29
|
|
|
|
51.32
|
|
|
|
59.75
|
|
|
|
407
|
|
|
|
359
|
|
|
|
389
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
|
|
0.39
|
|
Q4
2007
|
|
|
|
$65.09
|
|
|
|
$52.50
|
|
|
|
$52.71
|
|
|
|
421
|
|
|
|
338
|
|
|
|
350
|
|
|
|
$0.39
|
|
|
|
$0.39
|
|
Contact
Information
Board
Contact/Corporate Compliance Counsel
c/o Vice President
Legal Affairs Autoliv, Inc. / Box 70381, SE-107 24 Stockholm,
Sweden,
Tel +46 (0)8 58 72
06 00, Fax +46 (0)8 58 72 06 33, legalaffairs@autoliv.com
The Board, the
independent directors, as well as the committees of the Board can be contacted
using the address above. Contact can be made anonymously and communication with
the independent directors is not screened. The relevant chairman receives all
such communication after it has been determined that the content represents a
message to such chairman.
Stock
Transfer Agent & Registrar
Internet:
www.computershare.com
(formerly
Equiserve)
Investor
Requests North America
Autoliv, Inc., c/o
Autoliv Electronics America, 26545 American Drive, Southfield, MI
48034.
Tel +1 (248)
475-0427, Fax +1 (801) 625-6672, ray.pekar@autoliv.com
Investor
Requests Rest of the World
Autoliv, Inc., Box
70381, SE-107 24, Stockholm, Sweden. Tel +46 (0)8 58 72 06 23, Fax +46 (0)8 411
70 25, mats.odman@autoliv.com
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis
Important
Trends
Autoliv, Inc.
(“the Company”) provides advanced technology products for the automotive market.
In the three-year period 2006-2008 (the time period required by the SEC to be
reviewed in this analysis), a number of trends have influenced the Company’s
operations. The most significant trends have been in:
·
|
Changes in
global light vehicle production
|
·
|
Pause in
growth of the average safety content per
vehicle
|
·
|
Costs for
raw materials and distressed
suppliers
|
·
|
Action
program started in 2008 and other restructuring
activities
|
·
|
Increased
financial turmoil
|
Years
ended Dec. 31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(U.S.
Dollars)
|
|
|
2008
2)
|
|
|
|
2007
2,3)
|
|
|
2006
2,4)
|
|
Consolidated
net sales (million)
|
|
|
$6,473
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
%
|
|
|
$6,769
|
|
|
|
+9
|
%
|
|
|
$6,188
|
|
|
|
0
|
%
|
Global light
vehicle production (in thousands)
|
|
|
66,090
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
%
|
|
|
68,876
|
|
|
|
+6
|
%
|
|
|
65,242
|
|
|
|
+5
|
%
|
Gross profit (million)
1)
|
|
|
$1,124
|
|
|
|
(16)
|
%
|
|
|
$1,331
|
|
|
|
+5
|
%
|
|
|
$1,265
|
|
|
|
0
|
%
|
Gross
margin
|
|
|
17.4
|
%
|
|
|
(2.3)
|
%
|
|
|
19.7
|
%
|
|
|
(0.7)
|
%
|
|
|
20.4
|
%
|
|
|
0
|
%
|
Operating
income (million)
|
|
|
$306
|
|
|
|
(39)
|
%
|
|
|
$502
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
%
|
|
|
$520
|
|
|
|
+1
|
%
|
Operating
margin
|
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
(2.7)
|
%
|
|
|
7.4
|
%
|
|
|
(1.0)
|
%
|
|
|
8.4
|
%
|
|
|
+0.1
|
%
|
Net income
(million)
|
|
|
$165
|
|
|
|
(43)
|
%
|
|
|
$288
|
|
|
|
(28)
|
%
|
|
|
$402
|
|
|
|
+37
|
%
|
Net
margin
|
|
|
2.5
|
%
|
|
|
(1.8)
|
%
|
|
|
4.3
|
%
|
|
|
(2.2)
|
%
|
|
|
6.5
|
%
|
|
|
+1.8
|
%
|
Earnings per
share
|
|
|
$2.28
|
|
|
|
(38)
|
%
|
|
|
$3.68
|
|
|
|
(25)
|
%
|
|
|
$4.88
|
|
|
|
+50
|
%
|
Return on
equity
|
|
|
7
|
%
|
|
|
(5)
|
%
|
|
|
12
|
%
|
|
|
(5)
|
%
|
|
|
17
|
%
|
|
|
+5
|
%
|
1) In 2008,
affected by $8 million for fixed asset impairment associated with restructuring
(see Note 10).
2) In 2008,
2007 and 2006, severance and restructuring costs reduced operating income by
$80, $24 and $13 million and net income by $55, $16 and $9 million. This
corresponds to 1.2%, 0.4% and 0.2% on operating margins, and 0.8%, 0.2% and 0.1%
on net margins. The impact on EPS was $0.76, $0.21 and $0.11, while return on
equity was reduced by 2.3%, 0.6% and 0.4% for the same three year period (see
Note 10).
3) In 2007, a
court ruling reduced operating income $30 million, net income $20 million,
operating margin by 0.5%, net margin by 0.3%, EPS by $0.26 and return on equity
by 0.8% (see page 30 in the Annual Report ).
4) In 2006, a
release of tax reserves and other discrete tax items boosted net income by $95
million, net margin by 1.5%, EPS by $1.15 and return on equity by 3.9% (see page
30 in the Annual Report).
Light
Vehicle Production
The most important
growth driver for Autoliv’s sales is global light vehicle production
(LVP).
Both during 2006
and 2007, the long-term trend of increasing global LVP continued. The growth
rates recorded were approximately 5% and 6%, respectively. However, in the
second half of 2008 this trend came to a sudden pause due to the credit crunch.
This resulted in a decline in global LVP of 2% in the third quarter and of 21%
in the fourth quarter, leading to an overall decline of 4% for the full
year.
The declines were
particularly severe in Western Europe and North America where Autoliv generates
more than 70% of its sales. In Western Europe, LVP declined by 9% in 2008 after
having increased by 3% in 2007 and declined by 2% in 2006. In North America, LVP
dropped by 16% in 2008, significantly more than the declines of 2% in 2007 and
of 3% in 2006.
There has also
been an accelerating decline in production of premium cars and light trucks.
During these years, global production for these vehicle segments has dropped by
20% from the 2005 level compared to an overall increase of global LVP of almost
6%. Since premium cars and light trucks generally have more safety systems – and
more advanced safety systems – than the global average safety value per vehicle
of $275, the effect of the mix shift was significant.
In addition, the
global market share for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which accounted for
22% (excl. Volvo’s 4%) of Autoliv’s net sales in 2008, has shrunk to 21% in 2008
from 27% in 2005.
In response to
these trends we have, for many years, strengthened Autoliv’s position globally
with the Japanese and other Asian vehicle manufacturers which have increased
their output by 16% from the 2005 levels. As a result, these customers accounted
for 29% of consolidated sales in 2008 compared to 27% in 2005. For additional
information on Autoliv’s dependence on certain customers and vehicle models, see
page 38 in the Annual Report.
We have also made
substantial investments in Korea, Thailand, China and India – as well as in
Eastern Europe – to take advantage of strong LVP growth in emerging markets. In
our Rest of the World Region (RoW) which includes, for instance, Korea and the
Asian emerging markets, LVP has risen by 32% since 2005, which has primarily
driven demand for seatbelts. As a result, the Rest of the World accounted for
12% of net sales in 2008 compared to 9% in 2005, and seatbelt sales accounted
for 36% of our total net sales in 2008 compared to 34% in 2005.
These investments
in emerging markets, along with growing business with Asian customers and strong
demand for side curtain airbags, enabled Autoliv to keep its organic sales
(non-US GAAP measure, see page 31 in the Annual Report) at the 2005 level both
in 2006 and 2007 despite pricing pressure from customers and weak LVP in our
major markets in North America and Western Europe. However, in the second half
of 2008, the outbreak of the credit crisis caused organic sales to drop by 7% in
the third quarter and by 26% in the fourth quarter, resulting in an overall
decline of 10% for the year.
Safety
Content per Vehicle
Historically,
safety content per vehicle has increased by 3% per year since 1997. However,
during the last three years, the average safety value has stood virtually
unchanged at approximately $270 per vehicle despite the introduction of new
safety technologies, regulations and various rating programs of crash
performance. This stagnation is caused by the combined effects of pricing
pressure in the automotive industry and of the above-mentioned mix changes in
global LVP towards smaller, less-equipped vehicles, often for the emerging
markets.
However, the
safety standards of vehicles in the emerging markets are improving. China, for
instance, introduced in 2006 a rating program for crash performance of new
vehicles. In addition, both NHTSA in the U.S. and the Euro NCAP are currently in
the process of upgrading their crash-test rating programs. The growth in the
average global value of safety systems is, therefore, expected to resume, albeit
at a lower rate than historically.
Cost
Challenges
During 2006,
Autoliv was forced to absorb $20 million in higher costs due to increasing raw
material prices and, in 2007, an additional $20 million. In 2008, these costs
accelerated and increased by another $59 million from 2007, primarily due to
higher steel and magnesium prices. For additional information on the Company’s
exposure to raw materials and component costs refer to page 37 in the Annual
Report.
These increasing
raw material prices have, in combination with the pricing pressure in the
automotive industry – and, in 2008, the credit crisis – caused severe problems
for some Autoliv suppliers. As a result, we had to absorb approximately an extra
$14 million in 2008 in higher costs for financially distressed suppliers. This
was $2 million more than in 2007 which, in turn, was $12 million more than in
2006. In response to these trends, we have further expanded our global sourcing
programs, consolidated Autoliv’s supplier base, phased-out unprofitable products
and increased component sourcing in low-cost countries.
However, the
underlying commodity inflation has been so strong during the last few years that
the former positive trend of lower direct material costs in relation to sales
reversed and, as a consequence, direct material cost rose to 52.4% of net sales
in 2008 from 51.0% in 2007 and 49.6% in 2006.
Restructuring
In response to the
sudden LVP cuts by customers and accelerating cost for raw materials, we
announced in July 2008 an action program (“The Action Program”) that stepped up
our restructuring efforts significantly. Restructuring costs therefore increased
to $80 million for 2008 (i.e. 1.2% of net sales), from $24 million in 2007 (i.e.
0.4% of net sales) and $13 million in 2006 (i.e. 0.2% of net
sales).
Of the 2008
restructuring cost, $74 million was specifically related to The Action Program,
of which $33 million was recorded in the third quarter and the rest in the
fourth quarter.
During the fall
2008, the combined effect of The Action Program as well as of other activities
in response to the market development reduced headcount by nearly 5,900.
The Action Program and other actions taken in response to the market turmoil,
generated estimated cost savings of nearly $30 million. See also Note 10 to
Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for further information on
restructuring and The Action Program.
Labor
Cost Improvements
The previously
mentioned expansion in emerging markets has also enabled Autoliv to move
production and take advantage of lower costs in these low-cost countries
(LCC).
In high-cost
countries (HCC), headcount has been cut by nearly 6,500 or 28% during the
three-year period to 16,900 at the end of 2008, while headcount in LCC increased
by 4,900 or 32% since 2005 to 20,400. These shifts of production are estimated
to have generated labor cost savings in the magnitude of $20 million in 2008,
$120 million in 2007, and $100 million in 2006 or approximately one quarter of a
billion dollars during the full three-year period 2006 through
2008.
As a result, cost
for direct labor has been reduced, despite annual wage increases to our
employees, to 9.6% of sales in 2008 from levels above 10% in the previous
three-year period. This improvement also reflects annual productivity
improvements of 6% in 2008, 7% in 2007 and 8% in 2006, well in line with
Autoliv’s target of at least 5% per year.
However, there was
also a temporary negative impact on margins from the expansion in emerging
markets, primarily in China. This was due to costs for training new line
operators as well as for depreciation of new buildings and manufacturing
equipment since capacity in these new facilities was not planned to reach full
utilization until 2009, at the earliest. As a result, in 2007, start-up costs
jumped to $23 million and remained above the $20 million level during 2008. This
corresponds to a negative margin effect of 0.3% for both years.
Increased
Financial Turmoil
During 2008, the
credit markets became increasingly tighter resulting in a liquidity crisis in
the fall. Towards the end of the year, General Motors, and Chrysler announced
that they were approaching the minimum liquidity levels required for continuing
operations and asked for government financial assistance. Also Ford said it
might need such assistance, though not immediately. Both GM and Chrysler
received temporary financial assistance to enable them to develop and submit
restructuring plans by mid-February 2009 for a final decision on federal
assistance. Autoliv’s two commercial paper programs were also affected by the
credit crisis during the fall of 2008 in terms of higher interest rate margins,
shorter terms and less available volume.
In response to
these trends, we have increased Autoliv’s focus on preserving cash and
strengthening the Company’s cash position. After the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy
and in response to the market uncertainties, Autoliv raised SEK 1,950 million
(US $250 million) in credit facilities and notes (both medium-term), drew $500
million from its existing revolving credit facility (RCF) and suspended buying
back shares. As with the existing RCF, the new facilities and notes were made
available to us without any financial covenants i.e. no performance related
restrictions (see Note 12).
Thanks to these
precautionary measures and continued strong cash flow in 2008, Autoliv had $489
million in cash on hand at December 31, 2008. We currently believe that this
cash position, plus $664 million in unutilized credit facilities, should be
adequate to cover upcoming capital market debt maturities during 2009 of $399
million, expected negative cash flows during the beginning of the year, and
potential customer defaults during 2009 (for further information see Customer
Payment Risks on page 38 in the Annual Report). These funds and credit lines
should be adequate, we currently believe, even if the Company’s major short-term
refinancing source – i.e. commercial paper market – does not provide adequate
refinancing for Autoliv during 2009. However, as an additional precaution, the
Company’s Board of Directors decided on December 16, 2008 to reduce the
quarterly dividend to 21 cents per share for the first quarter 2009 from 41
cents for the previous quarter and, on February 17, 2009 to suspend further
dividend payments in order to preserve cash.
One way for
Autoliv to maintain a stable financial position stems from our flexible way
of returning funds to shareholders. During 2006, when cash flow from operations
amounted to $560 million, we returned $222 million to shareholders through share
repurchases (in addition to $112 million through dividends). In 2007, when cash
flow improved to $781 million, we raised the return through share buybacks to
$380 million (plus $121 million in dividends), while we reduced the buyback
return to $174 million during 2008 (plus $115 million in dividends) when cash
flow from operations shrunk to $614 million.
At the end of
2008, the Company was in compliance with all its financial policies (see page
39-40 in the Annual Report).
Selected
Consolidated Data for Autoliv Inc. in Swedish Krona (SEK)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
2008/2007
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
2007/2006
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Net sales
(million)
|
|
|
42,637
|
|
|
|
(6.8)
|
%
|
|
|
45,748
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
45,647
|
|
Income
before income taxes (million)
|
|
|
1,638
|
|
|
|
(46)
|
%
|
|
|
3,014
|
|
|
|
(15)
|
%
|
|
|
3,552
|
|
Net income
(million)
|
|
|
1,085
|
|
|
|
(44)
|
%
|
|
|
1,946
|
|
|
|
(34)
|
%
|
|
|
2,968
|
|
Earnings per
share
|
|
|
15.02
|
|
|
|
(40)
|
%
|
|
|
24.87
|
|
|
|
(31)
|
%
|
|
|
35.97
|
|
(Average exchange
rates: $1 = SEK 6.59 for 2008; $1 = SEK 6.76 for 2007; and $1 = SEK 7.38 for
2006)
Items
Affecting Comparability
The following
items have affected the comparability of reported results from year to year. We
believe that, to assist in understanding trends in Autoliv’s operations, it is
useful to consider certain U.S. GAAP measures exclusive of these items.
Accordingly, the accompanying tables reconcile from U.S. GAAP numbers to the
equivalent non-U.S. GAAP measure.
Court
ruling
Following a ruling
in the second quarter 2007
by the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, we increased Autoliv’s legal
reserves by $30 million to cover damages and interest expense to a former
supplier. An amount of $36 million, including the original reserve of $6
million, was paid in the fourth quarter for this commercial dispute that was
finally closed in 2008 (see note 16 in the Annual Report) without any additional
damages or interest expenses for Autoliv.
The unexpected
incremental cost in 2007 of $30 million reduced operating margin by 0.5
percentage points, net income by $20 million, earnings per share (assuming
dilution) by 26 cents, operating working capital by $20 million and return on
equity by 0.8 percentage points. Cash flow was reduced by $36 million. All
figures are approximates.
Effects
in 2007 of Court Ruling
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reported
|
|
|
Effects
|
|
|
Adjusted
|
|
Operating
income (million)
|
|
|
$502
|
|
|
|
$30
|
|
|
|
$532
|
|
Operating
margin
|
|
|
7.4%
|
|
|
|
0.5%
|
|
|
|
7.9%
|
|
Income
before taxes (million)
|
|
|
$446
|
|
|
|
$30
|
|
|
|
$476
|
|
Net income
(million)
|
|
|
$288
|
|
|
|
$20
|
|
|
|
$308
|
|
Capital
employed
|
|
|
$3,531
|
|
|
|
$20
|
|
|
|
$3,551
|
|
Earning per
share (assuming dilution)
|
|
|
$3.68
|
|
|
|
$0.26
|
|
|
|
$3.94
|
|
Equity per
share
|
|
|
$31.83
|
|
|
|
$0.28
|
|
|
|
$32.11
|
|
Return on
equity
|
|
|
12.0%
|
|
|
|
0.8%
|
|
|
|
12.8%
|
|
Discrete
Tax Items
The third and the
fourth quarters of 2006 were affected by a total of $95 million from releases of
tax reserves and other discrete items (see Note 4).
Consequently, as
shown in the table above, the effective tax rate was reduced by 19.7 percentage
points, which boosted net income by $95 million, earnings per share (assuming
dilution) by $1.15 and return on equity by 3.9 percentage points. In addition,
operating working capital was boosted by 1.4 percentage points in relation to
sales.
In 2007, the
Company’s effective tax rate was 33.7%, and was negatively impacted by 1.8
percentage points for discrete tax items.
In 2008, the
Company’s effective tax rate was 30.7%, and the impact of discrete tax items was
not material.
Effects
in 2006 of Discrete Tax Items
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reported
|
|
|
Effects
|
|
|
Adjusted
|
|
Net income
(million)
|
|
|
$402
|
|
|
|
$95
|
1)
|
|
|
$307
|
|
Net
margin
|
|
|
6.5%
|
|
|
|
1.5%
|
|
|
|
5.0%
|
|
Operating
working capital/sales
|
|
|
11.7%
|
|
|
|
1.4%
|
|
|
|
10.3%
|
|
Earnings per
share (assuming dilution)
|
|
|
$4.88
|
|
|
|
$1.15
|
|
|
|
$3.73
|
|
Return on
equity
|
|
|
17.1%
|
|
|
|
3.9%
|
|
|
|
13.2%
|
|
Effective
tax rate
|
|
|
12.2%
|
|
|
|
19.7%
|
|
|
|
31.9%
|
|
1) Consisting
of $69 million from release of tax reserves and $26 million from other
discrete tax items.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“Safe Harbor
Statement”
This
Annual Report contains statements that are not historical facts but rather
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are those that
address activities, events or developments that Autoliv, Inc. or its management
believes or anticipates may occur in the future, including statements relating
to industry trends, business opportunities, sales contracts, sales backlog,
on-going commercial arrangements and discussions, as well as any statements
about future operating performance or financial results.
In
some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as
“estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,”
“believes,” “might,” “will,” “should,” or the negative of these terms and other
comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements are so
identified.
All
such forward-looking statements, including without limitation, management’s
examination of historical operating trends and data, are based upon our current
expectations and various assumptions or data from third parties and apply only
as of the date of this report. Our expectations and beliefs are expressed in
good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there
can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize or
prove to be correct as these assumptions are inherently subject to significant
uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and
are beyond our control.
Because
these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, the outcome
could differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements for
a variety of reasons, including without limitation, changes in and the
successful execution of The Action Program discussed herein and the market
reaction thereto, changes in general industry and market conditions, increased
competition, higher raw material, fuel and energy costs, changes in consumer
preferences for end products, customer losses and changes in regulatory
conditions, customer bankruptcies, consolidations or restructuring, divestiture
of customer brands, the economic outlook for the Company’s markets, fluctuation
of foreign currencies, fluctuation in vehicle production schedules for which the
Company is a supplier, continued uncertainty in program awards and performance,
the financial results of companies in which Autoliv has made technology
investments, pricing negotiations with customers, increased costs, supply
issues, product liability, warranty and recall claims and other litigations,
possible adverse results of pending or future litigation or infringement claims,
legislative or regulatory changes, tax assessments by governmental authorities,
political conditions, dependence on customers and suppliers, as well the risks
identified in the section “Risks and Risk Management” on page 37-40 in the
Annual Report and in Item 1.A, “Risk Factors” in our 10-K filed with the SEC.
Except for the Company’s ongoing obligation to disclose information under the
U.S. federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update
publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information
or future events.
For
any forward-looking statements contained in this or any other document, we claim
the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Non-U.S.
GAAP Performance Measures
In this Annual
Report we sometimes refer to non-U.S. GAAP measures that we and securities
analysts use in measuring Autoliv’s performance.
We believe that
these measures assist investors in analyzing trends in the Company’s business
for the reasons given below. Investors should not consider these non-U.S. GAAP
measures as substitutes, but rather as additions to financial reporting measures
prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
These non-U.S.
GAAP measures have been identified, as applicable, in each section of this
Annual Report with tabular presentations on this page and page 30 and 40 in
the Annual Report reconciling them to U.S. GAAP.
It should be noted
that these measures, as defined, may not be comparable to similarly titled
measures used by other companies.
Organic
Sales
We analyze the
Company’s sales trends and performance as changes in “organic sales growth”,
because the Company generates more than 80% of net sales in other currencies
than in the reporting currency (i.e. U.S. dollars) and currency rates have
proven to be very volatile. Another reason for using organic sales is the fact
that the Company has historically made several acquisitions and
divestitures.
Organic sales
presents the increase or decrease in the overall U.S. dollar net sales on a
comparable basis, allowing separate discussions of the impact of
acquisitions/divestitures and exchange rates.
The tabular
reconciliation below presents changes in “organic sales growth” as reconciled to
the change in total U.S. GAAP net sales.
Components
in Sales Increase/Decrease (Dollars in millions)
|
|
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RoW
|
|
|
Total
|
|
2008
vs. 2007
|
|
%
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
Organic
change
|
|
|
(12.3)
|
|
|
|
(449.6)
|
|
|
|
(11.7)
|
|
|
|
(199.6)
|
|
|
|
3.3
|
|
|
|
20.7
|
|
|
|
(2.2)
|
|
|
|
(17.1)
|
|
|
|
(9.5)
|
|
|
|
(645.6)
|
|
Currency
effects
|
|
|
6.1
|
|
|
|
223.4
|
|
|
|
(0.3)
|
|
|
|
(5.1)
|
|
|
|
14.7
|
|
|
|
92.1
|
|
|
|
(1.4)
|
|
|
|
(10.8)
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
|
|
299.6
|
|
Acquisitions/divestitures
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
4.1
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
5.6
|
|
|
|
42.9
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
|
|
50.2
|
|
Reported
change
|
|
|
(6.1)
|
|
|
|
(222.1)
|
|
|
|
(11.8)
|
|
|
|
(201.5)
|
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
|
112.8
|
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
15.0
|
|
|
|
(4.4)
|
|
|
|
(295.8)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RoW
|
|
|
Total
|
|
2007
vs. 2006
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
Organic
sales growth
|
|
|
3.6
|
|
|
|
115.5
|
|
|
|
(0.6)
|
|
|
|
(9.8)
|
|
|
|
13.5
|
|
|
|
75.3
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
|
|
68.6
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
249.6
|
|
Effect of
exchange rates
|
|
|
9.0
|
|
|
|
294.0
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
(1.4)
|
|
|
|
(7.4)
|
|
|
|
5.5
|
|
|
|
36.3
|
|
|
|
5.3
|
|
|
|
322.9
|
|
Impact of
acquisitions
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
8.5
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
8.5
|
|
Reported
net sales change
|
|
|
12.6
|
|
|
|
409.5
|
|
|
|
(0.6)
|
|
|
|
(9.8)
|
|
|
|
12.1
|
|
|
|
67.9
|
|
|
|
17.3
|
|
|
|
113.4
|
|
|
|
9.4
|
|
|
|
581.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Working
Capital
Due to the need to
optimize cash generation to create value for shareholders, management focuses on
operating working capital as defined in the table below.
The reconciling
items used to derive this measure are, by contrast, managed as part of our
overall management of cash and debt, but they are not part of the
responsibilities of day-to-day operations’ management.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reconciliation
of “Operating working capital” to U.S. GAAP measure
|
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
$2,086.3
|
|
|
|
$2,095.2
|
|
|
|
$2,098.4
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
(1,380.7)
|
|
|
|
(1,663.3)
|
|
|
|
(1,531.6)
|
|
Working
capital
|
|
|
705.6
|
|
|
|
431.9
|
|
|
|
566.8
|
|
Cash and
cash equivalents
|
|
|
(488.6)
|
|
|
|
(153.8)
|
|
|
|
(168.1)
|
|
Short-term
debt
|
|
|
270.0
|
|
|
|
311.9
|
|
|
|
294.1
|
|
Derivative
asset and liability, current
|
|
|
15.9
|
|
|
|
(4.4)
|
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
Dividends
payable
|
|
|
14.8
|
|
|
|
28.8
|
|
|
|
29.6
|
|
Operating
working capital
|
|
|
$517.7
|
|
|
|
$614.4
|
|
|
|
$723.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Debt
As part of
efficiently managing the Company’s overall cost of funds, we routinely enter
into “debt-related derivatives” (DRD) as part of our debt management. The most
notable fair-value DRD’s were in connection with the 2007 issue of U.S. Private
Placements (see page 36 in the Annual Report).
Creditors and
credit rating agencies use net debt adjusted for DRD’s in their analyses of the
Company’s debt. This non-U.S. GAAP measure was used, for instance, in certain
covenants for the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility when it still had
covenants.
By adjusting for
DRD’s, the total economic liability of net debt is disclosed without grossing it
up with currency or interest fair market values that are offset by DRD’s
reported in other balance sheet captions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reconciliation
of “Net debt” to U.S. GAAP measure
|
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Short-term
debt
|
|
|
$270.0
|
|
|
|
$311.9
|
|
|
|
$294.1
|
|
Long-term
debt
|
|
|
1,401.1
|
|
|
|
1,040.3
|
|
|
|
887.7
|
|
Total
debt
|
|
|
1,671.1
|
|
|
|
1,352.2
|
|
|
|
1,181.8
|
|
Cash and
cash equivalents
|
|
|
(488.6)
|
|
|
|
(153.8)
|
|
|
|
(168.1)
|
|
Debt-related
derivatives
|
|
|
12.8
|
|
|
|
(16.5)
|
|
|
|
(3.3)
|
|
Net
debt
|
|
|
$1,195.3
|
|
|
|
$1,181.9
|
|
|
|
$1,010.4
|
|
Year
Ended D
ecemb
er
31
, 2008 Versus Year Ended December 31,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Airbag
|
|
|
Seatbelt
|
|
|
|
|
Component
of Change in Net Sales in 2008
|
|
Products
1)
|
|
|
Products
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Organic
sales growth
|
|
|
(9.9)
|
%
|
|
|
(8.8)
|
%
|
|
|
(9.5)
|
%
|
Effect of
exchange rates
|
|
|
4.1
|
%
|
|
|
5.0
|
%
|
|
|
4.4
|
%
|
Impact of
acquisitions
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
1.8
|
%
|
|
|
0.7
|
%
|
Reported
net sales change
|
|
|
(5.6)
|
%
|
|
|
(2.0)
|
%
|
|
|
(4.4)
|
%
|
1) Includes safety
electronics, steering wheels, inflators and initiators
Net
Sales
Net sales for 2008
decreased by 4% or by $296 million to $6,473 million due to a $646 million
decline in organic sales (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see page 31 in the Annual
Report), partly offset by currency effects of $300 million or 4% and
acquisitions (see page 34 in the Annual Report) which added $50 million or less
than 1% of net sales.
Organic sales
declined by 9.5%, in line with the overall decline in North American and
European LVP of 9.4%.
Organic sales
decreased by 3% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2007, by 1%
in the second, by 7% in the third and by 26% in the fourth quarter when the
credit crisis hit vehicle demand.
Organic sales of
airbag products
decreased by 10%, primarily due to a 16% drop in North American and a 9% decline
in Western European LVP. Despite the tough market, sales of side curtain airbags
continued to increase organically through introductions of the product into an
increasing number of vehicle models globally.
Organic sales of
seatbelt products
declined by 9% despite market share gains in North America and strong LVP during
most of the year in emerging markets. However, this was not enough to offset the
LVP declines in established markets throughout the year, exacerbated by a sudden
drop in LVP in the emerging markets towards the end of the year. There was also
a negative vehicle model mix shift due to the sharp decline in Western European
LVP.
In
Europe
, where Autoliv
generates more than half of net sales, organic sales declined by 12%, which was
due to the 9% decline in LVP in Western Europe where Autoliv generates 90% of
its European revenues. Sales were also affected by a negative vehicle model mix
due to the change-over of some important vehicle models such as the Renault
Megane and the Volkswagen Golf. Sales to Eastern Europe (e.g. Avtovaz in Russia)
and with respect to small cars (e.g. BMW’s Mini and Ford’s Kuga) performed well
until demand succumbed to the credit crisis in the fall.
In
North America
, which accounts
for almost one quarter of net sales, organic sales declined by 12%. This was
less than the 16% decrease in North American LVP thanks to Autoliv’s relatively
low exposure to SUVs and other light trucks which dropped by 25% in production
volumes. Instead, Autoliv benefited from increasing demand for some smaller cars
such as Chevrolet’s Malibu and Traverse; Buick’s Enclave; and Saturn’s
Aura.
In
Japan
, which accounts for just
over one tenth of net sales, organic sales grew by 3% compared to the Japanese
light vehicle production that declined by 1%. Autoliv’s strong performance
reflects rapidly growing installation rates for side curtain
airbags.
In the
Rest of the World (RoW)
, which
generates more than one tenth of net sales, organic sales declined by 2%
primarily due to a 6% decrease in LVP in Korea, which is the dominant market for
airbags and other safety systems in our RoW region.
Gross
Margin
In 2008, gross
profit decreased by 15% or $206 million to $1,124 million and gross margin to
17.4% from 19.7% in 2007. This was due to several reasons, primarily lower sales
caused by the sharp LVP cuts, especially towards the end of the year. Gross
profit and margin were also negatively affected by continued pricing pressure
from customers, higher raw material prices in the supply chain, costs related to
financially distressed suppliers and $12 million in fixed asset impairment
write-offs.
These negative
effects were partially offset by the move of production to LCC and by other
benefits of the Company’s cost reduction programs.
Operating
Income
Operating income
amounted to $306 million compared to $502 million in 2007 and operating margin
to 4.7% compared to 7.4%. In 2007, operating income and margin were affected by
a $30 million cost for a court ruling (see page 30 in the Annual
Report).
The declines in
2008 were primarily due to $206 million lower gross profit and $56 million
higher severance and restructuring costs totalling $80 million, partly offset by
$29 million lower R,D&E expense and $6 million lower S,G&A
expenses. These improvements reflect primarily higher engineering income and the
Company’s cost-savings actions.
Interest
Expense, Net
Interest expense,
net increased by 12% or $7 million to $60 million in 2008 as a result of an 11%
higher average net debt (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see page 31 in the Annual
Report).
Interest expense,
net also increased as a result of precautionary borrowing in the latter part of
2008 which also raised the level of cash. This cash was primarily invested in
Swedish and U.S. government notes which carry interest rates that are
significantly lower than Autoliv’s cost of funds. The weighted annual average
interest rate, net increased to 5.0% in 2008 from 4.9% in 2007.
Average net debt
increased by $122 million to $1,213 million during 2008 from $1,091 million
during the previous year.
However, net debt
at the end of 2008 increased by only $13 million to $1,195 million from $1,182
million at December 31, 2007, despite capital expenditures net of $279 million,
share repurchases of $174 million, dividend payments of $115 million and
acquisitions of $49 million (including a $7 million cash payment related to
acquisitions in 2007).
The modest
increase in net debt was thanks to strong operating cash flow of $614
million.
In the fourth
quarter, the refinancing of a major part of the Company’s U.S. commercial paper
(see Treasury Activities, page 35 in the Annual Report) increased interest
expense by approximately $1 million due to temporary elevated LIBOR interest
rates.
Income
Taxes
Income before
taxes amounted to $249 million compared to $446 million in 2007.
The effective tax
rate decreased to 30.7% from 33.7% in 2007 when the tax rate was increased by
1.8 percentage points for discrete tax items. In 2008, discrete tax items were
not material.
Net
Income and Earnings per Share
Net income
amounted to $165 million compared to $288 million in 2007 and net margin to 2.5%
compared to 4.3%. The declines were primarily due to a $197 million lower income
before taxes, partly offset by a $7 million favorable effect from a lower
effective tax rate.
Earnings per share
(assuming dilution) amounted to $2.28 compared to $3.68 in 2007. Lower pre-tax
income had a $1.69 negative effect on earnings per share, including 76 cents due
to severance and restructuring costs which was 30 cents more than in 2007
including the increase in legal reserves.
Earnings per share
was favorably impacted by 21 cents from currency effects, 24 cents from the
stock repurchase program and 14 cents from the lower effective tax
rate.
The weighted
average number of shares outstanding decreased by 8% to 72.1
million.
Year
Ended December 31, 2007 Versus Year Ended December 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Airbag
|
|
|
Seatbelt
|
|
|
|
|
Component
of Net Sales Increase in 2007
|
|
Products
1)
|
|
|
Products
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Organic
sales growth
|
|
|
2.5
|
%
|
|
|
7.1
|
%
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
Effect of
exchange rates
|
|
|
4.6
|
%
|
|
|
6.3
|
%
|
|
|
5.3
|
%
|
Impact of
acquisitions
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
Reported
net sales change
|
|
|
7.1
|
%
|
|
|
13.8
|
%
|
|
|
9.4
|
%
|
1) Includes safety
electronics, steering wheels, inflators and initiators
Net
Sales
Net sales for 2007
increased by 9% or by $581 million to $6,769 million, including currency effects
of $323 million or 5% and $9 million from an acquisition in India (see page 34
in the Annual Report).
Consequently,
organic sales (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see page 31 in the Annual Report) grew by
4% or by $250 million, despite price reductions to customers. The sales increase
was mainly due to strong performance in seatbelts and higher global vehicle
production. Sales were also driven by strong demand for curtain airbags and
higher market shares for safety electronics and steering wheels.
Organic sales
increased by 4% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2006, by 3%
in the second, by 6% in the third and by 4% in the fourth quarter.
Organic sales of
airbag products
increased by 2%, mainly due to the introduction of side curtain airbags
into an increasing number of vehicle models. Airbag product sales were also
driven by higher market share for safety electronics and steering wheels. Sales
were negatively affected by price erosion and the expiration of certain frontal
airbag contracts. Organic sales of
seatbelt products
rose by 7%
due to strong vehicle production in the Rest of the World and strong demand for
upgraded seatbelt systems with pretensioners.
In
Europe
, where Autoliv
generates approximately 50% of net sales, organic sales rose by 4% compared to a
2% increase in light vehicle production in Western Europe which accounts for 90%
of Autoliv’s European revenues. Eastern Europe also contributed to the growth of
the safety market and Autoliv’s sales, despite a lower average safety value per
vehicle, by raising its light vehicle production rapidly or by 18%.
In
North America
, which generates
nearly a quarter of net sales, organic sales declined by less than 1% due to a
1.5% decline in light vehicle production. Autoliv’s relatively strong
performance was due to rapidly increasing demand for curtain airbags, and market
share gains in safety electronics and steering wheels. These effects were
partially offset by price erosion and the expiration of certain frontal airbag
contracts.
In
Japan
, which accounts for
almost 10% of net sales, organic sales grew by 13% which was significantly
faster than the 1% growth in Japanese light vehicle production. Organic sales
growth was recorded in all product lines and was particularly strong in
seatbelt.
In the
Rest of the World
, which
generates nearly 15% of net sales, organic sales rose by 10% driven by a 13%
increase in the Region’s light vehicle production.
Gross
Margin
Gross profit
increased by 5% or $65 million to $1,331 million as a result of currency effects
and higher organic sales. However, gross margin declined to 19.7% in 2007 from
20.4% in 2006 due to pricing pressure from customers in combination with higher
raw material prices in the supply chain, costs related to financially distressed
suppliers and exceptionally high start-up activities, primarily in
China.
These negative
effects were partially offset by the move of production to LCC and by other
benefits of the Company’s cost reduction programs.
Operating
Income
Operating income
declined by $18 million to $502 million and operating margin to 7.4% from 8.4%
in 2006.
The decline in
operating income was entirely due to a $30 million cost for a court ruling (see
page 30 in the Annual Report), which had 0.5 percentage point negative margin
effect. Excluding the cost for the court ruling, operating income in 2007 would
have been $532 million and operating margin 7.9% (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see
page 30 in the Annual Report).
Operating margin
was negatively impacted by the 0.7 percentage points decline in gross margin,
partially offset by R,D&E expense declining to 5.8% of net sales from 6.4%
due to better utilization of R,D&E resources and moves of certain R,D&E
activities to LCC.
Interest
Expense, Net
Interest expense,
net increased by 40% or $15 million to $54 million in 2007 from $38 million in
2006 as a result of a 17% higher average net debt (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see
page 31 in the Annual Report) and higher floating market interest
rates.
Higher average net
debt primarily reflects the return of $501 million to shareholders during 2007
(see page 34 in the Annual Report) and acquisitions for $121
million.
The weighted
annual average interest rate, net increased to 4.9% in 2007 from 4.1% in
2006.
Average net debt
increased by $159 million to $1,091 million at December 31, 2007 from $932
million one year earlier. Net debt was affected by $380 million from the share
repurchase program, $314 million from capital expenditures, $121 million from
quarterly dividends and by $121 million for acquisitions, partly offset by cash
flow from operations of $781 million.
The Company
refinanced $400 million of U.S. commercial paper with a $400 million U.S.
private placement with no material effect on interest expense (see page 35 in
the Annual Report). Higher expenses, partly due to factoring agreements, caused
other financial items net to rise to $9 million from $6 million.
Income
Taxes
Income before
taxes amounted to $446 million compared to $481 million.
The effective tax
rate increased to 33.7% in 2007 from 12.2% in 2006 due to a favorable 19.7
percentage point impact of discrete tax items in 2006 and a negative 1.8
percentage point impact in 2007.
Net
Income and Earnings per Share
Net income
declined by $114 million to $288 million in 2007 from $402 million in 2006 when
net income was boosted by $95 million of discrete tax items, while the cost for
the court ruling had a negative after-tax impact of $20 million in 2007.
Excluding these effects, net income would have been $308 million compared to
$307 million in 2006 (non-U.S. GAAP measures, see page 30 in the Annual Report),
despite the stock repurchase program that resulted in higher interest
expense.
Primarily due to
acquisitions (see page 34 in the Annual Report), income allocated to minority
interest in subsidiaries was reduced by $12 million.
Earnings per share
(assuming dilution) declined to $3.68 from $4.88 in 2006 when discrete tax items
added $1.15, while earnings per share was reduced by $0.26 in 2007 by the cost
for the court ruling. Excluding these effects, earnings per share would have
risen by 21 cents or 6% to $3.94 from $3.73 (non-U.S. GAAP measures, see page 30
in the Annual Report).
Currency effects
had a favorable impact of 18 cents, the share repurchase program of 17 cents and
the 2007 discrete tax items of 10 cents.
Net income in 2007
of $288 million represented 4.3% of sales, including a 0.3% negative effect from
the cost for the court ruling. In 2006, net income of $402 million represented
6.5% of sales, of which 1.5 percentage points were due to discrete tax
items.
Liquidity,
Resources and Financial Position
Cash
from Operations
Cash flow from
operations, together with available financial resources and credit facilities,
are expected to be adequate to fund Autoliv’s anticipated working capital
requirements, capital expenditures, potential strategic acquisitions and
dividend payments.
Cash provided by
operating activities was $614 million in 2008, $781 million in 2007, and $560
million in 2006.
While management
of cash and debt is important to the overall business, it is not part of the
responsibilities of operations’ day-to-day management. We therefore focus on
operationally derived working capital and have set the target that this key
ratio should not exceed 10% of the last 12-month net sales. At December 31,
2008, operating working capital (non-U.S. GAAP measure see page 31 in the Annual
Report) stood at $518 million corresponding to 8.0% of net sales compared to
$614 million or 9.1% at December 31, 2007, and $724 million and 11.7% at the end
of 2006 when this ratio was boosted by 1.8 percentage points from the release of
tax reserves and tax payments made before year-end. The 2008 number was
favorably impacted by the sales of $104 million worth of receivables due to
factoring agreements. For 2007, this impact was $116 million and for 2006, $95
million.
Days receivables
outstanding (see page 70 in the Annual Report for definition) decreased to 49 at
December 31, 2008 from 64 one year earlier due to the sharp sales drop in
December 2008. Factoring agreements did not have any material effect on days
receivables outstanding for 2008 or 2007.
Days inventory
on-hand (definition on page 70 in the Annual Report) increased to 39 days at
December 31, 2008 from 33 at December 31, 2007. The increase was due to higher
raw material prices, higher safety stock for distressed suppliers and more
products in transit as a reflection of production moves to low-cost
countries.
See Notes 10 and
11 to Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning cash payments
associated with restructuring and product-related liabilities.
Capital
Expenditures
Cash generated by
operating activities continued to be adequate to cover capital expenditures for
property, plant and equipment.
Capital
expenditures, gross, were $293 million in 2008, $324 million in 2007, and $328
million in 2006, corresponding to 4.5% of net sales in 2008, 4.8% in 2007, and
of 5.3% in 2006.
In 2008 capital
expenditures, net of $279 million were $68 million less than depreciation and
amortization of $323 million and $24 million, respectively. This difference is
due to three reasons: First, active decisions to reduce manufacturing
capacity expansion in response to lower LVP-levels. Second, most of the
depreciation stems from capital expenditures in high-cost countries, while
current capital expenditures are to a higher degree focused in emerging markets
where construction costs and cost for machinery are generally lower. Third, in
LCC it is possible to use less automation, which reduces capital expenditures
for manufacturing lines even more.
After a strong
capacity build-up during the last few years, especially in China and India,
capital expenditures during 2009 are expected to continue to decline and stay
within the range of $200 million to $250 million.
Acquisitions
From time to time,
the Company makes acquisitions. The cost of acquisitions (including cash
acquired) amounted to $42 million in 2008 (excluding cash outlays of $7 million
for an acquisition in 2007), $130 million in 2007 and to $3 million in
2006.
As of September
26, 2008, Autoliv acquired a part of the automotive radar sensors business of
Tyco Electronics for $42 million. This acquisition added $7 million to Autoliv’s
consolidated sales in 2008.
In December 2007,
Autoliv acquired the remaining 41% of the shares in the consolidated Chinese
subsidiary Autoliv (Changchun) Maw Hung Vehicle Safety Systems for nearly $14
million.
As of October 31,
2007, Autoliv acquired the remaining 50.01% of the shares in Autoliv IFB Private
Ltd for $36 million and began to consolidate this Indian seatbelt company. This
added $9 million during the two remaining months of 2007 or 0.1% to consolidated
sales and $43 million in 2008 (corresponding to 0.7% of sales).
At the beginning
of 2007, Autoliv acquired the remaining 35% of the shares in Autoliv-Mando in
Korea for $80 million. This strategic acquisition increased amortization related
to additional intangibles by $4 million, but reduced cost for minority interests
by $12 million.
In 2006, Autoliv
increased its holding to 70% from 50% in Nanjing Hongguang Autoliv Safety
Systems, which was already consolidated, for approximately $3
million.
Financing
Activities
Cash provided by
financing activities amounted to $105 million during 2008. Cash and cash
equivalents increased by $335 million to $489 million at December 31, 2008 from
December 31, 2007. This was the result of precautionary borrowing (See Treasury
Activities on page 35 in the Annual Report) due to the financial turmoil in the
fall of 2008.
Net debt (non-U.S.
GAAP measure see page 31 in the Annual Report) increased by $13 million to
$1,195 million and net-debt-to-capitalization ratio (see page 70 in the Annual
Report) increased to 36% at December 31, 2008, from 33% at December 31, 2007.
The marginally higher net debt was a result of stock repurchases and dividend
payments totalling $289 million, capital expenditures, net of $279 million and
acquisitions totalling $49 million which was almost fully offset by the
Company’s operating cash generation in 2008 of $614 million.
In line with the
Company’s conservative debt policy and in response to the financial turmoil,
short-term debt to total debt was reduced to 16% during 2008 from 23% at
December 31, 2007 (See Treasure Activities on page 35 in the Annual
Report).
Income
Taxes
The Company has
reserves for taxes that may become payable in future periods as a result of tax
audits.
At any given time,
the Company is undergoing tax audits in several tax jurisdictions and covering
multiple years. Ultimate outcomes are uncertain but could, in future periods,
have a significant impact on the Company’s cash flows. See discussions of income
taxes under “Accounting Policies” on page 41 in the Annual Report and also Note
4 to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.
Pension
Arrangements
The Company has
non-contributory defined benefit pension plans covering most U.S. employees,
although the Company has frozen participation in the U.S. plans for all
employees hired after December 31, 2003.
The Company’s
non-U.S. employees are also covered by pension arrangements. See Note 18 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements included herein by reference for further
information about retirement plans.
At December 31,
2008, the Company’s recognized liability (i.e. the actual funded status) for its
U.S. plans was $54 million and the U.S. plans had a net unamortized actuarial
loss of $65 million recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in
the Equity Statement. The amortization of this loss is not expected to have any
material impact for any of the nine-year estimated remaining service lives of
the plan participants.
Pension expense
associated with these plans was $4 million in 2008 and is expected to be $13
million in 2009. The Company contributed $15 million to its U.S. defined benefit
plan in 2008 and $9 million in 2007.
The Company
expects to contribute $6 million to its plans in 2009 and is currently
projecting a yearly funding at the same level in the years
thereafter.
Dividends
The dividend paid
in the first and the second quarters of 2008 was 39 cents per share. The
dividend for the third quarter was raised by 5% to 41 cents per share and
remained at 41 cents for the fourth quarter.
Total cash
dividends of $115 million were paid in 2008 and $121 million in 2007. In
addition, the Company returned $174 million to shareholders in 2008 and $380
million in 2007 through repurchases of shares.
The Company
reduced the dividend to 21 cents per share for the first quarter 2009 on
December 16, 2008 and on February 17, 2009, suspended further dividend payments
since the Company believes it is prudent to preserve cash in order to maintain a
strong cash position in the current uncertain business environment.
Equity
During 2008,
equity decreased by $233 million to $2,117 million due to share repurchases and
quarterly dividends totaling $275 million net, currency effects of $101 million
and higher pension liabilities of $32 million. Equity was favorably impacted by
net income of $165 million and by $10 million from the issuance of shares and
other effects related to stock compensation.
In the first
quarter 2007, Autoliv adopted FIN-48 (see page 48 in the Annual Report), which
resulted in a release of tax reserves and an increase of equity of $10
million.
Impact
of Inflation
Except for raw
materials, inflation has generally not had a significant impact on the Company’s
financial position or results of operations. However, increases in the prices of
raw materials in the supply chain had a negative impact of close to $60 million
in 2008 on top of $20 million impacts, in both 2007 and 2006, resulting in an
aggregate increase of approximately $100 million from the 2005
level.
Inflation is
currently expected to remain low in all of the major countries in which the
Company operates.
Raw material
prices are expected to decline during 2009. Changes in most raw material prices
affect the Company with a time lag, which is usually six to twelve months for
most materials (See Component Costs on page 37 in the Annual
Report).
Personnel
During 2008, total
headcount decreased by 4,600 to 37,300 despite an acquisition in September that
added 115. The headcount reduction of 11% was even slightly faster than the 9.5%
decline in organic sales.
Headcount
increased by 1,100 during the first quarter due to expansion in low-cost
countries (LCC). Headcount stood almost unchanged in the second quarter.
Headcount then declined by 1,700 in the third quarter and by 4,000 in the fourth
quarter, resulting in a gross headcount reduction of nearly 5,900 since July
when the Company’s Action Program was announced.
During 2007,
headcount increased by 100 due to the acquisition of Autoliv IFB in India.
However, excluding the acquisition, headcount declined by 1% which compares
favorably with the organic sales increase in 2007 of 4%.
During 2008,
headcount was reduced by 3,400 in high-cost countries (HCC) and by 1,200 in
low-cost countries, while 1,300 were permanent employees and 3,300 temporary
labor. As a result, 55% of total headcount at December 31, 2008 were in LCC
compared to 52% one year earlier and less than 10% when these programs began in
1999.
To maintain
flexibility in the cyclical automotive industry, 9% of total headcount –
corresponding to 3,300 people – were temporary hourly workers at December 31,
2008 and 16% one year earlier. In high-cost countries, these ratios were 10% and
18%, respectively. The decline in these ratios during 2008 reflects the effects
of the Company’s Action Program and other production cuts, which have affected
the number of temporary personnel more – and earlier – than the number of
permanent employees.
Compensation to
Directors and executive officers is reported, as customary for U.S. public
companies, in Autoliv’s proxy statement.
Significant
Litigation
In 1997, Autoliv
AB (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autoliv, Inc.) acquired Marling Industries plc
(“Marling”). At that time, Marling was involved in a litigation relating to the
sale in 1992 of a French subsidiary. In May 2006, a French court ruled that
Marling (now named Autoliv Holding Limited) and another entity, then part of the
Marling group, had failed to disclose certain facts in connection with the 1992
sale and appointed an expert to assess the losses suffered by the plaintiff.
The
acquirer of the French subsidiary has made claims for damages of €40 million
(approximately $56 million) but has not yet provided the court appointed expert
with the materials needed to evaluate its claims.
Autoliv, which has
appealed the May 2006 court decision, believes it has meritorious grounds for
such appeal. In the opinion of the Company’s management, it is not possible to
give any meaningful estimate of any financial impact that may arise from the
claim but it is possible (while management does not believe it is probable) that
the final outcome of this litigation will result in a loss that will have to be
recorded by Autoliv, Inc.
Treasury
Activities
Credit
Facilities
After the Lehman
Brothers bankruptcy in September 2008 and the outbreak of the global credit
crisis, Autoliv’s two commercial paper programs were affected in terms of higher
interest rate margins, shorter terms and less available volume. We therefore
chose to reduce the Company’s dependence on the commercial paper
markets.
Accordingly, in
October and November, Autoliv Inc. entered into two new revolving credit
facilities maturing in 2010. The total amount of these facilities is SEK 1.5
billion ($193 million). Loans under these facilities carry a margin of 1.3-1.5
percentage points on the applicable inter-bank reference rate.
Also in the fall
of 2008, the Company issued floating-rate medium-term notes of SEK 450 million
($58 million) with a term of 2 and 3 years, while SEK 1,250 million ($161
million) of medium-term notes matured. This refinancing had a short-term
negative effect of $1 million on interest expense in the fourth quarter due to
temporary elevated LIBOR interest rates. There are no financial covenants (i.e.
performance related restrictions) for these new credit agreements nor for any
other substantial financing of Autoliv (See Note 12).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Additional
|
|
Type
of facility
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
average
|
|
|
amount
|
|
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|
of
facility
|
|
|
outstanding
|
|
|
interest
rate
|
|
|
available
|
|
Revolving
credit facilities
|
|
|
$1,293
|
|
|
|
$629
|
|
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
$664
|
|
U.S.
commercial paper program
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
50
|
|
|
|
4.8
|
%
|
|
|
950
|
1)
|
Swedish
commercial paper program
|
|
|
903
|
|
|
|
206
|
|
|
|
6.0
|
%
|
|
|
697
|
1)
|
Other
short-term debt
|
|
|
270
|
|
|
|
126
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
|
|
144
|
|
Swedish
medium-term notes
|
|
|
645
|
|
|
|
229
|
|
|
|
4.2
|
%
|
|
|
416
|
|
US private
placement carrying fixed rates
|
|
|
340
|
|
|
|
340
|
|
|
|
5.5
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
US private
placement carrying floating rates
|
|
|
75
|
|
|
|
75
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
Other
long-term debt, including current portion
|
|
|
22
|
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
%
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
debt as reported
|
|
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
$1,671
|
|
|
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
$808
|
2)
|
1) Total
outstanding commercial paper programs (“CP”) should not exceed total undrawn
revolving credit facilities (“RCF”) according to the Company’s financial
policy.
2) Unutilized
credit facilities (long-term revolving credit facilities and other short-term
debt) excluding capital market programs.
To remain
compliant with its interest rate risk policy (see page 39 in the Annual Report),
the Company cancelled during 2008 some of the interest rate swaps relating to
its $400 million U.S. private placement from 2007. As a result, $340 million of
these notes now carry fixed rates varying between 4.6% to 5.8% and $60 million
carry floating rates at three-months LIBOR + 1.0%. The notes consist of four
tranches of varying sizes, maturing between 2012 and 2019.
Of the $1,100
million revolving credit facility (“RCF”), $500 million was utilized at December
31, 2008. The terms of the agreement remained unchanged but the costs increased
marginally (See page 40 in the Annual Report). In 2007, one bank sold its
participation to another bank in the syndicate. The RCF is since then syndicated
among 14 banks. This unsecured facility, which remains available until November
2012, is not subject to financial covenants (i.e. performance – related
restrictions) and has no forward-looking material adverse change clause (See
Note 12).
The weighted
average interest rate on the $1,671 million of debt outstanding at December 31,
2008, was 4.7% compared to 5.0% one year earlier. The lower interest rate
relates to lower floating rates at year end 2008 compared to year end 2007,
partially offset by temporarily elevated LIBOR interest rates in the fall of
2008.
During 2008, the
Company sold receivables, without resource, related to select customers with
high credit worthiness. Since the Company uses the cash received to repay debt,
these factoring arrangements have the effect of reducing net debt and accounts
receivable. At December 31, 2008, the Company had received $104 million for sold
receivables with a discount of $4 million during the year, compared to $116
million in 2007 with a discount of $4 million recorded as Other financial items,
net.
Shares
and Share Buybacks
In 2000, the Board
authorized a share repurchase program for up to 10 million Autoliv shares. The
program was expanded by an additional 10 million shares, both in 2003 and in
2005, and by an additional 7.5 million in November 2007. At December 31, 2008,
3.2 million shares remained of this mandate for repurchases.
Purchases can be
made from time to time as market and business conditions warrant in open market,
negotiated or block transactions. There is no expiration date for the mandate,
which
enables management to buy back shares opportunistically.
During 2006, when
cash flow from operations amounted to $560 million, we returned $221 million to
shareholders through share repurchases of 3,976,900 shares at an average cost of
$55.69 per share. In 2007, when the cash flow increased to $781 million, we
raised the return through share buyback to $380 million by buying back 6,625,595
shares at an average cost of $57.35 per share. On the other hand, in 2008, when
cash flow from operations declined to $614 million, we reduced the buyback
return to $174 million by repurchasing 3,709,460 shares at an average cost of
$46.77 per share. By adjusting its returns to shareholders in this way to the
changes in the annual cash flow generation levels and to the changes in the
credit markets, the Company achieve high financial stability even in the
cyclical automotive industry.
Since the
inception of the program, the Company has returned $1,473 million to
shareholders by repurchasing 34.3 million shares at an average cost of $42.93
per share.
At December 31,
2008, there were 70.3 million shares outstanding, net of treasury shares, a 5%
reduction compared to 73.8 million one year earlier.
Contractual
Obligations and Commitments
Aggregate Contractual Obligations
1)
|
|
|
|
Payments
due by Period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less
than
|
|
|
|
1-3
|
|
|
|
3-5
|
|
|
More
than
|
|
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1
year
|
|
|
years
|
|
|
years
|
|
|
5
years
|
|
Debt obligations including DRD
2)
|
|
|
$1,684
|
|
|
|
$286
|
|
|
|
$230
|
|
|
|
$877
|
|
|
|
$291
|
|
Fixed-interest obligations including DRD
2)
|
|
|
113
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
|
33
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
Operating
lease obligations
|
|
|
91
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
22
|
|
|
|
17
|
|
Unconditional
purchase obligations
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
Other
non-current liabilities reflected
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
on
the balance sheet
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
$1,902
|
|
|
|
$326
|
|
|
|
$304
|
|
|
|
$934
|
|
|
|
$338
|
|
1) Excludes
contingent liabilities arising from litigation, arbitration, income taxes or
regulatory actions.
2) Debt-Related
Derivatives, see Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Contractual
obligations include lease and purchase obligations that are enforceable and
legally binding on the Company. Minority interests, post-retirement benefits and
restructuring obligations are not included in this table. The major employee
obligations as a result of restructuring are disclosed in Note 10.
Debt
obligations including DRD
: For material contractual provisions, see Note
12. The debt obligations include capital lease obligations, which mainly refer
to property and plants in Europe, as well as the impact of revaluation to fair
value of Debt-Related Derivatives (DRD).
Fixed-interest obligations including
DRD
: These obligations include interest on debt and credit agreements
relating to periods after December 31, 2008, as adjusted by DRD, excluding fees
on the revolving credit facility and interest on debts with no defined
amortization plan.
Operating lease obligations
:
The Company leases certain offices, manufacturing and research buildings,
machinery, automobiles and data processing and other equipment. Such operating
leases, some of which are non-cancelable and include renewals, expire at various
dates (see Note 17).
Unconditional purchase
obligations
: There are no unconditional purchase obligations other than
short-term obligations related to inventory, services, tooling, and property,
plant and equipment purchased in the ordinary course of
business.
Purchase
agreements with suppliers entered into in the ordinary course of business do not
generally include fixed quantities. Quantities and delivery dates are
established in “call off plans” accessible electronically for all customers and
suppliers involved. Communicated “call off plans” for production material from
suppliers are normally reflected in equivalent commitments from Autoliv
customers.
Other
non-current liabilities reflected on the balance sheet
: These liabilities
consist mainly of local governmental loans.
Off-balance
Sheet Arrangements
The Company does
not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely
to have, a material current or future effect on its financial position, results
of operations or cash flows.
Risks
and Risk Management
The Company is
exposed to several categories of risks. They can broadly be categorized as
operational risks, strategic risks and financial risks. Some of the major risks
in each category are described below. There are also other risks (see Form 10-K
filed with the SEC) that could have a material effect on the Company’s results
and financial position. Consequently, the description below does not claim to be
complete but should be read with our Form 10-K.
As described
below, the Company has taken several mitigating actions, applied many
strategies, adopted policies, and introduced control and reporting systems to
reduce and mitigate these risks.
Operational
Risks
Light
Vehicle Production
Since
approximately 30% of Autoliv’s costs are relatively fixed, short-term earnings
are highly dependent on capacity utilization in the Company’s plants and are,
therefore, sales dependent.
Global light
vehicle production is an indicator of the Company’s sales development, but it is
the production levels for the individual vehicle models that Autoliv supplies
which are critical (see Dependence on Customers). The Company’s sales are split
over several hundred contracts covering at least as many vehicle platforms or
models which generally moderates the effect of changes in vehicle demand of
individual countries and regions.
It is also the
Company’s strategy to reduce this risk by using a high number of temporary
employees instead of permanent employees. During 2008, temporary workers in
relation to total headcount varied between 9% and 16%.
However, when
there is a dramatic reduction in the level of production of the vehicle models
supplied by the Company as occurred during the fall of 2008, it takes time to
reduce the level of permanent employees and even longer time to reduce fixed
production capacity. As a result, our margins could drop significantly and
materially impact earnings and cash flow.
Pricing
Pressure
Pricing pressure
from customers is an inherent part of the automotive components business. The
extent of pricing reductions varies from year to year, and takes the form of
reductions in direct sales prices as well as of discounted reimbursements for
engineering work.
In response,
Autoliv is continuously engaged in efforts to reduce costs and in providing
customers added value by developing new products.
The various
cost-reduction programs are, to a considerable extent, interrelated. This
interrelationship makes it difficult to isolate the impact of any single program
on costs, and management does not generally attempt to do so, except for the
2008 action program. Instead, it monitors key measures such as costs in relation
to margins and geographical employee mix. But generally speaking, the speed by
which these cost-reduction programs generate results will, to a large extent,
determine the future profitability of the Company.
Component
Costs
Since the cost of
direct materials is approximately 52% of net sales, changes in these component
costs could have a major impact on margins.
Of these costs,
approximately 42% (corresponding to 22% of net sales) are comprised of raw
materials and the remaining 58% are value added by the supply chain. Currently,
37% of the raw material cost (or 8% of net sales) is based on steel prices; 34%
on oil prices (i.e. nylon, polyester and engineering plastics (7% of net sales);
9% on zinc, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals (2% of net sales); and 13% on
electronic components, such as circuit boards (3% of net sales).
Except for
magnesium and small quantities of steel and plastic resins, the Company does not
buy any raw materials but only manufactured components. As a result, changes in
most raw material prices affect the Company with a time lag, which is usually
six to twelve months for most materials, but one to three months for magnesium,
zinc and aluminum.
The Company’s
strategy is to offset price increases on cost of materials by taking several
actions such as material standardization, consolidating volumes to fewer
suppliers and moving components sourcing to low-cost countries. Should we fail
to do so, our earnings could be materially impacted.
Product
Warranty and Recalls
The Company is
exposed to various claims for damages and compensation, if our products fail to
perform as expected. Such claims can be made, and result in costs and other
losses to the Company, even where the relevant product is eventually found to
have functioned properly. Where a product (actually or allegedly) fails to
perform as expected, we may face warranty and recall claims. Where such actual
or alleged failure results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/or
property damage we may in addition face product-liability and other
claims.
There can be no
assurance that the Company will not experience any material warranty, recall or
product-liability claim or loss in the future or that the Company will not incur
significant cost to defend against such claims. The Company may be required to
participate in a recall involving its products. Each vehicle manufacturer has
its own practices regarding product recalls and other product-liability actions
relating to its suppliers. As suppliers become more integrally involved in the
vehicle design process and assume more of the vehicle assembly functions,
vehicle manufacturers are increasingly looking to their suppliers for
contribution when faced with recalls and product-liability claims. Also, as our
products increasingly use global platforms (are based on or utilize the same or
similar parts, components or solutions) the risk that any given failure or
defect will result in Autoliv incurring material cost is
increasing.
A
warranty, recall or a product-liability claim brought against the Company in
excess of the Company’s insurance may have a material adverse effect on its
business. Vehicle manufacturers are also increasingly requiring their external
suppliers to guarantee or warrant their products and bear the costs of repair
and replacement of such products under new vehicle warranties. A vehicle
manufacturer may attempt to hold the Company responsible for some or all of the
repair or replacement costs of defective products under new vehicle warranties
when the product supplied did not perform as represented.
Accordingly, the
future costs of warranty claims by the Company’s customers may be material.
However, we believe our established reserves are adequate to cover potential
warranty settlements, typically seen in our business.
The Company’s
warranty reserves are based upon management’s best estimates of amounts
necessary to settle future and existing claims. Management regularly evaluates
the appropriateness of these reserves, and adjusts them when they believe it is
appropriate to do so. However, the final amounts determined to be due could
differ materially from the Company’s recorded estimates.
The Company’s
strategy is to follow a stringent procedure when developing new products and
technologies and to apply a proactive “zero-defect” quality policy (see page 19
in the Annual Report). In addition, the Company carries product-liability and
product-recall insurance at levels that management believes are generally
sufficient to cover the risks. However, such insurance may not always be
available in appropriate amounts or in all markets. Further, the cost for such
insurance impacts management’s decision regarding what insurance to procure. As
a result, the Company may face material losses in excess of the insurance
coverage procured. A substantial recall or liability in excess of coverage
levels could therefore have a material adverse effect on the
Company.
Environmental
While the
Company’s businesses from time to time are subject to environmental
investigations, there are no material environmental-related cases pending
against the Company. In addition, Autoliv does not incur (or expect to incur)
any material costs or capital expenditures associated with maintaining
facilities compliant with U.S. or non-U.S. environmental requirements. Since
most of the Company’s manufacturing processes consist of the assembly of
components, the environmental impact from the Company’s plants is generally
modest.
To reduce
environmental risk, the Company has implemented an environmental management
system (see page 23 in the Annual Report) and has adopted an environmental
policy (see corporate website www.autoliv.com) that requires, for instance, that
all plants should be ISO-14001 certified.
However,
environmental requirements are complex, change and have tended to become more
stringent over time. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that these
requirements will not change or become more stringent in the future, or that we
will at all times be in compliance with all such requirements and regulations,
despite our intention to be. The Company may also find itself subject, possibly
due to changes in legislation, to environmental liabilities based on the
activities of its predecessor entities or of businesses acquired. Such liability
could be based on activities which are not at all related to the Company’s
current activities.
Strategic
Risks
Regulations
In addition to
vehicle production, the Company’s market is driven by the safety content per
vehicle, which is affected by new regulations and new crash-test rating
programs, in addition to consumer demand for new safety
technologies.
The most important
regulation is the U.S. federal law that, since 1997, requires frontal airbags
for both the driver and the front-seat passenger in all new vehicles sold in the
U.S. Seatbelt installation laws exist in all vehicle-producing countries. Many
countries also have strict enforcement laws on the wearing of seatbelts. The
U.S. has adopted new regulations for side-impact protection to be phased-in
during a three-year period beginning in 2010. China introduced a crash-test
rating program in 2006. Europe introduced a new more stringent Euro NCAP rating
system in 2009, and the National Highway and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
decided to upgrade the equivalent U.S. crash-test rating program. There are also
other plans for improved automotive safety, both in these countries and many
countries that could affect the Company’s market.
There can be no
assurance, however, that changes in regulations could not adversely affect the
demand for the Company’s products or, at least, result in a slower increase in
the demand for them.
Dependence
on Customers
The five largest
vehicle manufacturers account for 54% of global light vehicle production and the
ten largest manufacturers for 80%.
As a result of
this highly consolidated market, the Company is dependent on a relatively small
number of customers with strong purchasing power.
The Company’s five
largest customers account for 53% of revenues and the ten largest customers
account for 81% of revenues. For a list of the largest customers, see Note
19.
The largest
contract accounted for 5% of sales in 2008. This contract expires in
2012.
Although business
with every major customer is split into several contracts (usually one contract
per vehicle platform), the loss of all business of a major customer, the
consolidation of one or more major customers or a bankruptcy of a major customer
could have a material adverse effect on the Company. In addition, a significant
disruption in the industry, a significant decline in demand or pricing, or a
dramatic change in technology could have a material adverse effect.
Customer
Payment Risk
Another risk
related to our customers is the risk that one or more customers will be unable
to pay invoices that become due. The probability that this will occur has
increased lately as more customers have increasingly faced financial
difficulties and we expect this risk to increase even further in
2009.
We seek to limit
Autoliv’s customer payment risks by invoicing major customers through their
local subsidiaries in each country, even for global contracts. We thus try to
avoid having Autoliv’s receivables with a multinational customer group exposed
to the risk that a bankruptcy or similar event in one country puts all
receivables with the customer group at risk. In each country, we also monitor
invoices becoming overdue.
Even so, if a
major customer would be unable to fulfill its payment obligations, it is likely
that the Company will be forced to record a substantial loss.
Autoliv’s
receivables with GM in North America, at quarter-ends, tend to vary between
approximately $50-100 million; with Ford in North America between $25-50 million
and with Chrysler in North America between $25-60 million.
Dependence
on Suppliers
Autoliv, at each
stage of production, relies on internal or external suppliers in order to meet
its delivery commitments. In some cases, customers require that the suppliers
are qualified and approved by them. Autoliv’s supplier consolidation program
seeks to reduce costs but increases our dependence on the remaining suppliers.
As a result, the Company is dependent, in several instances, on a single
supplier for a specific component.
Consequently,
there is a risk that disruptions in the supply chain could lead to the Company
not being able to meet its delivery commitments and, as a consequence, to extra
costs. This risk increases as suppliers are being squeezed between high raw
material prices and the continuous pricing pressure in the automotive industry.
This risk has also increased during 2008 and is likely to continue to increase
during 2009 as a result of significantly lower LVP levels and a much tighter
liquidity market.
The Company’s
strategy is to reduce these supplier risks by seeking to maintain multiple
suppliers in all significant component technologies, by standardization and by
developing alternative suppliers around the world.
However, for
various reasons including costs involved in maintaining alternative suppliers,
this is not always possible. As a result, difficulties with a single supplier
could impact more than one customer and product, and thus materially impact our
earnings.
New
Competition
The market for
occupant restraint systems has undergone a significant consolidation during the
past ten years and Autoliv has strengthened its position in this passive safety
market.
However, in the
future, the best growth opportunities may be in safety electronics and active
safety systems markets, which include and are likely to include other and often
larger companies than Autoliv’s traditional competitors. Additionally, there is
no guarantee our customers will adopt our new products or
technologies.
Autoliv is
reducing the risk of this trend by utilizing its leadership in passive safety to
develop a strong position in active and especially integrated safety (see pages
15-16 in the Annual Report).
Patents
and Proprietary Technology
The Company’s
strategy is to protect its innovations with patents, and to vigorously protect
and defend its patents, trademarks and know-how against infringement and
unauthorized use. At the end of 2008, the Company held more than 4,800 patents.
The patents expire on various dates during the period 2009 to 2028. The
expiration of any single patent is not expected to have a material adverse
effect on the Company’s financial results.
Although the
Company believes that its products and technology do not infringe upon the
proprietary rights of others, there can be no assurance that third parties will
not assert infringement claims against the Company in the future. Also, there
can be no assurance that any patent now owned by the Company will afford
protection against competitors that develop similar technology.
Financial
Risks
The Company is
exposed to financial risks through its international operations and
debt-financed activities. These financial risks are caused by variations in the
Company’s cash flows resulting from changes in exchange rates and interest rate
levels, as well as from refinancing and credit risks.
In order to reduce
the financial risks and to take advantage of economies of scale, the Company has
a central treasury department supporting operations and management. The treasury
department handles external financial transactions and functions as the
Company’s in-house bank for its subsidiaries.
The Board of
Directors monitors compliance with the financial policy on an on-going basis. At
December 31, 2008, the Company was compliant with all of its financial
policies.
However, as of February 19,
2009, the Company did not meet its objective of maintaining a strong investment
grade rating following Standard and Poor's decision to change Autoliv's
rating to BBB- (see page 40 in the Annual Report).
Currency
Risks
1.
Transaction
Exposure
Transaction
exposure arises because the cost of a product originates in one currency and the
product is sold in another currency.
The Company’s
gross transaction exposure forecasted for 2009 is approximately $1.6 billion. A
part of the flows have counter-flows in the same currency pair, which reduces
the net exposure to approximately $1.2 billion per annum. In the three largest
net exposures, Autoliv expects to sell U.S. dollars against Mexican Peso for the
equivalent of $218 million, Japanese Yen against Thai Baht for $108 million and
Euros against Swedish Krona for $102 million. Together these currencies will
account for approximately one third of the Company’s net exposure.
Since the Company
can only effectively hedge these flows in the short term, periodic hedging would
only reduce the impact of fluctuations temporarily. Over time, periodic hedging
would postpone but not reduce the impact of fluctuations. In addition, the net
exposure is limited to less than one quarter of net sales and is made up of 51
different currency pairs with exposures in excess of $1 million each.
Consequently, the income statement effect related to transaction exposures is
modest. As a result, Autoliv does not hedge these flows.
2.
Translation Exposure in the
Income
Statement
Another effect of
exchange rate fluctuations arises when the income statements of non-U.S.
subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars. Outside the U.S., the Company’s
most significant currency is the Euro. Close to 55% of the Company’s net sales
is denominated in Euro or other European currencies, while 18% of net sales is
denominated in U.S. dollars.
The Company
estimates that a one-percent increase in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the
European currencies would have decreased reported U.S. dollar net annual sales
in 2008 by approximately $35 million or by roughly 0.5%. Reported operating
income for 2008 would also have declined by 0.5% or by approximately $2 million.
The fact that both sales and operating income is impacted at the same rate (i.e.
0.5%) is due to the fact that most of the Company’s production is local.
Accordingly, most revenues and costs are matched in the same
currencies.
The Company’s
policy is not to hedge this type of translation exposure since there is no cash
flow effect to hedge.
3.
Translation Exposure in the
Balance
Sheet
A
translation exposure also arises when the balance sheets of non-U.S.
subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars. The policy of the Company is to
finance major subsidiaries in the country’s local currency.
Consequently,
changes in currency rates relating to funding have a small impact on the
Company’s income.
Interest
Rate Risk
Interest rate risk
refers to the risk that interest rate changes will affect the Company’s
borrowing costs. Autoliv’s interest rate risk policy states that an increase in
floating interest rates of one percentage point should not increase the annual
net interest expense by more than $10 million in the following year and not by
more than $15 million in the second year.
The Company
estimates, given its debt structure at the end of 2008, that a one percentage
point interest rate increase would increase net interest expense in 2009 and
2010 by $8.1 million and $8.2 million, respectively.
The fixed interest
rate debt is achieved both by issuing fixed rate notes and through interest rate
swaps. The most notable debt carrying fixed interest rates is $340 million of
the $400 million private placement issued in 2007 (see Note 12).
The entire
placement was issued carrying fixed interest rates. In order to benefit from a
potential future decrease in interest rates, $200 million of this placement was
initially swapped into floating interest rates. As fixed U.S. dollar rates
decreased in 2008, $140 million of the $200 million swaps were cancelled and
lower fixed rate debt has thus been achieved. The table below shows the maturity
and composition of the Company’s net borrowings.
Refinancing
Risk
Refinancing risk
or borrowing risk refers to the risk that it could become difficult to refinance
outstanding debt.
The severe
financial turmoil beginning in September 2008 has increased this risk for all
debt-financed companies. However, Autoliv’s financial position remained strong,
which was evidenced by a successful issuance of bank and capital market debt
without financial covenants (i.e. performance-related restrictions) in the midst
of the credit crisis in the fall of 2008.
The total amount
of this new medium-term debt was equivalent to $250 million.
The Company also
has a syndicated revolving credit facility with a group of banks, which backs
its short-term commercial paper programs. The committed facility of $1.1 billion
matures in November 2012. In October, as a precautionary measure in response to
the credit crisis, the Company drew $500 million of this facility for six
months.
As Autoliv's
credit rating was changed to BBB- by Standard and Poor's on February
19, 2009, it will become more difficult to issue commercial paper both in the
Swedish and US markets. At year-end 2008, Autoliv had $256 million of commercial
paper outstanding in these markets.
In 2007, the
Company issued a $400 million U.S. private placement. This transaction decreases
the refinancing risk as note maturities are spread out between 2012 and
2019.
The Company’s
policy is that total net debt (non-U.S. GAAP measure, see page 31 in the Annual
Report) shall be issued as or covered by long-term facilities with an average
maturity of at least three years. At December 31, 2008, net debt was $1,195
million and total available long-term facilities were $1,795 million with an
average life of 4.2 years.
Credit
Risk in Financial Markets
Credit risk refers
to the risk of a counterparty being unable to fulfill an agreed obligation. This
risk has increased for all companies as a result of the deterioration of the
credit quality of many banks.
In the Company’s
financial operations, this risk arises when cash is deposited with banks and
when entering into forward exchange agreements, swap contracts or other
financial instruments.
The policy of the
Company is to work with banks that have a high credit rating and that
participate in the Company’s financing.
In order to
further reduce credit risk, deposits and financial instruments can only be
entered into with a limited number of banks up to a calculated risk amount of
$75 million per bank. In addition, deposits can be made in U.S. and Swedish
government short-term notes and certain AAA-rated money market funds as approved
by the Company’s Board. At year-end 2008, the Company was compliant also with
this policy and held $225 million in AAA-rated money market funds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2008
|
|
%
of
total
|
|
|
%
with fixed
interest
|
|
|
%
with floating
interest
|
|
|
Maturity
of
fixed rate part
|
|
U.S. Dollars
(USD)
|
|
|
70
|
|
|
|
41
|
|
|
|
59
|
|
|
6
years
|
|
Euros
(EUR)
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
Japanese Yen
(JPY)
|
|
|
12
|
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
|
60
|
|
|
2
years
|
|
Other
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
Total
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
33
|
|
|
|
67
|
|
|
|
|
|
Given this
interest rate profile, a 1% change in interest rates on the Company’s floating
rate debt would change net interest expense by $8.1 million during the first
year and by $8.2 million during the second year.
Debt
Limitation Policy
To manage the
inherent risks and cyclicality in the Company’s business, the Company maintains
a relatively conservative financial leverage.
The Company’s
policy is to always maintain a leverage ratio significantly below three and an
interest coverage ratio significantly above 2.75. At the end of 2008, these
ratios were 2.0 times and 5.5 times, respectively. For details on leverage ratio
and interest-coverage, refer to the tables on this page which reconcile these
two non-U.S. GAAP measures to U.S. GAAP measures.
In addition, it is
the objective of Autoliv to have a strong investment grade rating. However,
Autoliv’s long-term credit rating was changed in November 2008 from "A-" to
"BBB+", and further changed in February 2009 to "BBB-". Although this does not
fully meet our objective, Autoliv's credit rating remains investment grade.
The
recent rating change increase the annual commitment fee for the revolving credit
facility (RCF) by 0.02 percentage points and the interest rate for any future
draw downs from the RCF to LIBOR interest rates +0.25% from LIBOR interest rates
+0.175% compared to the level when the rating was "A-".
Reconciliations
to U.S. GAAP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
Coverage Ratio
|
|
|
|
Leverage
Ratio
|
|
|
|
Full
Year 2008
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2008
|
|
|
|
Operating
income
|
|
|
$306.5
|
|
Net debt
3)
|
|
|
$1,195.3
|
|
Amortization of intangibles
1)
|
|
|
23.6
|
|
Pension
liabilities
|
|
|
111.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Debt
per the Policy
|
|
|
$1,306.3
|
|
Operating
profit per the Policy
|
|
|
$330.1
|
|
Income
before income taxes
|
|
|
$248.7
|
|
Interest
expense net
2)
:
|
|
|
$60.1
|
|
Plus: Interest expense net
2)
|
|
|
60.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization of
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
coverage ratio
|
|
|
5.5
|
|
intangibles
1)
|
|
|
346.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
per the Policy
|
|
|
$655.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leverage
ratio
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
1) Including
impairment write-offs, if any.
2) Interest
expense net is interest expense less interest income.
3) Net
debt is short- and long-term debt and debt-related derivatives (see Note 12)
less cash and cash equivalents.
Outlook
for 2009
During
2009, global light vehicle production is currently expected to decrease by 17%
as an average for the year. In North America and Western Europe, where Autoliv
generates more than 70% of revenues, LVP is currently expected to decline by
approximately 27% and 23%, respectively, but our customer keep adjusting their
production schedules.
We
expect to offset some of the negative effects from lower LVP primarily through
further introductions of curtain airbags and by market share gains in
electronics, partly thanks to a new cost-efficient safety electronic control
unit (see page 16 in the Annual Report). Consequently, we expect Autoliv’s
organic sales during 2009 to track, or slightly outperform, the combined LVP in
North America and Western Europe. The declines in organic sales are expected to
gradually abate during the year, mainly because of the tough comparisons against
the same periods 2008, especially in the first quarter when LVP also will be
affected by severe reductions in vehicle inventories.
Currency
effects could have a negative impact of 7% on consolidated sales for the full
year, provided that the mid-February 2009 exchange rates prevail.
Given
the current price trends for steel and other raw materials, we currently expect
to benefit from lower component costs compared to 2008 by approximately $50
million, virtually all of it in the latter part of the
year.
We also expect the unusually high startup costs in Asia to subside during the
year. In addition, The Action Program and other restructuring measures should
generate increasingly higher cost savings.
Consequently, we
expect 2009 to start on a very weak note with a negative cash flow.
Excluding major customer defaults and provided that the current LVP and raw
material trends prevail, it could be possible to
report
a positive operating income excluding restructuring costs later in the year, and
potentially for the full year 2009. There could be substantial restructuring
activities and costs during 2009, possibly in the same magnitude as in
2008.
The
negative effect of higher interest expense due to an expected higher average net
debt during 2009 than during 2008 is expected to be offset by the current trend
of lower floating market interest rates.
It
should be noted that all forecasts and assumptions are currently very uncertain
due to customer and supplier financial viability, see “Safe Harbor Statement” on
page 40 in the Annual Report.
Accounting
Policies
New
Accounting Pronouncements
The Company has
evaluated the recently issued accounting guidance.
The Company
adopted FASB Statement No 157, Fair Value Measurements (FAS-157) for all
financial assets and liabilities required to be measured at fair value on a
recurring basis, prospectively from January 1, 2008. The application of FAS-157
for financial instruments which are periodically measured at fair value did not
have a significant impact on earnings nor the financial position.
Application
of Critical Accounting Policies
The Company’s
significant accounting policies are disclosed in Note 1 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements included herein.
Senior management
has discussed the development and selection of critical accounting estimates and
disclosures with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The application
of accounting policies necessarily requires judgments and the use of estimates
by a company’s management. Actual results could differ from these
estimates.
Management
considers it important to assure that all appropriate costs are recognized on a
timely basis. In cases where capitalization of costs is required (e.g., certain
pre-production costs), stringent realization criteria are applied before
capitalization is permitted. The depreciable lives of fixed assets are intended
to reflect their true economic life, taking into account such factors as product
life cycles and expected changes in technology. Assets are periodically reviewed
for realizability and appropriate valuation allowances are established when
evidence of impairment exists. Impairment of long-lived assets has generally not
been significant.
Revenue
Recognition
Revenues are
recognized when there is evidence of a sales agreement, delivery of goods has
occurred, the sales price is fixed and determinable and the collectibility of
revenue is reasonably assured. The Company records revenue from the sale of
manufactured products upon shipment.
Accruals are made
for retroactive price adjustments if probable and can be reasonably estimated.
Net sales include the sales value exclusive of added tax.
Bad
Debt and Inventory Reserves
The Company has
reserves for bad debts as well as for excess and obsolete
inventories.
The Company has
guidelines for calculating provisions for bad debts based on the age of
receivables. In addition, the accounts receivable are evaluated on a specific
identification basis. In determining the amount of a bad debt reserve,
management uses its judgment to consider factors such as the prior experience of
the debtor, the experience of other enterprises in the same industry, the
debtor’s ability to pay and/or an appraisal of current economic
conditions.
Inventories are
evaluated based on individual or, in some cases, groups of inventory items.
Reserves are established to reduce the value of inventories to the lower of cost
or market, with market generally defined as net realizable value for finished
goods and replacement cost for raw materials and work-in-process. Excess
inventories are quantities of items that exceed anticipated sales or usage for a
reasonable period. The Company has guidelines for calculating provisions for
excess inventories based on the number of months of inventories on hand compared
to anticipated sales or usage. Management uses its judgment to forecast sales or
usage and to determine what constitutes a reasonable period.
There can be no
assurance that the amount ultimately realized for receivables and inventories
will not be materially different than that assumed in the calculation of the
reserves.
Goodwill
Impairment
The Company
performs an annual impairment review of goodwill in the fourth quarter of each
year following the Company’s annual forecasting process. The estimated fair
market value of goodwill is determined by the discounted cash flow method. The
Company discounts projected operating cash flows using its weighted average cost
of capital.
To supplement this
analysis, the Company compares the market value of its equity, calculated by
reference to the quoted market prices of its shares, with the book value of its
equity. There were no goodwill impairments in 2006-2008. See in Note 1,
under “Impairment of Goodwill”.
Defined
Benefit Pension Plans
The Company has
defined benefit pension plans covering most U.S. employees and some non-U.S.
employees most of which are in high-cost countries, see Note 18.
The Company, in
consultation with its actuarial advisors, determines certain key assumptions to
be used in calculating the projected benefit obligation and annual pension
expense. For the U.S. plans, the assumptions used for calculating the 2008
pension expense were a discount rate of 6.4%, expected rate of increase in
compensation levels of 4.0%, and an expected long-term rate of return on plan
assets of 7.5%.
The assumptions
used in calculating the U.S. benefit obligations disclosed as of December 31,
2008 were a discount rate of 6.4% and an expected rate of increase in
compensation levels of 4.0%. The discount rate is set based on the yields on
long-term high-grade corporate bonds and is determined by reference to financial
markets on the measurement date.
The expected rate
of increase in compensation levels and long-term return on plan assets are
determined based on a number of factors and must take into account long-term
expectations. The Company assumes a long-term rate of return on U.S. plan assets
of 7.5% for calculating the 2008 expense as in 2007. At December 31, 2008, 57%
of plan assets was invested in equities, compared to the target of
65%.
A
1% decrease in the long-term rate of return on plan assets would result in an
increase in the U.S. annual pension expense of $1 million. A 1% decrease in the
discount rate would have increased the 2008 U.S. pension expense by $6 million
and would have increased the December 31, 2008 benefit obligation by $38
million. A 1% increase in the expected rate of increase in compensation levels
would have increased 2008 pension expense by $2 million and would have increased
the December 31, 2008 benefit obligation by $8 million.
Income
Taxes
Significant
judgment is required in determining the worldwide provision for income taxes. In
the ordinary course of a global business, there are many transactions for which
the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. Many of these uncertainties arise as a
consequence of inter-company transactions and arrangements.
Although the
Company believes that its tax return positions are supportable, no assurance can
be given that the final outcome of these matters will not be materially
different than that which is reflected in the historical income tax provisions
and accruals. Such differences could have a material effect on the income tax
provisions or benefits in the periods in which such determinations are
made.
In fact,
adjustments to reserves for income taxes did have a material impact during 2006.
See Note 4.
Contingent
Liabilities
Various claims,
lawsuits and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company or its
subsidiaries, covering a range of matters that arise in the ordinary course of
its business activities with respect to commercial, product liability or other
matters. See Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included
herein.
The Company
diligently defends itself in such matters and, in addition, carries insurance
coverage to the extent reasonably available against insurable
risks.
The Company
records liabilities for claims, lawsuits and proceedings when they are
identified and it is possible to reasonably estimate the cost.
The Company
believes, based on currently available information, that the resolution of
outstanding matters, after taking into account recorded liabilities and
available insurance coverage, should not have a material effect on the Company’s
financial position or results of operations.
However, due to
the inherent uncertainty associated with such matters, there can be no assurance
that the final outcomes of these matters will not be materially different than
currently estimated.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management of the
company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting.
Internal control
over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as a process designed by, or under
the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial
officers and effected by the company’s board of directors, management and other
personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those
policies and procedures that:
-
pertain to the
maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect
the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
-
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors
of the company; and
-
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized
acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a
material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its
inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent
or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to
future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management
assessed the effectiveness of Autoliv’s internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2008. In making this assessment, we used the
criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – Integrated Framework.
Based on our
assessment, we believe that, as of December 31, 2008, the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting is effective.
The Company’s
independent auditors – Ernst & Young AB, an independent registered public
accounting firm – have issued an audit report on the effectiveness of the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting, which is included herein,
see page 65 in the Annual Report.
The certification
required pursuant to Section 303A 12(a) of the New York Stock Exchange Listed
Company Manual has been filed with the New York Stock Exchange.
The Company has
also filed the CEO/CFO certifications required pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 as exhibit 31.1 and 31.2 to the form 10-K filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.